Scuffham amps

  • S-gear rocks, best software. i would even say best amp modelling solution (as the KPA isn't modelling).
    Used it live several times.

    MJT Strats / PRS Guitars / Many DIY Guitars -- Kemper Profiler Rack / Kemper Remote / InEar

  • I liked S-Gear (the newest version) when I demoed it, was definitely better than other things I had tried, so I bought it ($100US). But, when I really sat down to play every night, I would spend 3/4 of the time messing around trying to get a good sound. None of the stock presets were any good, so for whatever sound I would have to start with one of those a make a lot of tweaks. Sometimes I did okay, some nights not. It was so bad that I thought it was my interface, so I was gonna shell out $500 for an Apogee. Then I considered something bigger/better - like, quite messing around and just buy a high-end amp. All my expenditures in digital stuff over the years could buy two high-end amps easily. I ended up buying the Kemper, still skeptical about digital, and the poor resale value down the line. Anyway, I got it, plugged it in, and wow, there was the sound I was looking for, with no messing around. It just worked. No screwing around wasting time and being really disappointed in the tone. Now, I'm still spooked about it not being a long-term solution (being digital and all), but for now it kicks the $hit out of S-Gear. Anyone on here that thinks S-Gear is close in tone to the Kemper needs to go to the ear doctor immediately, because it's not even close. I would get this fizzy trail-off in sound, too, when using S-Gear (and any other plugins), like when a chord or note is fading out it would get a digital choppiness at the end. Not with the Kemper. Trying to sound objective here, not over-enthusiastic.

  • What I could never be happy with in the Scuffham were the cleans. No way to get that fat, punchy, dark, solid, greesy, jazzy sound you get with a LP's neck HB and my Lonestar Special.


    I guess that's my to-go test for any digital simulation's good quality :)

  • To be very objective I must admit that S-gear is by far the best plug-in available (as you all know I do NOT play heavy stuff)....but honestly not to be compared with the Kemper. I actually did a few profiles of the Dumble-ish sim in s-gear and they sounded better in the KPA (Cab), but I deleted them after tweaking the Fux, Dumble, Two-Rock and Van Weldeen profiles....

    "Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" Serghei Rachmaninoff