Axe FX v Kemper for real amp feel

[thiswaythatway]

I haven't heard any Axe-Fx clip of a Marshall that's close to this.....IMHO.

Just wait until Fractal releases firmware v19.




Sorry..... old habits die hard.

Still have yet to hear any Fractal Marshall tones come close to that...IMHO.

 

[Norton666]

I have both. The Axe wins for me in every category , other than plug and play. The Kemper is bonehead simple to use , but the Axe isn't near as difficult as I expected it to be. I still play all my vintage marshals all the time , but I think that may just be because I am not ready to admit that , side by side , I can not hear nor feel a difference. For the record , I am running the Axe through a Boogie 2:90

 

[Bishop5150]

Own both myself. Incredible units. But still using my tube amps for gigging. Go figure.

 

[zentman]

Deleted

 

[enuenu]

When amp shopping a while back I tried a Kemper. Didn't overly impress me. It was OK but didn't bring the smile the 5150 III next to it did. Currently using a JMP100.

 

[Vrad]

Tons of threads on this subject matter. Both feel like the amp. They're touch sensitive and clean up if you roll the volume back. I spent about an hour with an AxeFX II and it's every bit as good as the Kemper (which I own). They do sound different and the approach is different but the quality is the same.

In my experience, the Kemper is pretty much dead-on in terms of touch.

 

[romanianreaper]

I haven't heard any Axe-Fx clip of a Marshall that's close to this.....IMHO.

I'm an Axe-Fx II owner and I gotta say, that is pretty damn impressive!!

A buddy of mine owns a Kemper and loves it but can't get in and tweak like I can. With that said, I've heard the Kemper's simplicity while still being able to achieve awesome tones is why people love it so much.

I think it is awesome that there are two options and both sound great.

 

[Crunchtime]

I've owned them both and gigged them both. I much prefer the amp tones of the Kemper, esp high gain. The Axe-FX does a lot of things great, but the high gain tones don't have as much variety.

Even the Axe tone matching isn't as good as the Kemper profiling, imo.

I just demo'd a Kemper and thought that all the high gain tones sounded pretty much the same. It did an ok HiWatt sound, but I wasn't very impressed with it. I haven't tried an Axe FX so I dunno how it compares.

I'm having similar issue. Been using front loaded V30 can with cab sims off and DI profiles. The high gain all sounds too similar.

I know the cab is really coloring things but that is the cab I need for my tube amp.

I think I need something FRFR like monitors or FRFR cab so I can use cab sims.

 

[guitarmike]

The answer to your question is..... neither. And that's coming from a Kemper owner.

+1from a former Kemper owner.

Before you buy one define your intended use for the Kemper or Axe first. If you gig in a band that always plays fully mic'd through a pa and uses in ear monitors, buy one. If you play out and only the vocals are mic'd (meaning your modeler will need a power amp and a cab), I would stick to a traditional amp/cab.

Another thing to understand about Kemper profiling is that no profile sounds like a you tube clip. If you buy someone's Marshall profiles and you do not play through a very good power amp and a cab with the same speaker as the profile, it will not sound as good. It may sound killer direct or through headphones but not through a cheap power amp and a cab with crappy speakers.

After a year or so with the Kemper I sold it.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I put a VHT valvulator in front of anything digital I use for REAL tube amp feel.

 

[charvelstrat81]

I wouldn't kick either out of bed!

 

[Orvillain]

I've had two Axe FX II's and two Kempers. Still got one of the Axe FX's right now.

The allure of digital modellers is very strong. But I honestly think they just fall short of a real amp and (more importantly I think) a real cabinet. I have a VHT Sig X and a Diezel D-Moll with an Egnater Tourmaster 4x12 loaded with V30's. The Axe and Kemper just don't come close. There is something that is very difficult to put a finger on, and consequently it's going to sound like I'm a tube purist who believes in mojo and wizardry and what not... but it isn't the case. When you've got all these devices side by side and you do a comparison, the difference becomes really apparent.

Also I tried profiling my amps, and in multiple studios with different mics, cabs, and amp heads... I could always tell the difference. It was in the low-end, they've just not got that aspect of it right.

I've spent years tracking down tone and trying out a variety of amps and other gear. So a bit of a gear head. But I always come back to a simple head and 4x12 cab setup, with a few Boss pedals in front of the thing. No effects loops, no digital preamp or poweramp modelling (though the Boss pedals I use are digital) and no hype. It just sounds good.

For me, it's the benchmark. And digital modelling isn't good enough.

 

[DADA]

For me, tubes are the benchmark. And digital modelling isn't good enough.

Hell Yeah!. + 1.000.000.000

BTW good UK prog stuff!

 

[romanianreaper]

There is something that is very difficult to put a finger on, and consequently it's going to sound like I'm a tube purist who believes in mojo and wizardry and what not... but it isn't the case. When you've got all these devices side by side and you do a comparison, the difference becomes really apparent.

I don't think there is anything wrong with being a tube purist man. I don't have tube amps anymore and only own an Axe-FX II but I still love tube amps and miss them for certain things.

I think it comes down to factors like weight, convenience, tones, daily use, etc., etc. and each guitarist has to make a decision on their own. I'll use my own life as an example. I used to gig and have done it with 4x12s, hybrids, digital, combos, etc., etc. A few years ago I stopped gigging and also went thru two hernia surgeries. I thought maybe I shouldn't be hauling 4x12s up the stairs if I want to jam with friends, etc.

I also have gotten really heavy into recording lately and have been doing songs with a buddy from high school. The Axe-FX II or Kemper is perfect for that. No mic placement and a simple USB connection. With that said, I got a Friedman ASM-12 so I could have a speaker in the room for just jamming.

If money was no issue, I'd have a Friedman Brown Eye and two Friedman 4x12s in my basement. Really though, I can't justify shelling out that kind of money when I can get "close" with my Axe-FX II.

I love the smell of hot power tubes, the sound coming thru a big 4x12, and feeling the heat of the tubes in the back and knowing this is a built, hot-rodded machine. I'll always dig tube amps and who knows, I might end up with another down the road. Right now, I'm happy though. I think there is room for tubes and digital.

 

[HilltopExplosion]

All I know is I own nothing but tube amps, but you guys with the axefxII and the kemper's are putting out great sounding clips. I LOVE my tube amps, but you guys are killin' it!

 

[Orvillain]

For me, tubes are the benchmark. And digital modelling isn't good enough.

Hell Yeah!. + 1.000.000.000

BTW good UK prog stuff!

Cheers man!

 

[Orvillain]

There is something that is very difficult to put a finger on, and consequently it's going to sound like I'm a tube purist who believes in mojo and wizardry and what not... but it isn't the case. When you've got all these devices side by side and you do a comparison, the difference becomes really apparent.

I don't think there is anything wrong with being a tube purist man. I don't have tube amps anymore and only own an Axe-FX II but I still love tube amps and miss them for certain things.

I think it comes down to factors like weight, convenience, tones, daily use, etc., etc. and each guitarist has to make a decision on their own. I'll use my own life as an example. I used to gig and have done it with 4x12s, hybrids, digital, combos, etc., etc. A few years ago I stopped gigging and also went thru two hernia surgeries. I thought maybe I shouldn't be hauling 4x12s up the stairs if I want to jam with friends, etc.

I also have gotten really heavy into recording lately and have been doing songs with a buddy from high school. The Axe-FX II or Kemper is perfect for that. No mic placement and a simple USB connection. With that said, I got a Friedman ASM-12 so I could have a speaker in the room for just jamming.

If money was no issue, I'd have a Friedman Brown Eye and two Friedman 4x12s in my basement. Really though, I can't justify shelling out that kind of money when I can get "close" with my Axe-FX II.

I love the smell of hot power tubes, the sound coming thru a big 4x12, and feeling the heat of the tubes in the back and knowing this is a built, hot-rodded machine. I'll always dig tube amps and who knows, I might end up with another down the road. Right now, I'm happy though. I think there is room for tubes and digital.

Yeah man, totally hear you. Tonight I was playing around with my Axe, reamping two DI tracks at once, putting three delays in parallel followed by a reverb, and controlling amp parameters with an LFO and an envelope tracking my picking intensity. There is definitely stuff you can do with an Axe (or Kemper) that you can't really do with a traditional rig. Not easily anyway.

At the moment we're looking for a new drummer, so I have no transportation. It might be that for gigs I have to find some light and portable solution (grumble grumble) but I don't think the Axe is it. I'll probably sell it, and hopefully will have learned my lesson IE: I like what I like and should try and stick with it!

It's not really an anti-digital thing. I prefer digital delays to analog ones for instance!

 

[supersonic]

I owned an AXE FX II for about a year, I REALLY wanted to like it but in the end my playing went downhill as it just didn't feel like a tube amp. Sold it, back using tube amps.

 

[Michi]

I owned an AXE FX II for about a year, I REALLY wanted to like it but in the end my playing went downhill as it just didn't feel like a tube amp. Sold it, back using tube amps.

That's really interesting! I've had the Kemper for a little over a year and I feel my playing has taken leaps forward... I play more, I practise more, I enjoy our playing live more

 

[romanianreaper]

I owned an AXE FX II for about a year, I REALLY wanted to like it but in the end my playing went downhill as it just didn't feel like a tube amp. Sold it, back using tube amps.

That's really interesting! I've had the Kemper for a little over a year and I feel my playing has taken leaps forward... I play more, I practise more, I enjoy our playing live more

Yeah, same here. When I got my Axe-FX, I started playing daily and really stopped G.A.S.ing for amps like I had been.

I still would love to have a Friedman.