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It seems as though guitar players prefer the Axe FX II while professional recording engineers and studio heads prefer the Kemper.
I think my biggest concern with the Axe FX II is that it will take a lot of tweaking and learning to get the clean and melodic tones that I most want to sound good to me. I am not really into tweaking. I would rather just turn it on. Run a few simple pedals for sound modification and spend most of my time playing. Of course like some have said it might take a lot of time and effort to find the perfect Kemper Amp profile online or in one of the The Amp Factory Packs.
well, its guitar players who use it and you're a guitar player so studio heads and engineers opinions can easily be discounted.
I've been tweaking with MFX units for years and I didn't find the Axe complicated at all. I only got it a while back and within same night of having it i was building presets. very easy to understand. great factory tones outta the box presets 24/25 Friedman amps are phenomenal. I wouldn't let ease of use scare you. I reviewed Kemper before buying the Axe. I made my decision based on the following facts:
- Axe was way more bang for the buck with tons of fx models and large array of blocks and functionality that kemper did not have
- Axe had way more pro guitarist endorsements. i dont mean financial, i mean actually seeing it in action. vai, petrucci, loomis, govan, all these guys actually using the product professionally and speaking of it in interviews. these guys can play whatever they want but they choose gear that works for them and has pristine sound.
- Kemper took like 45seconds to boot up. WTF?
- Kemper really focused heavily on amp profiling and honestly, I have no access to any amps that require profiling. the community has already profiled most of them and this was their big selling point.
- Axe tone matching and ability to use and save IR's was extremely appealing
- I trolled here for years and there has been nothing less than an increase in firmware development. although axe-edit was secondary in support to the axe, the fractal team has been committed to its development.
I will continue to monitor Kemper developments. One thing that can elevate either company is an investment in R&D. I think Kemper has done well in this area in the last year. If they got a decent cash injection they may be able to catch up with the quantity and quality of effects that the Axe is full of. Development requires money and time. I believe that Fractal has more skin in this game right now as Kemper has to play catch-up in certain areas. Just my opinion...
Either way, I love all these companies as it gives us more options for tone and gear.
I have zero regrets.