Anyone know of a good inexpensive ($500ish) amp for both acoustic guitar & keyboard??

If effects aren't a big deal, the Peavey KB4 is a great amp with a lot of headroom. If you need cheap, look at the new Kustom stuff. That company has really gotten it's act together in the last couple of years. But really just about any decent Keyboard amp should be full range enough for an acoustic guitar. Roland KC series amps are also really cool for the dough. Just my opinion

 

Any Peavey keyboard amp. Decent sound, near bomb-proof reliability, and cheap used. For up to $600 you should easily be able to get one of the higher-power models with a 15" speaker.

The only problem is that the bigger models tend to be pretty heavy for an amp with just a top handle... but that shouldn't be your problem .

 

I'd recommend a Mackie SRM450 powered PA speaker for either... it's not as versatile, and doesn't have reverb, but it has great sound, clear and clean, loud as hell, and can be put through it's paces. You'd need a DI box or a cable converter (it only has XLR inputs) but it would work beautifully.

 

Excellent move, great choice. IMHO the KC 350 might have been better bang for the buck (not to mention less to lug around) but the 550 will have somewhat more available in the low-low end.

I use a KC 300 for both acoustic guitar and keyboard all the time. Vocals, too.

 

This is a great suggestion ... another along the same lines are the Yorkville NX powered speakers. I use them and they are terrific ... and very highly regarded by working live sound pros. These have small mixers built in so your singer could connect an acoustic guitar, keyboard and a mic if ever desired. I love using one of these for small party gigs for exactly that purpose.

 

I didn't catch that post ... apparently "went with" should be understood to mean "already purchased". thanks

 

The Mackie, while a good-sounding unit, only has one input, so a small mixer would be needed. I've never used the Yorkville stuff, but I'd love to try it out (I live in a small market). JBL makes the Eon series, which is pretty robust, but I don't find them to be as clear. I also used a set of Crate powered PA speakers, which sounded surprisingly good, especially in the lows. Both the Eons and Crate speakers had rudimentary mixers built in (i.e. multiple inputs).

I'm sure the Roland will work out great, though... I assume it has a DI output? Which will help immensely when you gig. It probably has some onboard FX, which you suggested would be a plus.

 

It might be too late, but for anyone else in the same boat you might try Ultrasound Amps. They have models around $500 and sound quite nice.

 

Yeah, they do sound good. Big, powerful, clean, not harsh at all. Gets all the highs, lows and everything in between.

It's probably my most used, most versatile piece of live gear. It comes to every gig where I'm running my own sound. I've used it as a miniature PA, powered monitor, pedal steel amp, bass amp... anything clean.