AXE FX II vs Kemper Profile Amp

[feck]

Originally Posted by Animus

Welco.e to the forums scott peterson!

[GMR]

Wow, you are really pissed that your AXe FX will be worthless as soon as people catch up to the Kemper? which already has happened actually!

That's exactly what i expressed , MY OPINION, not "God's opinion" I can and will express it to the OP as he asked for the difference between both, If you don't like it, i don't give a flying F#%K you can express yours on your AXE FX and he can make his own decision. That's democracy, and here's more of my opinions, the AXE fx is simply an overpriced POD HD basically. I've tried them all extensively!!! I know that will hurt all those AXE FX owners but that is God's honest truth !!!! And i'm sure most trust more MW opinion than "Henry who" !!! We don't care what he says !!!

And BTW I am a professionnal performing Guitarist/Musician, "not a teacher" I gig live exclusively, this is my only Job for the past 20 years, paid my house, my cars, my studio with my income $$$ from music only !!!! Been playing tube amps all my life !!! I have a variety of vintage tube amps here !!!

Go try a Kemper with good profiles, if you still prefer the AXE FX after, you will be in the monority !!! but if it does all you want, well good for you !!!
Merry Xmas

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

Of course it's your opinion, but don't speak it as if it's god's truth. I respect MW but I don't care what he says. His opinion or anyone else's will never trump my own. Speak your opinion as your opinion.

[emitsweet]

Originally Posted by GMR

the AXE fx is simply an overpriced POD HD basically.

I think its sounds more like a POD 2.0

[Dozerbabar]

Didn't read all the comments as I usually don't like the pc vs mac discussions (you know what I mean).

I owned the Ultra. I sold it to buy the II. I haven't looked at buying an amp since I bought the Ultra, or that was before the II was launched. I've owned about what's out there of amps (Marshalls, Fenders, Bogners, Hughes and Kettners, Mesas, the list goes on).

I simply love it. I can achive anything I want and a little more. It feels natural to play through and it sounds like whatever you want it to sound like.

I was on the verge of ordering a Marsha (Dave Friedman) before the Axe, but with the Marsha models in the Axe I never had the need to. THE best amp IMHO.

I've never tried the Kemper, so can't chime in with anything positive or negative there.

YMMV and all that..

Be nice to eachother. Keep the discussion civilized

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by GMR

Wow, you are really pissed that your AXe FX will be worthless as soon as people catch up to the Kemper? which already has happened actually!

That's exactly what i expressed , MY OPINION, not "God's opinion" I can and will express it to the OP as he asked for the difference between both, If you don't like it, i don't give a flying F#%K you can express yours on your AXE FX and he can make his own decision. That's democracy, and here's more of my opinions, the AXE fx is simply an overpriced POD HD basically. I've tried them all extensively!!! I know that will hurt all those AXE FX owners but that is God's honest truth !!!! And i'm sure most trust more MW opinion than "Henry who" !!! We don't care what he says !!!

And BTW I am a professionnal performing Guitarist/Musician, "not a teacher" I gig live exclusively, this is my only Job for the past 20 years, paid my house, my cars, my studio with my income $$$ from music only !!!! Been playing tube amps all my life !!! I have a variety of vintage tube amps here !!!

Go try a Kemper with good profiles, if you still prefer the AXE FX after, you will be in the monority !!! but if it does all you want, well good for you !!!
Merry Xmas

you did not state it as opinion. You stated it as if your opinion were fact. I have no problem with opinions.

And the hostility of one format over another format be that Kemper vs Axe Fx, Mac vs PC, one high school vs another, republican vs democrat are just silly, inane and juvenile exercises in stupidity. I have said not one thing against Kemper. Grow up.

[GMR]

If i wrote it, it's my opinion, what is so hard to get in that?

And this is not high school, that you didn't say bad things about the Kemper, I shouldn't say bad things about Axe..... who cares, doesn't bother me, I say it the way I see it, stop with the cheerleading of the Axe just cuz you got one...how immature ... go ahead, find the problems with Kemper, maybe you will find the same things that i've noticed about the Kemper, as it's not perfect, and I can admit to that, even though I bought one. but i still love it anyway, and it does sound great. And is the "best" option for guitar players to date. Take it from my experience, or not , i don't care ! I'm just sharing, as i'm sure someone might benefit ...

If someone doesn't like the Kemper, it may be because they used a profile of someone else's and it's not their preference type of sound. and the "preset sounds", even though they are of real amps, i'm not gaga over them, the way they set up the amp, the miking ....ect not my type of sound and many who 've tried the Kemper expressed the same..

Go in the studio, with your favorite tube amp and your favorite settings, make it sound the way that is Godly to you, with your favorite mic, mic position, mic preamp, wires, speakers ect.... of your choice...close miked ... (will explain later) you can multi amp , use several mics, do what you need to get that tone !!!! When you get that tone that you love, profile that sucker, and very important to refine it like crazy, and that tone will be 98% there. As others have testified, which i've done with my amps! The Kemper responds and sound the way i'm used to, just like if i was playing my amps cranked at 7 or whatever settings i use. It's amazing !!! that is for close mic technique .

I've had my Kemper for a few months now, and I'll share the one of the things that is not perfect with Kemper, when there is room ambiance.. distant miking, the Kemper won't replicate that properly, so the Kemper is great for close miking but for distant miking, the profile will sound different, so it ain't perfect, I can admit that, even though i put my $$$ on the line for one, i'm not a cheerleader as you are for your AXE FX !!!

But it still sounds better than a Axe fx anyday, and I assume most people that don't like it, is because one of those reasons... It's not perfect but it is the best option there is at this time in 2012 this type of guitar amp Simulator

Ps to everyone : Everything written here are my opinions, not GOD's... Thank you !!!

[Anadrolic]

Originally Posted by GMR

Kemper might be ugly, actually you learn to love it after a while, "like a shapei type thing" but it sounds so real, you fall in love with it. For a synthetic copy guitar sound with tons of effects, AXE does the job nicely. If you are used to playing real tube amps with real tube sound and feel, the only choice is the Kemper !!!!

Can't agree with you here, I own a VHT Pitbull UL, JCM800 and owned other tube amps in the past. I still prefer the AXE FX II over the Kemper any day.

[trock]

not sure but i think these are new profiles you can buy for the kemper, these sound pretty great to me and i will be buying some of them tomorrow

still have the fractal 2 and eleven R etc but these may be all i need

[GMR]

i'll bet that after you get some great sounds like the amp factory for your Kemper, or make your own from your amps.... you won't be touching those other 2 !!! Just a guess It takes a couple of days to evaluate the Kemper and then try the other ones again...Let us know in a few weeks !! Enjoy!!!

[chaosgow]

I own a LOT of the amp factory and have made a lot of my own. I still have a use for my POD and 11r.

different strokes.

[SabreChris]

Seriously, how many guitarists lives are really improved by either of these?

Most guitarists demo different amps/pedals/boost to get their basic tone. They refine with pickup/guitar/speaker selection. Then they add fx pedals or a multi-fx.

Most channel switching amps now have 3-4 channels. Supplemented with various boosts, volume/tone pots, pickup swicthing, and guitar swaps, a guitarist can get any tone he wants from his rig. And more importantly, after going through that work, he has developed a signature tone that will influence his playing over the years.

The biggest differences in guitar tone relate to the playing/guitar then the production, recording techniques, mics, and speaker cone.

Any intermediate (or better) guitarist will have gone through this research and selection process. So who are these devices really serving?

Novices who dont know how to get the tones and don't know how to mic an amp or produce their guitar sound.

An argument could be made that some guitarists need the accuracy of these things for live shows, swithcing to get the right tones, but the thing is that if you are playing live, you want all your tones to come from the same "space". Going from one profile to another with different "air"/mics/etc will kill live sound. You need some cohesion.

I have a BOSS processor with some COSM models (5 years old) that I can click in if I need something off the path. When they are played through the amp/speakers/mics, they fit right into the live sound.

If someone is recording covers and wants quick results, then any of these devices will work. Original recordings demand guitarists record or at least attempt to record their signature sound.

These things are really for novice guitarists and hobbyists. Are there really any working guitarists in this thread who would use this for anything more than scratch tracks, no matter how "close" it sounds? No. Its in the fingers and slight differences in tone from the original amp dont matter.

[trock]

yep the amp factory ones

meant to post the link before

Amps | The Amp Factory...Sounds of the past, present and future

[tenderboy]

Originally Posted by SabreChris

These things are really for novice guitarists and hobbyists. Are there really any working guitarists in this thread who would use this for anything more than scratch tracks, no matter how "close" it sounds? No. Its in the fingers and slight differences in tone from the original amp dont matter.

Except for Michael Wagener, Andy sneap,...or Bands like "die toten Hosen"

...

[i_b_tulloch]

I had an Axe Fx 2 and loved it for a while. But when I the whole FRFR with SS amp (Matrix) and full range speaker (Matrix CFX) it sounded very digital. I found it impossible to get rid of this sound. At that point I sold the lot and got the new Marshall Joe Satriani JVM. Wow what an amp!!

I was then missing having something to record direct with so have been thinking about the kemper but didnt want to get taken in with the hype like I was with the Axe Fx. I always remember thinking I wish MW would try some of these modellers/profilers and I would get them......and my dreams came true! Now that MW has endorsed the kemper I will be getting one in the new year.

[SabreChris]

Originally Posted by tenderboy

Except for Michael Wagener, Andy sneap,...or Bands like "die toten Hosen"

...

Proves my point. These guys are producers who need something for a guitarist who comes in and cant get his rig to sound good.

The point is that any guitarist worth his salt has run through the gauntlet of tone devices and will find very little value from one of these. Remember that a profile is a snapshot and is not dynamic in the same way an amp is (when you change eq, roll off volume, engage boost). All reports are that pedals in front of the kemper don't work well. Deal breaker.

[oceantracks]

Originally Posted by SabreChris

Proves my point. These guys are producers who need something for a guitarist who comes in and cant get his rig to sound good.

The point is that any guitarist worth his salt has run through the gauntlet of tone devices and will find very little value from one of these. Remember that a profile is a snapshot and is not dynamic in the same way an amp is (when you change eq, roll off volume, engage boost). All reports are that pedals in front of the kemper don't work well. Deal breaker.

Way too many generalizations here, not the least of which is that a guitarist isn't "worth is salt" if he uses one of these.

The concept of a guitarist developing his signature "tone" is great if you are talking about famous guitarists who use pretty much the same tone over and over, like B.B. King, but most working guitarists use many different tones of course and there isn't one answer for everything.

I do think that it is possible to record (even at home) with a few small amps and come up with equally good or better sounds than any of these boxes, Mike P from up here does it and it sounds great....and it's all real. He proves that you don't need a million dollar studio to get superb results, so it's probably going to be my next step rather than another digital box. But that's just me...there are too many other experienced guitarists out there that love both of these units to take criticism of them too seriously.

TH

[drbob1]

I gotta come down on both sides: I know guys who gig with digital modeling amps and sound great. So far it hasn't worked for me and I'm kind of reluctant to keep chasing that bogey (especially since I'm not going to sell any of my vintage Fenders after I get a Kemper). So, for me, it's about the feel of a good tube amp and a few pedals, but I don't think these are just for amateurs.

[tenderboy]

Originally Posted by SabreChris

The point is that any guitarist worth his salt has run through the gauntlet of tone devices and will find very little value from one of these. Remember that a profile is a snapshot and is not dynamic in the same way an amp is (when you change eq, roll off volume, engage boost). All reports are that pedals in front of the kemper don't work well. Deal breaker.

well yes, a Profile is a snapshot.
so how often do you Change your whole EQ and everything when you found your favourite Sound?!?

and I don´t know your sources, but I only read good things regarding pedals and the kemper

you: if it sounds good it is good

[chaosgow]

Originally Posted by tenderboy

well yes, a Profile is a snapshot.
so how often do you Change your whole EQ and everything when you found your favourite Sound?!?

and I don´t know your sources, but I only read good things regarding pedals and the kemper

you: if it sounds good it is good

I run pedals in front of it in while I practice. Works lovely!

[amberience]

Scott Peterson is a sycophantic twat. The way he acts on TGP, as if he is impartial when he really is about crushing any sort of factual conversation, is completely dispicable.

But back to my main point...

I tried the Kemper in a store, and it sounded promising. My experience was not that I thought it was head and shoulders above the Axe FX like some people suggest, but it was pretty decent.

I also tried a friends Axe FX II, it was firmware 6 at the time. It sounded really good. We fired up a VH-4 model, and tweaked the EQ, and through his 2x12 cab with Alnico golds, it just slew... it really did.

I haven't had the same experience with the Kemper. But it isn't really a fair comparison - 5+ hours using an already tweaked to perfection Axe FX II setup, versus a 1 hour experiment session with the Kemper in a guitar store... just not a proper comparison.

But I have the intuition that I'd be happy with either unit if I was coming to guitar tech from afresh.

Ultimately though, I did the same thing that one other guy here mentioned - I got the Marshall Joe Satriani JVM. I just kept thinking to myself... how much complexity do I really need? How many sounds or levels of gain do I really need?

I needed a clean, a slightly grittier clean, a crunchy mid-gain rhythm sound, and a high-gain rhythm sound. I needed instant channel changes. I already have plenty of effects pedals... so was it really worth throwing everything out just to drown in menus and options with the Axe-FX *or* Kemper?

No. It just wasn't for me. Seemed a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater - sell my amps, sell my cabs, get a poweramp, get a FRFR cab, get a modeller. Doesn't save me any significant amount of weight, and actually complicates the setup side. Or disable the cab sims on either unit, and use it into a real guitar cab... again, didn't seem worth making the switch.

The places we play aren't ever big enough where I need that much of my sound in the monitors. So the argument of having a house feed and a personal monitor feed didn't really do anything for me. The plethora of different amp sounds didn't really do anything for me.

Ultimately, how I feel about this tech is that whilst it is impressive, the actual usability isn't there.

[tenderboy]

For example i use it a lot with my Fender Rhodes...beautiful Sound with a trainwreck-Profile.

And i can use it in the middle of the night when Inspiration strikes

[Sausage]

Originally Posted by SabreChris

Proves my point. These guys are producers who need something for a guitarist who comes in and cant get his rig to sound good.

The point is that any guitarist worth his salt has run through the gauntlet of tone devices and will find very little value from one of these. Remember that a profile is a snapshot and is not dynamic in the same way an amp is (when you change eq, roll off volume, engage boost). All reports are that pedals in front of the kemper don't work well. Deal breaker.

You have clearly not played through either of these units so perhaps you are not really qualified to comment on them. Things have moved on since your "Boss" multi effect days. Thanks.

To the rest of you arguing. Unbelievable. They are both excellent tools and any guitar player should be thrilled to have either. The Kemper is great for the price, and is very realistic at modelling amps. The Axe is really a whole rig replacement in a box. Is there anything it can't do? The only shame is if you get one you really have no need to buy any other guitar gear again. Either with a Matrix amp is going to be extremely versatile, portable and loud as a couple of Marshall heads. Both are very very convincing.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by SabreChris

These things are really for novice guitarists and hobbyists. Are there really any working guitarists in this thread who would use this for anything more than scratch tracks, no matter how "close" it sounds? No. Its in the fingers and slight differences in tone from the original amp dont matter.

I'm a professional guitarist and have been professional for many, many years. Over 30. I use the Axe Fx II and love it. Right now I can't think of going back. The amps sound and feel real to me. The effects are great. The routing possibilities seems endless. I've recorded several albums with it and am not looking back.

[Animus]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I'm a professional guitarist and have been professional for many, many years. Over 30. I use the Axe Fx II and love it. Right now I can't think of going back. The amps sound and feel real to me. The effects are great. The routing possibilities seems endless. I've recorded several albums with it and am not looking back.

You should upgrade to the Kemper. Come on. You know you want too.

[henryrobinett]

I know you said it in jest but - No frigging way! There's not much the Kemper does I'm interested in by comparison. I love designing my own sounds, not found sounds from other amps. I like working from existing amps and creating things that might not be possible. Or possible. I like having everything in house. I'm amazed at the Axe Fx. Seriously.

Why does everyone want everyone to be the same? Why is there this need to denigrate? I just don't get this PC vs Mac thing. I have no desire to denigrate Kemper. I just don't understand this weird thing.

[Sausage]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I know you said it in jest but - No frigging way! There's not much the Kemper does I'm interested in by comparison. I love designing my own sounds, not found sounds from other amps. I like working from existing amps and creating things that might not be possible. Or possible. I like having everything in house. I'm amazed at the Axe Fx. Seriously.

Why does everyone want everyone to be the same? Why is there this need to denigrate? I just don't get this PC vs Mac thing. I have no desire to denigrate Kemper. I just don't understand this weird thing.

The PC vs Mac thing is quite simple. Mac is stable, superior operating system, no hassles. PC is hours and hours of wasted time trying to do something then still holding your breath to see if it will work when you need it to. All kidding aside I guess people need to justify what they have by putting down other choices. They are both great products with different attributes. Kemper is less expensive but doesn't do the whole FX thing. The Axe replaces a full rack with all of its routing, amp simulations, and just about any effect you can think of. If you are a grab and go type who likes a couple of pedals before an amp and hates to spend hours dialling in a sound then get the Kemper. It certainly has enough effects for most uses, and the dials on the front are very handy for on the fly tuning. If you are someone that needs endless possibilities, wants to create their dream rig setup, likes to make effect soundscapes and doesn't mind spending hours to get your perfect sound than the Axe would probably be a better choice. Can't really lose either way.

[DrewA]

I have the Axe-Fx (first generation), and I really love it. The KPA looks very interesting though, but seems to be a different sort of device.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by Sausage

If you are someone that needs endless possibilities, wants to create their dream rig setup, likes to make effect soundscapes and doesn't mind spending hours to get your perfect sound than the Axe would probably be a better choice. Can't really lose either way.

Yeah well I'm the kind of guy who hates spending endless hours tinkering to get my sound. I'm too impatient. I have to play. In fact I spend very little time doing it. Maybe an hour or two a month! BUT I have the Axe Fx II. I like knowing the sounds are there when I need to pull something from my imagination. But it's still fast when building a sound for me. I can always build on it form there with my LF+12+ foot controller and expression pedals. There's so much MORE I can do, but I on't HAVE to have the kitchen sink in everything I play.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by DrewA

I have the Axe-Fx (first generation), and I really love it. The KPA looks very interesting though, but seems to be a different sort of device.

Yes It's a different kind of device. Not one that is made for my uses, but they are not the same thing, although someone could find overlaps.

[5down1up]

would you mind linking me up to some sounds Henry ?

i waited 8 months on the axe fx and sent it back 10 days later, i really was trying hard, but it didnt happen.
i feel better with a 50$ fender amp.
the benefits of the technology are awesome, but its like shoes i cant walk in.

kinda wired, hard to explain !