Posts by lbieber

  • Kemper Player vs Quad Cortex

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    It was intended as tongue in cheek not a statement of fact.

    The point is simply that the number of gigs available (at least here in the UK) is constantly dwindling. Most of the pubs that still have live music are still paying the same amount per gig as they were in the 1980's. That part isn't a tongue in cheek joke unfortunately. In Scotland pub gigs are paying around £300 - £500 for a full band, with all their own gear including PA, doing a couple of hours with a break. Of course there are more professional gigs and corporate work the competition for them is high. The days of the weekend warrior pub circuit which a huge number of semi pro players used work regularly or cut their teeth on before moving unto a higher level is dead and buried over here unfortunately. Live music venues are closing almost weekly. Even some great venues that have been going for decades have been closing over the last 12 months. It is tempting to blame it all on COVID but the truth is the decline was already well underway for many years before that. COVID just put the final nail in the coffin.


    Therefore, if younger players want to make a living from music they need to think differently and exploit different avenues and markets. I'm not being a grumpy old man shouting at clouds and ranting about how good things were in the old days but everything sucks now. Far from it actually. I believe there is hope for good younger players (and even old farts from my generation) but the opportunities are simply different. Trying to make a living/career playing live music venues (other than weddings and corporate functions) isn't worth the effort now and won't be in future unless the world changes significantly.


    That is only what I am seeing here in Scotland and hearing from other parts of the UK. The situation may be very different in other countries though.

    This is basically the situation in the US as well.

  • Two Profiles at the same time

    Quote from Steve5478

    Entirely agree with you !!!

    I've played with modelers' parallels paths possibilities ; Wet/dry/wet ; 4 amps/cabs in //, it's fun 5 mns but you stop quickly.... At the same time, there's another guitarist in our band.

    But I've never seen guitarist using rigs that way (on stage).... :/

    While not the norm, there are guitarists that have and do use rigs for live performance this way.

  • Monitorsound with Kemper

    There are quite few threads about this. I suggest you do a search. My summary is that the opinions are mixed. It depends on the box for one thing and it depends on what you think good is. Giving it a try is the only way for you to form an opinion.

  • How do you guys feel about scuffing down painted necks for faster play?

    Curious about the reasoning behind WD40? Can't imagine how it is any better or different than a wet sanding.


    As mentioned, the surface repolishes with play. It happens in weeks IME unless you go all the way to the wood.


    Baby powder has traditionally been used by old school players. It has it's own pros and cons. I use it at times in specific moments, but don't use it routinely.

  • Has Kemper taken on too much?

    I disagree that this thread is 'sober' - whatever that means to each of us. The thread title is 'Has Kemper Taken On Too Much'. The OP mentions Kemper being overwhelmed because of new product releases. The implication is that Kemper is resource limited and has over comitted. As a follow on, 'improvements' are not being accomplished and delivered 'on-time' or according to some expectations. I don't think butthurt applies to a company like Kemper, but user expectations could be modified by how they choose to respond. It's not dissimilar from training a dog. Previous history of updates has created expectations that Kemper may or may not want to continue to address. In the long run, all updates to the toaster, rack and stage will stop. Don't know when that will happen, but we are getting closer everyday.


    I believe they developed and improved features to achieve the initial goals of the product and to stay relevant and competitive. I've owned a toaster for a few years and am happy with it. I would not have been happy or stayed with the platform had I purchased it in the first years of the product. There was clearly A LOT of room for improvement. For instance, the delays and verbs were subpar and far from state of the art. I had better delays and verbs in the mid 90s. The improvements motivated me to buy. I would never have taken the approach of buying a unit and then expecting it to be improved after the fact. So, you're right, those improvements and others helped them to be relevant, competitive and to increase revenue. I don't think any of those have much to do with profit, but I suppose you mean increased revenue? At what point will the implementation be deemed not worthy of improvement or simply good enough? At what point will Kemper decide that further improvements result in diminishing returns? I believe all of that is on the horizon. Perhaps then the dog will be retrained. ;)

  • Has Kemper taken on too much?

    There seems to be a logical disconnect in the expectation of functionality for Kemper products. The products had a specific set of functionality when we purchased them. There was no contractual obligation, guarantee or promise of any additional functionality. If you bought a toaster, rack, or stage expecting something different , you made an illogical purchase. If you bought a Player expecting that it would do something different, you made an illogical purchase. If Kemper provides improvements then consider yourself fortunate. Otherwise, and to be frank, this all sounds like a bunch of entitled whining. Kemper 'owes' us nothing. To be honest, if I were making decisions at Kemper, I would view this type of complaining as 'no good deed goes unpunished'. I would be motivated to discontinue the updates as a result. These types of threads present a danger IMO. How about using the product that you bought and being happy if it happens to get upgraded?

  • Backup gear

    Joyo American with on a nano pedalboard with OCD, TC delay and verb, plusMobius. Joyo American is might be the best $40 I ever spent. I don't use a power amp, only direct to PA and monitors. For certain gigs, it is my main and only 'rig'.

  • How to use Distortion Sense

    Perhaps you are focusing on the CS and DS too much? I pretty much set it and forget it. I want the different behavior of each guitar to come through on its own. I also am not interested in tweaking these params during a gig. Focusing on this is diminshing returns for me and it has zero issues that I care about.

  • Overdrive Special Bluesmaster profile uploaded

    Thank you for the details. There is some possible confusion regarding what Bluesmaster means which is why I asked. I have built quite a few D-style amps as well. I was, am, a member of TAG and benefitted from the info over there.


    It seems some profile maker(s) don't know what PAB is. In any case, the D style amps require multiple profiles due to all the switching. Also, the HRM with two tonestacks is not really possible mimic with the Kemper. So, an amps like those would require quite a lot of profiles at different setting to get there. My experience is that the chirp, bloom and mids are never 'right' with the Kemper. At least, I haven't heard a profile yet that does it really well.


    Looking forward to trying yours out though!

  • Overdrive Special Bluesmaster profile uploaded

    Thanks for making this available. How much Bluesmaster is the amp you built? Tonestack? PI? El34 or 6L6?


    I haven't had a chance to try it, but I'm eager to do so. I've found Dumble tones to hard to get with the Kemper for some reason. Always something missing in the mids. Also, it seems those that profile then don't understand PAB and that tone seems to be missing.

  • +6 Months and still no more new Liquid Profile " Amp Channels " (?)

    Quote from JedMckenna

    Take a deep breath, you already have enough technology in your hand to write a few hit songs.

    Yes, take a deep breath. But we could say get out your acoustic guitar write a hit song. Totally off the point of the OP and the Kemper.


    Quote from benifin

    ...For something that was/is so momentous and future proofing the product and keeping it at the forefront, it really seems like the move to Liquid Profiling has pretty much hit a wall (?)...


    IMO the OP made a valid point. LP is not actually that momentous, interesting or useful or much of an improvement over what was available prior to that. It did generate some buzz and new/renewed interest which is good for Kemper business. The hype on this forum regarding LP was not based on any thing tangible. It was mostly overblown nonsense. I would suggest that the OP reset expectations. LP is not momentous, game changing or any other platitude you may choose. The high expectations were never warranted, so understand it for what it is.