I've been unfaithful

    Forgive me father, for I have sinned. I've recently been unfaithful . . . . to my Mesa Boogie Roadster and my normal guitar rig. I've recently found some profiles on my KPA that have left my Mesa sitting in the corner, just begging to be turned on. I haven't been able to do it. I've had some major doubts about the KPA and have gone through a TON of commercial profiles, but hadn't really found "that sound."


    Well, this past week, I got a couple of specific profiles from TopJimi. I got their 1974 Lee Jackson Modded Marshall (Paul Gilbert's old amp), and the Tim Caswell Marshall (duplicate of Slash's Marshall from Appetite for Destruction). These things sound amazing! I've read so many different things about profiles that were supposed to "sound like Slash's amp" and not a single one has, until this Tim Caswell profile. The only tweak I needed to make was to adjust the gain (dial it back a bit in some cases). Spent about an hour jamming G n' R tunes this morning alone.


    Then I tried the free Morgan AC20 profile from rmpacheco on the Rig Exchange. What an amazing cleanish profile. Again, just adding/removing a little gain was the only tweak I needed to make.


    My divorce with my Mesa isn't official yet, because I still haven't found a Mesa Roadster profile that I'm in love with. But after hearing these profiles, I'm confident there is one out there that will make me happy. The Mesa profiles I've heard so far seem to be too "death metal" oriented or too harsh. But I plan to attempt profiling my own Mesa sometime soon. Maybe that'll do it for me.


    I still haven't used the KPA in a live situation through a PA. I'm going to do that for the first time on the 2nd week of April. If the profiles sound as good live as they do though my DXR15, the divorce paperwork for my Mesa will be filed, and I'll then spend the rest of my time with this newer, younger and smaller frame mistress of audio bliss. :love:

    Quote from OhG

    . If the profiles sound as good live as they do though my DXR15, the divorce paperwork for my Mesa will be filed, and I'll then spend the rest of my time with this newer, younger and smaller frame mistress of audio bliss. :love:


    Be careful where you post this. Make sure you don't post this in any amp forum. For some people, you couldn't come up with a more heinous insult that would warrant similar wrath to what you get if you put their gear of choice down :D .They literally will defend their choice of gear, more than they would defend anything else (including wives and family) because their emotional commitment to their gear is stronger than the bond of marriage you speak off.


    However, in the Kemper forum, you're generally safe. The amp fanatics, even thought they're amongst the worst, they won't find you here unless one of the AXE FX fan boys tell them about his. In case you're not aware, you need to never ever announce your divorce to any fractal product. in case you become deaf and blind and end up having a fling or marriage to one of those; the AXE FX fans will find you. They scour the whole internet and sign up to any forum just to attack anyone who dares put any of the fractal products down. I should go and hide now before they come for me, hush hush, keep it a secret ,( I said the AXE FX II sucked compared to Kemper a few times and now I have to go in hiding). I hope non of the amp guys see your post.

    Edited once, last by Dean_R ().

    All of my tube amps have been collecting dust since I bought my KPA last June. I can't bring myself to part with them, though, because it took me years to get them all.


    Speaking of Top Jimi, I recently screwed up the courage to drop the coin on the whole bundle, so I now have 900 profiles of his that I have been working my way through. Lots of great stuff in there, as well as the four or five MBritt bundles I have. The Amp Factory also has some really good stuff that I like.

    Good for you!!!


    I think the best way to spend money on commercial profiles is just to buy a single pack from each fo the bigger sellers (the pack that sounds best based on sound clips and expectations to ampmodel etc), and then see IF THEY HEAR TONES LIKE YOU DO. Don't fall into the trap of thinking "everybody likes XXXX's profiles, so he MUST have a pack that gives me what I want". That's just pouring money into a whole.


    GREAT to hear you've found what you were looking for! :)

    Quote from Dean_R

    The amp fanatics, even thought they're amongst the worst, they won't find you here unless one of the AXE FX fan boys tell them about his. In case you're not aware, you need to never ever announce your divorce to any fractal product. in case you become deaf and blind and end up having a fling or marriage to one of those; the AXE FX fans will find you. They scour the whole internet and sign up to any forum just to attack anyone who dares put any of the fractal products down. I should go and hide now before they come for me, hush hush, keep it a secret ,( I said the AXE FX II sucked compared to Kemper a few times and now I have to go in hiding). I hope non of the amp guys see your post.


    Anyone who owns a piece of gear and feels it's being criticized unfairly will typically jump in and defend it, and that applies to Kemper owners as well. I own and love both, Axe and Kemper, and I see this sort of behavior on lots of forums. However, like the Fractal forum, most of the community here is great. There are critical fanatics on practically every gear forum, though.

    Quote from Bysen

    Speaking of Mesa. Check out the TA-30 profiles by AndrewC on the Rig Exchange.
    They sound fantastic!


    Thanks man. I've found some great profiles for other amps, but I've yet to find a Mesa profile that I like enough to be able to use. I'll check those out.

    I've owned a mesa roadster for 8 years and believed hard that it was the best amp ever, it had pleased me much for so long.
    since I own the KPA I am just realizing that there are many more tones and amps that suit me much better than what my roadster did, it has been hard to admit though. one of the mesa profiles I've preferred was CK's roadking brit from factory profiles.

    Quote from pamplemousse

    I've owned a mesa roadster for 8 years and believed hard that it was the best amp ever, it had pleased me much for so long.
    since I own the KPA I am just realizing that there are many more tones and amps that suit me much better than what my roadster did, it has been hard to admit though..


    Same here. Having a 4-channel amp was what sold me on the Roadster, and I got it sounding amazing. But, the Kemper just has worlds more versatility. And the thing I've always hated about almost all Mesa amps, is that they don't clean up very well when rolling the volume knob back on the guitar. They don't retain that chime that other really high end amps do. The Kemper retains the chime on every amp.

    Kemper +1
    Tube Snobs 0


    Welcome to the club. Been there. I thought I'd be buried with my Crema Wheat. Now I can get more from a TAF Laney than I ever thought possible.


    It's the fault of the modern digital era. The exposure has you realizing there are more applicable products than you knew existed.


    I DO think however, that the Kemper can help you learn what other amps you've never played but are likely to love. So even a die hard tube snob (like my former self) can actually expand their search criteria after perusing the 500+ profiled amps for a Kemper.

    absolutely true !


    something I also love on the KPA is the possibility to change cabs. my mesa 4x12 V30 was a limit and I realize now that they are a sound I am no more fond of. they have a little too much of everything and moving to the KPA makes me appreciate rawer or more vintage tones, much more subtle IMO.

    Quote from OhG

    [quote='pamplemousse','http://www.kemper-amps.com/forum/index.php/Thread/27873-I-ve-been-unfaithful/?postID=294629#post294629']And the thing I've always hated about almost all Mesa amps, is that they don't clean up very well when rolling the volume knob back on the guitar. They don't retain that chime that other really high end amps do. The Kemper retains the chime on every amp.


    That was one of my biggest "ah-ha!" moments with my KPA. My Mark V sounds great, but due to the compression in the cascaded gain preamp design it doesn't clean up super well with the guitar volume. But the profiles I made of that amp DO.

    Quote from Bysen

    Speaking of Mesa. Check out the TA-30 profiles by AndrewC on the Rig Exchange.
    They sound fantastic!

    Bysen you are correct! These AndrewC Mesa Transatlantic profiles are very nice.

    Rik


    Kemper toaster >Kemper remote> 2 x Alto TS310 powered speakers Furman M-8XAR