Straight up amp tones: Kemper or Helix?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dan Gleesak
  • Start date Start date

Which one for best amp tones

  • Kemper

    Votes: 14 63.6%

  • Helix

    Votes: 5 22.7%

  • Other

    Votes: 3 13.6%
  • Total voters
    22
Dan Gleesak

Dan Gleesak

Well-known member
I’m ready to balls deep into digital gear! I still love tube amps and building them is one of my favorite hobbies, but I think it’s time I go down the digital rabbit hole and have some fun.

I can’t say I give a rates arse about effects so I’m looking for people’s opinions on which unit has the best sounding amp tones. I probably won’t be gigging much, don’t care about effects loops and switching patches. I just want to download some patches, plug in my guitar in and let it rip.

I do have a headrush mx5 which is a lot of fun, but I’m a little annoyed that I can’t edit stuff from my laptop. My back hurts and I don’t like bending over anymore (except for my wife)

Thanks!
 
I’m getting better tones out of my AxeFX III then I ever got out of my Kemper. I find it easy to dial in.
 
Aynirar27 said:
I’m ready to balls deep into digital gear! I still love tube amps and building them is one of my favorite hobbies, but I think it’s time I go down the digital rabbit hole and have some fun.

I can’t say I give a rates arse about effects so I’m looking for people’s opinions on which unit has the best sounding amp tones. I probably won’t be gigging much, don’t care about effects loops and switching patches. I just want to download some patches, plug in my guitar in and let it rip.

I do have a headrush mx5 which is a lot of fun, but I’m a little annoyed that I can’t edit stuff from my laptop. My back hurts and I don’t like bending over anymore (except for my wife)

Thanks!
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if you don't need FX, look into the Tone X pedal at the $400 price point
 
I've owned modelers for many years, starting with the first Vox Tonelab tabletop; I owned a Helix LT, and Axe-Fx Ultra, and have a Boss GT-1000 and SY-1000 currently.

If I wanted a high-end hardware modeler today, I'd go with either Helix or Fractal. The Neural DSP Quad Cortex is slow to deliver on promises, and the new Tonex would be a good option for a good price if you just want to test the waters of digital modeling.

That said, going forward I plan to buy more plugins and use software unless a compelling hardware unit comes along.

IMO
 
I prefer the Helix if I'm not using a profiler with my own amps but primarily use it for effects with my analog ss and tube amps.

If you only care about amp tones and don't want to spend much time tweaking you should consider the ToneX pedal.
 
It’s more about workflow than tones when comparing these two, and it’s something you only know by buying one and trying it for awhile.

If you need unlimited routing, multiple amps, etc, then perhaps the Axe FX is the best. You can definitely fall down an endless rabbit hole of tweaking though, and for some, option paralysis can be a problem.

The Kemper is much more straightforward but has its own rabbit hole of buying 3rd party profiles, which means less tweaking, but potentially more impact on your wallet. The effects snd routing are much simple and realistic to what most guitarists do.

If you’re planning to gig, I can tell you from mine and many other experiences that the Kemper remote can sometimes be sketchy and randomly disconnect. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s common enough when you search around.
 
Monkey Man said:
For feel & "organic" mojo I'd go Kemper any day of the week.

Helix is somewhat-sterile in comparison.
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i'm leaning towards a Kemper. I used to manage the facilities at a casino so it gave me unlimited access to the stage during concert setups and all that, and it was surprising (or unsurprising) how many touring bands were using kempers.
 
Spaceboy said:
It’s more about workflow than tones when comparing these two, and it’s something you only know by buying one and trying it for awhile.

If you need unlimited routing, multiple amps, etc, then perhaps the Axe FX is the best. You can definitely fall down an endless rabbit hole of tweaking though, and for some, option paralysis can be a problem.

The Kemper is much more straightforward but has its own rabbit hole of buying 3rd party profiles, which means less tweaking, but potentially more impact on your wallet. The effects snd routing are much simple and realistic to what most guitarists do.

If you’re planning to gig, I can tell you from mine and many other experiences that the Kemper remote can sometimes be sketchy and randomly disconnect. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s common enough when you search around.
Click to expand...
lucky for me wallet impacting rabbit holes are one of my favorite hobbies
 
Kemper. But for me I wasn’t happy till I did my own profiles. The one I bought and or downloaded sucked.
The fractal audio stuff is great too. Much more time consuming.
Kemper if you have a storage full of amps is my vote.
 
While the Axe is a great unit, I much prefer the Kemper. I traded my Axe II XL for a Kemper and never looked back. To me, it sounds and feels more like a real amp. And while there are less effects on the Kemper, I find that they are stellar in quality.
 
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