Retiring the kemper

    Quote from piotrmaj

    I didn't make the switch OP was asking about but since my bandmate uses Axe FX I borrowed it once to see if I could get a decent tone out of it. The answer was: yes, I got great tone out of it and the feel was great, too. Was it easy? No. Amount of parameters in Fractal products is insane so good luck tweaking it for days. I don't think you'll notice much of a difference in sound between Kemper and Axe (at this level both units are state of the art). I'm sure if you were switching from $50 Zoom multi effect to Axe FX the difference would indeed be inspiring. :)


    You will for sure experience totally different workflow which you may like or not - worth trying out. Good luck with in your search for inspiration!

    i expect it will be just as great in its own way but I really think the fractal will be more organized and adjustable. With kemper we’re stuck with 4 blocks before and after the amp… that’s pretty primitive in an all in one unit. I’ve actually thought about getting rid of the stage for a kemper toaster head to have it act as just an amp and use either an external effects pedals like the gold ole boys or just fractal for effects like many of the greatest touring players are (Steve Vai, Neal schon, Aaron intervals etc…)

    Quote from GuyJames

    I’ve actually thought about getting rid of the stage for a kemper toaster head to have it act as just an amp and use either an external effects pedals like the gold ole boys or just fractal for effects like many of the greatest touring players are (Steve Vai, Neal schon, Aaron intervals etc…)

    FWIMBW bro', ironically, Neal Schon used a Kemper "head" for the Jimmy Barnes song "Going Down Alone".


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    What a fantastic recording. That drummer is in the pocket. Nice.

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

    Like 1

    I'm going to defend my name sake Guy here....


    1) Why do we want to know of his departure - 2 reasons. 1) He clearly thinks something is lacking in the KPA and therefore something we should be interested in for product improvements. I think he wants someone to give input on the difference. 2) He wants to know if anyone else did it and what their experience was. Both valid in my mind


    2) We can defend the KPA all we like but we also all know the Axe, Helix and Quad are all good sounding units. So he may gell better with the FM..


    3) Sometimes we all just need a change for inspiration....we all know GAS....so its not unusual


    4) I would want to welcome Guy back if he changed his mind...


    So, I hope you have a good experience Guy and keen to get your thoughts if you go for it on how you get on. Ultimately, we all want other guitarists to find their sound utopia.


    My prediction is:

    1) You will be really pleased with the effects

    2) It will require lots of fiddling to get a good sound

    3) You will initially really like it and then feel the amp sounds are not quite as good.


    ...all based upon my biased understanding :).

    I think it depends on why you use the Kemper. When going back and forth with someone on these forums you might not know what they're trying to get out of it. So if someone is looking to do ambient stuff for a church thing, they want something totally different than someone with a 7-string tuned down doing strictly metal to a person that wants 80's hair stuff to blues, or jazz. I think I'm lucky and where I think Kemper beats them all is in the low to moderate gain, and hard rock stuff. I think that type of tone is where there is the most interaction between the amp and the guitar. With that type of music, you can really hear them both, the type of guitar, the pickup, and the type of amp, and when playing you can feel it. I have been at it a long time and have played every amp, I have vintage fender's vox, marshall, & boutique. The Kemper feels and reacts like a tube amp. But I'm just going with why I use it.

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    Sent from my iPad

    Hear you go. It’s long you can go the end for the conclusions. There was also a follow up

    Quote from GuyJames

    sounding like mad girlfriend getting dumped bro “good luck finding happiness” lol 10 years is a good run man 👍🏻

    LOL couldn't care less if you get rid of your Kemper, quick comment If you can't make it work with the Kemper , it's user error, not the unit's fault. You'll probably have the same problems with any unit you get , My opinion ! Enjoy the journey

    Quote from GuyJames

    Been using the kemper since 2017 and it’s time to move on to greener pastures. It was a great unit to get into digital amps with however I’ve been using the same profiles for 4 years now because I can’t find any others I like and I’m just feeling uninspired with it. I’ve got a Fractal FM9 showing up this week. I have no doubt it will be as good if not better. I’ll be learning the FM9 for awhile and keep the kemper stage to compare but there’s no need to keep both.


    Has anyone here made the same switch?

    I have both the Kemper Stage and FM9. They are very different units. I have yet to get the tone and feel of the amps to be satisfying. If the base amp tone and feel isn't there it can be a struggle to get inspired by it. The Kemper has the feel of a tube amp. The FM9 amp models have much more gain than what the actual amps do, based on me comparing models of amps I actually own and have profiled and used in my Kemper. It takes much more of a roll off of the volume knob to get the amps to clean up in the FM9 and it just feels much different than a real amp. You may get used to this and it may not bother you. If you are a high gain player you may like the FM9 better. I kept mine for one specific use. If I could get my Kemper to do what I bought the FM9 to do, I would have sent it back or sold it.

    Quote from GuyJames

    sounding like mad girlfriend getting dumped bro “good luck finding happiness” lol 10 years is a good run man 👍🏻

    More like a buddy saying "Good luck thinking that new girlfriend with lots of makeup will make you feel better about your performance than your awesome wife." 😉

    Quote from Finally

    More like a buddy saying "Good luck thinking that new girlfriend with lots of makeup will make you feel better about your performance than your awesome wife." 😉

    Uhh... some men wear makeup... Not Me! 8|

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.