Will a Kemper cure my amp GAS?

Onpar

I've been pondering purchasing a Kemper as I seem to get bored of amps (and all gear) very quickly. It's getting expensive and a pain to keep buying and selling amps, so I'm thinking maybe a Kemper could be a good option to enable me to go from Marshall to Two Rock to Vox in the press of a button. For context, I'm thinking more for home use as I have my standard setup for gigs sorted that I'm pretty happy with - and when you put in the ear defenders then it's all muffled anyway. Ideally, thinking a powered Kemper so I can plug into a 1x 12. I don't have monitors and want the least amount of connecting to a laptop as possible. Ideally, just to scroll through different amp profiles quickly. 

Has anyone been down this path before? 

Jonathanthomas83

Yes, I have one in the classifieds...and it's got a tonne of profiles on there for you. I can do a good deal for you :-) edit: sorry, mine's unpowered, but great for home use with headphones, monitors or a powered speaker, such as the Kemper Kabinet.

Your use case is exactly why I bought one and it's nipped all that in the bud. To the point of knowing exactly what I want now.

If you have any specific questions about what you want to achieve, let me know

susbemol

It really depends. Is the reason you keep buying and selling amps and other stuff genuinely the gear or something else?

If the latter, the Kemper is unlikely to help.

fretmeister

It could. Any of the top line modellers could do that.

I have a Helix and don't have any guitar amps any more. It's been the single best purchase I've ever made. I've used it every single day I've owned it over the last 5 years.

I'm sure I would have been equally pleased with a Kemper or Fractal. Maybe not a Neural yet as it's not a mature platform - but I've no doubt it will get there.

So I would suggest you try them a bit to decide which you might like best. They all sound a little different - just like every Marshall plexi sounds a bit different.

After that - it's all about not always bringing up your favourite blocks when designing a patch.

Musicwolf

Will a Kemper cure my amp GAS?

Of course it won't, nothing will.

I've had my Kemper since 2015 and I love it just as much today as I did when I bought it.  One of my best purchases ever, however..........

Since then I've bought a Helix and a 50 year old Fender Pro Reverb.

Yes, I recommend a Kemper but no, it won't cure your GAS.

joeyowen

I sold amps and kept Kemper.

Miss amps a bit, more for nostalgia.

I don't gig though, just a home/bedroom player.

Feel free to pm, and we can chat on phone about it all, but obvs just my opinions etc...

munckee

Death cures GAS. Nothing else.  

Wazmeister

The Kemper is an amazing device.

BGG

Love my powered rackmount Kemper.
All my amps are sold now aprt from my Fender Deluxe Reverb 68 Custom ... but only because I keep forgetting to list it LOL
I originally gigged my Kemper with a Matrix NL 1x12 for some on stage sound, then two of them ... cos it looks better right ? haha. Last five or six gigs I've not used any cabs, just ask for only my guitar in my monitor and it works fine. I wear ear defenders now on stage so most backline is muffled anyway. I find there's a bit more clarity using monitors.
At home I still use a 1 x12 and it sounds superb.

Can't ever see me going back to amps.

ICBM

No.

What will cure amp GAS is the realisation that you don't need accurate representations of particular amps, you just need a clean sound and an overdriven sound you like. Or clean-ish and more overdriven, or overdriven and really overdriven, if you prefer. Or just possibly three sounds, if you like truly clean, moderately overdriven and heavily overdriven.

All the rest is just angels dancing on the head of a pin.

Jonathanthomas83

ICBM said:

No.

What will cure amp GAS is the realisation that you don't need accurate representations of particular amps, you just need a clean sound and an overdriven sound you like. Or clean-ish and more overdriven, or overdriven and really overdriven, if you prefer. Or just possibly three sounds, if you like truly clean, moderately overdriven and heavily overdriven.

All the rest is just angels dancing on the head of a pin.

Spot on.

pedalo

ICBM said:

No.

What will cure amp GAS is the realisation that you don't need accurate representations of particular amps, you just need a clean sound and an overdriven sound you like. Or clean-ish and more overdriven, or overdriven and really overdriven, if you prefer. Or just possibly three sounds, if you like truly clean, moderately overdriven and heavily overdriven.

All the rest is just angels dancing on the head of a pin.

I’ve just come to this realisation after a lot of money and gear 

The Kemper is a great bit of kit to be fair and I’ll never sell mine. I’ll probably never scratch the surface of its features either but it’s always nice knowing they are there if I ever need to sell all my pedals. 

Nerine

A Fractal FM9 has cured a lot of my GAS. 

The Kemper didn’t. 

Nikc

Jonathanthomas83 said:

ICBM said:

No.

What will cure amp GAS is the realisation that you don't need accurate representations of particular amps, you just need a clean sound and an overdriven sound you like. Or clean-ish and more overdriven, or overdriven and really overdriven, if you prefer. Or just possibly three sounds, if you like truly clean, moderately overdriven and heavily overdriven.

All the rest is just angels dancing on the head of a pin.

Spot on.

Yep just come out of my music room - good clean sound good driven sound got it covered, can go heavier if needed and that's what drive pedals are for .

Jazzy_Jake

ICBM said:

No.

What will cure amp GAS is the realisation that you don't need accurate representations of particular amps, you just need a clean sound and an overdriven sound you like. Or clean-ish and more overdriven, or overdriven and really overdriven, if you prefer. Or just possibly three sounds, if you like truly clean, moderately overdriven and heavily overdriven.

All the rest is just angels dancing on the head of a pin.

This should be pinned on the front page haha!

I find the other real cure for GAS is to find a good Youtube music teacher/instruction book and every time you are gassing, just learn something new on the guitar and integrate it into your playing. You will save money and sound better.

There is always something fairly within reach that will take your playing to the next level - practicing diatonic triads of the major scale or spread triads and their inversions always throws up new ideas no matter how familiar you are with them.

pickerg

Nerine said:

A Fractal FM9 has cured a lot of my GAS. 

The Kemper didn’t. 

Could you explain why if you don’t mind? 

I’ve had and sold an HX Stomp and FM9 and I’m currently looking at getting one again, or a Kemper…

hywelg

It all depends on whether you can play loud. If you can you will prefer the feel of a cranked valve amp (well a good one) If you can't you will probably prefer a Kemper, I know I do, but I also like trouser flappy volume valve amps better.

Jonathanthomas83

Nerine said:

A Fractal FM9 has cured a lot of my GAS. 

The Kemper didn’t. 

My experience was the opposite.

Stevepage

Short answer : No

long answer : No, who you kidding?! 

ToneControl

Fractal Axe Fx2 cured my Amp GAS, I had 16 amps, now just 3 
My Kemper would not have achieved that, the feel is much better on AF2 and AF3

I believe @octatonic has an opinion on this too

Jonathanthomas83

ToneControl said:

Fractal Axe Fx2 cured my Amp GAS, I had 16 amps, now just 3 
My Kemper would not have achieved that, the feel is much better on AF2 and AF3

I believe @octatonic has an opinion on this too

That's so subjective though. I mean, it's inherent in your comment that this is your opinion only, but it's the statement as if it's a fact that I take issue with. I get that you feel that way, but it's not fact, is it?