Solid State Amp recommendations? Roland Jc40?

  • My 2 cents: I've tried many FRFR systems and yes, they do all have their own flavor. The Yamaha and CLR are some of the very best out there but there are many other options that will get your Kemper sounding awesome and true to the profile. I happily used EV ZLX's for a year and a half and they were only $400 a piece. I finally chose a Matrix GT800FX/Mission Gemini combination because, to my ears, they have more of the punch of a traditional cab that I haven't felt in any other FRFR system I tried. I also like how they match the low and hi freq driver dispersion angles, sound is consistent no matter where I'm standing.

  • I spent the first two days of owning my Kemper with it going into the FX loop of my Mesa Nomad 45 head => Marshall 4x12 with the cab sim turned off. I really loved the old Vox, Matchless and Fender sounds I was getting. I play/record with mainly low to medium vintage/retro gain so I'm not after Van Halen, shredding or Death Metal tones.


    It wasn't until I read on here and in the manual that I shouldn't really be doing that to get the true profle sound. But is that really a bad thing? I'm just getting a variation on the theme that still sounds good to my ears?


    When I A/B my cab to my Behringer Truth studio monitors (which I assume are FRFR), I can hear the slight differences in sound. But one isn't totally rubbish compared to the other being amazing. They're both good.... just a bit different.


    The question being..... If I took that setup to a gig, what's the worst that could happen to the FOH sound? It's just an EQ tweak by the sound guy to sit it in the mix isn't? (which he'll probaly do anyway even if I had a perfect FRFR speaker onstage). Are there any horror stories from experienced Kemper users that are making everyone go drop another $1k-$2k on these FRFR speakers for live?


    I'm not meaning to be argumentative or anything, I'm just trying to justify to myself the merit of opening up another whole new can of worms with a FRFR selection & purchase.

  • The bottom line is, if you like what you're hearing then it's all good. As for horror stories I don't know of any but remember, that Mesa will never really sound like a Vox or Fender, that's one of the real advantages to FRFR, the profile is heard as the guy who made it meant it to be heard. The other advantage is getting your FOH sound to mirror what you're hearing onstage as much as possible. For once the audience hears what I hear and I think that's cool as hell, though most of them will probably never notice lol.

  • I think there is no right or wrong. - the end of the day you need to listen to it the way you want to. - some people swear by a real cab, others through effect loops of their amps, and then the rest are through FRFR systems. - it really depends what you want as a guitar player. not what your audience expects. - the bottom line for me is, if YOUR happy, then the audience will be too.


    I personally use 2 CLR;s as I find those more natural to anything else, and lets me use my profiles to how I made them sound. - i.e I want a Fender to sound like a Fender, a Vox a Vox. etc. - as where some guys don't really care what its meant to sound like, as long as they can just have fun, play good and enjoy!.


    There are too many options available now. and there are some really big disappointing ones too with little "great" choices. - I'd really advise you take your Kemper to a local store / PA Store, and run though several to get the taste of each. - then run it through an amp and see what you prefer.


    Good luck!.

  • Thanks for that And44.


    I've borrowed a pals small PA tonight and have A/B'd some of the profiles through it's "cheapish" FRFR speaker and my cab. I actually don't find the FRFR sound that bad (with some tweaks) and I can see what you're all talking about. I think possibly if you're used to hours of recording/monitoring guitar sounds out of studio monitors to fit in a mix, the jump to live FRFR guitar monitoring isn't that big.


    I'm in Australia so the FRFR's you're all naming seem a bit tougher to get my hands on and listen to. I do have Yamaha DXR10's and DXR12's close by though.
    http://derringers.com.au/audio…ers/live-powered?limit=96

  • This is an old topic...but hooks to my current search for a live set up.
    Somehow i cant put my confidence in frfr giving "amp in a room feel" im looking for.
    I managed to get good results with an ac15 as a power amp, but..it collors offcourse.


    Thats why i was thinking about trying a jc 120 also. Neutral power amp, pretty good speakers, so in theory with cabinet off....should get you a sound that represents pre and power amp of the profile...and gets "the mic" thats in the profile out of the chain.


    Anyone ever tried this? Or another solidstate?

  • This is an old topic...but hooks to my current search for a live set up.
    Somehow i cant put my confidence in frfr giving "amp in a room feel" im looking for.
    I managed to get good results with an ac15 as a power amp, but..it collors offcourse.


    Thats why i was thinking about trying a jc 120 also. Neutral power amp, pretty good speakers, so in theory with cabinet off....should get you a sound that represents pre and power amp of the profile...and gets "the mic" thats in the profile out of the chain.


    Anyone ever tried this? Or another solidstate?

    I haven't tried that per se. I did run mine through both a Behringer eack Class D power amp to a 1x12 JCA cabinet with a WGS ET90 (fairly flat guitar speaker in a big 1x12 closed cab), and also through a matrix mosfet SS rack power amp. Preferred the Matrix a lot of those 2.


    But, by far, the better option is that same matrix to the Atomic CLE Passive FRFR wedge.


    DEFINITE amp in room feel.


    But, everything but the air moving and other visceral sensations (like crap vibrating under volume) I also get from the 8" Studio Monitors, more so with the studio Sub Woofer.


    And that latter does because of how the Kemper does it's thing. Remember, amps are usually profiled at their sweet spots. The KPA reproduces that tone (feel etc yada yada) of the amp and cabinet. All the amplification does, is make that louder. And FRFR allows for fully reproducing that.


    And frankly, a JCA 120, is up at $700 USD. USED, an $1K new. It may have a somewhat transparent amp possibility. But, I don't think the speakers are that flat necessarily. So your still coloring it.


    Plus, the various different amplification options people use in various FRFR, are all meant to not clip, or at worse soft clip. This is also important for use with a Kemper.

  • Thnx for your reply!
    You are offcourse absolutely right that frfr reproduces better what has been profiled.
    However, my gut feeling tells me i dont want to hear the profiled mic on stage, so decided to try a set up with a guitar speaker first.
    The "price" for this is not hearing the profiled cabinet on stage, but just the one i bring on all profiles.
    I have no desire have a sound exactly like .....[ampbrand)...just looking for something that sounds good.


    Proof of the pudding is in the eating...so this wise ass may tell you you were right after all in a couple of weeks :)


    If anyone has experience with a solid state stereo combo i hope he/she can share.


    Btw...prices in NL for a jc are round 400, there are also some simular combos on the market.