Giving it up!!

Tweaking is a big trap with any digital gear.

Personally I find I don't do any tweaking with the Kemper, I browse a few rigs till i find a sound that inspires me, and love this aspect of the unit, but otherwise all I tweak are my fingers. I know tweaking wont fix the problems in my hands.

But it's not for everyone. If you have a grailtone in your head it can be hard to avoid trying to get there with artifice. With the Kemper it helps if you've profiled your own amps, then you can let go and realize, that every single profile is actually good and useable and is an authentic recording of that amp in that room with that setup, and you can get past the "it's digital" concept in your head. It also makes a huge difference how you monitor. If you used headphones or poor speakers at low volumes, then go play a valve amp maybe even through a 4x4 at stage volume, the real amp is going to win out every time, it will sound richer, bigger, more complex, simply because it's louder and the frequency response is more natural. Monitor through good speakers at a decent volume though and the Kemper will be just as good and often better. It all depends what you're looking for.

Anyhow, good luck with your continued search for the right kit!

Quote from markyboy

I was considering keeping it but I have sold it today, I feel bad about it, tweaking is not for me and to be honest I don't think I could do it justice!! Fare well friends, I'm sure you will all manage to create some great kemper users. Thank you for all your help, I'll miss you guys!!

markyboy signing out!

Byebye and good luck in your tone quest.

The thing that gets me is not so much the tweaking, it's the "let me check out this different profile". I find I waste far too much time scrolling on to different profiles to hear the sound difference than playing... doh

We'd need at least a double life

Quote from Per

But it's not for everyone. If you have a grailtone in your head it can be hard to avoid trying to get there with artifice.

I've yet to come across a guitarist who's played professionally in a band or recorded in a studio (in other words a guitarist who has reasonably competent playing skills) who played the Kemper and didn't want it..the only reason they didn't buy it was because they couldn't afford it...it's a pricey piece of gear....those that could afford it bought it on the spot.

I think the "not for everyone" cliché doesn't apply with the Kemper.
Not everyone likes a Les Paul, 335, Tele or Strat, to each his own, choose the kind of guitar that's comfortable for you to play, but every guitarist likes the tone of tube amps, and the Kemper is the tone of tube amps.

IMO, you have a far greater chance of finding this mystical grailtone in the Kemper than you will finding it in a tube amp and pedals...how are you going to go through dozens and dozens of amps and pedal combinations seeking this grailtone, it's financially impossible.

I think sometimes guitarists (myself included) are disappointed by a piece of gear because it didn't make them play better...

Pure Gospel.

Quote from Guitartone

I think the "not for everyone" cliché doesn't apply with the Kemper.

It surely does apply. Not because the Kemper doesn't sound good (I think it has been proven more than enough times to show it sounds 100% as the reference) ... some people just don't like to monitor their sound via FRFR and to be honest I wasn't too convinced with the KPA + Guitar Cab for a while... until 2.8 appeared which sounds killer.

And then there are the other guys who just don't want it because it has no tubes and isn't old - I know some guys who wouldn't buy it just because of that. "If it's not vintage tube amp then it CAN'T sound good - by defintion".

Guitar player are somehow really nuts

Yes, Kemper still requires the paradigm shift from guitar cab to FRFR.
Or not?
The conservative guitarist plays the profiler through his favourite cab.

Best of both worlds is possible.
But the more conservative guitarist will ask himself sooner or later if the profiler isn't overkill because when playing through one cab makes a lot of profiles sound similar, and inevitably so.

And I've said it before: Not everybody is ready for the paradigm shift to go FRFR.

I think the Profiler is "more" than a single amp when used with a guitar cab as well. So no, I think it's not overkill in many circumstances.
A number of "all the reasons to own or use a Profiler" are still valid with a traditional cab IMO.

Quote from Ingolf

one cab makes a lot of profiles sound similar, and inevitably so.

Sure, the cab has a BIG influence on sound and will make profiles sound similar. But I don't see this as a problem - at least live. You will drive the FOH guy nuts if you play 30 profiles with 30 different virtual cabs When talking about live I use 1 virtual cab all the time anyways (and only 1 profile with different gain settings). So it doesn't really make a difference whether I monitor FRFR or simple via a guitar cab

Like i said above, no problem using a guitar cab.
I only repeat what I have heard from guys using a guitar cab and finally don't come to appreciate the diversity that are inherent in different profiles 8because they always use that same big EQ called cab.

I love how this thread lives on after Markyboy is long gone

Quote from Zappledan

I love how this thread lives on after Markyboy is long gone

You're absolutely right, the man is gone.
I shut up now.

Quote from Ingolf

You're absolutely right, the man is gone.
I shut up now.

No harm in friends continuing a discussion even when the one who started it has gone to take a coffee )

We should continue the discussion. Maybe he's back in a few weeks.

He won't even notice he was gone

LOL

You won't get any good from the next incarnation IMO... and, BTW, most of us here are around their 50-60

As regards fussiness... are you kidding?