BeatBuddy friends,
I use the BeatBuddy with the same amp as where I play acoustic guitar on (Roland Jazz Chorus 120).
This does not do the BeatBuddy justice.
What would be a good powered speaker solution, compact and for a good price?
Stereo or mono?
Thanks
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Three things you might need to nail down,
how much money you want to spend.
How powerful do you need it.
How much weight can you lift.
I dont do stereo for live, or much else for that matter.
When was the last time you heard anyone sayâŚGreat show, but damn, it was ruined by being too mono???
I recently bought just one QSC k12 for my âbig rigâ.
Didnât really shop around nor care about budget, just went into shop and saidâŚGive me that one.
It sounds great and will also make you guitar sound great⌠And is powerful enough to hurt you if you stand in front of it, but karting it around sucksâŚTo heavy (for my strength) and a little too large for comfort.
Might be worth heading down to your local shop with your guitar and BB and trying a few different speakers,
Listen to them, and if you ned to lug it, try lugging it.
Nags
I liked my amps with the two twelves in them but I think a person would be better off with a couple of smaller amps no less than one ten (for sound quality). You could have a stereo setup and if you had to be louder, then run into a mixing board and go from there. I lugged a heavy Peavey Session 400 head and a two fifteen custom cab around for years to get a good sound and came up with âTennis Elbowsâ from it. Actually I had a large cabinet with two 15" JBLâs with a Crossover and High Frequency Horn with the Fender Twin Amp with a singe 15" JBL before that and that was my sound. I used to lift the big cab up on a stand that I built and set the amp down below and it had a Singel 15" JBL in it also. Oh, did I have a sound but I paid for it. This was also my standard rig I hauled around for a good many years. I finally built two cabs and then separated the two 15" and put the horn in one. Then I had plenty of effects without a pedalboard. I finally got the smarts after I retired from playing out in public and built me a pedalboard which I now have in my âMusic Roomâ. Can I pick it up. No! But now I donât play out anywhere so it sits in one spot in front of all my amps. Now I can have all the good stuff and not have to haul it around. I have a Kustom '72 Coupe and a Fender Hot Rod Deville, both with twelves. I plug my stereo pedalboard into them with the Beat Buddy aboard and a Looper. Heaven! If I were able to go out in public again I would probably buy a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a single 12". Not quite the sound of two 12" ones but a lot lighter. The two powered monitors would be great with the Beat Buddy just by itself. You would have a great stereo sound if you wanted it. Not bad on weight either. That way you could keep your Guitar or Keyboard amp by itself to plug into.
Sincerely, Fingerstylepicker.
Hey, Guile. Any decent full range amp will do the BeatBuddy justice. Used keyboard amps can be had for a decent price and will fulfill several criteria for a low weight, full range, decent power, combo style amplifier. Hereâs a link so you can get an idea of whatâs out there <http://www.musiciansfriend.com/keyboard-amplifiers-monitors>; once you find something that interests you, you can look for a used one on Craigslist or eBay. Let us know what you settle on and how it works out for 'ya.
The Peavey KB300 is a great, inexpensive keyboard amp that works great for electronic drums and can be had for $100-200 used. Get two if you can because stereo does sound better. Note the KB300 is a beast so you might want to get a cart to move them around.
There are a few âtransparentâ bass amps that work well. Iâve got a Ibanez Promethean 110 (1 10" speaker) that has a very transparent, flat response. The BB sounds decent through it.
In addition to the very good responses above, Iâd like to add that youâll get the best quality audio with any full range, neutrally set audio system. For tip top audio quality, we recommend allocating a PA system for the BeatBuddy, but if you cannot afford this just yet, @persist made a good recommendation that any full range amp should be fine. Not every amp is full range, so make sure that you check the specs (and even better, bring your BB with you to the store to try it out with the amp). If the BB is being played via a guitar amp, it will be in mono, not stereo. The top priority though should be a full range audio system, for best results.
We use a PA system with dedicated amp and an isolated channel for the Beat Buddy when we play live. We keep the EQ as flat as possible and we get excellent sound and tone from the unit. It sounds like a fully miked kit in the same room. When we rehearse we just use a small 10w guitar practice amp to play the BB through. Now the sound of the BB in rehearsal isnât amazing, but, saying that, all we really need in rehearsal is to keep time. So it is perfect. But playing live through a PA system with good quality front speakers and Bass Bins with a very loud drum mix in the monitors, is where the unit really comes alive. It is like a wild beast. The sound just attacks. Unbelievable. we love it!!! In fact we love it so much, we have 2 Beat Buddies. 1 to play live with and a spare in case we have a catastrophe, like someone spilling a drink over it or something else stupid like that. Best musical purchase ever.
I use a yamaha 600-1 PA ⌠works great ⌠blends in w vocals no problem.
The Alto 12 and 15 powered speakers have a good reputation and are easy on the budget if you donât want to buy used.
Consider the TC Helicon FX150 Voicesolo. Quite versatile and has many cool features.
Again, depending on your needs and budget, the Altos are very good bang for the buck. Consider a pair of the 10s with a small sub if you want really kick-ass on the cheap. If you have a few more dollars to spend, the Yamaha DBR12s are amazing for the price. Both of these choices have 2-channel mixers built in with a Mix-Out to drive the second speaker if you want to go mono.
Newbie here! Just purchased the BeatBuddy at my local Guitar Center (had nice gift card, which made it easier). I did buy a PA speaker on the cheap (a Kustom PA 50[/URL]). Havenât used it yet. Based on its specs do you think Iâll be able to get good quality sound from the BeatBuddy out of that speaker, or should I just use my [URL=âhttp://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical-instruments/guitars-basses/amps/thr/thr10x/â]Yamaha THR10X guitar amp? Mostly asking because Yamaha says the amp is tru hi-fi stereo (they call it extended stereo technology). Thanks for any feedback!
Hey GDimes, welcome. Probably better off using the PA as it provides a wider frequency range (lows and highs). Although the Yamaha touts itâs stereo imaging, your sound will be still be determined by the speaker cab you use with the Yamahaâmost likely a cabinet with guitar speakers which usually have a narrower frequency range. Many of the folks here seem to prefer the PA for the BeatBuddy.
Got it! Thank you for the feedback!
Definitely the PA⌠just because the guitar is stereo doesnât matter much. Guitar amps are tuned to guitar ranges, and wonât sound as good as a full range amp like the PA. If you want stereo, just grab another of those PAâs and run left into one and right into the other 
@aashideacon Thank you! And that was my next question (i.e. âdo two mono lines = stereo?â). That makes sense. Iâll grab another one of those when I can. Appreciate everyoneâs feedback!
One would think that the BB works best in stereo.
For this reason I searched for a compact solution like a Boombox/Ghettoblaster kind of device.
Anyone ideas and/or comments?
You wonât get good stereo separation with a boombox if youâre in a large room.
Some users said that they used a subwoofer along with some powered monitors and that it sounded huge
Corrected a typo:
Some users said that they used a subwoofer along with some powered monitors and that it sounded huge