Is the Kemper right for me?

  • Hello everyone!

    I am looking at possibly selling my tube amp, a Marshal DSL40CR and some effects pedals to help finance a Kemper. I don't play out much these days, and if I do there is either an amp where I go or some kind of Pod into a PA that is non-negotiable.

    I am mostly playing at home in a single family house with a dedicated music den. While I can't get too loud I can sometimes play at around 100db per the db app on my phone about 5 ft away from my amp. Not bedroom volume but not enough to get the amp to sound like it should. About 60% of the time I have to watch the volume a bit more. I have been trying some different speakers and cabs to get something I like, and while I love to experiment, buying speakers, tubes, etc can get costly even if I resell. Kind of getting frustrated with trying to get a great sound within the boundaries I have. I am no techno phobe but this is a possible new world and while I have done a lot of reading I really just need a quick summary of some of my concerns.


    Does the Kemper hear the individual characteristics between my different guitars? Can I hear a difference when I adjust pickup heights like I can with my tube amp?


    I have some guitars with excellent wiring that makes them useful even with guitar volume turned down to like 2-3. Can the Kemper react like a tube amp in this situation?


    I have read the FRFR cabs don't give the "room feel " that running a Kemper thru a regular cab does. Am I compromising what the Kemper can do if I run it thru my existing 1x12 cabs? I get that somehow when a rig is profiled the Kemper software can decipher what the cab is bringing to the profile, but are there rigs out there that are made especially for those who use their own cabs ?


    I have read that Bass/Treble/ mids/ gain controls are less effective than with a tube amp. Basically the profile is what it is for the most part.


    I am not super picky about effects but do have a nice board with a Boss ES8 switcher. As long as I can have the basic range of options for adjusting reverb, delay, chorus, and dirt pedals I am okay with using what is on board the Kemper. I do have a CatalinBread Zero Point Flanger I love, as well as a wah. With the ES8 I can change the pedal order, can the Kemper do that as well? For instance one rig with a dirt box before a delay instead of the other way around? Does the Kemper play well with a pedal board?


    I don't own an amp I'd want to profile, but I do understand there are many. many options to get rigs. I play mostly hard rock, instrumental rock and like variants of Marshall sounds. I also like a Matchless DC30 that I had the joy of playing a few times, and I also play a bit O jazz. I have been a tube player forever, but the realities are setting in that maybe it's time to brave something new.


    Thanks for any input you all can give on any of these concerns !!

  • I think most people here would recommend them. I really love mine.

  • TL;DR - What the other guys said. :)


    While there are lots of people far more qualified than I am on most of your questions, I'll share my relevant experience in the spirit of helping.


    My background is classic rock (from Zep, Clapton, Hendrix to Greenday). I quit gigging and play mostly at home in the studio, max 105db. Prior to purchase my amps were Marshall JCM 900 (90s), Vox AC15 (new), Fender Blues Deluxe (90s), EVH lunchbox (new), Gibson Lab Series L5 (80s), some V30 cabs. My main guitar is a PRS McCarty (humbuckers), followed by an 80s Strat and a new Tele.


    There is a massive amount of free profiles on Rig Exchange, but I decided to buy some genre-appropriate profiles from some of the most popular commercial profilers (moderators prefer we limit talk about specific brands to the third party forum) to get a sense of the best that I could expect to get from a digital recreation.


    So, that's the context. Now, to speak to your questions...


    Yes, the Kemper profiles respond to the nuances of your guitar, as well as your actual playing (e.g. when you pick harder or "lean into it") and to me feels very much like my tube amps. I've previously had Line 6 offerings which are modelers rather than a profiler (an important difference) and was never quite satisfied with the feel. For me and what I play, the Kemper feels familiar.


    The effects in the profile are flexible so you can place things in the order that feels right to you. You can also run pedals before the input of the Kemper, just as you would a tube amp. I don't do much of the latter, but one of the popular profilers who tours with a recording act has recently been experimenting with this approach rather than using the Kemper effects exclusively and has positive things to say about it.


    I started out running the Kemper (I bought the powered head) through my well-broken-in 1960A Marshall 4x12 (V30s) from the 90s. It felt very good and I was content with just that. However, for a while I considered going back out to gigging and I have a very small car, so I looked for a powered FRFR (I went with the much loved Yamaha DRX-10) as much for convenience as anything else. It doesn't sound the same as the 4x12 but still sounds great, and when I decided to quit gigging I put the 4x12 away and prefer the FRFR at home.


    One of the reasons the FRFR feels best for my purposes is that most anything I do ends up being recorded, and this brings up an important thing to know about the Kemper. It's not designed to reproduce the "amp in the room" sound. It's designed to give you the guitar sound that you hear coming out of your speakers when you put on your favorite record. To be sure, at least for my taste, the "amp in the room" sound (i.e. playing at 105db and feeling the thump in my chest) has everything I'm looking for. Nonetheless, knowing what it's designed to deliver is a key element in being happy with your purchase.


    A modeler, like the Line 6 / Pod or Fractal / Axe stuff, is designed to digitally simulate the entire amplifier and allow you to tweak every knob. So, per your question about EQ, the knobs on a modeler are designed to simulate what the knobs on the amp do.


    The profiler is a completely different approach. It's not designed to completely emulate your DSL40CR. Instead, what a profile does is capture a single snapshot of sound, including your amp settings at that instant in time, the speaker cabinet, the mic you chose, the speaker placement and angle of the mic, room reflections that make it back into the mic, the humidity in the air, the exact position of your cat as it sits in the corner, etc. In other words, what's being captured is the specific signal chain exactly like it would be done in the recording studio. That's why the EQ knobs don't behave the same as they would with a Pod or Axe. You're adjusting this particular snapshot of sound, not interacting with an amplifier emulation.


    What you hear is analogous to listening to what you just tracked through the studio reference monitors in the control room. That's the reason I enjoy FRFR speakers in my scenario, as they're designed in a similar fashion to studio reference monitors and thus what I hear through either set of speakers is going to be the same kind of sound. Obviously I wouldn't monitor my DAW mix through my 4x12.


    On a side note, it's also why I love the Kemper for recording. I don't have to worry about being half an inch off in my mic placement (huge difference) against the 4x12 to match song two today to song one I recorded a month ago. It's always the exact same sound - whatever mic and speaker cabinet / position that was used when the profile was actually created.


    There are a number of reasons the Kemper was the right choice for me. One of them is that I honestly kinda suck at dialing in a killer tone. Never been good at it. If I have an amp modeler, I have to dial in the tone. No matter how good the Line 6 or Fractal amp recreations are, it doesn't help me if I still don't know how to dial in the tone.


    With a profile, it takes my deficiencies out of the loop. What I get when I dial up a profile is the result of someone else dialing in a killer tone - and making good speaker, mic and placement choices, cat position notwithstanding. I get the final product. If it's the droid I'm looking for, then grab the guitar, rock and roll. And there are a lot of people out there who are really good at dialing in and capturing that killer tone. Yes, you can tweak your profiles. Many do. I don't. If I don't like what I'm hearing, I just move on to another profile.


    This brings up my final point regarding profiles. There are thousands of free profiles on Rig Exchange, and many of them are very good. When I first got the Kemper, I tried loads of them and was discouraged by how bad even the most popular ones sounded. Eventually I realized my mistake. A profile is a snapshot in time of someone dialing in a tone and capturing it. So why does the Marshall on 11 sound terrible to me? Because the way you dial in a Marshall for a Led Zeppelin song is very different from the sound you want to dial in for a drop tuned guitar playing New Age Post Apocalyptic Lunar Metal (NAPALM). When considering profiles, free or otherwise, it's important to be cognizant of the genre that the people are dialing in the tones for. A Marshall is not just a Marshall. It's a Metal Marshall, or a Classic Rock Marshall, or a Rhythm & Blues Marshall. It does many things. A profile is optimized for one of them. To me, that's really the secret to finding great sounding profiles.


    If you match the profile to the genre you're playing you'll get very, very good results. There's a lot of deep tweaking you can do if you really want to dial it in to the millimeter. I don't. And for the record, I've been making a living writing software for decades, so it's not that I'm afraid of technology. I just don't want to screw with it. Give me a guitar, plug into an amp, rock and roll. That's all I want to do. And once I figured out the Kemper ecosystem, I was able to do exactly that.


    My guitar, both in the room and on recordings, has never sounded this good. A week after finding the right profiles for my taste, I sold every single amp I owned. I kept a couple of speaker cabinets but hummed a happy little tune as all those tubes walked out my front door. I love tube amps, it's what I grew up on. And I don't miss them even a little.


    As always, your mileage may vary, but I think this speaks to the questions you asked, at least from my own experience. Hope it helps.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

    Edited 7 times, last by Chris Duncan ().

  • Hey, Joe! Chris absolutely nailed it. My situation was very similar to yours, and I have only become happier with my Kemper over the years. But people will have quite different feelings about adjusting to the strange new Kemper world. So I can’t recommend more highly you consider carefully the very thoughtful post by Chris. If what he writes of the Kemper doesn’t sound too big of a learning curve, adjustment, etc., then I think you are likely going to love the Kemper.

  • doesn’t sound too big of a learning curve

    Honestly, the only learning curve I had was realizing the thing about profiles / genres, and that I didn't have to make a bunch of adjustments like I did with a modeler (or a real amp, for that matter). Being a techie, I probably made it sound more complex than it needs to be.


    For a geek like me it's been shockingly simply to use. Plug in guitar. Pick profile. Rock and roll.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • Welcome!


    A lot depends on the monitor you'll like to listen later.


    The easy test - go to my webpage (or any other profile seller with mp3 demo clips) - search for amps (e.g. Marshall) you like - then play them via your speakers - do you like the sound?


    If you will not find a great sound (for your ears) by any seller - then the KPA may be not the right tool for your - or you need another speaker-system.


    But I am sure you'll find a lot of great tones :)

    (All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with soundside.de)


    Great Profiles --> soundside.de

  • Speakers make a huge difference.

    If you love nothing but your V30 populated cab, then a Kemper with internal or external power and that cab will make you very happy indeed.

    If you like/need/want a sound that is more variable (cover band/recording etc) then FRFR might be for you.

    I am in a cover band and I fall in the latter category. I want that flexibility, so I employ FRFR on stage and at home.

    Initially I missed the amp in the room feel, but that faded quite quickly when I immersed myself in the sound that the audience was hearing.

    I'm waiting for the Kemper Kabinet and Kone which should simultaneously take care of the amp in the room thing, and the need for various speakers.

    Welcome and best of luck!

  • Hey Joe (sounds like the old Hendrix song :) ),


    welcome to the forum



    check out the list of professional players and bands using a Kemper live. That could help with the decision ;)

    Kemper Head - Kemper Remote - Palmer Box with Kemper Kone - TC Electronic BAM200 - Laney LFR 112

  • Wow! Thank you all for the responses !! Your kindness and passion are off the charts !!

    For me at this point I think my biggest concern is that " in the room" sound. Partly because I wasn't 100% sure what that meant. I figured it was "does the Kemper and chosen speaker sound like a live instrument vs a recorded instrument? " But doing some more research is helping me understand the pros and cons of FRFR vs running a KPA thru my existing 1x12 guitar speaker, and what factors contribute to why an amp sounds different live. I also found this Youtube video that does a comparison of some FRFR cabs. Looks like some do better at that live amp feel than others.

    The guitar speakers I have in combo and cabs are all British based, but I think most of the amp profiles I'd like are Marshall and Vox types. ( Vox and Matchless el84 /el34 amps) so if I choose to go thru my guitar cabs and turn of cabinet emulation I wouldn't be too disappointed in the speakers?

    Getting excited that Kemper might be my solution moving forward. I have played some high end amps ( an original Matchless DC30 was heaven) but have owned only good but not high end stuff. Pretty sure some of the high end amp profiles would be better than anything I have owned !


    Thanks to everyone for your support ! I am thinking getting involved with this community would be awesome, and getting to the point where I can give back to the next player a must.

  • If you go with the powered version it allows you to take an incremental path towards FRFR if needed. In my case, I was very happy with the sound I got running into my 4x12 and really had no reason to change (other than, you know, GAS) until transportation became a factor.


    So, if you start out with your physical cabs and like what you hear then you can always add an FRFR at some later date if you'd like to experiment with that sound, or never if the physical cabs make you happy. That's one of the reasons I've enjoyed my decision to go with a powered head, as it gives me all the options with both physical and powered speakers.

    Thanks to everyone for your support ! I am thinking getting involved with this community would be awesome, and getting to the point where I can give back to the next player a must.

    These are some really nice folks, and the vibe is overwhelmingly more positive than pretty much any forum I've ever seen. They've been incredibly generous with their time and advice in helping me find my path with the Kemper.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • Just give it a try, Joe.

    Our resident Captain Picard nailed it with just 6 words. :D


    When it comes down to it, it's tough to intellectualise everything without being hands-on, Joe, as I'm sure you'd know.


    For every functional or sound aspect of the Kemper that you're concerned about without having played and fiddled with one, there're bound to be many more pleasant surprises - you know - things you mightn't have thought of or known about but that you figured wouldn't matter.


    They're beasts, these things. Welcome to the forum, mate. 8)

  • Hi everyone. Work had me bogged down for a few days. I am getting together a list of gear I can sell to help finance a KPA. Also want to sell because I won't need !

    I have been doing some reading and some folk on the web say the KPA's effects are not that great other than the reverb and delay. I am not taking that to heart but it did make me think about pedals, etc. I have a wah that I run right after the guitar and a flanger that I really like. My current pedal board is a 4 cable method into my amps FX loop. Can I still do that with the KPA. I get the sense that it's different as far as where the loop might fit in.

    And one last ??? I am thinking the Kemper Stage might work for me. Other than a few less buttons on the front I believe I get the same amp, correct? Same ability to add pedals, effects loop, ect?


    Thanks as always!!

  • Hi everyone. Work had me bogged down for a few days. I am getting together a list of gear I can sell to help finance a KPA. Also want to sell because I won't need !

    I have been doing some reading and some folk on the web say the KPA's effects are not that great other than the reverb and delay. I am not taking that to heart but it did make me think about pedals, etc. I have a wah that I run right after the guitar and a flanger that I really like. My current pedal board is a 4 cable method into my amps FX loop. Can I still do that with the KPA. I get the sense that it's different as far as where the loop might fit in.

    And one last ??? I am thinking the Kemper Stage might work for me. Other than a few less buttons on the front I believe I get the same amp, correct? Same ability to add pedals, effects loop, ect?


    Thanks as always!!

    I use the stage as well. You can set the effects loop anywhere you would like to have it within the chain. The stage does indeed has the same tones and can run all of the same profiles. I run outboard effects with my stage as well and it sounds amazing.

  • I use the stage as well. You can set the effects loop anywhere you would like to have it within the chain. The stage does indeed has the same tones and can run all of the same profiles. I run outboard effects with my stage as well and it sounds amazing.

    I own both of those pedals and think the TC Electronics stuff is great. However, with the new Kemper reverbs I'm surprised that you're running outboard reverb and delay. I haven't done any A/B testing between them, though. Is there a big difference in tone quality?

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10