Who's NOT jumping on the Kemper wagon?

[Rogue]

I did. Its a lot different than the Axe II. Just sold that to a friend of mine. Axe FX whether the standard or the new II I had just have its own stamp on the sound it creates. Bugs the hell out of me. I don't like it. The other part I hated was this FRFR trial and error shit. I must have tried every single recommended love fest Powered Cab mentioned on FAS and TGP. They all sucked imo. Now its the new CLR thing. There's another Thousand to add to the same trial and error.

That seems to be the case. They might be done buying guitar amps, but they aren't doing buying amps. There's always the latest and greatest monitor coming out and they aren't cheap.

What I like about the monitor thing is they are all claimed "flat" (so you can truly hear the sound of those shit IRs), but every one of them sounds different.

Modeler guys are no more "done" than amp guys. Some are and some aren't.

My favorite thing of digital modeling is the humor I get out of the infighting. To them its not digital vs real amps, It's digital vs digital every other thread. LOL.

It's HEM(op*) syndrome. High End Modeler (or profiler*). *Profiler added for the sensitive. Crazy shit comes out of the mouths of those with HEM(op*)

Then I lol'd at the whole mimic and tonematch attempts to make it Kemperesque. I think that's just more to pacify the fanboys so they don't leave for the competition.

I've thought this about Fractal for a while. It's cool that Cliff updates his unit, but it's done so much and so often, I think it pacifies the gas of its users. It's practically a NAD every month. I think it's built into the business model. Fairly smart if so.

 

[thiswaythatway]

My friend got a Kemper and I went over his place twice to check it out. He has a bunch of profiles and we toyed around with a bunch. I'll be honest, after spending some time with......my GAS for it is all but gone. We had it on a Mesa 2:90 poweramp going into 2 4x12's. A lot of the profiles sounded the same, or were drenched with effects, or had UBER gain. WHoever makes some of these profiles must really hate playing on a regular tube amp with anything less than what I'd consider high gain.

I do realize going on the same poweramp and 2 4x12's will color the sound, but then if that's how I'd run it why bother spending the dough on it. But not once did I get the same feel when I plugged my Mesa Mark III into one of those same 4x12's.

Seems like the way to take advantage of it is run it with a FRFR setup so you can use the cab sims as well, otherwise, I'd rather just use a tube preamp. I had the same feeling after I owned an Axe-Fx. If these things come down to the $700 dollar range, sure why not. Until then I'm sitting it out.

 

[aftec]

 

[Rogue]

 

[D-Rock]

NOPE!

But, when I do say Kemper, I say it with an English accent.

KEMPA!!

 

[moltisanti]

Kempa, you barstard, fackin bellend.

 

[legend71]

I am a working player with 56 shows already on the books for the year of 2013. I went and checked out a guy last week that was using the Kemper live and honestly, it was weak. Now I don't think he ran it the way he should either, but I will stick with my Bogner. It gets me all the souhnds I need. I think the Kemper would be cool for recording, but for live applications I just don't need that many different sounds. And his set up actually had more peices to it than mine too and I bring in about 8 peices to a gig everytime.

I think you need a really good soundman to make the digital stuff sing live.....

 

[VESmedic]

I am a working player with 56 shows already on the books for the year of 2013. I went and checked out a guy last week that was using the Kemper live and honestly, it was weak. Now I don't think he ran it the way he should either, but I will stick with my Bogner. It gets me all the souhnds I need. I think the Kemper would be cool for recording, but for live applications I just don't need that many different sounds. And his set up actually had more peices to it than mine too and I bring in about 8 peices to a gig everytime.

I think you need a really good soundman to make the digital stuff sing live.....

A really good soundman? LOL I bring in my 2 space rack (line 6 g90 wireless, furman power conditioner), my KPA, and my guitar (maybe 2), tell the sound man "just leave everything flat, trust me", and the soundman said it sounded as good if not better than any tube amp he's ever heard, he was completely floored. This happens at every show. Unless you consider your neighborhood bar having a "really good soundman", I'd say this is quite false

 

[jerrydyer]

im waiting for the computer program.

 

[aftec]

I am a working player with 56 shows already on the books for the year of 2013. I went and checked out a guy last week that was using the Kemper live and honestly, it was weak. Now I don't think he ran it the way he should either, but I will stick with my Bogner. It gets me all the souhnds I need. I think the Kemper would be cool for recording, but for live applications I just don't need that many different sounds. And his set up actually had more peices to it than mine too and I bring in about 8 peices to a gig everytime.

I think you need a really good soundman to make the digital stuff sing live.....

A really good soundman? LOL I bring in my 2 space rack (line 6 g90 wireless, furman power conditioner), my KPA, and my guitar (maybe 2), tell the sound man "just leave everything flat, trust me", and the soundman said it sounded as good if not better than any tube amp he's ever heard, he was completely floored. This happens at every show. Unless you consider your neighborhood bar having a "really good soundman", I'd say this is quite false

Sure. Sound mans hate guitar amps, because they are loud and cutting through, making their life hard.
Guitars will always need a little tweak from the board either analog or digital, removing low freqs, adjusting to room acoustics, etc. If he told you otherwise he lied.
If you are happy with it, fine, I wish you all the best, just please don't try to convince me that it is the best thing since the invention of scrambled eggs.

 

[stratotone]

I am a working player with 56 shows already on the books for the year of 2013. I went and checked out a guy last week that was using the Kemper live and honestly, it was weak. Now I don't think he ran it the way he should either, but I will stick with my Bogner. It gets me all the souhnds I need. I think the Kemper would be cool for recording, but for live applications I just don't need that many different sounds. And his set up actually had more peices to it than mine too and I bring in about 8 peices to a gig everytime.

I think you need a really good soundman to make the digital stuff sing live.....

A really good soundman? LOL I bring in my 2 space rack (line 6 g90 wireless, furman power conditioner), my KPA, and my guitar (maybe 2), tell the sound man "just leave everything flat, trust me", and the soundman said it sounded as good if not better than any tube amp he's ever heard, he was completely floored. This happens at every show. Unless you consider your neighborhood bar having a "really good soundman", I'd say this is quite false

Sure. Sound mans hate guitar amps, because they are loud and cutting through, making their life hard.
Guitars will always need a little tweak from the board either analog or digital, removing low freqs, adjusting to room acoustics, etc. If he told you otherwise he lied.
If you are happy with it, fine, I wish you all the best, just please don't try to convince me that it is the best thing since the invention of scrambled eggs.

Maybe not for you, for me it is. I have gigged for over 20 years, last few tube rigs I used live were generally Bogner ecstasy or Mesa roadking or first year rackmount recto half stacks depending on the band and venue. One time I even brought out a '72 super lead half stack and a boost pedal.

I get a better and more consistent sound with the kemper than I ever did with the tube rigs. Once you get an amp set up where you want it, you can capture it with the kemper. Ten different gigs with the bogner were 10 different sounds, due to variances in microphone placement, tube amp inconsistencies and stage volume allowed by the venue. Now I make sure my monitor is loud enough I can hear clearly onstage, my sound guy gets the out from the kemper - EQ'd flat - and other than setting levels for the FOH mix and my personal monitor volume, we're done. I don't have to screw with my amp settings, or wish I was a little louder so I could get more sustain, etc - it's all there.

 

[Rogue]

If you are happy with it, fine, I wish you all the best, just please don't try to convince me that it is the best thing since the invention of scrambled eggs.

Since the axefx. Greatest thing since the axefx.

And soundguys are the guru's of tone these days.

 

[gibson5413]

I think it sounds pretty great. One mediocre experience hearing a Kemper live and declaring that you will stick with tube amps is a broad stroke to paint against the Kemper. Conversely, I have heard far more tube amps live that sounded like crap. I chalk it up more to user error and bad sound venues and guys at the board. Most of you know I love tube amps. I wish I could still own a Bogner 20th Anniv XTC or the Henning Cherry Bomb (hopefully will add the Cherry Bomb soon).

The Kemper is just great. I love the way it sounds and feels. I got invited to audition for a local cover band this week. I showed up with my Kemper, Matrix and cab and it sounded really good. The guys in the band thought it sounded fantastic. For me, it is a great piece of gear. I don't have a problem with all of the different tones. I have three maybe four profiles I mainly play on. It is till fun to play around with some other tones. If I had a tube amp I am confident it would have sounded killer too.

Either way, play what you got. I am not going to play the "convince me" game. I don't care what others play. If you need convincing you most likely don't need the change in gear. I am more about adding guitars than changing amps.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

I jumped on and then off the bandwagon. It was a great unit, but couldn't stand up to my Mesa RA in a W/D/W rig shootout.

 

[bulletproof_funk]

I'd like to try one for sure, but I'm not usually an early adopter of technology (I'd like to see where and how things go) so I'm not sure I'd pony up full price to buy one just yet. If I needed a consistent tone often, modeling gives you consistency and reproducibility. The profiling is good for those who have access to a bunch of different tube amps to profile but I'd be mostly an end user. So yeah, I suppose I'm waiting for the software version too!

 

[thiswaythatway]

I am a working player with 56 shows already on the books for the year of 2013. I went and checked out a guy last week that was using the Kemper live and honestly, it was weak. Now I don't think he ran it the way he should either, but I will stick with my Bogner. It gets me all the souhnds I need. I think the Kemper would be cool for recording, but for live applications I just don't need that many different sounds. And his set up actually had more peices to it than mine too and I bring in about 8 peices to a gig everytime.

I think you need a really good soundman to make the digital stuff sing live.....

A really good soundman? LOL I bring in my 2 space rack (line 6 g90 wireless, furman power conditioner), my KPA, and my guitar (maybe 2), tell the sound man "just leave everything flat, trust me", and the soundman said it sounded as good if not better than any tube amp he's ever heard, he was completely floored. This happens at every show. Unless you consider your neighborhood bar having a "really good soundman", I'd say this is quite false

Sure. Sound mans hate guitar amps, because they are loud and cutting through, making their life hard.
Guitars will always need a little tweak from the board either analog or digital, removing low freqs, adjusting to room acoustics, etc. If he told you otherwise he lied.
If you are happy with it, fine, I wish you all the best, just please don't try to convince me that it is the best thing since the invention of scrambled eggs.

Maybe not for you, for me it is. I have gigged for over 20 years, last few tube rigs I used live were generally Bogner ecstasy or Mesa roadking or first year rackmount recto half stacks depending on the band and venue. One time I even brought out a '72 super lead half stack and a boost pedal.

I get a better and more consistent sound with the kemper than I ever did with the tube rigs. Once you get an amp set up where you want it, you can capture it with the kemper. Ten different gigs with the bogner were 10 different sounds, due to variances in microphone placement, tube amp inconsistencies and stage volume allowed by the venue. Now I make sure my monitor is loud enough I can hear clearly onstage, my sound guy gets the out from the kemper - EQ'd flat - and other than setting levels for the FOH mix and my personal monitor volume, we're done. I don't have to screw with my amp settings, or wish I was a little louder so I could get more sustain, etc - it's all there.

I think to justify spending 2k on a modeler you should be using it with the FRFR setup. With a tube power amp and a 4x12 it's a total waste of money...IMHO. We had the Kemper on a 4x12 with 65's and a Mesa 2:90. I didn't hear much difference between all the amp profiles. Yes, it's getting colored by the poweramp and 4x12, and that's my point. You may as well spend less money and get a tube preamp. I thought the same thing for the Axe-FX. The units sound good in that setup, but you're not using it to it's full potential.

However, I've tried the Axe-FX Ultra and 2 in the FRFR setup and thought it was ok. I prefer having a 4x12 and feeling/hearing that sound you get. You can profile and model all you want, but they will NEVER capture the relationship in a good working setup between wood, pickups, tubes, speakers. It's been advanced by leaps and bounds and blows Line 6 away, but it won't replace a real amp, for me at least.

And if you need to play late at night, get an amp with a better master volume, or get a 1x12 cab and stuff it in the closet and cover it with blankets. Then use your DAW.

 

[Ventura]

FWIW, and only my most recent $0.02...

I've had that lil' black box at an arm's length for 3 years now (Ultra included). I've never gelled with it. I've used it for DI recording, eargoggles and the like. Never made it past "meh". I have heard fantastic recordings from it - totally awesome. I knew it was in there, I just had to get it out. So I sprung for the CLR active wedges. Yep, lot of money...$2000 plus shipping for these wedges. Are they worth it? Has it changed my mind about the Axe-II?

Absofknlutely. It's totally changed where I stand with the Axe. It's changed a lot of everything. And there's no infighting here or this is better than that, I can't even speak for the Kemper as I've not used one (yet), but the Axe-II through these 2 FRFRs is just off the hook. In short, I "get it" now. I'm kinda "on board" with the maniacal hysteria some of these axe-cats are all about now (meaning, I can kinda see why they're so devout to this unit). It does an incredible number of things, incredibly well (I can't explain it better than this, and pardon me if that's actually been used before). And considering I just dialed in a recto-red patch the other day that left me jaw dropped (seriously, some of the sickest tone I've ever heard, it was nuts!), AND these CLRs are probably louder than half of my 4x12 cabs and heads, well, so far it's all win

Am I dumping my amps? No. But I can't see a use for them in the immediate future either. Not the way things are going with the Axe and these CLRs. It's too easy. I suppose like everything else, there's a honeymoon period - I'm just having mine way later than most due to the fact the CLRs were the missing piece of the puzzle (I'll qualify this by mentioning that I've never had any other FRFR system, so for all I know, a bunch of them could have gotten me here, but I doubt it )

Just sayin'.
Mo

PS: I just tried submitting this post (check the time) and the above was posted in the meantime. Coincidence about FRFR?? I think not.

 

[Ventura]

........However, I've tried the Axe-FX Ultra and 2 in the FRFR setup and thought it was ok. I prefer having a 4x12 and feeling/hearing that sound you get. You can profile and model all you want, but they will NEVER capture the relationship in a good working setup between wood, pickups, tubes, speakers. It's been advanced by leaps and bounds and blows Line 6 away, but it won't replace a real amp, for me at least.

And as crazy as it sounds, I find more difference noticeable between my guitars now (with their different pups, woods, etc) than I did when just going through straight amps. Not to say the difference wasn't there with amps - of course it was, hence the reason I did what I did to get what I wanted to hear. But the A2 is surgical in its accuracy - and this is either a plus or a minus.

I find it a bit spooky to be honest with ya.

But ya, amp in the room? Yet to get there, but it's my one month mission - we'll see how far I'm along in another 3 weeks.

Peace Cats,
Mojo