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Kemper

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
Well, in Fractal's case, I tried to buy one of their units several years back but they refused to sell it to me because I was in Japan and had to buy from their Japanese distributor who a) charged a 100% markup and b) wouldn't accept US credit cards. Lollar and Mesa are pretty much the same, so none of them will ever see dime one of my money. ALL other companies sell directly to me without asking me to jump through hoops for them...

I see, fair enough. It seems like these companies don't have a business model that will facilitate your situation...that sucks. Luckily I won't have that issue.
 

F-Hole

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
2,171
FWIW, I've found Fractal to be excellent in customer service. Ditto their European distributor.
 

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
PG, it's got the point where it's sooooo difficult to tell the difference on a recording that it's not worth trying. The major advantage is consistency across time. Save the patch and it's the same as when you last dialed it in.

The tone matching (profiling) of my amps means the patches I've made are, essentially, indistinguishable from a mic'd amp........other than in a live setting, where the amp's organics shine, particularly with the more "alive" guitars like a 335.

Having said all that.......I'm not letting any amps go. Too early for that....:biggrin:

What you just described is why I'm compelled to get a modeler. And I won't get rid of my tube amps either, but ironically whereas going with a modeler is seen by many to be an advantage live, I would use it more for my home studio recordings rather than for live use.
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
I played through a Kemper this past weekend in Mannheim(Germany) and thought it sounds pretty awful compared to a real, all valve guitar amp! Very dry & one dimensional on all the settings.
 

Progear

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2014
Messages
652
I played through a Kemper this past weekend in Mannheim(Germany) and thought it sounds pretty awful compared to a real, all valve guitar amp! Very dry & one dimensional on all the settings.

I have mine for almost 2 years and I don’t find the above statement true.. :worm
with the Kemper, its all about the profile...
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
I played through a Kemper this past weekend in Mannheim(Germany) and thought it sounds pretty awful compared to a real, all valve guitar amp! Very dry & one dimensional on all the settings.

If it wasn't yours and you don't know how to set one up properly then you are probably right... I remember the first time I played a Dumble and thought it was absolutely horrible... it was a different story when I actually learned how to dial it in...
 

Nick-O

Active member
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
223
I have to agree...the right patch is the key. It took me several months to really hone what I was after, but now it is exact, whether thru FRFR or into FOH, no fiddling about. I was the biggest anti-everything modeller...now after 2 years of weekly playing out with it, I am completely satisfied. Our sound guy is a strong believer now as well. Just set the volume and I am done as far as he is concerned.
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
The unit belonged to Relish Guitars out of Switzerland. Maybe they had it set for their guitars. But their guitars now have it that you can use any humbucking as they have an adaptor that mounts to the bottom of the pickups and they just slide in or out. Of course the pickups in my Travis Bean are very different from the old ones in my R-0(`59 Zebra PAF in the bridge and a very early Pat. # in the neck.
I don't know, it just lacked alot of what I like hearing. He had 4 presets you could switch between. They just didn't breath like my Marshall's or old Vox Amps. Guess I'd need to tweak it to my liking.
 

metropolis

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
390
I've had my Kemper for around 18 months now and as with others my amps are gathering dust.

The key thing to learn is it's 100% about the profiles. Even professional, expensive profiles can sound like crap to me - it just shows how subjective tone is, as well as the impact your guitar has. Over time you learn the particular type of tone certain profile makers go for. For example Tone Junkie seem to primarily make stuff that suits single coils and really go for bright tones. Many other such as Choptones are really just for metal players so gain is cranked and there's no mids.

I have a few favourite profiles I go to a lot, especially the out-of-the-box Michael Britt Fender Bandmaster '62 which is probably my most used. I like to recreate a lot of old bands and love the hunt of finding the right amp model to match the song I'm playing - for example figuring out recently Alex Lifeson used an HHIC100 on A Farewell to Kings through to finding a matching profile and then playing the parts really appeals to my nerdy side :laugh2:

My gigs have been cancelled this year so I've not had a chance to get out playing it but I have done plenty of recording and just love the fact that I can get such different sounds so quickly, it really helps with creativity. Recently I felt a Beatles vibe coming on, switched over to an old Vox and put the part down in minutes. The hardest part is remembering what profile I used for each part for when it comes time to recreate it live!
 
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