To be honest, I was never even a big pedalboard guy... I've just always loved great tube amps. Played pawn shop Marshalls back in college and over the past few years I've alternated between various Mesa Boogie and Orange Rockerverb amplifiers. My only "must have" pedals are a strobe tuner (Sonic Research Turbo Tuner) and Boomerang III looper. It was only when I started playing in bars and casinos that I needed more than "my sound" but varieties of sounds for varieties of music. It's one thing to have multiple amps at home, but it sucks to lug anything more than a combo to most of these gigs.
Last year I got to sit in on a Brooks and Dunn rehearsal in Nashville with their full stage rig (my friend is their drummer), and I was stunned by the great sounds coming from Charlie Crowe's Kemper rig, especially hearing it side by side with Jeff King's vintage tube amps. I asked Charlie's guitar tech a few questions about the Kemper and I was starting down that slippery slope.
I definitely wanted a floor controller but I was concerned about running cables from a Kemper lunchbox up to a looper by my feet, and back to the unit, along with the cable for the controller. I saw that Fractal had an all-in-one with their unit and was hoping Kemper would follow suit. I knew the Fractal product wasn't for me because I haaaaate tweaking and building effects chains with little buttons on menus. I'm definitely a knob turner and prefer the sound of a great amplifier over a zillion effects. Winter NAMM came and went... then the drive to Nashville for Summer NAMM. Disappointed to see that there was no Kemper booth at the show.
But then waking up and shaking off the post-NAMM after-parties and what do I see on my Mac Book.... but the announcement from Kemper about the Profiler Stage!!! I contacted my Sweetwater Rep when I got home and waited for it to be in stock (they were sold out and backordered) and then finally arrive.
https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbc…ff3a039527e6c&oe=5E32740F
I've had the Profiler Stage for a few weeks now and... wow... it's amazing. So far I've been locked in on a couple Michael Britt Matchless and Vox profiles, the Top Jimi Brown Sound pack, and a Mesa Single Recto profile. I'm the singer and guitar player in two different bands along with some solo live looping and being able to completely change amps, settings, delays, and other effects with a single click makes my performances so much easier with minimal tap-dancing. Even the other band members are impressed with how the Kemper sounds!
I'm running stereo XLRs to front of house with them isolated from the master volume, so that level can be set during sound check. The master volume knob has been changed to indicate the monitor out, which runs back to a Mesa Recto combo to the FX return. My stage setup is streamlined but I still have that tube amp sound and feel over my shoulder. If I need to tweak an EQ or volume, I can do it at my feet instead of turning around to the backline, but volume changes don't affect FOH because it's direct, not the combo being mic'd. Fantastic!
Also, I have a couple Boicebox bamboo pedal enclosures from Peter Boice and the 21" fits the Kemper perfectly. I have it 3M click-locked to the board surface and added in some extra foam around the edges of the lid.
Wow, sorry to ramble... but I'm over-the-moon happy with the sounds I'm getting from the Kemper!!
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