Boy, that was a hard one to admit .

Well, my search for a non-Leslie/non-MotionSound solution to my C1 speaker problem is over. The solution, a Traynor K4, which Fran had recommended from the beginning. Here's the story.

I learned, quite accidentally, from a fellow musician and K4 owner, that my unit was not performing properly, apparently having been damaged in shipment. From the beginning, I noticed the big dent in the front grill but since the unit seemed to play ok, I figured it was only cosmetic. Although it worked, it didn't seem to have the power and warmth that I'd been looking for, and I soon consigned it to the back room with the intent of returning it or selling it later. Last week, a guy stopped by the club and was really impressed with the C1 and suggesting how good it would sound through a K4, which he happened to own and play his Hammond Xc3 (or whatever) through. When I told his my story and that I still had mine, he opined that there must be something wrong with it and offered to bring his over to my house for an A/B test. Fast forward. It took about 2 minutes to figure out that I had a lemon and the C1 sounded absolutely fantastic through his K4. My luck continues. He had a repair tech in Marietta who was familiar with the K4 and could probably at least determine if it could be repaired locally. Fast forward. It took the tech five minutes to spot the damage and 2 minutes to repair it (he wouldn't even charge me but I gave him $20.00 anyway).

All I can say is, WOW! This is a butt-kicking keyboard amp, especially for organ. the twin 12AX7 tubes gives it the warmth I was looking for and the crossover points are just perfect for organ, with excellent bass, and screaming mids and highs. I put my new SR18 into Channel 2 (Fran will understand) and it sounds awesome.

I plan to gig it this weekend but because the band area isn't elevated, I'll have to set it up on something (I don't think setting it back in the tilt (monitor) position will be enough). That's a problem with floor monitors. I plan to keep the two Harbingers as they are such an improvement over the Cerwin Vegas when used with the 808S. Sounds great for vocals and overall band PA and a bargain at 399.00ea.

So, apologies to Fran. For once he got it right .

chas

I venture to add that Fran is more often right. His suggestions may not be the cheapest or lightest, but his recommendations are right on. The boy does his homework, for sure.

I played a Hammond XK-1 through a K4...sounded terrific.

However, it is not a great arranger amp...not enough stereo separation...let's face it, no single cabinet is going to pump out the sense of space that two properly-placed cabinets will.

I did like the power...plenty of it...LOUD.

It works best for what it was designed for...a combo keyboard amp...great for digital pianos, organs and synths...just passable for arranger.

Ian

I guess it all depends on what you use it for... as a personal keyboard monitor, it seems about perfect, the stereo issue is not so critical when it's just you listening. As a main backline amp, it might be a bit more important, but if you are serious about stereo, you probably already have a PA set up that way, and DI the arranger, so it's back to personal monitor use....

One thing I definitely approve of for organ amplification is the fact that left and right ARE close together... You know, just like a Leslie (separation between horn left and right positions is less than three feet). I have mentioned this before, but I consider most Leslie sims in arrangers and WS's to be fatally flawed, because they usually are hard panned left and right with no way to collapse the stereo WITHIN the mix. You want separation on effects and some sounds, but the sound of a thirty foot wide Leslie speaker is unrealistic!

Does the Nord C1 have a 'width' parameter on the Leslie sim? If you are DI-ing into a PA in stereo, it might help things out to narrow it... but if you go to the Traynor, full width would probably be best.

In all fairness, I don't believe I have ever heard a keyboard combo amp that was as flat as a PA should be. They all tend to emphasize mid-range, to help cut through in a stage monitor role (what they are really designed for).

Diki, it seems to have just enough stereo separation to effectively reproduce the 'Leslie' effect. And yes, Ian is right, this thing is LOUD. The mid-range is excellent (just what you want for jazz organ) but the bass is much better than you'd expect from a 12" in combo amp format. As I said before, the only minor problem is the height (no problem with an elevated bandstand). I'm thinking about building a little stand with 4 aluminum (or PVC) legs to bring it up to about Leslie 122 height.

I still can't believe my blind luck in this whole incident. Probably my reward for living such a clean, wholesome, life. Right.

chas

Chas the K4 is a great KB amp.....I should know... ......Tip: Tilt that baby back & it will fill a big room with no problem for sure....& the Tube feature really warms up the sound.....quality built for sure.

Good Luck with it!


PS: I thought you already knew Fran is always right?



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 08-20-2008).]

I'm interested in that new Motion-Sound keyboard amp. This should be a good contender to give a stereo keyboard a nice sound with plenty of power.

Its due to be available about now (Aug) has 500 watts (250 per channel) 57lbs, 2 12's (up from the 10's in the 200 model) and 4 horns. Here's the link to it.

amp specs