Kemper: Anyone Tried Or Using Through A Real Cab ?

David5150

I've tried the Kemper through the PA and just didn't enjoy it that much. Would work well in big venues with a banging PA but in the Dog and Duck it just lacked a certain wommppfffff

I currently us it through my Blackstar S1 cab with V30's; powered with a marshall EL84 valve poweramp. With suitable tweaking of EQ (rolling off the high frequency mainly) it sounds just as good as the amp.

I will add that I've had much better results using profiles of my own amps than commercial ones. 

Serratus

I use my powered Kemper through a zilla super fat boy (and through the PA simultaneously for gigs) - I absolutely love it, and have only ever had great comments about it. I used high end tube amps for years but this has ended all that.

Limehouse_Blues

I have the unpowered head. Only be using with headphones so far but have a Laney IRT-X on the way. The little Laney seems an ideal box for home use with a Kemper but trying the Laney in store I was surprised how loud it could go.

jimification

Yes, I've had such a setup for a while for home playing and recording. I'd never been that happy with the feel of modellers through monitors / PA speakers and really wanted the feel of the amp in the room this time. I ended up with a toaster with a Ritter stereo amp module (which fits neatly in the back of the toaster) into the speakers of a Fender Vaporizer (which I've rewired for stereo). I'm pretty happy with it, the whole setup looks kind of 50's jetsons, which I like and it definitely gives the amp in the room feel I was after. (for ref I'm  mostly using a '54 style strat with breakup tones)

Of course you do limit yourself in terms of flexibility (ie: illiminate the possibility of speaker sims) by going this route but so far, that side of it hasn't bothered me. There are profiles made without speakers that you would think might work better for a guitar cab setup like this but I find Kemper's algorithm for artificially removing the cab part of the sim works just great - I just turn the cab button on for headphones and off when going through the amp speakers. At some point I'll probably replace the stock vaporizer 10" speakers with something nicer (prolly WGS G10c's or alnicos if I'm feeling flush). The Kemper is fantastic with headphones, too (the space function is excellent for this)

.....Having said all that, I do still have a distant yearning for a Rambler or Skylark!!! (just "because") but I understand you're quite well covered there...

Jonathanthomas83

@Wazmeister what did you think of the Kemper, after?

Wazmeister

Jonathanthomas83 said:

@Wazmeister what did you think of the Kemper, after?

It's a keeper straight away...

The Kemper works on so many levels, and that is its strength. Im currently playing through headphones (where it works superbly) and also through the 'real' cab - a brilliant Zilla 1x12 Fat Baby.

So far, I have yet to develop my own (profiled) rigs, but the ones I have used have largely been very good indeed. Ive just emptied my Kemper of all pre-loaded profiles, and I've just started to uploaded my own through the iMac and Kemper rig manager.

Ive got a couple of Rambler and Redplate rigs that are amazingly VERY close to the originals. 

jimification

MR Waz - what speaker is in your Zilla? Which Rambler profiles are close? Vaisatchattruchi's? ta!

Wazmeister

jimification said:

MR Waz - what speaker is in your Zilla? Which Rambler profiles are close? Vaisatchattruchi's? ta!

Mine has the Celestion V30 mate ! I can't remember the profiles - they might the The Amp factory

paul_xt

Ive been wondering whether there is much difference in frfr and just a standard guitar cab. I realise the EQ of a cab is different but it's only for monitoring on stage as I run the main stereo outs to FOH. Is it worth the extra cash for an frfr cab?

Wazmeister

paul_xt said:

Ive been wondering whether there is much difference in frfr and just a standard guitar cab. I realise the EQ of a cab is different but it's only for monitoring on stage as I run the main stereo outs to FOH. Is it worth the extra cash for an frfr cab?

I have found that FRFR were less 'amp like' (as you'd expect) from a real cab. 

However, if you run to FOH, it makes sense to go for the crystal clear (more sterile ?!) FRFR imho.

ruoma

I dunno... the time I heard a pro profile through a cab I wasn't really impressed, but could have been the cab. And the time I played the stock profiles with headphones it just didn't have the dynamics. 

imalrightjack

How are all your Kemperers getting on now?  I'll have to see how my Zilla Dinky handles the PowerHead but really struggling to find much info on the difference in quality between FRFRs.

@Limehouse_Blues how did the Laney go?

imalrightjack

Interesting idea: http://www.kpa-solutions.com/camper-plus-kit/

Limehouse_Blues

The little Laney is boss. Perfect for home practise but can get surprisingly loud too. A lot of frfr cabs are too big for home and frankly too pricey too (I'm thinking atomic). I got my Laney from Beryl guitars in Kidderminster, just down the road from Laney themselves. Excellent service. Phil the store owner drove up to Halesowen to get me an IRT X as soon as they came into stock then brought it to my door.

i forked out 40 bucks for some mbritt commercial profiles and they are ace. The modded bassman is unreal and a Les Paul sounds monstrous through it. When I find a mo I need to record some clips and upload to soundcloud.

imalrightjack

Thanks, @Limehouse_Blues - it's totally affordable, which is great. I'm simply not paying £1k as a first FRFR, especially when some of them are so big.