Two weeks in & i am blown away!!!! My name is Conrad & i am a converted valve purist!

  • this thing is better than any valve amp I have ever owned. Can I hear the difference between the two- yes I can but the small difference is offset by the ridiculous range of flexibility, this profiler offers

  • this thing is better than any valve amp I have ever owned. Can I hear the difference between the two- yes I can but the small difference is offset by the ridiculous range of flexibility, this profiler offers

    I think it's good to profile a given set-up and compare source vs profile with the same monitoring to see if you can tell the difference.


    Comparing a random profile with your own set up (I assume this is the case, just an assumption) would likely introduce too much of a difference that isn't due to profiling accuracy. It'd likely mostly be about the differences between the sources tones. But of course that's only if you'd be interested in such testing :)


    Other than this, you may have some great tone miced up at some point that works great with a given guitar for a given purpose. Profiling that would allow you to keep a profile of that tone. That may be even better for you than many other profiles others have made.


    Surely, that's not a requirement for many to get tones they love, which is certainly fine. But many also are even happier than otherwise when they go through the above process and keep profiles they've made.


    Then there's also the chance of creating direct profiles of amp signals only, where you don't need to mic up either :)


    Thanks - would be interested to hear what you disagree with? I’m new to this unit so cannot proclaim to be a master of it

    That would require too much talk, and since this is a "welcome" thread, wouldn't go deeper :) But elsewhere :)


    Welcome :)

    The bonanza

    Edited once, last by Dimi84 ().

  • I hear you amd understand exactly what you are saying. This is not my first rodeo though.


    Having owned a very large range of valve amps in the past - my comparison tones are pretty clear.


    I still own a 1959 slp jcm 800 Marshall from 81. I have Jcm800 profiles from mike Britt and TAF etc. Is the kemper identical - no - but they are “close enough” (considering this is a digital amplifier) - yes.


    More importantly are the the Jcm800 profiles close to the recordings on which my “head tone” is based on?


    Identical - (no) but god enough to warrant the continued use of the kemper based on portability and flexibility for amateur gigging use.


    I have kept 3 valve amps and a full analogue pedalboard - so that it’s never a MUST HAVE choice between the two. Different horses fir different courses.


    Thanks for the welcome

  • Still, differences in micing or how the amp was set up can be big enough to confuse such comparisons greatly in terms of concluding just how accurate Kemper is.


    A profile from mbritt with an amp set up his way, miced up his way, can sound quite different compared to a tone you've gotten with a similar amp.


    If you were to profile a given tone you already have -- in the analog world -- and compare that "source Tone" to the Kemper profile.. the difference is very likely to be even smaller.


    That's not a requirement to get tones you love, of course :) Doesn't have to be.

    The bonanza

  • I went full on attack mode on an a$$ who looking back on his own posts shows that. I know your buddy. Still proud being called a fanboy though.

  • Lots of talkers. Keep enjoying your Kemper.

  • The reason you were called a "fanboy" was you went full on attack mode on another user in quite a disturbing manner. Let's not act as if people went after you just because you like Kemper.

    How is this even freakin necessary? Maybe the other guy from the other un named thread could come over here into the welcome area and make an obvious effort of having the last word on everything, just like in the other thread, which will remain un named. This is what I call ridiculous friend.

  • How is this even freakin necessary? Maybe the other guy from the other un named thread could come over here into the welcome area and make an obvious effort of having the last word on everything, just like in the other thread, which will remain un named. This is what I call ridiculous friend.

    Let's end it brother. ConradK post went south for a moment. I apoligize to you Conrad, I have, it seems a rep it seems. Shouldn't have took the bait.


    Once again, congrats on the Kemper love Conrad.


    Sincerely, Fanboy. ?

  • this thing is better than any valve amp I have ever owned. Can I hear the difference between the two- yes I can but the small difference is offset by the ridiculous range of flexibility, this profiler offers.

    So true. What sealed the deal for me was when we went back to back with a couple tube amps. After a few passes, we couldn't remember which was which between the Kemper and the valves. We were testing this with the same 412 cab. It was really a shock to me. People talk about the feel, with some fine tuning, the feel to me is close. In a band setting, on the money.

  • Let's end it brother. ConradK post went south for a moment. I apoligize to you Conrad, I have, it seems a rep it seems. Shouldn't have took the bait.


    Once again, congrats on the Kemper love Conrad.


    Sincerely, Fanboy. ?

    Your're right. Sorry, but that really P!$$ed me off. Conrad, my apologies. I'm with you brother. I've been a tube purist for a long time, still am to large degree, but I'm having a lot of fun with this new Kemper!

  • All good chaps


    Valves and the kemper can live side by side. It’s nice to be able to own both.


    I love the sound of each valve amp I own.


    The (81) Jcm800 1959 SLP - (cranked) is THE sound of classic rock and roll. its Instant T REX , ac/dc etc - and you simply cannot perfectly replicate that visceral bone shaking sound , with any other modeller (or valve amp) - only a Jcm800 sounds like this, CRANKED!


    BUT

    - No venue I have ever played in would allow these volumes

    - yes you can attenuate but it changes the tone

    - the Bass gets flubby so you need an eq pedal or boost pedal to tighten it up

    - noise gate

    - delay pedal

    - mike and mike stand to mike it up

    - and eventually your gig rig requires 6 trips to the car on a pub stage the size of one of my bedrooms!


    Lastly - different venues mean different power output and valve Amps sound different night to night ! It’s Very frustrating ! My other valve amps are exactly the same.


    So whilst the kemper Jcm800 profiles will NEVER match the bone shaking (and I mean this literally) visceral tone my real Jcm800 can - (its not meant to , as the kemper reproduces The “recorded tone” ) and even if kemper somehow managed to recreate the “amp in the room” sound - I simply cannot see anything faithfully reproducing the experience of playing an old plexi - Jcm800 (at full volume) - it’s simply not possible!


    BUT the kemper is a good enough reproduction of a recorded Jcm800 tone (FOR ME) and given that I own both I don’t HAVE to choose what’s “better” I get to use both , when applicable.


    Example : If ever I got to play a classic rock gig where I was only playing classic rock covers and volume was not an issue (yes I know even very large stages mike up - but let’s IMAGINE) I would take the Jcm800 - no question about it.


    But as : nearly every festival or gig I have played mikes up AND is always subject to volume restrictions AND requires a mix of different types of covers and originals - i would take the kemper.


    I love :


    1) the portability,

    2) monster array of sounds (it’s really inspired my originals songwriting )

    3) that it’s the ONLY modeller I have EVER used , which I actually like the sound of through headphones.

    4) that the profiles I tweak through headphones sound great when played through my guitar cab.

    5) programmability

    6) consistency of sound at low and high volumes


    Isn’t it great that we don’t HAVE to choose !


    I think we are all on the same page. WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE A GUITARIST


    Thanks for the warm welcome and debate - healthy debate is good!

  • So whilst the kemper Jcm800 profiles will NEVER match the bone shaking (and I mean this literally) visceral tone my real Jcm800 can - (its not meant to , as the kemper reproduces The “recorded tone” ) and even if kemper somehow managed to recreate the “amp in the room” sound - I simply cannot see anything faithfully reproducing the experience of playing an old plexi - Jcm800 (at full volume) - it’s simply not possible!

    Even though it's more so known to replicate "miced up tones", kemper can also profile direct amp signals. No micing is included in these profiles. This means that you could take a profile of JCM targeting the signal that goes out to the cab.


    That alone would not mean you get totally the same experience as cranking the real JCM through a real guitar cab and say comparing that to kemper run through different monitoring... But using kemper with a tube power stage (or for some even a good solid state stage) and a guitar cab would pretty much get you to "amp in the room" type of a thing.


    Surely though -- even then, you would have differences in terms of result considering power amplification not being the same, and some other factors.


    Still, it's very possible that you profile your JCM, then change a preamp tube, profile again -- and find a difference between the profiles, even a meaningful one. Depends on how picky one is, but one reason would be that variables are controlled and the accuracy of profiling is isolated, being judged on its own merit more or less, assuming monitoring/amplification is also the same.


    The reason for my advise or suggestion to profile amps is that many users end up even happier with kemper after profiling their own amps :) It's the core function of the unit. If an Mbritt profile is close to your sound now, chances are your own profile would even closer.


    That's not something that should somehow detract from one's enjoyment of kemper of course, or be "required" to be satisfied. But if the goal would be "ultimate" accuracy, for example, to one's own set up, it's the way to go, and why kemper includes an A/B function.


    There's many threads offering much valuable information on many such topics too :) As you become more familiar with the unit, you may run into different ideas, ect ect, and the forum can be a good resource for such discussion too.

    The bonanza

    Edited 2 times, last by Dimi84 ().