Posts by Mladen1990

Quote from Alfahdj

There is the long believed train of thinking of how only "american made" are good enough or of ultimate quality. This has changed, if you have me choose, I would rather get 2 japan made guitar than a usa one for the same cash. Same for south korean ones, they make fine instruments over there. It happened that mexican fenders were so on par on quality to the american ones, that they had to downgrade the specs of the pickups to make them sound different, not even better or worse.

I agree, especially for guitars made in South Korea. They keep getting better each year but also more expensive.

My bucket list guitar. I was just about to order a custom one with a few tweaks but this popped up in Japan. Used, but in perfect condition, no dents, only minor scratches that you can only see if you look for them.

So this just got delivered, brand new but it's actually old stock from 2011. My first guitar with a maple fretboard, haven't plugged it in yet. Needs new strings. Not sure about double EMG 81 combo, I'll leave them for now, maybe I'll like them after actually playing the guitar for a while.

Quote from V8guitar

Welcome...

Its worth getting a tube amp to try but to be honest, especially at low volumes, I think you'll find its a retrograde step. Its a fun adventure with pedals but for me, I'd rather spend my money on guitars than pedals..

Well, I do have a list of guitars that I'd like to own and they're all rather expensive, ergo tube amp is years away, probably even a decade. But I do understand your point, I might even change mine down the road and buy another guitar instead of an amp.

Quote from joshriggs

I had the Helix LT for a year or so. Then I got an FM3 when I got my invitation, after being on the wait list for a year. Frankly, I think the FM3 was hot garbage compared to the Kemper Stage I now own. It just felt like a completely rushed and incomplete product. It sounded fine, but was a nightmare to use and program, and there was a major lag when switching between scenes. I ended up going with the Stage because I love it's approach to live performance mode, and because it sounded way more natural and real than the FM3. I think you definitely made a great choice.

I tried Helix Native, but it didn't float my boat. Wouldn't know about Fractal gear as my only experience with them was through youtube and forums. Actually, that was the case with Kemper as well. Ideally I'd try it out in a store, but I couldn't because of the lockdown. But as soon as I tried it at home I knew I made the right choice. Amazing sounds and no need for endless tinkering around patches/profiles. If I were in a band, I'd probably buy the rack unit and a foot controller (for safety reasons only, I'd be quite nervous having expensive gear lying around in the spill area).

Quote from SeanChristopher

The Kemper Community is awesome!

The Kemper Team are always improving the Kemper and its software so, be prepared for years and years of support and new features for your Kemper Stage

This. It's been years since the Kemper came out and all the improvements are coming from software! It contradicts everything in today's consumer market. That's a massive bonus for Kemper.

Hello there!

If you'd like, you can read my introduction thread where I've briefly explained why I went with Kemper (other options were Helix or FM3). I've also been on a hiatus for a few years and I'm a bedroom player like you.

Wheresthedug No worries, I understood that it was an observation. On a side note, I welcome constructive criticism, especially when I'm trying out something new.

Quote from GearJocke

Oh, okay. I'v got Adam A5 so yes better monitors is a must for a more honest sound. I know when I started play guitar again after years not, I tried to use those typical pc speakers first. Didn't work at all.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Didn't play much (or at all) after college when I started working. But now I'm getting back into it.

Quote from deadman42

Just my 2 cents: If it is your hobby then you deserve not less than the best you can get

Seriously you should get satisfying gear to listen to the Kemper's great sounds. And by the way the Adams are great monitors. Using the A7x here and they are pretty good.

I know what you mean by good gear. I had my old acoustic Ibanez that I would just noodle around with when I had the time. At one point I bought an Ibanez RG7421, but never really bonded with it. It was a decent guitar for the money. Fast forward to February this year, I somehow stumbled on my ESP in Austria. So I contacted my cousin who lives there and he arranged everything. But then the lockdowns happened. It took almost 4 months until it got to me here in Serbia. I knew it would take a lot of time, so I bought the Schecter. No regrets, those EMG 57/66 sound so creamy, milky, buttery smooth. And couple of months after, I got my Kemper Stage. And it does make a difference, both the guitars and the Kemper. Makes me want to play more and the feeling while playing is on another level.

As far as the monitors go, everyone seems to be recommending Adams. I'm a bit restricted with space, so that's a deciding factor.

Quote from MuddySludge

A Ferrari with cheap tires can get you killed.

That's a good analogy. I better not risk it anymore and buy those monitors asap!

Quote from Wheresthedug

the second clip sounds awesome even though it’s not my genre or type of tone I can still appreciate it.

However, the first one (Bogner) has something really weird happening in the high frequencies. It almost sounds like bleed from a ride cymbal bell on the quarter notes or like a really short but high level reverb only on the upper frequencies. It becomes really noticeable from the 3rd variation onwards.

Thanks for the feedback. I kinda hear it too when I pay attention. Just so everyone knows, this is my first time experiencing high end gear and recording. There's still much to learn.

Quote from GearJocke

Sounds brutal but the either the p.u. is a very bright one or the profiles used too trebly.

I haven't edited the profiles, but I am using regular computer speakers which is less than ideal and gives a wrong representation of the sound. I'm looking into buying a pair of monitors (probably Adam T5V, no need for anything better as this is just a hobby for me).

Quote from GearJocke

It would be nice to hear a soundclip with the ESP Horizon. I've got one too and I'm thinking of swapping out the pu with something else and Aftermath is on my list of possible pu's.

Here are two short clips I made this evening, nothing special:

1. Bogner XTC Red - FRP

2. Nightwish Once, a tone matched profile by Ampire Tones

Quote from GearJocke

Absolutely. I've go a Schecter too but it's an old one, a Blackjack from 2004 with white binding. Why do so many guitarists hate bindings? Anyway damn good guitar.

In 90% cases I'd prefer to have binding, but on some guitars it just doesn't work (classic Strat and Tele shapes, especially MM Majesty). But to each their own.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Sure thing. I'll make some sound clips this weekend.

I've acquired these two during the lockdown. Schecter was brand new, made in South Korea in 2019, everything's stock on the guitar.

ESP was used and made in 2008. It's got Bare Knuckle Aftermath set, that's the only modification (by previous owner, not me). I was pretty surprised by the guitar, it's in a really good condition.

Greetings from Serbia!

So for some time I was debating on what to buy (Kemper, Helix LT or wait for the new Fractal FM3 to arrive in Europe). I was using various plugins, but never really bonded with them. I've research all the units thoroughly. Couple of facts that everyone pointed out were:

- Feel while playing.

- Option paralysis.

I bought Kemper Stage around a month ago. Kemper wins on both points (comparing it only to Helix Native and TH-U). Anyway, the feel while playing is there, based on my limited experience with tube amps. There are plenty of options to tweak, but most of the profiles I use for now need minor EQ and gain adjustments (and perhaps a noise gate) and they're good to go (almost plug-n-play, which is perfect for me). For now I'm just playing with mid-high gain profiles. When I have the time, I'll try to make some ambient tones, I've only scratched the surface with this unit.

Some other things that swayed me towards Kemper:

- Acoustic sim (I haven't tried it yet, but I was really impressed with Youtube clips).

- Friedman profiles, specifically tones from Clayman by In Flames, one of my favourite bands. It was a surreal feeling when I tried that profile.

- There's an official local seller for Kemper here in Serbia, but that's just for the practicality reasons.

Another thing that kinda pushed me into buying a Kemper was Nightwish, my favourite band. Their guitarist uses a Kemper and I was hoping to verify that the profile is available to others, but there was no info. That was before my purchase. After I received my unit, I was pleasantly surprised when I actually found the profile on rig exchange. It's free and made by Mikko Karmila, if anyone's interested.

Strangely enough, most of the time I spent playing was with a profile of a Bogner Ecstasy amp.

Some other things I feel I need to point out:

- I've never owned a tube amp, and I wasn't too keen on getting one at this point (I live in an apartment, tubes are fragile, amp maintenance, extra pedals and so on).

- Currently I'm using my computer speakers with Kemper (going through Focusrite 2i2). Even with this setup I'm impressed with the sound. I'm looking into buying a pair of studio monitors.

- I'm a bedroom guitar player. Some people would call me insane on buying a Kemper just to play at home, but honestly, I wish I bought it earlier.

- I feel like at one point I'll probably buy a small tube amp and some must-have pedals. I kinda feel I'm missing out on something as they are a huge part of guitar history. Not anytime soon, but definitely at some point.

Other (relatively) relevant info: I've been playing on and off for a bit over 15 years. I'm a software engineer (working in game development) and currently on gear acquisition escapade.

Tl;dr: I've bought a Kemper Stage little over a month ago. Mind = blown.

Have a nice evening!

Mladen Molnar