On the fence between Axe FX II and Kemper Profiling Amp

How many people here find that they have great tones right out of the box with the Axe FX II without a lot of messing with parameters and spending hours learning what each parameter controls?

In the last couple of revisions of the firmware, the stock presets sound really good out of the box. From what I understand, this next imminent release will have stock presets for every amp. Basically, you can think of them as factory profiles, like the Kemper. I have found that I just need to make the standard adjustments (T/M/B, levels) to get those presets to sound good with my rig. There may be a couple of other things I tweak, but it's not hours and nowhere near as much work as it was with the Standard.

I have played a Kemper and that sounds excellent too. As others have said, you really can't go wrong with either. But as this point in the Axe's development, the "way more tweaking" difference between it and the Kemper no longer exists. You either make your minor tweaks with the Axe or search through numbers of profiles in the Kemper (and I'm guessing you'd still need to adjust tone and levels). If there's a way for you to try both (both have a return policy), that's the best way to make your choice. But don't sweat it. You'll most likely really enjoy whichever you get.
 
It's a different style of doing things. Axe has the amps digitalized in the box, you can tweak them the way you want. From simple bass-mid-treble all the way to mad tweaks that are more like rebuilding the amp. For what it's worth, I usually dont bother past drive/bass/mid/treble and it sounds amazing. But the potential is there, if there is anything you want to change in the amp, its possible.

Kemper has snapshots of amps with certain settings, you need another profile if you want to use radically different settings than the ones in the profile. I prefer the Axe way, of course...

All my presets are (drive pedal) - amp - cab - (reverb). No need to go crazy with FX, the raw amp tones are golden. If I have a tone in mind, I take an amp and a cab that matches what I'm after. I don't think searching thru 1000 user profiles is faster. And what if I want to crazy it up? A fender blues junior into a Mesa 4x12"? Who has made that profile? Click one button and its done.
 
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Ease of use can be deceptive as auditioning 100's or 1,000's of profiles to find some that inspire you can be a lot more work than dialing in an Axe model of an amp you are familiar with

While there's some truth to the latter part of this statement, 100's or 1,000's of profiles is probably a bit of a stretch. I bet I went through a dozen or so before I found a handful I wouldn't mind using. Sometimes you can use your eyes in addition to your ears and know ahead of time what isn't going to tickle your fancy.

It seems as though guitar players prefer the Axe FX II while professional recording engineers and studio heads prefer the Kemper.

The KPA is indeed a studio tool, first and foremost. Especially if you already have great sounding amps at your disposal and you want to capture them. The performance oriented features are still a bit immature in that unit, and the effects are not as numerous or varied. I certainly prefer the Axe's control and configuration options for live play over the KPA.

I think my biggest concern with the Axe FX II is that it will take a lot of tweaking

How many people here find that they have great tones right out of the box with the Axe FX II

The KPA is undoubtedly the least "tweaky" of any modeler I've played...once you have the right profile. The front panel knobs do a decent job of EQ'ing the tone to suit your taste. Of course, there just isn't much else to tweak on it. It can sound great out of the box.

Before firmware 10 on the Axe, I'd have said you'd be facing a HUGE amount of tweaking to get it to sound good. That just isn't the case anymore. If you're familiar with the real amps, the Axe is now just as easy as dialing those in. Bottom line, you can make tweaking the Axe as easy or as hard as you like. Even though all the deep parameters are there, I've almost never touched them out of anything besides curiosity.
 
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I have had both at the same time and I kept the Axe2.
It can very simple to use or you can go very deep.
I love it as a recording and home practice rig.
I still use tube amps live, I think the Axe is also great for live but I have tube amps I love. In NYC clubs we don't have great PA ect so small amps and a simple effects board works best for me.
I plan on using my Axe FX on my next album.
I recommend it highly.
The Kemper is very good, the Axe FX was better to my ears and fingers.
 
There are many other "soft" benefits to the FAS Axe FX II that have tremendous value. I can't speak for the Kemper, but I do know that the user community here is AWESOME. Users are friendly, helpful, quick and accurate. Today, someone posted a listing of all amps and default settings. Someone else just posted a utility that makes it easy to audition cabs and IRs. There are lot of folks here that are willing and able to help. You can't put a price on that.
 
i came from the 11r too.
The axe fx II can be as complicated as you want it to be really.. depends on how deep you wish to delve.
I can turn it on.. pick a patch and be as happy as a pig in poo. stomp on distortion or delay.. more happiness.
change cab .. ooooo thats nice.. etc These are very easy to do! I know there isnt any nice knobs to tweak but youll get over it :)
Im more than happy with my move.
enjoy
 
I really can't imagine you getting any support for the Kemper on this forum. Personally, I play in my little sound room, unlike some of the pros out there who have this stuff flowing through their veins. Before breaking out the plastic for a new Axe II, I downloaded the manuals for both the Kemper and the Axe, read them cover to cover, did the YouTube gig (as you mentioned), and read everything under the sun in forums and reviews. A tough decision indeed! The fact is, they are both absolutely fine pieces of equipment. Somebody, somewhere said that if digital mimicking of vintage gear gets any better, things like the Axe II will surpass vintage. For me, it already has. The bottom line is (a classic); You can't please all of the people all of the time. You started this thread for advice and "Semih Yanyali" said it best: BUY BOTH, and A/B them right there in your home. Keep the winner, return the looser. Nobody can make this decision for you. Keep in mind, Fractal has been doing a wonderful job with product support and a seemingly endless/tireless effort to improve the product. What do the Kemper guys say about that?
 
I really can't imagine you getting any support for the Kemper on this forum.

I don't see why not. It's a great sounding unit that fills a purpose that can be complimentary to the Axe-Fx. It could be argued that the KPA provided the impetus for the current Axe firmware improvements, and so it shouldn't be so easily dismissed. Gear is gear, not a religion. If I could afford to keep a KPA and the Axe at the same time, I would have. Might buy another one at some point down the road when finances allow. It's that good. What could be better than having one of the two best amp modelers on the planet? Having BOTH.

I'd urge the OP to try both units and see what works for him. There are many good points about each and what fits his preference should be the decision maker.

Of course, we're all here to help the OP if he decides to go the Axe route. :)
 
My .02 worth...

I would put them both on a scale and weigh the options and see which has a better money to feature value. Then listen to both and see what your ears like better... (this is the subjective part). Then theres the looks department and I believe that has already been covered in this thread.

Personally if I were on this fence looking at the fratures the Axe wins that contest by a long shot, the final version of firmware 11. would be the nail in the coffin combine that with Axe edit 3.0 and it's no contest.

I haven't used a Kemper I have looked at it and all of the options that it has I have also listen to it via online clips and youtube. Once you do a side by side comparison the Axe is so much more flexible for the money spent it can do what the Kemper can do and so much more and it fits in a two space rack. The rack mount version is more attractive with the built in amp but your still limited in other areas.
 
I had them both side by side for 3 or so months and thought they both sounded great. But the Axe2 does so much more it was an easy decision for me once I realized they both have amazing amp tones. I also find very little need to tweak unless I feel like messing around. If you can try both. But if not you can't go wrong with the Axe2.
 
My son's friend left his Kemper at my house. He's apparently not using it these days. Anyway I've been playing around with it and it's not my cup of tea. Some of the sounds are ok, but the I think the feel is lacking. Just my opinion of course. I tried every profile he has loaded and there was a certain sameness to all of them. It's possible that he just hasn't loaded any presets that are to my taste, but everything I've tried so far kind of fell flat. To each his own as apparently many people love it.

As far as the Axe and tweaking the more recent firmwares have eliminated the need for it in my world. I haven't touched an advanced parameter since FW10 and 11 is even better. I just find a cab that I like, adjust bass, treble and gain to taste and I'm good to go.
 
I don't see why not. It's a great sounding unit that fills a purpose that can be complimentary to the Axe-Fx.
Of course, we're all here to help the OP if he decides to go the Axe route. :)
Ok Karl, I retract that statement. The truth is, I am a semi-ex VG-99 user and I often bounce back and forth between the two using the amp control function of the FC-300. If I had started out with a Kemper instead of the Roland, I would most certainly have chosen to use BOTH. I resisted selling the VG-99, after I got the Axe because it has it's own character that, believe it or not, the AxeII can not match. Some guys like to, or MUST keep it simple. I ended up with a dual-processor rig. If you have the cash...buy BOTH.
 
To me Axe is clearly a better value. Some people spend the 2k just for the effects. Some just for the modeling. Axe currently sounds great out of the box. I like similar tones to you and they're in there in spades. I often have great ambitions for building patches that get thwarted because the basic tones are so good and so responsive that I get caught up in playing rather than doing more complicated patch building.

OTOH, if you really are a drive, delay, verb, modulation only player, the Kemper seems cool and you can probably be happy with it. For people who are really discerning, they notice aliasing on the Kemper that's not present on the Axe. The Axe can also tone match now which is similar to profiling. There's WAY more processing power in the Axe. 2 $250 SHARC chips vs Kemper's $40 chip (I think).

I'm a total gearhead and was prepared to get a Kemper just to compare, but the Axe has gotten so good recently that I feel no need. I recommend checking out Ketil Strand's YouTube videos about the Evolution of Rock guitar to get an idea of the variety of tones in the Axe. In the early videos he's using an Ultra, but you get the idea and he plays through a vast array of clean into gainy sounds and styles.

My sense is that either way you go could be good. Modeling is finally getting to a comparable level with the gear it's emulating. Only you will know what works best for you, but the Axe is clearly better value. Whether the things that make it such good value matter to you or not are up to you.

Good luck with your picking.
 
Thank you everyone for the great comments.

I realize this thread had the potential to turn into a war of two digital camps, Kemper vs Fractal but it didn't and everyone made great points. What stands out the most is how much players love the Axe FX II and how much they trust FAS to continue to support and improve the product. I think that says a lot about a product if it can infect that many with such strong brand loyalty.

Right now, I am sticking with my original decision to buy the Axe FX II but I am going to wait until the Kemper is in stock so that I can at least listen to it live and compare to the Axe FX II live.

Thanks again for great feedback.
 
Thank you everyone for the great comments.

I realize this thread had the potential to turn into a war of two digital camps, Kemper vs Fractal but it didn't and everyone made great points. What stands out the most is how much players love the Axe FX II and how much they trust FAS to continue to support and improve the product. I think that says a lot about a product if it can infect that many with such strong brand loyalty.

Right now, I am sticking with my original decision to buy the Axe FX II but I am going to wait until the Kemper is in stock so that I can at least listen to it live and compare to the Axe FX II live.

Thanks again for great feedback.

Please post your final decision after trying both. Don't worry about some folks who may get defensive about either device.

I own both units & love both. The best of both digital worlds for now........
 
I think that the smartest thing do to with *any* gear is to try it firsthand and in-depth.

You can't know something till you really work with it in your own world, on your own time and left to truly both understand what something can do and how to work with it.

I've worked with the KPA box now more than a few times. It has strengths and weaknesses, like ANY gear. Comparing the II to the KPA for me is like comparing a restaurant visit - you can replicate what you cook at home (with your own amp/cab) assuming you have the expertise and knowledge how to properly mic your amp/cab (which you can likewise do with the II, but it is slightly more involved) or with an extensive menu (checking user or premium profiles you must buy) that you can then slightly alter each dish, but must try hundreds of dishes to find what you like and settle on what you like. People mistakenly assume the KPA does a better job at the 'replication' because it is purpose driven to copy things, but that is ignorant of what you can do with shooting your own cabinet IR and then using the Tone Matching capability of the Axe-FX II. It involves a few extra steps, but the results are exceptionally convincing once you've tried it first hand for either platform (KPA or Fractal).

The Fractal II, which is akin to buying the damn restaurant, outfitting it with every prime ingredient, appliance and utensil you could imagine with hardly any sort of constraints whatsoever and creating your own dishes in your own preferred manner, allowing a significantly unique and individual experience and controlling it with ease. Add in the capability to shoot your own Cab IR and use the Tone Matching capability and you have an all-in-one box with significantly deep feature set no matter your intended application.

The Kemper treats everything as one complete system. That allows for a much simpler experience if you get what you want from that singular approach. Regardless of claims to the contrary, attempting to separate the system into components with the KPA IMHO gets a bit dicey. There is an obvious signature to everything it does once you sit down and really focus on the different things it does. Some like that sort of homogenization, some do not.

The Fractal treats everything in a modular manner and creates interactions - with user control over them - down to almost microscopic levels. It does this 'under the surface'; but if you are driven and curious enough, if you want to dive that deep in, you have control over almost all of it. People can tend to get caught up in the depth without realizing that you do not *need* to do so unless you *want* to do so. Once newbies get over the sheer number of options within each block and take advantage of 'effect types' for instance, they realize that the depth isn't perplexing or overwhelming; it is there *should* you choose to use it, not because you *need* to use it. That allows for a very powerful layered and nuanced platform where you can route your signal and control your signal in very practical, logical and useful ways. It is, IMHO, more individual, unique and powerful on multiple levels.

There are so many variables to consider when purchasing gear with all these capabilities and everything needs to be subservient to what you want to do and how you prefer to work. People that fall into 'camps' that must demonize other competing gear never makes sense to me. You are considering very powerful, fully professional level gear with both devices. You have two products that are competing with very different paradigms and similar costs. Weigh what works for you and go that way. I've worked with both because of working with musicians that like the KPA and the Axe-FX II; for me there is nothing the KPA offers that entices me personally or offers any sort of advantage in any way over the Axe-FX II.

To each their own and what's great is that there are choices out there for everyone that wants them.

All 100% IMHO, based on my own first hand experience.
 
Ease of use can be deceptive as auditioning 100's or 1,000's of profiles to find some that inspire you can be a lot more work than dialing in an Axe model of an amp you are familiar with (the tone/drive/vol on the Axe models are calibrated to the real amps, the drive and tone on the Kemper are not calibrated to the real amps: when it comes to tweaking and deep parameters I find the Axe more natural and intuitive). Both can sound really good but with the Kemper you are starting with a profile of someone else's ideal rig - if you're comfortable with other people's rigs then that's not an issue; if you, like me, aren't comfortable with other people's gear then you'd better have your own gear to profile or expect to be doing a lot of tweaking of profiles.

I am going through the axe vs kpa decision over the next fee weeks with both of them in my place. But as far as my current feelings, I think this ^^^^^^^ is the closest.
 
I own the AxeFx II and have not owned or used the Kemper.

I've always thought of the AxeFx + MCF controller to be like a Bradshaw switching system in a box.

For any cats that are used to a big analog switching system, the AxeFx will seem familiar and kick some serious butt.

For folks that are currently using a simple guitar -> couple of pedals -> amp rig, the flexibility of the AxeFx can seem overwhelming. Truth is, just dropping and AMP and CAB into a preset and nothing else sounds pretty frickin amazing.

I don't use a ton of pedals or efx in the AxeFx, but that's not a negative to me. I don't care if I don't change the deep / advanced parameters. I still really just dig the basic AMP -> CAB tones. IMO, they rock.
 
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