Need an amp with silent DI (aka .. Why should I not buy a Kemper?)

WindmillGuitars

I mainly play in church and thus stage volume can become an issue for various reasons .. we've already got IEM system in place and I'd now like to get rid of the guitar amp on stage if possible. Anyone got any experience with amps like a H&K Deluxe20 / Tubemeister 36 live? 

or should I just buy a Kemper and be done with it? If so - any suggestions for a good FRFR speaker for home / use in small venues

Wazmeister

Mate, as an ex church player, I do believe that the Kemper has ideal P&W sounds...

Just buy one. Nothing comes close, imho.

.... and now I look across at my two really beloved valve amps (Carr Rambler and Redplate CDS2) - which have beaten off ALL the competition across the years...

... and then realise Ive barely switched em on since getting into the Kemper. I've really grown to love mine, and it is the perfect modeller in a church/worship setting.

I'm sure that you've watched this already...

Wazmeister

https://youtu.be/NjZKbFNLvzk

Wazmeister

I’ll add a wee bit more, if I may...

The real problem for me is what you are listening to the Kemper through; I have tried many incarnations, and was so close to abandoning the whole Kemper thing recently, and return to ‘real’ amps...

Now bear in mind I like low gain sounds, and play in a Smiths/Jam/Who/Petty kinda band. I own two great amps and have owned and played many (Carr Rambler, Redplate CDS2 are my amps).

I think that there are two set-ups needed for ANY situation - ‘home’ playing and ‘live/rehearsal’ playing.

Therefore, I have two set-ups and two lots of profiles...

1.) Home - Kemper -> Genelecs 8020

2.) Live - Kemper -> Red Sound RS LP12 Active Cab (into PA with 2 x DXR 10s)

It was the Genelecs that saved the day and opened my eyes to the Kemper. I used the smaller 8010s, (which I still own and actually run in stereo with the 8020s) to start with.

I had tried the DXR10 for a while, and whilst it is a great sounding speaker, it also sounded slightly digital and artificial to me personally.

Now the set-up below is the best Ive EVER had at home, and Im a proper valve/analogue snob. I am truly sorted and happy...

WindmillGuitars

Cheers @Wazmeister  PM incoming ... 

uncledick

I'd always assumed that the P&W thing was just reserved for our friends across the pond.  I'm sure if I rocked up at our local church wielding a Tele and amp, they'd probably just call the police.

Considering myself enlightened - whilst still being blissfully ignorant.

Back on topic though, I thought the most interesting bit on the video was how he described the Kemper controls as being like your mic positions rather than a tone stack.  Wise words - and critical in understanding the Kemper philosophy.

WindmillGuitars

@uncledick Nope - I’m in Northern Ireland where P&W is very much a thing .. we’ve just invested in a new PA and AV system at nearly £100k running a pretty smart setup of all Allen and Heath Gear including IEM setup. Of course not everyone at our church digs an eight piece band - but we’ve a lot more support for it than we did five years ago.. 

crunchman

I play in church.  I've used the Kemper once or twice.  The issue in the past was monitoring it so I went back to an amp, albeit a relatively low powered one.  I've now got a QSC 10.2, so I am planning to go to the Kemper again in the near future.

I'm playing acoustic tomorrow, and I've got a week off the rota the following week, so it might be a week or two before I play electric again.

When I used it before, the sound guy said it sounded better out front than the mic'd amp.  I was struggling with the monitoring at that point.  We still have real drums with no screen around them, so it's a slightly different situation from you.

WindmillGuitars

Deal done .. Kemper on-route.
Now the fun begins

Wazmeister

Anchorboy said:

Deal done .. Kemper on-route.
Now the fun begins

Simon, great news mate !

The Kemper Klan are here if you ned help....