Display MoreHere is my concern before I go buy my first Kemper.
I’ve playing Boogies for 45 years but my present rig of a Quad with a 50/50, ground control pro with the GCX, TC Electronics effects, and a Furman, in a shock absorber rack weighs in at least 300 -400 pounds.
My main guitar is a Les Paul.Plus I have 2 Boogie extension cabinets I run in stereo.
The rig sounds perfect but a pain in the ass to haul around.
The Kemper seems like a great way to reduce my load in/load out and still deliver pro sounds.
But if I can’t get my Boogie tones, and some of the high end profiles available with the Kemper, I’m not dumping my Boogie. I have not used distortion / overdrive pedals for 45 years....all my overdrive sounds come from the Boogie. I use a clean sound a lot, but soaring and sustaining lead riffs is my sweet spot. There is no way that I will settle for a Kemper if it sounds like digital distortion.
By the way, my present gig is smaller gigs with smaller PAs, so going through the fronts is not an option. I will send a little to FOH, but I need sound pressure behind me.
So, my Kemper will be behind me and must fill the stage.
I plan on using an amp to drive a FRFR (maybe 2 for stereo).
So, if I go to Kemper, will I miss my Boogie?
A profile done correctly will at least match and often outperform your amp. Top ears of world class famous guitar producers cannot tell the difference between the Kemper and their very own amp they have heard a thousand times.. Many times they will pick the Kemper and say "That's my amp because it sounds the best" and then are shocked to see it was the Kemper. When the Kemper was designed it was made so if the profile does not sound exactly like your amp miced, it's not the fault of the Kemper, but your profiling technique because it CAN profile it so well you would not be able to tell the difference. Of course you can rely on others with great mics, techniques and preamps to do it for you. So if done properly, the only thing you will miss about your rig is back pain. I know this is user preference and my opinion but I had a quad and a 50/50 for a couple years and I guarantee I can do way more and have tons more equivalent and better tones with a powered toaster.
Just a question, If you play live, why would you want a stereo rig? Don't you want people on both sides of the room to hear the same thing?