Kemper better than real amps?

Egads said:
HEY MAN! I ain't gonna fall for no banana in the tailpipe!
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Huh??? Bananas are high in potassium. They are good for you. Did you ever notice a banana is the quickest thing you could ever eat?
Yeah man it's true. The National Enquirer told me so.
 
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I have a Kemper to travel with. At home, I always play a tube amp.

The Kemper does a really good job, is light and compact. It isn’t ready to play any faster than my tubes are (boot up versus warm up).
 
I bought a POD when they came out and sold it.
I bought a Helix Stomp which I have up for sale.
I watched the Kone video and preferred the Kemper into a Fryette power station into a regular cab by far.

I love the idea of this technology. I am a very techie guy but even for me it took a lot to really get good with my Helix. I got what I thought were good tones at home and it did not translate at band rehearsal for me.

I DO use Garage Band to practice at home when going over our set list with Itunes or learning new songs with Itunes or Youtube. For me its less wear and tear on my tubes amps and allows me to get the job done at lower volumes

I like the idea of the Kemper floor the most especially if it were powered. One floor unit for amp and pedals with the option to power a cab or go direct or both.

I am sure I will give it a go again as technology improves.
 
BrianC said:
I bought a POD when they came out and sold it.
I bought a Helix Stomp which I have up for sale.
I watched the Kone video and preferred the Kemper into a Fryette power station into a regular cab by far.

I love the idea of this technology. I am a very techie guy but even for me it took a lot to really get good with my Helix. I got what I thought were good tones at home and it did not translate at band rehearsal for me.

I DO use Garage Band to practice at home when going over our set list with Itunes or learning new songs with Itunes or Youtube. For me its less wear and tear on my tubes amps and allows me to get the job done at lower volumes

I like the idea of the Kemper floor the most especially if it were powered. One floor unit for amp and pedals with the option to power a cab or go direct or both.

I am sure I will give it a go again as technology improves.
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Try the Fractal Audio Systems Axe Fx III on your next digital foray. It’s the best there is. There is a 10 day trial period for you to run it through its paces and see what it can do, but I add the caveat that this is somewhat like trying to take in the Louvre in an afternoon. There is so much capability, and it is updated so regularly, that you literally never run out of things to try.

As for the whole digital vs analog amp thing, there’s no true “right” answer to apply to it. And no reason for anyone to change if they don’t want to change. It’s an option, and it’s great to have lots of those. Even if you pick a side, the video people still want you to pick a side of your side. Amps, ok... which type is best? Which manufacturer? It never ends. That’s the nature of sales, to make a person want what they don’t have or to buy more of what they do have. In the end, it’s about creating dissatisfaction with where you are and what you have now. I’ve spent the last year getting rid of guitars someone convinced me I needed (sometimes, that someone was me), and getting guitars I actually like to play. I love where I am right now.

Having tube amps AND modeling amps is the best option. Then you can pick whichever you want whenever you want. That’s my solution.
 
I use both interchangeably. I run my tube amps into a load box and then through the AXE FX. The tube amps have better dynamics, sounds more raw and lively. The AXE models sound more mastered, more like pro recordings.

i go back and forth and notice what I like about both, not what I don’t. Lately I am buying presets for amp models and they are getting better and better. I have my stuff set up so it takes zero time and effort for me to switch between any of my amps and any amp models, so I get to decide on the fly.

Probably I will reach a point where I stop using tube amps. Not today.
 
BrianC said:
I love the idea of this technology. I am a very techie guy but even for me it took a lot to really get good with my Helix. I got what I thought were good tones at home and it did not translate at band rehearsal for me.
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I bet that a lot of the disconnect can attributed to the Fletcher-Munson curves. The human ear is less sensitive to bass and treble frequencies at low sound pressure volumes than it is at higher sound pressure levels, which means that a lot of tones that sound great at home are going to be too bass heavy and/or bright at gig volume (i.e., they need be re-equalized at gig volumes).

One of the advantages of the average tube-type guitar amp is its underrated output transformer, which acts like a bandpass filter. As a tube amp is cranked toward full power, the bandwidth of the output transformer reduces, resulting in bass and treble rolloff. Bandwidth limiting as sound pressure level increase does not appear to be factored into digital models or the FIR filter/convolution process. All digital representations are discrete approximations of continuous signals, the resolution of which increases year-by-year. It is no longer a question of will digital technology replace tube technology, it is merely a matter of time.
 
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alantig said:
See, I'm the opposite. I don't think I'm a jerk on here, but I am a jerk off here.
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Didn’t think I was here or elsewhere. Trying to be more of a clown than a jerk. But you know what I always say... perception is 90% of reality.
 
My 2¢.

For those who are looking for a wide variety of solutions, the Kemper provides this. The ease of use may be what differentiates between a simple plug/play device and a modeling amp.

Caveat: A modeling amp/FRFR owner needs to be able to tolerate the variety of choices and be able to tweak to what his ears prefer. Contrast this to a simple plug/play device that with only minor adjustments sounds awesome out of the carton.

Because with advancements in ease of use, I chose the modeling amp/FRFR thing about 6 months ago. Granted, not a Kemper, but one that has sufficient variety tied in with ease of use and intuitive adjustments. Once you get the hang of adjusting parameters, you kind of become satisfied with what you have, and only dive deeper if you're wishing to expand beyond what is necessary for any given rig, setlist, or gig.

I used to own only 1 amp for both practice and gigging, and that was enough than the 2 or 3 amps I used to own before. My apartment music room area is small enough that I don't require excessive volume or "pushed air" to hear what's played. And since I mostly just practice guitar rather than gig more often, the modeling amp is enough.

If you do your research and look, you will find a wide variety of products with a range of ease of use features. That suffices for the average joe. And with this, a wide range of opinions from folks for and against said products touting their benefits and shortcomings.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to subjective opinion, just that those who force opinions (intelligent or not-so-smart) upon others are the ones who are more often subject to criticism themselves.

FTR, I usually avoid "what's better" discussions because it incites controversy and conflict, and videos of the types knowingly stir up trouble among a normally peaceful group of people, because it divides them instead of unites them.

Excuse me while I extract my foot from my mouth and the fettuccine that was made for it today...o_O
 
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Awesome, let me know your thoughts and how you think it works at lower volume. I've used nothing but monitors with mine and would need to buy one of the aftermarket amps but have been considering this. Or I kan kait kor a kowered kabinet I kuppose.
 
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