Who doesn't like the kemper, and a few other questions?

[the rossness]

There are so many amps I want and only so much I can spend on them. I think its time for a Kemper, if its as good as people say it is. With so many people saying this is the future of amplification, who has played one and hasn't liked it? I'm going to keep one of my MTS rigs for playing out, but I just intend to play the kemper around the house.If I just want to download profiles, instead of profiling my amps, should I be ok? Does it really sound/ feel like a tube amp?

 

[Jofipe]

Had one for a month... as soon as I was done figuring everything out, I was just stuck with another digital device and the fun was over No it's great.. sounds and feels great. Not a tube amp and nor should it be. It's fun in it's own way.

I loved to play it drunk with a headset on.. instant huger than life stereo heaven.

I just like tubes, amps and microphones more. allot of stuff claim it can simulate it 100%, I have yet to find it true.

 

[Tone Monster]

The Kemper is so so so close. Like 95%. You just have to decide if that extra 5% of organicness is worth it. I had one and sold it. Thinking about getting another.

 

[Bato]

With headphones it sounds like every other digital device.
Nothing special at all IMHO.

Sounds like every amp? Come on, it's only little bit frequency tweaking. Of course it's one of the best digital devices in the market, but it's boring and it it does not have the amp feeling while playing it.

 

[Doughboy]

I had one for 2 weeks but returned it. It just sounded too digital & the feel wasn't there. I even downloaded a ton of pro patches from the Amp Factory, but it just didn't have the warmth, organicness & feel of a real amp. I have no idea how people can say it's 95% like an amp. You could really tell it was digital.

 

[gibson5413]

Love mine! If you are looking to replace another amp (tube amp) I would caution you. People that look to dump tube rigs for the simplicity of digital tend to be disappointed over time. The same can be said conversely (digital to tube). As a piece of gear, I think it is awesome!!. Some people buy them and sell them. When I go to the classifieds I see tons of killer tube amps for sale as well. Try one out. If you are only playing at home it may be for you. I use mine at home and live and it fits the bill (going on a year and a half). Try one out to see if you like it. People like what they like. I don't hear the digital things people talk about. I have had plenty of time to work with it and have it dialed in really well. I'll tell you, I have had many high end tube amps lauded by members here that sounded fizzy and buzzy as well. Comes down to what you like. Just try one and make your own decision.

 

[the rossness]

Love mine! If you are looking to replace another amp (tube amp) I would caution you. People that look to dump tube rigs for the simplicity of digital tend to be disappointed over time. The same can be said conversely (digital to tube). As a piece of gear, I think it is awesome!!. Some people buy them and sell them. When I go to the classifieds I see tons of killer tube amps for sale as well. Try one out. If you are only playing at home it may be for you. I use mine at home and live and it fits the bill (going on a year and a half). Try one out to see if you like it. People like what they like. I don't hear the digital things people talk about. I have had plenty of time to work with it and have it dialed in really well. I'll tell you, I have had many high end tube amps lauded by members here that sounded fizzy and buzzy as well. Comes down to what you like. Just try one and make your own decision.

It comes down to a few things. 1) I'm really picky about my tone and tend to buy something, keep it for a month and sell it because I don't like it enough. That puts a strain on brain trying to find a new sound and an even bigger strain on my limited wallet. 2) If the kemper is as good as I'm told it is, I could just download new profiles to keep it fresh. Even the paid profiles would cost less than a new module for my MTS rig. 3) I'm not abandoning tube amps. I just want something to mess with that keeps me happy.

 

[gibson5413]

Love mine! If you are looking to replace another amp (tube amp) I would caution you. People that look to dump tube rigs for the simplicity of digital tend to be disappointed over time. The same can be said conversely (digital to tube). As a piece of gear, I think it is awesome!!. Some people buy them and sell them. When I go to the classifieds I see tons of killer tube amps for sale as well. Try one out. If you are only playing at home it may be for you. I use mine at home and live and it fits the bill (going on a year and a half). Try one out to see if you like it. People like what they like. I don't hear the digital things people talk about. I have had plenty of time to work with it and have it dialed in really well. I'll tell you, I have had many high end tube amps lauded by members here that sounded fizzy and buzzy as well. Comes down to what you like. Just try one and make your own decision.

It comes down to a few things. 1) I'm really picky about my tone and tend to buy something, keep it for a month and sell it because I don't like it enough. That puts a strain on brain trying to find a new sound and an even bigger strain on my limited wallet. 2) If the kemper is as good as I'm told it is, I could just download new profiles to keep it fresh. Even the paid profiles would cost less than a new module for my MTS rig. 3) I'm not abandoning tube amps. I just want something to mess with that keeps me happy.

The Kemper is great for that. I have my core tone that I always play live with (The Amp Factory Marshall JTM45) but have about 40 or 50 others I love to play around with. stratotone (Pete) makes killer profiles as well of lots of great free and commercially sold ones. Let me know what you do and I will shoot you some that will get you started.

 

[Metlupass2]

I just got one last week and already sold my Axe FX II cause I like it so much.

 

[Doughboy]

The Kemper is a great fun toy, but to me, that's all it was, a fun toy. It could never properly replicate the tone or feel of my tube amps. I bought the Amp Factory Brown Eye patches & they were a joke compared to my actual BE. Same with the Two Rock & Bassman tones. My actual amps just blew the Kemper versions away. No contest. Again, it's a great fun toy & soooooo convenient, but if you're used to a great tube amp, nothing will replicate that.....ever....imo. Amen!!!!

 

[gibson5413]

The Kemper is a great fun toy, but to me, that's all it was, a fun toy. It could never properly replicate the tone or feel of my tube amps. I bought the Amp Factory Brown Eye patches & they were a joke compared to my actual BE. Same with the Two Rock & Bassman tones. My actual amps just blew the Kemper versions away. No contest. Again, it's a great fun toy & soooooo convenient, but if you're used to a great tube amp, nothing will replicate that.....ever....imo. Amen!!!!

Lulz! To each his own (see bold).

Keep in mind that one person's profile is just that. Not an absolute representation of that particular amp. In fact, that BE profile from the Amp Factory was a modded Marshall with the BE, not an actual production Friedman Brown Eye. Some get way too hung up on authenticity of replicating 100% to your amp. It is a profile of the amp they used to replicate a well mic'ed amp tone, not an in the room amp tone.

Not trying to convince you brother. You like what you like and that's cool. Calling it a toy is a little goofy. A "fun piece of gear" is probably a better way of saying it. Not usually argumentative here but thought I would just give my experience.

 

[drjenkins]

I had one for almost a month and returned it. I definitely agree with the idea of keeping around a tube amp (totally IMO). I also echo the sentiment that it was sooo close for me, but wasn't all there just yet. I really wanted it to be my end all solution, but I don't think that exists in my world. Tried all the available tones that interested me, but just couldn't nail down a tone or feel that justified the price tag, or really inspired me.

The editor hadn't been released yet, and I think if it had, I may have been a bit more inclined to hang onto it. I also got mine pretty soon after they were widely available, so I'm sure there are tons more sounds to search through now than there were when I had mine.

All that said, I love the interface and the simplicity of the design, and I think at some point in the future I'll have another one.

 

[daver101]

I thought I was really into mine when I first got it, but I just want to plug into an amp an play. The Kemper is way more user friendly, than the Axe FX I owned, but still it's more tweaking than I want to do. I guess I'm just lazy!

So, off to the classifieds it goes!

 

[stratotone]

I always get sucked into these discussions when I see em. Personally, I didn't and still don't like 99% of the profiles that are out there, free or paid. That's why I started making my own and then selling them. If you mic up your amp, and make a profile with the Kemper - it's going to sound like that miked amp. Period. I had a friend over with a really cool GT Soul-O amp. We hooked it up to a cab in the next room, miked it up through my monitors, made sure we both liked how it sounded, then made a profile of it. I didn't let him see which was active - the Kemper profile or his 'real' amp. He couldn't figure out which was which, by sound OR feel, and he even rolled his guitar volume down to try to figure it out. I've done this with a couple other friends.

...and btw, comparing a kemper profile of an amp to your real amp is going to be a little wonky at times because I have several JMP marshalls and I can tell them apart by tone and sound, they are all different. Same for tube amps, I've heard some that were a little close but no two were exactly alike. Add to that different brands of tubes, speaker cabs, microphones, mic placement and yeah, you've got a world of variation with the same model amp.

I'd advise the OP if he can keep tube rigs and get the Kemper, do it! Best of both worlds, and you can profile your tube amps and if you get good profiles, may want to sell those tube amps! Or keep them around, nothing wrong with that either. Had a guy ask on another board why I was selling 'all my tube amps' - I'm not, still keeping over a dozen. I love amps, but the Kemper is really awesome and I love it. Playing a gig tonight, taking all my amps with me - in the Kemper. Can't beat that.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I cant stand the alias, once v2 comes iut and im hoping he upgrades the hardeare so its powerful enough to not alias, at that point i will try one again, until then its axe fx 2 for modelers for me.

 

[mixohoytian]

I've had one for a year and haven't really figured it out but because of the wealth of posts like the one above, I know that once I start profiling, it'll be exactly what I want (authentic amp tone - my amp tone- with effects in an easy to transport package.

I hate the manual though....

 

[crankyrayhanky]

If you mic up your amp, and make a profile with the Kemper - it's going to sound like that miked amp. Period.

So true...which means that you will find profiles that are great and some that are less than great. It's basically a snapshot of your mic'ing for that moment in time, the good and the bad

I'd advise the OP if he can keep tube rigs and get the Kemper, do it!

Keep those modules around long enough to profile them then sell some off.
I recently sold a Recto that I love; I was so happy with the profiles it became expendable. In the end I'll keep my D-Moll as my main amp because of the tones and flexibility, but the other amps will be a revolving circus to feed my profiling needs


I brought an amp to practice last night...my drummer demanded "bring that toaster back"

 

[stratotone]

I cant stand the alias, once v2 comes iut and im hoping he upgrades the hardeare so its powerful enough to not alias, at that point i will try one again, until then its axe fx 2 for modelers for me.

Aliasing hasn't been an issue for quite some time. Not sure how long it's been since you used one. Also I never noticed the aliasing in the first place, it wasn't until Cliff (Axe FX owner) started mentioning it that suddenly it was a huge issue. Then the Kemper updated and it went away.

 

[Darden]

I cant stand the alias, once v2 comes iut and im hoping he upgrades the hardeare so its powerful enough to not alias, at that point i will try one again, until then its axe fx 2 for modelers for me.

Aliasing hasn't been an issue for quite some time. Not sure how long it's been since you used one. Also I never noticed the aliasing in the first place, it wasn't until Cliff (Axe FX owner) started mentioning it that suddenly it was a huge issue. Then the Kemper updated and it went away.

When that first came up I tried to get my Kemper to alias, but it wouldn't do it. Bummer.

I have the Axe-Fx II as well, each firmware update holds the promise of catching up to the Kemper, but so far it hasn't.

 

[amiller]

I got my Kemper because I was frustrated with trying to get a consistent good mic'ed up sound recorded. When I first got the Kemper and loaded up a whole bunch of the profiles that came with it I was VERY disappointed. I was starting to think I'd made a mistake. Then I heard about some of the "professional" profiles and I bought a few of those. They sounded much better and I was feeling a bit better about the Kemper. Still, the tones weren't really there for me. But, I kept checking out different profiles AND learned a few simple and quick ways to tweak the profiles that were mostly where I wanted them. It's kinda funny, I'll load up a profile and think "man, this is the best." Then I'll try out another profile that sounds better yet. It's been a process of listen, tweak, compare and move up to the next step. As mentioned above, 99% of the profiles I've heard are just not for me.

I REALLY love the profiles I currently use but I still keep getting new ones, tweak them and compare them to my favorites. I'm steadily building my library of killer profiles. I probably have 6 or 7 profiles that make me say "wow, that sounds great."

As for my tube amps, I only play them occasionally and I never record them any more. The recordings I make using the Kemper sound way better than the ones I've made with my tube rigs (most likely my mic'n skills and my tiny home studio are to blame). The Kemper does what I wanted it to do...give me killer "recorded" tones with no fuss or farting around with mic placement and room acoustics AND they are always consistent. It's also cool that I don't have to blast my ears to get great recorded tones.

I don't play live so I can't speak to that.