LOL, this is below LOW... even for Cliff

  • I really dont see the need to knock either product. Clearly they are both good and innovative pieces of gear. I chose the kemper for a number of reasons but i sure as hell dont think the Axe is crap as a byproduct of my decision. Quite clearly it isnt. Its usage in whatever capacity from major artists and underground artists and the ability to give guitar players should be embraced by the guitar community. Its given us massive options especially in terms of connecting the stage and the studio together. Periphery are a prime example, they recorded their album (both in fact) themselves and gave it to the record company to distribute etc. They own their own masters and were fully responsible for completing the product. This was partly possible because of the axe fx afforded them the luxury to record their guitar tones in the home studio. Devin Townsend (a musical god i might add) is a similar case. The overheads of a major studio would prevent these guys releasing as much material. John Petrucci uses the axe for demoing material before going to a studio and cranking up the boogies - he has that luxury that many of use do not but live he uses the axe for fx. It still is an integral part of his setup. Its important to note that alot of these guys got on the axe before the KPA was released. The periphery guys and Devin especially also use it live so they will have invested major time in the setup - they arent going to jump ship straight away. Id suspect that they havent even tried the KPA yet. The Kemper is later to the party, has different approach and in my opinion will probably superseed the axe when given the time to establish itself and fully develop its products. Its use by Andy Sneap - arguably the greatest metal producer alone is testament to where the KPA works best. (see what i did there?) By the sounds of things Lukather and Morse (two tone mongers i might add) are also using it in a similar capacity. At least from what im aware of. The KPA is the prime studio tool, that there is no doubt. Whilst it clearly can be used live its not as geared up for it as the Axe is currently and hence perhaps not as an enticing proposition for the current axe fx users. This is primarliy because it hasnt had 7 years to do so. Every product needs time to establish. However, when it does, when major artists and underground artists can blend the stage and studio seamlessly, well then I believe the 'artist roster' may balance slightly heavier on the Kemper side. Just you wait :thumbup:

  • You sound to me like an advertising brochure. Perfect reaction to the guitar, perfect clone, not a modeler, exactly....If it would be that good, we hadn't to talk here about any competitors, but we have to, so it is not perfect. It is somewhere near the real thing and not top notch, the same way that the FA thing is somewhere near as well. BTW I own both and I don't understand what all the fuss is about, they have both advantages and downsides, none is perfect. There will come next generations someday that are even better, how will you justify then that you said it's perfect now.

  • :P I,ve writed almost perfect, not perfect. :)
    ....and You must to recognize, that in amp sound realism and responding, the KPA is the winner.
    I have used both of them side by side about a month, after I have used the Axe Fx alone almost two years.....And the winner was the Kemper because of his responding nature to my guitar playing and his sounds quality....Of course I,m not a metal guitar player, (I,ve read somewhere that the Kemper is lacks in some metal amps profiling), but I must to say, that I have liked to use a ton of effects, synths, and tube amps before. And I like the crunch and clean and almost-clean amp tones with that tube touch, the saturation, which are sounding so good in my KPA alone, without my full rack of effects and amps. :)
    Before, I was charmed by the Fractal, but for that tube-like feeling I was used every time one of my real amps in combination with the Axe Fx, to sound and feel good.
    I,m not again Axe Fx, I,m only say, that for me the Kemper is the most good sounding one, even if it,s very poor controllable on scene.
    I,m sorry, if I was a bit agitated before, but for me the KPA is the first real possibility to obtain that studio sound on the stage without complicated racks and amps systems, which have caused a lot of headaches to me before, because of the instability of them (too many bad tubes, bad connections, bad switches, broken cables and so on).... :(
    Now I,m a very happy Kemper user, my only complains are the missing of an inteligent harmonist, maybe a rogerlinns adrenalin-type arpeggiator, the looping possibilityies restricted area and the midi controlling poorness. :(

  • Hi, I own both the KPA and the AxeII for over a year now. There is no winner, forget it. The pick response of the AxeII is far more real to me than the KPAs. The KPAs pressure in the lows is far more real to me than the AxeII's. I could go on about whatever detail, some are better here, some are better there, some are similar. But there is nothing like a winner. There are different skills, different aspects, that's all.

  • The pick response of the AxeII is far more real to me than the KPAs.


    That's interesting. Have you done A/B comparisons with the real amps modeled/profiled? I found the KPA to be much more accurate when comparing it to my KPA to my Axe Fx II (already sold). I found the KPA pick response to be pretty much identical to the amps I compared it to while the Axe Fx II was far from identical.

  • That's interesting. Have you done A/B comparisons with the real amps modeled/profiled? I found the KPA to be much more accurate when comparing it to my KPA to my Axe Fx II (already sold). I found the KPA pick response to be pretty much identical to the amps I compared it to while the Axe Fx II was far from identical.


    Yes, of course I did, otherwise I wouldn't say it, our minds are that crazy, we tend to hear what we want to hear. I used a Patchmate Loop8 to compare both units. Somehow the KPA has the ability to turn the crappy sound of some models of my JTV Variax into good sounds...and that should not be. For a good real amp the formula crap in = crap out is valid. So how then can that thing let my variaxs models let sound good, even the ones that sound crappy with my real amps and with the AxeII? You could say, be happy it always turns anything into a good sound, but what I want is something different, an honest return of what I do with the guitar, even when that can end in a bad sound when I play sloppy.

  • I see alot of "Kemper sounds much better then the Axe" here.
    I have no part in this and don't care much, but howcome that is not shown on the artist list, if this would be true?
    No offence, but no big names at all uses the Kemper. Or am I just looking the wrong places?

    I didn't read the rest of discussion as from this post, so sorry if someone asked it before me :
    Could you be so kind and say how many of the big names -axe users- use it ONLY as an effect unit -but NOT as an AMP ????
    How many big names -Kemper users_ use Kemper AS AN AMP ???
    99,5 % or 99,67 % , in both cases ????
    Thanks
    ps
    even you are trolling here (not a big deal , dont worry , nobody will ban you as on axe or fractal gear page forum) once you realize the question , and once you get to the answer , you will find what is the main difference between two .
    after that, you'll realize you CANNOT compare it .
    All of the "war" between axe and Kemper users on pathetic TGP (ops , sorry on Fractal Gear Page) is caused by axe guys who try to compare axe vs Kemper .
    The point is that ONE CANNOT compare effect unit vs AMP unit - and that is what axe guys know very well, and that's why they try to divert the discussion -in the wrong way 8)

    1988 Branko Radulovic Hand Made Strat in Macedonia (SFRJ)

    2006 Steve Vai vwh moded with SS frets and Sustainac 2006 (Japan)

    2008 Fender YJM , moded (USA)

    2010 Tom Andersons Drop Top 2010 (made in California)

    2017 Charvel GG sig Caramelised Ash (USA)

    2022 Gibson ES 335 2011 Custom Shop Cherry of course ( Memphis)

    Edited 3 times, last by Rescator ().

  • also, do you know which guitar Steve Vai chooses as the best possible guitar on the World in that moment -after he realized that Fender with FR might be useless for his purpose ?
    also , do you know why he switched to Ibanez ???
    to help you a bit :
    axe vs Kemper is exactly like Ibanez vs Tom Anderson

    ;)



    NOT COMPARABLE !!!!

    1988 Branko Radulovic Hand Made Strat in Macedonia (SFRJ)

    2006 Steve Vai vwh moded with SS frets and Sustainac 2006 (Japan)

    2008 Fender YJM , moded (USA)

    2010 Tom Andersons Drop Top 2010 (made in California)

    2017 Charvel GG sig Caramelised Ash (USA)

    2022 Gibson ES 335 2011 Custom Shop Cherry of course ( Memphis)


  • Yes, of course I did, otherwise I wouldn't say it, our minds are that crazy, we tend to hear what we want to hear. I used a Patchmate Loop8 to compare both units. Somehow the KPA has the ability to turn the crappy sound of some models of my JTV Variax into good sounds...and that should not be. For a good real amp the formula crap in = crap out is valid. So how then can that thing let my variaxs models let sound good, even the ones that sound crappy with my real amps and with the AxeII? You could say, be happy it always turns anything into a good sound, but what I want is something different, an honest return of what I do with the guitar, even when that can end in a bad sound when I play sloppy.


    Could you post any clips comparing the amp vs Axe Fx vs KPA that demonstrate what you say? I have not noticed the KPA making my guitars to sound any different than what my amps do.

  • Sorry, no time left for complicated clips. You could at least listen to the hum of single-coils, how it's getting translated by the kpa. Turn the NG off, to do so, and listen. Or you turn your vol pot down and see how the curve is, the kpa's reaction is different somehow, like if the was a comp before the amp.

  • Sorry, no time left for complicated clips. You could at least listen to the hum of single-coils, how it's getting translated by the kpa. Turn the NG off, to do so, and listen. Or you turn your vol pot down and see how the curve is, the kpa's reaction is different somehow, like if the was a comp before the amp.


    The are differences in the noise level and hum in both the Axe FX II and the KPA vs the real amps but that cannot be used to measure differences on pick response or dynamics. (As for the vol pot down) If I am sure of something is that the KPA dynamics and response are by far more accurate in the KPA than in the Axe Fx II as of today. There has been many changes in the Axe Fx II in this area since the KPA was released and that's for a reason.


    I am not saying that you are wrong. Maybe you do experience that with your KPA but so far I didn't with mine and I have not heard any clips from anybody where I could notice that either.

  • To me the response is mainly an interactive thing that happens between the player and the gear. By listening to clips you could only scratch the surface. You got to have the gear in your hands, there is no way around that IMHO.

  • BTW looking back one year to january 2012, the KPA had been the winner for me. I knew at once that I have to sell my ultra, no way to keep it. And the AxeII had been better than the ultra but something was missing to me. It made hughe steps since, the modeling is far better today.

  • To me the response is mainly an interactive thing that happens between the player and the gear. By listening to clips you could only scratch the surface. You got to have the gear in your hands, there is no way around that IMHO.


    If there would be differences in pick response (you said the Axe FX II was far more real) and dynamics like the ones you mention and most of all guitars sounding different depending on which device you run it through vs the amp that is easily noticed in a comparison clip.

  • Not a Roland viabcroce, sorry... It's an Ibanez MC300DS 1979. This guitar is an amazing real vintage beast, incredible craftmanship, tone, versatility and playability. It's my guitar of choice since a while now! And the beauty of this thing is that there is absolutely no BIG NAME who use them! :D

    I believe that my memory is tricking me, and the guitars I remember were actually Ibanez. OTOH Roland was not making guitars in the '70s AFAIK...
    So I think it was this one I was reaming of...


    [Blocked Image: http://www.ibanezwiki.com/download/attachments/131292/08.jpg]


    Thanks for the time-back plunge... I took advantage of this for reopening all my old issues of guitar magazines I own... :D

  • I believe that my memory is tricking me, and the guitars I remember were actually Ibanez. OTOH Roland was not making guitars in the '70s AFAIK...
    So I think it was this one I was reaming of...


    [Blocked Image: http://www.ibanezwiki.com/download/attachments/131292/08.jpg]


    Thanks for the time-back plunge... I took advantage of this for reopening all my old issues of guitar magazines I own... :D

    Yes, this one is in the same serie! The picture in my avatar is not my actual guitar but it's identical, the only differences are that mine has a varitone and coil split/phase invertion switches (as this one) which give her a lot of versatility! And it is in almost new condition! 8o