best amplification for digital piano

[soufriere]

hi

i use a roland rd700nx for gigging - nice piano, but let's face it, if you are an acoustic player (i practice on a grand hours a day) any dig piano is going to be a compromise. i play the rd700 in a jazz quartet/quintet setting and am looking for the best possible amplification. i've tried the roland kc 550, the qsc monitors, rented a yamaha stagepas 500....they all sound like crap. all the sales people look at me like i'm an idiot when i say this. surely i am not alone here - they sound thin, tinny, boxy. the best i've heard so far is a jbl 12"stage monitor.
i am willing to spend the money...any advice as to what will give me the best possible acoustic piano sound amp-wise? keyboard amp, powered monitors, powered mixer + passive monitors, two monitors verses one....i am confused, ignorant and out of my depth. anybody know what the best solution is?

thanks a million,
soufriere

[Kiwi]

My RD100 was damaged in an earthquake, so i'm considering buying a RD700 ... wish I could justify the V-Piano ...

Do you use the EP's and tonewheel organ?

Most keyboard amps have nasty sounding piezo horns to give a "fullrange" or "hifi" sound - but I think they sound boxy and nasty.

I would suggest you consider getting a solid state power amp, and powering some guitar cabs. The RD700 has XLR outputs, so just connect straight in. You have a whole range of colors depending on what cabs and drivers you buy. I am thinking more of the very clean high wattage guitar cabs - e.g. an Electrovoice or JBL Theil cabinet or similar. You probably don't want low wattage 'vintage' speakers that 'cream' easily ... or maybe you do. There is huge variation in sound, so it's worth trying a few. Maybe a Marshal cab with stereo inputs would suit?

By avoiding piezo horns or tweeters you avoid that "icepick in your ear" sound. You may have to be careful about the level of bass you send to a guitar cab - but unless you like that huge scooped sound, I'm think you probably will benefit from the warm midrange sound of guitar cab.

The RD700 has 4-band onboard eq, so you should be able to get a musical sound with a very simple setup.

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by Kiwi

My RD100 was damaged in an earthquake, so i'm considering buying a RD700 ... wish I could justify the V-Piano ...

Do you use the EP's and tonewheel organ?

Most keyboard amps have nasty sounding piezo horns to give a "fullrange" or "hifi" sound - but I think they sound boxy and nasty.

I would suggest you consider getting a solid state power amp, and powering some guitar cabs. The RD700 has XLR outputs, so just connect straight in. You have a whole range of colors depending on what cabs and drivers you buy. I am thinking more of the very clean high wattage guitar cabs - e.g. an Electrovoice or JBL Theil cabinet or similar. You probably don't want low wattage 'vintage' speakers that 'cream' easily ... or maybe you do. There is huge variation in sound, so it's worth trying a few. Maybe a Marshal cab with stereo inputs would suit?

By avoiding piezo horns or tweeters you avoid that "icepick in your ear" sound. You may have to be careful about the level of bass you send to a guitar cab - but unless you like that huge scooped sound, I'm think you probably will benefit from the warm midrange sound of guitar cab.

The RD700 has 4-band onboard eq, so you should be able to get a musical sound with a very simple setup.

On this basis a bloke called Greenboy has come up with a sort of halfway house called a Fearful, initially designed for Hi Fi full range bass guitar use they have 6" coned midrange units and 12 or 15" bass drivers they are loud and warm with good frequency extension, both ends.
LDS build this design they are very light, compact and Great for piano organ etc etc etc:
Low Down Sound - Custom Speaker Cabinets for Bass Guitar