Axe FX II and Kemper Profiler (Yes, another one...please read!)

[Bojangles]

Yeah there is a point at which each tool will do its job, and anything else is just what you get used to or works best in your mind

Personally I'm a fractalite now, however that wont stop me buying amps guitars or 2$ hookers, or even a kemper

So i wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors and ps always use protection

Now lets all hug

 

[cobbler]

Wow, relax...

He bought a Kemper and I'm going to get together with him with my AxeII/CLR rig so he can play both side-by-side. I'm sure if he likes the Axe better the shipping cost will become a non-issue. I'll post follow up comments after the comparison and I'm sure the OP will too.

I have never played a Kemper so it should be fun. And isn't having fun making music what it's really about regardless of the tools we choose to accomplish that task?

You can't get any better comparison than this and it's why I suggested and called out all buckeyes to chime in if they are willing to let him demo their gear. You have a CLR too so he/you can play both units through the same quality monitor and decide what suits his needs best.

I sure hope mbrown3 and/or any other new members or perusers of the forum see and appreciate your generosity to share both your time and knowledge as opposed to the few goofs that just want to waste everyones time by beating dead horses. The majority on this forum are extremely generous with their time and knowledge. Sadly, that often gets overlooked because of the vocalness of those few that have nothing better to do than piss in everyones cheerios.

 

[mbrown3]

I sure hope mbrown3 and/or any other new members or perusers of the forum see and appreciate your generosity to share both your time and knowledge as opposed to the few goofs that just want to waste everyones time by beating dead horses. The majority on this forum are extremely generous with their time and knowledge. Sadly, that often gets overlooked because of the vocalness of those few that have nothing better to do than piss in everyones cheerios.

Yeah ethomas is a quality guy and I'm extremely grateful for his willingness to help me A/B.

 

[Radley]

I own both units & am a very happy camper. Surprisingly, the one problem I have with my Kemper is the *clean* sounds ~ it's hard for me to achieve a very clean, sustained sound without various artifacts and noise as the sound sustains. Both the compression in the amp models and the stomp compression somehow don't sound/feel quite right to me... I would *never* use my KPA for clean sounds in the studio ~ only for edge, dirt, and gainy solos.

 

[Zitarman]

Get an AXE an cut down does tree's and make a path for yourself,all the amps and tones and cabs and everything inbetween and much more with tone matching and don't forget the MFC 101 and make it easy on yourself

 

[frankyandreas]

This probably doesn't help, but I played both before I bought the Axe FX XL. My conclusion was that I would have bought the Kemper if I was using it primarily for reamping (or recording), but I needed a complete guitar workstation (and a great live rig).

I didn't go into depth here, but that was the decision I made. No buyer's remorse. In fact I never consider "should I have gotten a Kemper".

 

[axes]

This topic comes up again and again, and it seems to come up even more lately. My Facebook is all over with it.

I can't stop telling people that there are some facts to accept and realize:

- The Axe has better hardware and software,and yes, I DO CARE what's under the hood, not just what I hear. A great example is, you might never know when you have to play in a situation where the Axe's low noise and top quality input stage will be a blessing to have.
- The Axe can do much more out of the box, amp, cab, and effect-wise, too. You don't have to pay anything to get any kinds of tones you want. With the Kemper, you either like your profiles or not, there are some free profiles, but they're pretty hit or miss. I've heard people spending ~$900 on professional Kemper profiles, which is ridiculous compared to the $25 price of Ultra-Res cab packs.
- Even Cliff himself admitted that about a year ago the Kemper felt better, but now (and even more with FW 18 ) the Axe is beyond it. They both sound good, but the Axe is more authentic and realistic. Oh, and did I mention the 200 amp models...?
- For all of the above reasons, people who are looking for versatility and flexibility shouldn't even consider the Kemper IMO. It might sound great, it might feel great, but the Axe is better and has more, no matter what aspect you're looking at.

 

[Deaj]

Yeah ethomas is a quality guy and I'm extremely grateful for his willingness to help me A/B.

You can't really go wrong with either of these platforms IMO. While I haven't spent much time with the Kemper it did leave me with a positive impression. My choice was made before the Kemper was announced (started with a 1st gen AxeFX) and I followed that path to the AxeFX II as it meets and exceeds my personal preferences in tone/feel, versatility, and workflow. I expect that many/most Kemper users prefer the KPA for the same reasons. There are studios, techs, and pro musicians working with these platforms and, regardless of which they've chosen, they like the results.

I'm glad to hear that you're going to have the opportunity to A/B both units through a quality monitor - nothing beats hands-on experience. Here's hoping it's both fun and informative!

 

[jlynnb1]

Cool! Pretty nice tones. It's always hard to tell how something sounds (and especially, feels) via online video or audio clips (despite folks referring questions to all of the clips)...so many different factors affect the reality; how they are compressed when uploaded, what digital format they're in, what speakers are on the playback PC/device, etc. But hearing how the volume knob affects things is cool...not something I've seen in a ton of the other videos.

you should check out my vids...i cover the entire volume knob range in all pickup selections.

 

[jlynnb1]

i'm alway s skeptical of those one of two people who claim to hear something opposite of the vast majority of other users. Any claims of 2dness, not being as lively or organic or whatever as a "real tube amp" are BS. Most of us that use these professionally an have gigged it extensively came from hardcore boutique tube rigs with crazy pedalboards....or are old school tube amp cranked to 10 type guys. I don't think we'd keep using it if it were a compromise. period. I know i wouldn't. IDGAF about carrying gear, I want great tone, period. If it meant hauling a head and 4x12 and giant pedalboard to every bar/club/venue i play in I would. I want my tone. no compromises. I get it with the Axe, in spades. as good or better than any i've ever had. After almost every gig I do in Nashville someone wants to know more about my tone. Guys want me to come to their studios and demo or reamp tracks for them. The Axe has blurred the line between modeling and analog, it's obliterated it. It's that good, in every scenario. not just recording. not just low volume stages using iem's. in bars in front of 200 people or arenas in from of 17k, it kills.

 

[barhrecords]

i'm alway s skeptical of those one of two people who claim to hear something opposite of the vast majority of other users. Any claims of 2dness, not being as lively or organic or whatever as a "real tube amp" are BS. Most of us that use these professionally an have gigged it extensively came from hardcore boutique tube rigs with crazy pedalboards....or are old school tube amp cranked to 10 type guys. I don't think we'd keep using it if it were a compromise. period. I know i wouldn't. IDGAF about carrying gear, I want great tone, period. If it meant hauling a head and 4x12 and giant pedalboard to every bar/club/venue i play in I would. I want my tone. no compromises. I get it with the Axe, in spades. as good or better than any i've ever had. After almost every gig I do in Nashville someone wants to know more about my tone. Guys want me to come to their studios and demo or reamp tracks for them. The Axe has blurred the line between modeling and analog, it's obliterated it. It's that good, in every scenario. not just recording. not just low volume stages using iem's. in bars in front of 200 people or arenas in from of 17k, it kills.

My experience too.

The Fractal is not a compromise.

I'm spoiled by the consistency too. My tube rigs can sound different from show to show for various reasons. When they are "off", really frustrating trying to figure out what's the tone culprit is.

With the Fractal, the sound is always consistent. And I can drop fixes into the live show recordings in post and it is seemless. Love that!

 

[mbrown3]

you should check out my vids...i cover the entire volume knob range in all pickup selections.

Cool! Just watched a few (including the worship song breakdowns...funny how we all play certain things slightly differently!). Nice playing and the tones are great coming through the Axe. Makes me even more excited to check it out.

 

[dongzo]

OMFG... 273 posts in this thread.

Just try out both and pick the one you like the most. How hard can it be.

 

[mbrown3]

OMFG... 273 posts in this thread.

Just try out both and pick the one you like the most. How hard can it be.

Not hard at all. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing. But...haven't you ever asked anyone for input on gear? Most people have. Thanks for the helpful advice, though. :-/

 

[jlynnb1]

Cool! Just watched a few (including the worship song breakdowns...funny how we all play certain things slightly differently!). Nice playing and the tones are great coming through the Axe. Makes me even more excited to check it out.

and the thing with the Axe videos are those are 100% stock presets. no tweaks whatsoever. sounds even better when you dial it in with your settings/tastes/ir choices, etc. I was getting ready to do quite a few more but then G3 got announced, so I am going to wait until it's finalized. no reason to showcase outdated FW. (Beta is awesome, but thought waiting until the final release was more prudent, no matter how little actually changes.

 

[bdrepko]

For what its worth. My son visited from Japan. Upon getting him to the airport on the way back, we were late so he had to leave his suitcase behind. We had to ship it to him at a cost of almost $500. It was approximately 36x30x14 and weighed 20lbs.

 

[Anakron]

What follows is just my opinion, but I think people tend to perpetuate myths. Here is my opinion on some of the MYTHS in this thread.

1. MYTH: The Kemper is for people wh want something easy to use.
MY FINDING: On the Kemper, you turn a knob. On the Axe-Fx, you push two buttons to turn a knob. Was that so hard? Oh, and if you've ever used a plugin, download Axe Edit, which for me is clearly the superior way to operate gear in 2015.

2. MYTH: The Kemper captures everything about the amp, the Axe-Fx doesn't.
MY FINDING: K captures something about the amp at one setting. But to be honest, it isn't QUITE right when you play it with a band or a mix. Also, don't even try to adjust it. Just make a new profile, or don't, because no matter what you do there's something slightly strange, like imitation crab meat... not terrible, but there's something in your fingers that says... hmmm. The Axe-Fx captures the cab IR which for all intents and purposes IS the tone, but in the end, you can still adjust gain, tone, and master, and it sounds amazing. It is natural and musical and fluid and compares favorably to a real amp. And all this "tweaking"? Bass Mid Treble Presence Drive. Done. Am I wrong? If you can't make good music after that you're looking for gear to do something beyond the power of gear. MY OPINION.

3. MYTH: Forums are where people come fr anwers and help.
MY FINDING: Some of y'all are just bored and can't be decent to each other. Shipping? Seriously who cares? LET IT GO!!!! This is not a law class. Chill out and give your opinion and let other people give theirs.

I have owned both Axe and KPA and I kept the Axe-Fx in the end. It's a better platform. It's a better company. It's a better sounding unit.

 

[Rockguitarzan]

I still maintain...THEY BOTH ROCK!!! 8)

 

[GuttaLaser]

the "one setting profile" (Kemper) vs. "all the amp modeling + cabs IRs + Fxs modeling" (Axe) was my way to the Axe!
This about the basic philosophy of the two machines! Than... tons of videos about the tones you can get from one or the other!!!

 

[lqdsnddist]

OMFG... 273 posts in this thread.

Just try out both and pick the one you like the most. How hard can it be.

Well...the OP has to dispute nearly every comment with some attitude (as he did in response to your post) so that certainly ups the count.