Posts by guenterhaas

    On big stages with in ears and for recording:


    - KPA + remote direct to desk with no cabs


    On small stages and clubs:


    - no KPA, but my custom made GrooveTone "Brüller No. 2" (handmade 30 W 2-Channel tube-combo) + Deeflexx + pedalboard (GigRig with 8 different pedals).


    I personally hate FRFR-cabs for guitars, I've tried various ones and I'm owning a Matrix Q12A, but I've never used it. If my ears get the direct signal of an amp (club, small stages), I need the response, overtones, and natural feedback of a "real" tube-amp and cab. If I'm playing on big stages with in ears, the KPA is perfect for me. Because I don't want to be killed by my neighbours by miking up my 100W-Plexi, the KPA is also perfect for recording guitars in my home-studio.


    I know that many are using FRFR- or guitar-cabs, but for me the KPA is made for going direct to desk and I don't get the right feel and response with Kemper + cabs, if I'm not using in ears or (good) studio-monitors.


    Just compare your Kemper + cab (FRFR or normal guitar-cab) with your favourite tube-amp and guitar-cab via A/B-switch and then you can decide what you will prefer.

    The Kemper is great, AX8 ist great and "real" tube amps are great, too. The rest is simply taste, I'm using the Kemper and several tube-amps, too and I'm sure that the AX8 is a wonderful device, f.e. if you travel a lot and you don't want to carry around 2 pieces of gear (KPA + remote).


    I never understood these something vs. something else-discussions. ;)

    Don't forget: the Powerhead always is MONO if you use a passive cab. There is just one speaker-ouput for one cab, that's it. If you want to play stereo, the Powerhead doesn't make sense, it's better to use the non-powered-version and two active FRFR-cabs.


    I have both versions, but I've never used the Powerhead's power amplifier, because of the mono-limitation. Of course you always can go stereo into the desk and use the Powerhead mono for one cab.

    More and more guitar-players here love the Dawman-picks, I'm glad that I could recommend these fantastic picks to Bert and others. I couldn't go back after changing from standard Dunlop Delrin-picks first to V-Picks and then to Dawman-picks, for me it's a big improvement in playing and tone. I'm still using some V-Picks for acoustic guitar (Tradition lite and ultralite), especially for strumming, but for all electric guitars it's 100% Dawman.

    For the German guitarists: if you order picks for more than 25$ Dawman-picks are shipped FREE worldwide. ;)


    https://dawmanpicks.com/


    V-Picks are f.e. available at Thomann-Germany:


    https://www.thomann.de/de/sear…=v-picks&smcs=f78379_1597


    I'm sorry, I'm used to handmade high-quality picks now and industrial-made picks like Dunlops feel "cheap" for me. And the quality of the Dunlops decreased since I started to play them long ago. Some of the last ones I bought (Delrin 1,5 mm) had sharp edges and felt really cheap. Of course that doesn't mean that other players are totally happy with their industrial-made picks. For me Dawman and V-Picks improved my playing more than I expected, my attack is much more precise and the sound is much "bigger".

    I used Dunlop picks all my life until I discovered MUCH better picks: Dawman picks handmade in Minsk (Belarus), I'm using Shredline 3 mm Standard exclusively now. The Dawman-picks are outstanding and I could meet Igor from Dawman on tour last year in Minsk, a very nice guy with a very high-quality approach:


    https://dawmanpicks.com/


    Before Dawman-picks I used V-Picks, I'm still using them (Tradition Lite and Ultra Lite) for acoustic guitars (strumming).


    For all the guys here making jokes about this thread I just can say, that the pick is much more important than you may think. It's THE connection between the player and his instrument and the difference between the cheap industrial-made picks like Dunlop and handmade "boutique"-picks (Dawman, V-Picks) is immense. Because the Dawman-picks last much longer they are not more expensive in the end.

    Personal taste is the key..... besides the fact that Michael is using his profiles mainly live with cabs and his treble-settings maybe are lower than other ones, it's very simple in the end: either you like a profile or you don't like it.


    I kept most of Bert Meulendijk's profiles, especially a lot from pack 1, the rest is almost evrything, Michael, Guido, Andy, Armin, my own ones ect. Bert's profiles I'm using out of the box, Michael's profiles I'm tweaking a little bit (more treble, presence and sometimes bass) and then they work fine for me.


    But my purpose is very simple: Kemper straight into the desk (studio or tours with in ears), I have never used the KPA with FRFR-cabs or guitar-cabs. I know that many guitarists are using Kemper + cab and they love it, I still don't like it at all and I've tried a lot off different FRFR- and guitar-cabs. In clubs and smaller venues I'm still using tube-amps/combos, the pure sound of the Kemper + cab directly into my ears really turns me off (compared to my "real" amps"). But as soon as I'm playing the Kemper straight into the desk using high-end monitors (Klein + Hummel) or excellent in ears (UE Pro 11), I'm loving the Kemper.


    So everything is very subjective, but of course the monitor-situation is VERY important, too, if you don't have linear monitors and a close-to-linear-as-possible-room, the same profile will sound totally different in different environments. Even a decent headphone like the Beyer DT990 Pro (I'm using one, too) will influence the sound drastically.

    Basically the KPA is what it is, if you want to edit everything with an editor-software you have to buy a different gear.


    Complaining about not having a full editor imho is a waste of time,... If there will be one it will be released by the company.


    Just compare the three important digital guitar devices (KPA, Axe-FX, Line 6 Helix) and decide what's best for you. I never missed a KPA-editor, because there are a lot af advantages if you can edit a stand alone-device f.e. on stage. And the most important thing for me is SOUND and the feel of a "real" amp, soundwise and with the possibility to profile every amp on this world the KPA is No. 1 for me, with or without a full editor.

    Bert definitely makes my favorites acoustic pack. I still need to grab Pack 1 and 2, at some point. Maybe that will be my Christmas present to myself.

    Pack 1 and 2 are a must !!! Honestly, except a few other profiles I'm just using Bert's profiles, currently on a big venue-tour, two recording sessions (1 album, 1 musical), new songs for my upcoming album ect. ect. I'm also using Bert's acoustic pack live for my nylon and steel string guitars.

    Two things Bert's video tells us:


    1) The Wisseloord-pack will sound great, even recorded with an iPhone.


    2) The most important thing is and always will be the player and Bert is an outstanding one.


    I've been luckily one of Bert's -very critical- Beta-testers and the pack will be really good, but please give him the time to release it whenever he thinks it's the right time. ;)

    It's all a matter of taste, too, there are a lot of good profiles out there (Michael, Guido, Andy, Armin and many more), but Bert's profiles are perfect for my taste. By the way: I think his profiles are excellent right from the start and I'm using his first pack a lot.


    Many profiles will sound awesome alone, but they are too weak in the mix. Bert's profiles are ready to go without tweaking, sometimes I'm just changing the cabs, that's all.

    Having been a (very critical) tester for this pack, I can ASSURE you, that you all will be blown away by all the amp goodness in this third BM pack.

    Oh, another very critical tester, Bert surely had hard times with a lot of additional work.... ;) You can be sure that this pack will be THE perfect add-on to Bert's existing packs, if you have all his packs you don't need anything more. The only thing I'm really sad about is that Bert came much later than the other vendors and I've spent a fortune for -now deleted- profiles....

    I think it's very subjective what a guitar-player "needs" and what he doesn't "need".


    I'm a bit older, so I grew up with solid tube-amps like Marshall, Vox and Fender, a few pedals, some good guitars and the sound was always great. Just listen to Hendrix, Page, Beck, Carlton ect., they created some of the best guitar-sounds ever.


    The 80's with preamps, big racks and all the Rocktron-sh... didn't make any guitar-sound better, basically there were a lot of really awful guitar-sounds out there.


    Now in the digital age everybody is using apps and software everyday, and for some this seems to be the most important thing in life. NOT for me.... For me it's simply the sound that matters, of course there are other digital guitar devices with good sounds, but nothing can "clone" a tube-amp better than the Kemper. And no other digital device can profile my own amps 1:1. I'm totally fine with the features of the Kemper and the Rig Manager, and because I'm only using my own profiles and the best ones available, there's absolutely no need for a lot of editing and tweaking. And nobody needs hundreds of different amps, it's much better to use the best profiles available (or your own) and get the maximum out of it. I also love to use my pedalboard (Strymon, Mad Professor, Fulltone etc. effects) in front of the Kemper, just adding another sound-universe.


    Just my personal point of view. ;)

    Hi Guenter, how do you compare the feel and sound of the Shredline and UFO and more important how do you compare them to the V-Picks ?
    It's important for me, i never liked the sound of the V-picks cause i find there is way too much High artefacts and Harmonics with it.



    EDIT: Well, just found some demos on youtube and those picks seems to be way to noisy (for me) it's a shame cause there are very beautiful (love the UFO <3 ), 3 mm is great and the cost very honest.
    Can you confirm the sound is like V-Picks ?


    My favorite one is the Dawman Shredline (Standard, 3mm, red, not pointed), like at V-Picks there are a lot of different models, so you can't say there is a basic sound for all picks. The V-Pick Diamond sounds totally different than the Mummy, just one example. I would say the Dawman UFO comes close to the V-Pick Tradition, my favorite one from V-Picks. The Dawman Shredline Standard 3mm (not pointed) is giving the perfect sound and feel for me, of course this is very subjective and depends also an your guitar-equipment and playing technique. I'm using 010 strings and mainly vintage-guitars like Fender '58 Strat, '54 Tele, Gibson '69 Les Paul Custom + '69 ES-335. The Shredline Standard is also a bit smaller than the V-Pick Tradition and its size is very similar to the Dunlop Delrin (1.5 mm) I used before. The best is to order a variety-pack and find the best one for yourself. Dawman-Picks are located in Minsk (Belarus) and the support is fantastic.


    There is also quite a big difference between the Shredline pointed and not pointed, I prefer the not pointed-ones (generally), the pointed-ones have too much "treble-smack" for my taste, the not-pointed Shredline sounds warmer and I can play better and faster, too. But in the end you have to try it out by yourself. ;)