Kemper to Fractal?

[the rossness]

8 or so years ago, when I got my kemper, I was amazed. It was one of those “If lost or stolen, I’d gladly buy one again”.

But in 2026, I almost never play it. I have over 10k paid profiles on it and tbh, most sound line 1980’s retro-digital to my ears.

I’ve been thinking of getting a FM9 to replace the kemper. I’d be hooking it up to a real speaker cab and my Fryette PS-100.

Has anyone made the switch before? Were you happy or unhappy with your decision?

 

[Monkey Man]

I have over 10k paid profiles on it and tbh, most sound line 1980’s retro-digital to my ears.

Hey brother, you say, "most", so I assume there's a bunch there that sound legit?

I mean, I can't imagine anything Bert Merlendijk puts out as being "digital-sounding"... just OTTOMH.

Be wary of confirmation bias is all I'm suggesting.

 

[DanTravis62]

I switched the other way.

I definitely prefer the kemper

Go ahead and make the switch if you think it will work better for you but it's a lateral move - both are good just a matter of what use case

I do a ton of recording and I think the kemper is better for that - if I needed a modeler for just live something like the fm9 would probably be a bit better

But neither suck

 

[alund]

I switched the other way.

I definitely prefer the kemper

Go ahead and make the switch if you think it will work better for you but it's a lateral move - both are good just a matter of what use case

I do a ton of recording and I think the kemper is better for that - if I needed a modeler for just live something like the fm9 would probably be a bit better

But neither suck

Sometimes something new is inspiring. Not sure I’d get rid of the kemper but getting a whole new unit like fractal, even if a lateral move, will force you to work towards your end goal; “grail tone”. We might never find it but the trip is fun.