I've been reading a lot of positive things about the Kemper Profiler. After listening to quite a few clips, I can't correctly pick which is the actual amp or Kemper with any consistency. I know I wouldn't get rid of my tube amps for it (I'm way too greedy for that) but it looks like a lot of fun. Anyone here have one?

I have one and it is really great at what it does--replicating the sounds of recorded tube amps.  

It's important to realize the difference between listening to a recorded/profiled amp versus hearing one live in the room.  

When listening to a recording of a Kemper vs. a recording of a tube amp, they are virtually identical.  Playing one live is different though and you have to get that before you will really appreciate it.  

I started out using mine through a small PA and while it sounded "good", it was lacking for me.   So I now run it through a Fryette Power Station and then into my 2 x 12 guitar cab.  Gets much closer to the "in room" sound to me, though still not there 100%.  And of course I lose some of the authentic sounds of the original profile by playing it through a power amp and guitar cab.  

There are a lot of great profiles out there, but I have used commercial ones exclusively from M. Britt, TopJimi, Soundside, and The Amp Factory.  Many of those sound outstanding and it is fun to play through "amps" that you would never ordinarily get a chance to hear.  

I don't play out so I can't tell you about playing one live but there are a lot of people who do it successfully with a monitor for the stage and the main outs direct to PA.  

If you have any specific question, let me know.  I've only had mine for a few months and there are numerous tweaks that I haven't taken the time to fiddle with yet.

I also had a custom cabinet made for it which works great.  Here's a pic:

I never thought of the live vs recorded aspect of it. I'd be running through an interface into Yamaha HS8s for the time being. It would mainly be used for recording.

It's perfect for recording.

I do believe I'll be pulling the trigger once I unload a couple of pieces on craigslist. Do you use the footswitch with yours?



 

No.  I don't have the footswitch.

I had one for a couple of weeks. Ya gotta be a tweaker to really get the goods. I'm not a tweaker. Back to my tube heads I went.

I agree I don't have time/patience for that but still a cool amp.

Get some good commercial profiles and you don't have to do much tweaking.  The ones I have sound great pretty much out of the "box."   Just some minor EQ adjustments for the most part.  It does help to read the manual for the unit though.  There is a lot in there that you might want to know for your particular situation.  Usually the default settings are good though, if you have a good profile to work with at the start.  

Of course that means forking out some additional dough instead of relying on the free user-submitted profiles or factory profiles (which really aren't that good).

Now having said all that, I won't be getting rid of my tube amps either.  It's just different.

Axe FX 2.

Well, I pulled the trigger and am digging the convenience so far. I work shift, so some of my "me" time is when others are still sleeping, so the lower volume is a plus. I may be selling a Triple Rec in the next couple of weeks, so I'll be sure to make a profile of it before I let it go. When I get a few days off, I'll try and profile some of my amps vs the factory and exchange profiles. As light and convenient as it is, I don't see a reason to return or sell it any time soon.

Congrats.  Did you get the toaster version or the rack version?

ETA:  make sure you update the firmware to the latest from the Kemper site.  Also, firmware v.4.0 is supposed to be coming out full release soon with new features and delay effects , etc.  The forums over at the Kemper site are helpful to answer questions you may have.

I liked the toaster. I have a desk with rack space, but I'd have to rearrange some stuff and frankly, I'm lazy.

Yeah, I think that today's modelers are very close and great tools. The Eleven Rack that I had was my favorite. I understood it and liked it. And it even felt a lot like a tube amp (when I ran it through my Rocktron Velocity 300 power amp, into a stereo 4X12). But at the end of the day, I still preferred my tube amps at the time (Bogner XTC Classic and VHT Pitbull UL).

At any rate, I  totally understand why so many people dig the Kemper and Fractal. I'm just not one of them. But typing all of this makes me think that I should pick up another cheap 11R just to have around for late nights. Granted, my little Roland Cube 80XL is pretty good for that stuff too.