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Kat players _ what is your amp preference?

John Keene 11 May 2016

Pardon if this has already been addressed, but could I ask those who are Kat owners to suggest an amplifier that you use or really like? There is such variety available that it would be helpful knowing what to prioritize when trying different amps at Guitar Center.

Thanks in advance!!

John

Comments

Vince H Thu, 05/12/2016 - 13:29

Hi John,
Thanks for posting this. I've been having trouble getting a good sound with my Malletkat on various vibraphone settings (using the Kurzweil engine) on the gig. At home, I've tweaked it to get a really good sound--almost can mistake it for the real thing. On the gig, I've tried CPS Spacestation (a stereo amp); Gallien Krueger MK 200 (an older keyboard specific amp) and a Fishman Soloamp. I've even tried adding a graphic EQ. Problems occur with the vibe sound as background noise kills either the pinging front edge of the tone OR the trailing edge, resulting in a muffled marimba-like tone. A second problem occurs with getting the volume adjusted acceptably and the amp at the right location--it is either too "hot" sounding for my ears OR too muffled and lost. So, wondering what other folks have tried. I'm increasingly using my malletkat for gigs where the leader wants a vibe and the load-in logistics make a real vibe impractical (esp. relative to the wage for the gig). Just want to get the best vibe sound possible.

Bongo35 Sat, 05/14/2016 - 05:20

I've tried a few things and settle for either a Roland Keyboard Amp or a SR technology system. I wonder though, whether the problem isn't the amplification, just that getting any sort of good synthesised or sampled vibe is difficult. Listening to the likes of Roy Ayers he has a sound that is vibe-like, but isn't, in my opinion, trying to pass itself off as a real vibraphone. When I get the time, I will try and sample my yamaha vibe to work on that, but it seems like a lot of hard work!

soundtextures Tue, 05/24/2016 - 10:59

Hi there,
except from the sound source, which in most cases is my trusty laptop with Ableton Live running, I´m using the Maui 11 or 28 by LD Systems both as my amp. The good thing about systems like the Maui (or Bose) is, that you have a great sound - more than enough bass - and you can place the Maui right behind you, so that you have the sound coming from you (the audience).

Best,
Tom

tmackay Fri, 05/27/2016 - 18:52

i have been using my AER compact 60 for my malletkat ...

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