Posts by Nemo13

    Silly talk. I have guitars with floyds and some without, it doesn't effect my tone at all either way and I get the same character out of any of my guitars. I'm sure those with weaker pickups or weaker hands may have some issues, but it is really a non problem. Over the decades I've known so many guitar players and builders come up with all kinds of rants, and it sells a lot of weird ideas, but in the end it's the player not what's being played.

    technically you might be on topic. i hoped you'd understand what i mean. i will not have you both fight in this thread about who's a beginner and who's not. because that's off topic. so please stop that.

    Fighting? I think you misinterpreted. I refer to debate. You gather before you challenge. I have no interest in fighting anyone. My retort is to expound on the time line of my tube amp journey, which is a common tale, and how terrible it really was tech wise as compared to today.

    Nicos and Nemo13 - discuss your personal issues elsewhere. your are posting off topic.

    Mine is dead on topic, the topic of tube amps. And as for me needing to expound to educate, that is what a forum is for. Explain exactly where you see that I er on this.

    Also, let me add, allllll the JUNK gear, cables, mikes, amp connections, soooo many things that physically wear out and give problems, feedback, hum chasing, etc..etc.. GLAD TO SEE IT GO! Even other gear, look at drums, some of those electronic kits sound pretty damn good, and the ability to set the volume? everyone running direct you could practice anywhere. I envy the young, to never have to be disappointed with all the garbage we older guys wasted money on and the trials and tribulations of finding a place to play.

    Now things start to get funny..


    @Nemo


    Name me one "pro" out there who is NOT a "tone chaser"..would you be so kind;Just one;

    Nikos, you missed my whole point. That's ok, beginners usually rush before thinking. ;) It doesn't matter if you are a tone chaser. I have been a tone chaser for 30+ years. End result? NO amp changes the way I play. I will play just like me on any amp. So will you, so will all the rest. I've had some of the best tube heads since '85, currently have a Diesel, an Engl, etc., they are fun to play but I sound like me on all of them. Only to all in your head top cork sniffery could you tell between the amps, because ultimately, everyone usually dials in their favorite perceived tone on every single amp. No amp ever progressed my playing or gave me my signature tone. My guitar and fingers do that. The tiny perceived fractals of difference between a real tube amp and a Kemper are so small it is pointless to argue unless you simply suck at playing or have ears like a cat and will never be satisfied. Tube amps have been moved to nostalgia. Some can stay in denial, I've seen it before, but the big bulky dinosaurs are really no longer needed. To create guitar sound? The new tech now or in the future can bring you beyond a tube amp circuit could dream of doing. So that is the point. Magical amps are really just different sounds you get excited about for a month or two. You keep looking. ALWAYS. Same with effects, how many distortion pedals are out there? How many have most tried? 10? 20? a booster? a secret delay? a star wars eventide overkill? I was in that group for a while, and had the sound sculpture type gear for my switching needs, but now with Kemper effects and internal switching? Gone. I have one pedal left, a dimension C. I still sound like me and my 'tone' without any tubes. If I can do that, anyone else should be able to as well. If you choose to believe otherwise that is fine but you are wrong. Time will teach you.

    Eddie Van Halen, the most notorious tone chaser, might disagree with that.

    EVH always sounds like EVH regardless of what he plays through. As a matter of fact, a quote by him once said that when Ted nugent played through his rig once, he didn't sound like EVH, he sounded like Ted Nugent. thanks for playing. ;)

    I disagree. I think people who chase tone too hard simply are not satisfied with their playing. you don't need to keep old amps around to train anything, if you play well you can sound good through anything, something that has a pro touch on it and doesn't cause too much grief in the effort to get dialed in where you are playing is good enough. it's the guitar most should be finicky about, because it has to be comfortable and fit in your hands great to play great. Ifeel I was someplace and all that was there was an old Fender or Peavey amp, cool. If it was a boutique head, great. I would have a good time with both. the one thing you usually CAN'T get easily is flexibility in connections how you want to do something. This phenomenon is what caused many players in the early 80s to create Monster star wars racks because they couldn't find a way to properly place the one pedal or effect. Same with amps, same with special tubes,special electronic components, or any other magical unicorn one chose to chase. You never find it for long. It definitely is an addiction problem of some type I'm sure, haha... Most cure themselves occasionally by selling everything and swearing to play guitar-cord-amp, but then the sickness eventually returns and suddenly there is a floor full of crappie again. So play and enjoy.

    This whole conversation is stupid. It ended before the Kemper was even born. Once editors came out, there was no looking back. Hell, we even have bigger screens on our radios in our cars! We have delt with the little hardware screens all throughout the 80's and 90's, and it was the -ONLY- option. We have learned that with the more massive processors (first there was rack one effect, then two, then four! then seven! then 21! then 500!!!) once you get to the level of wayyy too much, the whole idea of controlling it all with a 1.5 x 4" screen is pretty ridiculous, regardless how well it is organized. The screens are NOT designed for perfect usage, just ~~~~> FORM FACTOR. It fits the hardware. So the work arounds are many. With a giant monitor, you can fit ~~~~~> More stuff <~~~~ to work with immediately. The advantage is obvious. So again, there is no contest here. Even for live or jamming in a garage or where ever, a nice little laptop sitting on the top can prove useful. Only if there is no ability to have a large screen setup is the built in display necessary. The future is now. We can multitask. We can have more than one. We are not stuck with an 8 track player that only has a fast forward. So when the editor comes out and it will, because it only makes sense and I believe it is even available on their other virus products, it will be the welcomed final piece of the puzzle. And all the nay sayers will jump on like it was all their idea which will be most amusing. So there is no more to talk about on this, unless you have some desire to work backwards. If those of you think everything is find and just accept what is given to you, Kemper should make a unit that has an even smaller display and twice as many sub menus because you will accept it completely. Moving forward is better, the end. (Also, I don't care about putting spaces between paragraphs, if those of you can't read well enough or have ADD, you are a lost cause anyway, haha)

    Tube amps will take a dive in the coming years, especially if China and other cheapo nations get hit with tax tariffs and such soon. Once the exploited cheapness is gone, prices will go up. It will be interesting to see what happens after that. As far as tone, I can make any tone happen. I have my Diezel, Engl, and Kemper, little practice fender, sometimes no amp at all, it's all the same. My guitar and fingers make it happen, the amps just make it loud. My Diezel is what, over 70 lbs! Tube gear is fragile and sensitive to outside influences. Pain in the arse to take around, whatever.. For the tiny specs of tone diff, it just is irrelevant. For new tone creation? You just need your ears, not a new amp circuit. After years of chasing tone like many, diff amps, tubes, gear, etc... My style and playing is always the same. in a live sitch, people listening will never know the diff between a Crate and Soldano. Just like guys with the Eventide star wars setup sound the same as the other guitarist with foot pedals. Personal perceived perception of tone makes a lot of guys spend way too much money and time on very little. Kemper is not perfect, but then neither are tube amps. Pros and cons show us the victor, nostalgia is temporary.

    Well... If you are going to use a tube amp, you are really just back to tube amps. the whole idea here is to finally get away from that fragile expensive and heavy luggage. I have my boutique heads and can make the Kemper sound just like them. I think the tube amp has been explored to pretty much as far as it can go. This new tech is just at it's beginning.

    I doubt many are moving to other units because of an editor. While handy, its not a total deal breaker. There are various reasons I don't like the Axe and China made Helix I have no interest in. For me Kemper has everything I need PLUS ease of use, small form factor, etc... When I talk about the need for a PC editor, I am talking ICING ON THE CAKE!


    I have no doubt the guys at Kemper have more good things. Its just like keyboard software/hardware, always new sounds and features, that's what keeps it fun. If they come out with a Kemper 2, I am already building up $$$ for it, haha... Always good to be ready. ;)

    Yes, there is always a better way. And in these days, it is called a HUGE monitor! Sure, we've all had rack gear or whatever with the little 2" displays to guide us, and in kemper's case even a bigger 4.5 x 1.5 display and with very readable fonts and layout, and if you are on the fly and on stage and that is the only option to you for adjustments and troubleshooting and you can zip through the menus superfast, hey, cool. That is what it is designed to do. For me, only a few rack gear items ever had a nice simple layout, and it is a beautiful thing. But... For many people sitting in their home studio or pro studio or have a laptop for live or whatever, you simply can't beat seeing almost 100% of everything all at once. Those who have editors, 90% of the time you are using the editor, not the device controls. Why? Cause everything you are using it for is right in front of you! If you are recording, unless you have all of your connections right there on the table with you with the kemper at arms length, you are spinning around on your chair often. How nice to just pull up the editor window at the screen you are already looking at and simply go through it all immediately.


    Lazy? Sure. George Jetson all the way!

    I don't understand people on here that say 'There is no need for..." Seriously? You would be happy with less? Hey! I have some limited items for sale at... " ;)


    The Digitech Gsp 1101 doesn't -need- an editor, it has a nice foot pedal made for it, but it also has an editor. Big screens are easier than small screens. (We learned that coming out of the 80's) It's just an extra tool. More is better.


    I'm sure some day in the future it could be offered, perhaps there are better ways than the usual approach, who knows. The effects are expanding which is awesome, perhaps this will be on the drawing board after there are no more effects to do. Always nice to have something to look forward to. ;)

    Speakers are always debated, and I have plenty of them, but I wanted a nice coaxial type speaker that I could knock around, fits perfect under a small racked Kemper, didn't cost a lot, and sounded great. A nice alternative to so many over priced cabs you see. Oh, there are the debaters, but side by side? Few could tell the diff really, unless you were trying hard to, and if you can really hear the difference, then consider yourself part of the very small % of people who can, the rest of the population who can't will not agree with you. ;) But I digress, here was my project:



    First I bought this nice little Laney IRT 112 cab. I LOVE the handles! Easy to carry. Dimensions: 22.75 W x 17 H x 14 D. Got rid of the speaker. Then I put in a Eminence Beta-12CX 12" Coaxial Driver + Eminence PXB2:2K5CX 2-Way Speaker Crossover Board + Eminence ASD1001 1" HF Titanium Horn Driver. Common enough, and there are a few more costly coaxials and drivers I could have considered, but whatever. All for a little over $350.


    If you are looking for a cheap alternative, it's not that much work to revamp something already out there that is cost effective. There are some other cabs out there and also better coaxials for a few bucks more, so a little do it yourself ones go a long way. You may also have some old cabs already that could be adjusted. Similar to the old Rockman gear, remember those cabs? They were full size 4x12 size, had a 15", a 10" mid (I think) and a driver with a 3 way crossover. Wouldn't be that much trouble to redo a old 4 x12 you may have.