Will a Kemper cure my amp GAS?

Moe_Zambeek · November 2022

Have you tried a Kemper? IME all of the profiles feel the same in terms of response - I.e, basically none of the feel you get with an actual amp. I had this weird cognitive dissonance where you dial up a modded plexi or Soldano sound then a Matchless and then a Vox and it sounds fairly close to the amp modelled yet there’s no real difference to the way it feels at the fingertips. I can see the benefits in terms of weight and setup and for recording, but I just didn’t think I’d ever plug in to one for *fun*.

I tried a Helix back to back and thought that was even worse.

Onpar · November 2022

Moe_Zambeek said:

Have you tried a Kemper? IME all of the profiles feel the same in terms of response - I.e, basically none of the feel you get with an actual amp. I had this weird cognitive dissonance where you dial up a modded plexi or Soldano sound then a Matchless and then a Vox and it sounds fairly close to the amp modelled yet there’s no real difference to the way it feels at the fingertips. I can see the benefits in terms of weight and setup and for recording, but I just didn’t think I’d ever plug in to one for *fun*.

I tried a Helix back to back and thought that was even worse.

No I have not tried one, only seen the YouTube comparisons e.g. Andertons etc.

But thanks for the insight!

Wazmeister · November 2022

The Kemper is great; will it cure GAS ???

Nothing has cured mine, as you can see !!!

Thr strength of any modeller is what you are playing it through

Lodious · November 2022

There is so many different things you can do with modelling hardware there are no right or wrong answers, and it might take a while to work out how it best works for you. On a simple level there is the choice of FRFR or using a guitar speaker. I can't get on with FRFR at all. Then there are lots of other options like using 4CM with an existing valve head or using a modeller into the return of an amp fx loop.

I have kept my valve heads and combos and use the Helix into the fx return or use 4CM. By keeping your existing amps, you always have to option to switch between modelling and physical amps if you need to. I'd definitely recommend this, so you can periodically check you don't feel you are missing out using modelling or get a fix of blasting through a real amp.

I know you said you want the minimum connecting of laptops, but if you have an audio interface, you can download demos of most of the main modelling VST's and run the line out of the interface into the fx return on one of your existing amps to get a feel for if you like using modelled amps and FX. Just remember to bypass the cab model in the software. You can get a lot of learning done for not much money trialling this way.

Onpar · November 2022

I've seen 3 live bands recently where the guitarist sounded fantastic.

Some basic pedals and a Roland cube
Strymon Iridium into the PA
And this week in Sheffield...... Some decent pedals through a Boss Katana!!!!

My head is spinning.

Must point out that all 3 guitarists were phenomenal players.

CarpeDiem · November 2022

Onpar said:

I've seen 3 live bands recently where the guitarist sounded fantastic.

Some basic pedals and a Roland cube
Strymon Iridium into the PA
And this week in Sheffield...... Some decent pedals through a Boss Katana!!!!

My head is spinning.

Must point out that all 3 guitarists were phenomenal players.

Good players usually have the ability to get the best sound out of whatever they play, which is a skill in itself.

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Will a Kemper cure my amp GAS?

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