Dead sound out of Low E string (In Drop C) when ringing out higher notes.

  • Hello Friend’s, So I noticed this a while back and have put it on the back burner for awhile but it’s time I figured it out. I mainly play high gain profiles (Fortin, Peavey invective, 5150) and I’m playing through a 2 x 12 Kemper Kone cabinet I built myself. I play either a PRS Mark Holcomb guitar with passive Seymour Duncan alpha/omegas pick ups or Ltd Ken Susi with active Fishman Fluence pick ups both guitars tuned to drop C. I play fast metal and noticed when I ring out high notes while palm muting open C, the low string sounds dead. It catches up after a second or two but it is definitely not normal. I searched the forum for answers but have found nothing. I’m thinking it’s the Kemper Kones but maybe I’m overlooking a specific setting. Hoping someone here has answers. Thank you!

  • If the low string sounds dead it sounds to me the string is too low. Have you tried to play with the kemper with just monitors or headphones?

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • Hmmm ..... Maybe you home built cab can´t handle low frequences like 65 Hz ?

    if you have an oscillator in any device or as a free app in your phone , connect

    it to your KPA and run a sinus wave down from approx 120 Hz to 50 Hz and

    se what happens. Drop C is 65 Hz :/


    Cheers !

    The adjective for metal is metallic. But not so for iron ... which is ironic.

    Edited once, last by Hoki Toki ().

  • Your gonna have dead notes all over the place with a Kemper...zero sustain, too.

    ...in your experience.


    Not in mine.


    Dead notes/sounds I've experienced many times on different equipment and the causes are usually an issue with the guitar, sometimes highlighted more on better gear or frequency clashes. Notes will disappear if you clash with other instruments.


    I would suggets you try to rule out the Kone by playing througfh other monitors ( headphones etc.) just to narrow it down.


    Side note: My friend had a lovely Gibson SG bass and notes used to disappear in a certain register. Took it to a number of Luthiers who all acknowledged the problem but couldn;t fix it. Eventually it was accepted back to Gibson...

  • I have had the problem as well. I play through Dxr 12s so it is not the Kone. I have noticed sometimes when i have many strings ringing out and then i try to palm mute and chug on the low e it feels weak and noodly. It comes back after a sec but it is noticable when it happens

  • @DonPetersen

    I am a kemper user since 2012...Always thought this was the only problem I ever noticed about Kemper. Indeed when I dig in the two high strings, they overpower the low E-string, which is ducked for a short time. This problem exists with all my guitars!! (Even when just returned from my luthier and being in a perfect shape). Must add : I do not play with a light tough and always play heavy bright profiles. It happens also without noise gate and volume makes no difference. Being aware of this it is just a matter to live with it and play around this problem.
    A Friend of mine bought recently a Stage and has exactly the same problem.
    Therefore I always found it funny to watch youtube comparison tests between kemper and a real amp, because no one did this test, so the kemper would "Show" itself immediately.

    But to read that a moderator is not known with this Kemper side effect is simply mind blowing to me

  • I had this issue as well. I'm eating, but when I'm done, I'm gonna go play around with a couple packs I haven't heard yet, then I'm shipping it back. Kemper sounds really good, but it plays weird and I can't get over it. It reminds of when George Harrison first recorded on a solid state console, he said, among other things "It's harsh". That's how I feel about it. Sometimes my teeth tingle when I play certain clean patches. Lol.

  • I have 11-49 strings on my LTD and 10-52 on my PRS. I’m glad I’m not the only one that has noticed this issue. Geurtsema, What cab/speaker do you play out of?

    For the last couple of years I only do studio work and always play through studio monitors. This should be the environment where the Kemer Profiler shines at it's best? I use 10-46 gauge strings and play standard tuning and sometimes Drop D Tuning.

  • I agree with you bobbyodell, the Kemper sound is blistering. Granted I’m playing high gain metal profiles but I can’t get good tone out of this expensive piece of equipment no matter what settings, stomp boxes or eq I try. My happiness level with the Kemper is fading daily.