Center Point Spacestation V.3

MLBob

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I won't try to convince anyone that this is the way to go, but I have long played my acoustic/electrics through keyboard amps. I've always loved the sound + I use a small pedal-board to add any light effects.

Anyway, back in February, I took delivery on an interesting little keyboard amp. It's the creation of a guy named Aspen Pittman and it's called the Spacestation V.3. His claim was that it could create a 300 degree stereo field from one central cabinet.

From reading a lot of their reviews (last time I looked there were over 70 pages of discussion on the Music Player's Forum), I knew that the keyboard players were going nuts for it, and after some correspondence with Mr. Pittman, I decided to order one back in October. Sweetwater is his exclusive distributor in the US. Due to the demand for this amp from Keys players (+ some delays caused by the West Coast dock strikes), my unit didn't arrive 'til February....but all I can say is that it was worth the wait! ( I believe Sweetwater has sold out 3 shipments since summer).

Currently, I run everything into a small mixer and then to this amp. The cool thing is that the trio I play with really does run EVERYTHING through this 18"x11"x11' amplifier - Two vocal mics, two guitars+ an electric bass (If we had Keys, there's no doubt we could run them into it as well). We do this when practicing or when playing out.
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The sound is phenomenal, and definitely more than enough for mid- sized (or larger) rooms. So now, we bring our instruments, the small mixer and the amp.....that's it.

Here's how I've been running my guitar to the board: Guitar to a K & K Power Mix Pure XT box to EQ the passive pickups (2)
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Then to a Radial Tonebone before sending the clean sound to the mixer. I have two pedals in an effects loop, a delay followed by a stereo reverb that runs directly to a stereo input on the mixer (this triggers the stereo capabilities of the amp).
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I couldn't begin to explain the technology behind this amp, but if you're interested in reading about it and hearing/seeing some of the audio/video, this is a link to Aspen Pittman's website: http://www.centerpointstereo.com/

Bob
 
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Jeff Haddad

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Aspen Pittman used to own Groove Tubes (which I think has been sold to Fender). Ironic that he now makes a solid state PA system.

That's a sexy-looking Guild you've got there!
 

fronobulax

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I won't try to convince anyone that this is the way to go, but I have long played my acoustic/electrics through keyboard amps. I've always loved the sound + I use a small pedal-board to add any light effects.

Thank you. I am always interested in gear that sounds good and has a small footprint. As far as keyboard amps, many of the folks I know who want to amplify an acoustic guitar insist on two speakers with a crossover which is usually easier to find in a PA or keyboard amp.
 
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Thank you. I am always interested in gear that sounds good and has a small footprint. As far as keyboard amps, many of the folks I know who want to amplify an acoustic guitar insist on two speakers with a crossover which is usually easier to find in a PA or keyboard amp.

Thank you. I am always interested in gear that sounds good and has a small footprint. As far as keyboard amps, many of the folks I know who want to amplify an acoustic guitar insist on two speakers with a crossover which is usually easier to find in a PA or keyboard amp.

Agreed, 2 way w/ cross overs are what most KB players have been using, same for acoustic guitar players (my personal passion). But even the most expensive pair of spread out PA speakers can only provide a very small "sweet spot"...usually just for the player, and a very large "sour spot" for everyone else on stage or in the audience. And that is what we've been trying fix for 15 years since my first versions of this Center Point Stereo technology.

We had always had great "3D imaging" with our patented CPS technology, but I would agree with many who said that our "sound quality" was not top notch in the earlier versions, at least that was true for the mass produced versions sold by Fender and Groove Tubes. But we had great sounding "custom made system" like the one I made for Ray Manzarek used on tour, or the one I sold to Ted Nugent...but they were kinda pricy because hey used JBL and McCauley drivers and higher powered amps...and so were way expensive for the average guy.

But with the Spacestation v.3, I think we finally got the "sound" right, and at a price hat anyone can afford. And, we went even beyond a typical 2 way passively crossed over PA speaker designs. We have computer "modeled" this little box to produce a clean 105dB Max SPL using 4 Class D amps, and a 3-way electronic crossover for the front system that drives a 8" coax woofer w/ a 2" voice coil + a 1" VC compression mid range driver, and added a Neo Tweeter. Then we beefed up the Side system with a high power handling (100 watts Class D) 6.5" dual response speaker....so the 3D image is our best ever and more equal on both sides.

Now we have the sound quality you'd expect in a studio monitor, but the 3D stereo effect that IMHO is FAR better than any conventional spread dual system (at any price) because w/ CPS, the 3D image remains the same everywhere in the room you stand, and it never collapses! It even goes thru doorways and into other rooms! Of course until you actually hear one, this all seems like crazy talk. FYI, my daughter Autumn has started a CPS Family page on Facebook, and SS3 owners are posting their gigs there so maybe there will be one in use near you and you can hear one for yourself.
 

Quantum Strummer

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I love amps of all kinds…never been a tube snob, though I've owned & loved plenty of tube amps (including, at one time, one of Mr. Pittman's Soul-O 75s). Now at home I sorta do the inverse of what you're doing. I play keyboards through guitar amps, my long-time fav for this being an Ampeg Super Echo Twin. :laughing: But playing guitar through a monitor/small PA like the SpaceStation? Why not?!

That Guild of yours has a Nightbird neck on it!

-Dave-
 
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