Kemper - what's the point?

[Aceman]

So everyone starts getting a chub at the mention of Kemper. But I am asking a serious what is the BFD with these?

First - I have heard a number of bands and seen them in use. You know what? Not once did I go "HOLY MOTHER OF TONE &^$%" or "WHERE THE %$#$ is [insert name of famous tone god]???? HE MUST BE BEHIND A CURTAINN SOMEWHERE!!!!"

Second, I have played one on two occasions in my favorite Sam Ash - so I played long and loud enough.

OK - it'a a modeller. Sounds just fine. Same as any other modeler these days. Yeah - lots of amps and cabs, half of which all sound the same to my old shot ears. And effects - OMG; The delays sounds as good as....any delay!

Defend this over-hyped, feature bloated, ungodly expensive piece of "So what?"

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I'll agree with the expensive part, but it's arguably the best at what it does. It's light, it has incredible flexibility live/recording and it sounds great. Plus, there's huge user support behind it and people feel comfortable investing in the technology, sort of like a Tesla.

It doesn't require lugging around 200 lbs worth of amps to get tons of different tones. You can take your favorite amp or a rarity you come across, model it on the spot and take the tone with you. It sounds close enough to the "real deal" that 99% can't tell the difference and most pros feel the advantages outweigh the cons.

I think you're ultimately trying to defend your "old shot ears". If it's as good as anything else, as you say, then it's just that...as good as anything else. I certainly view it as an "upgrade" to something like my Katana, however, even though it produces plenty of great sounds.

You could drop the same amount for a Mesa Boogie or high-end Marshall to get just a few sounds and still have to shell out more for pedals, recording equipment, etc.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

^Interesting. How does one take your "favorite amp or a rarity you come across, model it on the spot" with that thing? Do you record a sample of it or something and transfer it to the unit?

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

If you only want one tone, sure, there's no point. You'll be better off with a simple setup.

If you don't want to have to buy and maintain 100 amps and pedals, get a high-end modeler.

If you're not sure what you want or your tastes change, again, you're better off with a high-end modeler.

The Kemper, Axe FX, Helix, etc. stuff is amazing.

Sent from my BlackBerry using Tapatalk

 

[Aceman]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

again, so I'm saying Pod = Kemper.

So why Kemper? I get the "record and model something not already there". Although I highly question that...but whatever.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

It's a toaster.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

Fractal in front of a tube amp is the M/fx set up that impressed me.

I always thought the Line 6 stuff M/fx in front of anything was a bit of a tone suck if you wetted the signal too much. good for light application.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

Also, I've listen to all of the A/B comparisons between Kempers and Tube Amps.

Apples to Apples a Tube Amp does sound slightly better still -rounder and more dimensional, but it's not a big gap -and the fexibility a Kemper gives you makes it a clear choice for many people -so I get it. Not everyone is looking for the ultimate tone. ..but I am -so no Kemper for me! :lmao:

 

[justFred]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

thought the same about Fractal till got one and spent a whole lotta time working with it...it's like if you have to ask you'll never understand kinda deal...you have to invest the time to find the answer...

the Kemper avg actual sell price on Reverb is ~1.400...relatively small gear investment with a high probability of 90% return if you don't like it...no reason not to try it if your really curious...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

A Kemper is different than a Fractal in that it is a profiler. It sounds only as good as the amp it profiles (samples). And it sounds exactly like those amps. Instead of carrying a bunch of amps around, you carry this one device. What it does is proprietary, so no other company can quite do the same thing. Fractal goes about it the other way, by making a computer model of every component in an amp. Hook them all up, it sounds like the amp. Very different technologies. I've heard both sound remarkable.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

The last few posts were all excellent.

Aceman, if you have to be sold on the idea of a Kemper and still tend to think of it as a glorified POD with a higher price tag, maybe it's simply not for you.

For thousands of others who understand its uniqueness and appreciate its attributes compared to other modelers, there's really no substitute.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I think modelling stuff can sound really fantastic . . . but does anyone else find that they don't like using modelers simply because there are too many options? I seem to end up spending ages dicking around with knobs rather than playing. Much of my current setup has been pared down for simplicity to reduce the need for knob twiddling so I can sit down and immediately get the three or four sounds that I like.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I think modelling stuff can sound really fantastic . . . but does anyone else find that they don't like using modelers simply because there are too many options? I seem to end up spending ages dicking around with knobs rather than playing. Much of my current setup has been pared down for simplicity to reduce the need for knob twiddling so I can sit down and immediately get the three or four sounds that I like.

Then once you get to the gig and do a sound check the room requires completely different eq and ambiance than the presets you spent all that time building.

I also don't need any more than a few core tones. If they respond to picking dynamics and guitar knob adjustments so much the better.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I think modelling stuff can sound really fantastic . . . but does anyone else find that they don't like using modelers simply because there are too many options? I seem to end up spending ages dicking around with knobs rather than playing. Much of my current setup has been pared down for simplicity to reduce the need for knob twiddling so I can sit down and immediately get the three or four sounds that I like.

Indeed. sometimes it's wormhole. Creativity more often flows better from focused effort

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

Like Mincer said, it’s profiling, not modeling. It’s like a snapshot of an entire rig.

Comparing it to a POD is like saying R9 = Epiphone LP Standard.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

It's 600 watts of cool class D, and does a pretty darn good job of copying any amp tone. We copied a tone or two and listened back... I couldn't tell the difference.


I was rather impressed when I played one the other day in my own garage for a few hours

If it looked cooler, I might sell some **** off and get one. Lots of bells and whistles.

It's roughly the same price as a used jcm 800... And it will do an 800...plus 500 other amps as well.

But you can push buttons and twist knobs for a hundred years with that thing... That's too much.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

Indeed. sometimes it's wormhole. Creativity more often flows better from focused effort

I think I did a thread on limitations being a good thing. That being said, just because a modeler has 1000 options, you don't have to use them all. I use just a few models in my Fractal.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I think I did a thread on limitations being a good thing. That being said, just because a modeler has 1000 options, you don't have to use them all. I use just a few models in my Fractal.

Yeah, but the many options are always sold as the #1 point of having a modeler.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I get it if you're a touring musician. It's much easier than carrying around a bunch of amps, cabs, pedals, ect. You can carry around one piece of gear plus a foot controller, and get 95% close to your rig's tone reliably and consistently every night.

 

[devastone]

Re: Kemper - what's the point?

I think modelling stuff can sound really fantastic . . . but does anyone else find that they don't like using modelers simply because there are too many options? I seem to end up spending ages dicking around with knobs rather than playing. Much of my current setup has been pared down for simplicity to reduce the need for knob twiddling so I can sit down and immediately get the three or four sounds that I like.

Yes, I totally agree as I'm sitting here trying to write an acoustic patch for Sunday morning, and being acoustic already puts a big limit on it. For electric, I find myself tweaking for days way too often.