Posts by sambrox

    Scored this 2003 Ibanez Universe UV777P on Thursday. It needs some love and care, as the frets are corroded, the neck needs lightly sanding and oiling and all the screws and trem blades are rusty, but I unblocked the trem, slapped some new strings on it and got it to stay in tune (ish) long enough to fumble my way through For the love of God. I’ve wanted a 7-string since P&W came out in 1990, so it was about time!


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    I bought a powered Kabinet, tried it at a band rehearsal with a real drummer, playing rock/punk style music and with its volume knob up all the way it wasn't really loud enough for him to hear behind his kit, nor really for me to hear well in the loud room. I'm quite confused about this, since I have two 100 watt amps (each with 2x12's), neither of which I can turn past 3 before they're too loud at rehearsal, but the powered Kabinet is 200 watts and maxed at 10 it was not loud enough.


    Am I missing something? How can I get the max volume from the powered Kabinet with my unpowered toaster?


    Thanks in advance!

    2x12s will always sound louder than 1x12s, due to there being two speakers, twice the amount of air moving and double the dispersion.

    I’m based in Denmark and bought a BluAmp Blubox from Anderton’s just before Brexit officially came in to play. It was dead on arrival, so I had to send it back. Anderton’s wouldn’t exchange it for a new unit and insisted on sending it for repair. Once it came back, the UK had officially left the EU and I was charged import duty and tax, which added 50% to the price. The packing invoice declared it as a sale, not a repair. Though Anderton’s did what they could to get me my money back, they laid blame with the shipping company. I contacted the shipping company and they told me that they couldn’t do anything as they were bound by bureaucratic law. It’s a horror show, but it’s neither the company’s or the shipper’s fault.

    I think the Kemper has a lot of musical "feel" that makes me want to use it more than the "real thing". For the sake of curiosity, when I think of 80's Shred tone the LAST person I think of Is Vai. I've always thought his tone was mediocre at best. Could you name 3 Vai songs where you thought his tone was to strive for? Maybe I need to take another listen.

    The whole of Eat 'em and smile and even though it's mixed pretty awfully to my taste, I love Whitesnake's Slip of the tongue for Vai's playing, too.

    I'm also a massive fan of Megadeth's Rust in peace (though technically a 90's album), and I can much more easily get tones close to Marty's.

    Can you explain why shredding is better on the FM3 while the Kemper sounds more like an amp? Because of better delays/effects?


    I recently tried the NDSP Petrucci and really it sounded better than my Kemper for Petrucci's tones. But it didn't FEEL as good.

    I just could quickly dial in those 80s/90s shred tones with little fuss (think Steve Vai on the Dave Lee Roth records etc.). I only had a couple of profiles that I liked on the Kemper that were kind of in the ballpark (not that the Kemper is incapable of doing those kinds of tones, just that I couldn’t be bothered to find/pay for such profiles, when it’s not actually that kind of music that I make a portion of my living with).


    Kemper just sounds more analogue than the Fractal and Line6 gear. Can’t really put my finger on it, but it’s just a little dirtier, grittier in some way, whereas the others are a little clinical.

    I'm on the waiting list. I already have an FM3 and enjoy playing it at home and with one particular project. When I'm out doing bigger shows, I take the Stage and a couple of Kabinets; can't beat it for ease of use and set up. I also have an HX Stomp for jamming and putting down quick guitar lines at work. They're all great yet different solutions. I would probably be happy with just one of them, but where's the fun in that?


    For me, the Kemper is an amp and pedalboard replacement. It just sounds and feels more organic to me, whereas the likes of the FM3 is more like a studio rack set up, in both sound and routing possibilities. Horses for courses. I enjoy shredding 80's style on the FM3 more than the Kemper, though.

    I’m English, but have been living in Denmark for over 20 years! Yeah, that’s me in the promo haha! Cheers!

    By the way, I’m guessing you used your own profiles in this from one of the Black Gloop sessions? Sounds lovely

    Sounds nice, Renaud, but not authentic. Check this out :


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    Christoph has pointed out repeatedly that the main ingredient to a Uni-Vibe is it's LFO shape. As with all things that derive from an (vintage) analog device there is a broad range of part tolerances that make sure there is no 'one' Uni-Vibe, Fuzz Face, Big Muff etc sound.

    That's true, but still the parameters and LFO in the Kemper don't get close to the throb of a real Uni-Vibe.


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    there are are tremolos that use a lightbulb and a optocoupler, but they still are tremolos. the method of deriving the LFO shape doesn't change the effect

    I think that the LFO shape in the Kemper Phase Vibe is too symmetrical. Real Univibes have more wobble; think oval/egg-shaped as opposed to spherical. It would be great to have a parameter to emulate this in the Phase Vibe.

    In order to adjust the volumes independently, you need your monitor connected to the Monitor Out and the FOH to the XLRs. The Main Out has both XLR and 1/4 inch jacks, but they aren't intended to be used at the same time.

    Lovely! Is that a Rasta Shmear?


    The midboost makes a huge difference to me - nice also to be able to switch it off for that more 'straty' sound.

    Yes, Rasta shmear! It is easily the most resonant electric guitar I’ve ever played. The hollow body really gave it an incredible acoustic tone which translated to a really unique and unusual amped up sound. As much as I miss it, something good did come out of it; my latest favourite guitar, my Ibanez AZ Prestige, I bought with the money (as well as a Höfner violin bass).

    Got a friend with four US ones, which we will be A/Bing as soon as we get the chance. Any other Tyler fans here?

    Yes! Though I sold mine, as it wasn't getting the play that it deserved. I miss it terribly, and will one day get another. USA Hollow Studio Elite HD with the midboost circuit :


    Switching slots in Performance mode has a 3 ms delay in the audio audibly switching from when you press the switch. The display and LEDs can be slightly laggy, compared to the actual change in audio. This has been measured a fair few times by users on the forum. If your Profiler takes longer for the audio to change after pressing the switches, there may be something amiss. It’s difficult to tell from your video.

    Freezing issues have been related to being connected to Rig Manager and the computer’s sleep function kicking in in the past. They should have been fixed some firmwares ago, around the introduction of 5, if I recall correctly. For the record, I’ve had those issues in earlier builds of RM, but not for a good long while and never when using the Profiler stand alone. Take a note of what Rig you are on next time it happens and send a report to support.