Posts by NotScott

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Quote from Zapman

Wow! That's something to think about............

I won't say that the 6129 can replace my Les Pauls. It does have its warts. The neck sits high in the pocket limiting access to anything high up and I tend to bang my picking hand against the strings more on the Gretsch because of this. If you like big necks, the Gretsch ain't that. The 6129 has a soft oval that is somewhere between a 59 and 60 Les Paul. The factory frets on the 6129 are not very wide nor very tall. If you bend a lot (like I do) it can be work at times. The Filtertrons are significantly weaker than vintage-spec PAF clones, but significantly clearer.

All that being said, it has a definition that the Les Paul can't touch. You can clearly pick out notes in complex chords on the Gretsch that just turn to mush on a Les Paul. Even when you crank up the gain, the Filtertrons never get muddy. What is interesting is that even with all this definition, the Gretsch never sounds harsh. In fact, I found myself adding presence to my Gretsch profiles compared to my Les Paul or Tele profiles. The Gretsch is lighter than the Les Paul, since it is basically hollow inside, so it is very comfortable to lug around a stage all night. And finally, the fit and finish on the Gretsch is much better than anything from Gibson, Custom Shop or otherwise.

I have another gig tomorrow night where we are sharing the stage with another act. I will be using whatever backline they provide. Since I am not sure what I will be playing through, how much time we will have for soundchecks and changeover and since I am too lazy to bring any of my rigs, I will bring a Les Paul to this gig because it will be easier for me to push whatever amp I am given with the Les Paul and then clean it up with the guitar volume control. I am not sure I would be able to get enough drive and control from the Gretsch.

I have owned 6120s before but never a Jet. This was my first and I bought it without trying it first. That being said, I was very impressed by the Jet and would strongly recommend that if you have a chance to play one, by all means do so.

Quote from dmatthews

Now you've got me TV Jonesing!!!

The 6129 comes stock with the TV Classics. The 5420 currently has the stock Blacktops but I plan on replacing them with TV's T Armonds. I used the 6129 at a gig this weekend with the Kemper. I didn't miss any of my Les Pauls.

I am a bit "old-school" and needed something to scratch my Gretsch itch. I couldn't find one to do it so I got these two:

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I don't hear any issues with HK's videos. They sound good to me.

I don't use many effects and I don't do the 7-string chugga chugga thing. I go about as far as 80s metal tones and generally stay in the cranked, vintage amp tonal range with a slight bit of reverb. So take the following for whatever it is worth to you.

All I know is, I run my powered toaster into 1x12 and 2x12 conventional cabs for my live gigs and it compares favorably to my Carol-Ann , RedPlate or vintage amps. I primarily run TAF and Britt profiles with the cabinet turned off in the output section and on for the mains. I then EQ my guitar cabs so they sound best with the stock rig and generally leave the main EQ alone. Stage sounds great and main outs sound great. No noises, no weird anomalies no BS. It just works. It may not sound 100% identical to my amps but, A) I am using someone else's profile of someone else's amps and B) on a stage with a full band, the slight differences in tone are more than made up for by the conveniences the Kemper offers me.

All that being said, I have noticed the following:

1) As the Kemper gets turned up, it doesn't compress like a tube amp. At first, this felt odd to me but I have adjusted to it and it is no longer an issue for me.

2) Since this thread started, I have run the Kemper through two of my 4X12s. One is a 1960TV with a blend of Eminence Red Fangs and Wizards. The other cab is an old 1960B loaded with Red Fangs. I tried for a couple hours to get what I wanted out of the 4x12s using the same rigs I use with my 1x12s and 2x12s but, I just couldn't find it. The high end on the 4x12s just sounded thin and cold to me. FWIW, both cabinets sound like god driven by my 73 Marshall 100W and the rigs that I didn't like with my 4x12s sound perfect through my smaller, open-back cabs. I have some spare time coming up so I will try the 4x12s again with different rigs. Considering how good my smaller cabinets sound, I see no reason why my 4x12s shouldn't sound as good.

Finally, just a small rant, I wish guitar players would stop trying to "cut through a mix". We are a part of a band and we need to "fit" in a mix, not brutalize our way to the front with excessive treble through Vintage 30s. When I wasn't playing in bands, I mixed monitors and FOH for several years. You would be surprised how many guitar players I made happy by simply applying a few subtle frequency cuts to other instruments. There is a sonic niche for everyone. Just find it and fit in. Your audience will thank you.

I reset the link in my previous post. Hopefully it is cooperating now.

What pups are you using in that Strat? They definitely are hotter than typical vintage specs. Regardless, it is a nice tone you got there (great touch and feel too!) and I understand what you are after. I can dial in Trower type tones on my Kemper with vintage spec pups with no problem but that is about all the gain I ever use for my Strats. That being said, my tube amps do fatten up when I hit the gas, something my Kemper just doesn't seem to do.

This is a crappy phone video from Thursday's gig and my first with a Strat into the Kemper. The Strat is an older Cunetto Relic with vintage spec pickups and totally stock vintage Strat wiring. I am playing my powered toaster through a 1x12 EVM 12S loaded cabinet using Michael Britt's Dumble profile with some of the gain and reverb dialed back and the compression turned off. I could have dialed in more fatness but this tune works better with more of an old school cranked Fender tone with a bit of cut. It sounded and felt right and very tube-like to me and comparable to my Carol-Ann Tucana that I used to gig with prior to my Kemper.

Strat Tune

I have been using my powered toaster for live gigs with conventional guitar cabs for several months now. It has proven to be more compact and versatile than my vintage and boutique tube amps and still sounds and feels close enough to them for my needs.

That being said, I think I know what you are talking about. What I have noticed about my Kemper and other digital units I have used is that as I get louder, the attack stays the same as it was at lower volumes. With my tube amps, they get more compressed and roll off more highs as they get louder and hotter and I push them more with my pick attack. If you've grown up gigging loud tube amps, it is something you immediately notice but maybe not something you can quite put your finger on.

While this isn't necessarily a bad thing for me, it does take me a little bit of effort to adjust my playing and setup the Kemper to react more like I am used to at stage volumes.

Other than reminding me why I don't spend a lot of time at TGP, is there a profound point buried in these 17 pages that I have missed?

Quote from Skibob

yeah, I've noticed the online retailers seem to have the bundles with the remote, but not the remote on it's own. That was one of the factors that made me decide to bite the bullet and buy the bundle when I bought mine.

This. Same reason why I bought a bundle too.

Quote from Ejblives

Thanks. It is intentionally designed to be compact.

I do like having the Kemper higher so it is easier to see on stage and the vertically oriented cabinet keeps the footprint as small as possible.

EVMs are very neutral sounding speakers and tend not to over-color everything like a Vintage 30 would. They also are nearly indestructible. However, they are heavy and two or more of them in a single cab does not make for a lightweight rig.

I have had this happen with my performances. I read here that someone tried reversing the polarity on the pedal switch in settings and that resolved their issue. However, that didn't work for me. What did work for me was to boot my Kemper up in Browse mode and then as soon as it is fully booted, switch to Performance mode. Everything loads perfectly then.

Yes, this is exactly what I do. Just turn off the cab emulation for the monitor output only. Don't turn it off using the global, front panel button. Go into the output menu and turn it off there. From the output menu, you can then fine tune the EQ of both mains and monitor and store them as presets. Very easy, very effective, very cool.

This is what I am now using for small to medium gigs. It's a powered toaster into a J Designs 1x12 oval ported pine cab loaded with an EVM 12S. It is small, easy to setup and sounds great. Larger gigs I will bring a 2x12 or 4x12.

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I have tried FRFRs with my Kemper and Amplifire and I just don't like that sound for my stage monitoring. It sounds too synthetic and processed to me.

I like open-back pine cabs with EVM 12S. Pine cabs just have a natural warmth and reverb to them that makes anything sound more organic. The EVs are a very neutral sounding speaker with extended high end that was originally designed for PAs. With a slight tweak of the monitor output EQ, I can send the cab emulated tone to the FOH while I have what I want on stage. For me, it is the perfect solution, a kick ass rig that is compact, light, road worthy and sounds great. Obviously, my solution isn't right for everyone. Open back pine cabs with their loose, wooly low end are probably not the best choice if you are into chugga chugga detuned metal, but they are perfect for my blues rock and classic rock gigs and will do great jazz, funk and country tones too.

I have been using this one for small gigs:

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It is basically a tweed Deluxe extension cabinet made by Soundsrite Audio. I think it cost me just under $300 unloaded. It is my favorite cabinet with my tube heads and has killed every FRFR and studio monitor that I have tried with my Kemper.

Although I love my tweed cabinet, I am not quite happy with the 50s look of it with the Kemper and wanted something a bit more modern looking and taller for easier access to my toaster. So J Designs built me this for about $300 unloaded:

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It should arrive tomorrow. It is all pine with an open, oval-ported back. It was about $300 I believe. I will load it with another EVM 12S.

I also have various 2x12s and 4x12s for larger gigs that also use with the Kemper. I just use the output EQ to dial them in and then store it as an output preset.

I would like to try a Xitone Michael Britt or one of the RedSound FRFRs, but after being disappointed by Yamaha, QSC and Mission, I am in no rush to jump on the FRFR train just yet.

My first gig with my Kemper was at a small club that is a hang out for all of the top, local musicians. I use a powered toaster with a 1x12 cabinet loaded with an EVM 12S. The stage is rather loud and my drummer is an animal (he broke his kick pedal midway through the 3rd song) but the Kemper had more than enough headroom and sat in the mix perfectly between the keys/second guitar. Not only did it sound great, it felt great, just as natural and responsive as any of my tube amps.

When we finished, I had 3 guitarists asking all kinds of questions about the Kemper and my little 1x12. They were more than impressed. I probably sold a few units that night. Does that entitle me to a commission?

Quote from OneEng1

@NotScott,

Wow. You must be living an exact replica of my life

One caviate....

The only reason for a floor unit is to reduce the cost.

Currently, You need an $1800 KPA and a $500 floor unit to gig with ($2300). The Helix is ~ $1500. For many, this is a big enough difference that it would sway the buying decision. Most people will not get the opportunity to A/B these in a shop.... so the difference in sound quality would not be the deciding factor.... and it isn't like the Helix sounds bad ... just not as sweet as the KPA.

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Exact replica? Like a profile? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Since I never actively shopped for a Helix, I forgot about the price. Yes, that makes sense to me and why a more affordable Kemper would be desirable. I get that. However, in my case, I bought my powered toaster with controller for just under $2,300. I use it with my existing cabs and I am good to go. If I were to buy a Helix and add a decent FRFR, I am right about at the same price point with all of the disadvantages I listed earlier.

The great thing about all of this tech is that it provides more versatile tools to apply to our craft. We just have to know what side of the tool we are on.

I have been reading these wish lists on a few different sites now and have avoided putting my 2 cents in. Maybe I am missing something here based upon how I use my Kemper, so perhaps some of your replies will open my mind to new possibilities.

I bought my Kemper for two reasons:

1) I needed something more versatile and easier to cart around for my live gigs.
2) I needed something that sounded and felt at least as good as my vintage amps.

My latest band does a mix of everything from the 60s to today, so I needed something that would allow me to easily and seamlessly switch between various tones but be more portable than my tube amps. I place my powered head, controller, two expression pedals and all my cables and other accessories in a wheeled tool bag and then place a small 1x12 tweed Deluxe extension cabinet with an EVM 12S on top of that. I can then comfortably wheel all that and my guitar into any venue in one trip. It's light, compact, easy to move and kicks ass. Also, it all fits into my convertible's trunk.

As for the tube amps I have been using on my past gigs, I have a collection of many of the amps that modelers/profilers are advertised as sounding identical to. Some of those amps are a 1959 Bassman, 1960 Deluxe, 1964 Vox AC30, 1965 Vox AC10SRT, 1973 Marshall SL, 1988 Boogie Mark III, Carol-Ann Tucana and a RedPlate RP40. I have owned and gigged all of these amps for years and know how they are supposed to sound and feel. Yes, I know, these amps have spoiled my ear and cause me to be a bit of a tone snob from time to time, but if a guy like me can be happy with the sound of a Kemper, I think that says a lot about how great the current unit is.

When I realized I needed something more versatile for my new gig, I checked out all of the available digital units I could find. I have an Atomic Amplifire A3 that I have been using as my headphone/late night practice tool for a few years now and it does a good job with modded Marshall tones as long as I add aftermarket IRs and tweak some cabinet parameters. However, It failed miserably in a live situation. It sounded either too compressed and dirty or too clean and dynamic. I couldn't find any usable, touch-sensitive, in-between tones that I liked. It also fails at recreating Vox and tweed Fender tones, and this is what I found in every other digital device I researched. The Kemper was the only device that I found that actually sounded and felt like my old Fender and Vox amplifiers.

Since the Kemper meets and in many ways exceeds my two requirements from above, I am not real worked up about wanting some of the features that I see constantly being asked for. Aside from the usual techies and tweakers who insist on having every imaginable parameter to muck with, the impression I get from reading these threads is that most people want a Helix that actually sounds like the amps it is supposed to be recreating.

As for the requests I see most often:

Floor Unit Format - Perhaps I am missing something here, but what advantage(s) would I gain as a gigging musician by going to a floor unit as opposed to my current toaster/controller pair? How do I easily adjust volume and tone controls on a floor unit on a darkened stage between songs? Assuming the floor unit is not powered, I would need an FRFR which I don't like and are often heavy, require their own power and would take up more space than my current rig. Granted, I could just send the outputs to the monitor mix, but then I would probably need to spend some time equalizing for those monitors and then hope they do my tone justice. I also assume I would need to bring a laptop with me if it requires any tweaking or troubleshooting. Now, this floor rig is larger, not as easy to adjust on the fly, requires more power, requires I tote around a laptop and has more powered devices in the chain of possible failures. If I wanted to use this in a studio, I would assume I would need another computer or at least open another window on an existing computer to control and tweak the thing. Seeing how many computers (particularly Windows machines) are woefully inept at handling multiple, simultaneous programs designed for processing audio, I would be constantly worried about running everything from a single CPU and being greeted by the blue window of death in the middle of a session.

Editor - This isn't a deal breaker for me and considering what the Kemper is designed to do, I understand why one was not included originally and appreciate the current layout and work flow. It works fine for me. That being said, I would definitely use an editor that would allow me to tweak rigs and design performances offline that I can later load into my Kemper. That would be very handy and used often.

Tone Controls to Mimic Actual Amp Models - I understand the desire for this, but it is not what the Kemper is. The Kemper recreates a recorded sample of an amplifier. The amplifier has already been tweaked in the profile. The tone controls on the front panel are similar to the strip EQ on your console. What I think would be an even better solution would be a fully parametric EQ in addition to or in place of the existing tone controls. This is something I would use but again, not a necessity for what I currently do, as I select those profiles that require little or no changes to best match what I need to cover.

USB Audio and/or DAW - I understand the convenience of this, but if I want a DAW, I will (and have) buy a dedicated unit with the specs and features I want. As for a USB interface, I have been constantly fighting with Windows updates that insist upon installing "new improved" drivers that all of the sudden render my USB audio programs useless until I either reset parameters or downgrade to an earlier driver. If I need digital out, SPDIF into my Focusrite works just fine for me without any drama or BS.

Simultaneous Rigs - I understand how this could be useful and desirable, but can't this already be achieved via a created profile that recorded multiple amps? Being able to blend your own profiles in Kemper would be super cool, but how much would that super cool function cost?

Updated Screen - I agree, the current screen is classic German spartanism at its best. It works well, is very legible and is easy to use on a darkened stage, but it doesn't add a premium experience to a premium piece of kit. I could live with or without an upgraded screen.

Improved Effects and added Loops - I am not Dave Evans playing death metal in my bedroom, so I am not an authority on stomp effects. I can understand and appreciate the desire for more processing options in a single unit, but if you need all that processing, why not just go with a Fractal or Helix? When you start piling on the effects, does it really matter if your AC30 model sounds like a real AC30 any more? Better sounding reverbs would be nice and I would probably use them. As for drive stomps, I don't use them at all and prefer to use profiles that have the gain I need. I like to hear my amps, not stomps.

Ability to Profile Amps with Multiple Distorting Points and other Devices - Now this is something that I would really like and would be very useful and I think could be done in software. Put me in the YES PLEASE! camp for this one.

As for the future of the hardware, it is a modular design, so it may be possible to make some upgrades at a reasonable cost in the future by upgrading cards. However, I think by the time those hardware upgrades are needed, the current platform will require a complete redesign.

These are just my personal observations based upon how I use my Kemper. I realize that other players have their own unique needs which may need many of the requested updates, so I am hoping some of the more experienced Kemper users here can open my eyes to some new potentials I may be missing. Regardless, I am quite happy with my Kemper as is and it still suits my needs better than anything else out there. Sorry for the long-winded rant. Thanks for reading!

As an owner of an original Mark III blue stripe, I can highly recommend these. They capture the tone and feel of the real amp and show just how versatile the amp is without resorting to the typical Metallica, mid-sucked, buzz tones. Bravo sir!