Volitions Advocate
Senior member
- Messages
- 1,239
So I guess the one neat thing about putting your guitars in storage and covering your amp for 6 years is that when you come back to it there are so many new and amazing things for you to look at. I didn't know if I'd ever get the GAS to long for new toys, and in fact, in those years I acquired new hobbies that took all of my attention for a time. I literally sold 95% of my gear at pawn shop prices to buy my first pistol. I don't regret it, as those pedals weren't worth any more than that in the 2nd hand market anyway, and I never would have used them again, but there you have it.
I started another thread a couple months ago about my plan. I needed a smaller amp. I was going to get back into playing and I needed a solution that didn't involve a 100W head and a 4x12 cabinet (or 2, as the case was when I had stopped playing). I love my amp. but it doesn't sound good unless you crank it. I love my effects. I play with A LOT of them. I've also been a BOSS user almost exclusively, with a dunlop or a Digitech gadget thrown in here and there.
I was never a tube purist, and I never bothered much dealing with true bypass pedals and being a big tone snob, wanting an expensive P2P wired tube amp. but I did have taste, and I figured out what I liked. The foundation of which was a Tube amp and Transistor amp played in stereo. Tube for mids, and SS for scoop. Sounds like a brick wall. But I'm tired of lugging the gear, and playing loud enough for my amp to grind the way it's supposed to.
Now the problem is.. I don't know what my taste is anymore. It is kind of fun because I get to look at this new / old hobby through fresh eyes and drool at things all over again (like my 2 beautiful Warmoths who were terribly neglected for those few years).
If you read my other thread, I had decided to turn my tube head into a 2x12 combo with some sort of attenuator. Had to get the Rivera Rock Crusher to go with my rivera amp, but $$$$$. Decided instead to go with a full set of Yellowjackets, converting my EL34 amp into an EL84, cutting about 60% of the power in the process. They were pricey too, and didn't work the way I'd hoped. (they do great things to the tone and keep the volume from going past about 5.5 or 6 even when you crank it up to 9, but it's still just as loud as 5 or 6, which is hella loud)
Plan 2, if I had the money, woudl be to buy a Carvin V3M, because its a mean beast that sounds amazing. I also bought a Teal Stripe Peavey Bandit, which is an amp I LOVE, and had planned to convert my Crate 120W SS 2x12 combo by building it a new cabinet that wasn't broken, and swapping the crate design speakers out for some Tone Tubby 40/40s.
AAAALLL these plans and not knowing which ones I wanted to go through with on a limited budget.
Got into a conversation about it with a guy I used to talk to all the time at the local guitar shop (something I also didn't do for many years), and the bastard told me about the Kemper. I guess about 5 guys at the store have gone and bought them now, and they're all fanboys.
"But the Warmoth crowd says AxeFX is the way to go." I muse, which the Kemper fanboys shot down. I am currently in no position to be a fanboy of anything other than Warmoth.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Kemper, and on an intellectual level I can nerd out hardcore (working on my Masters in Music & Digital Audio). I understand the concept of convolution, maybe even better than most Kemper users. It makes sense to create an impulse response of a Rig rather than worry about all of your physical modelling algorithms. I think it's a smart new look at an old problem with technology that's been around for years. I would consider it the real future of Digital, for those of us who are not afraid to use digital.
The thing is, there really isn't anything WRONG with digital, Just in how we have been using it for decades. Rows of BOSS stomps just sucked our tone because every single pedale had an ADC/DAC conversion. Multi effects were better because that only happened once. ... I'm getting on a tangent now... I'm a fan of pontificating.
The point is... Despite the fact that it does not do all of the things I want. I believe I will be picking up a Kemper rackmount as soon as I am able.
I think the ultimate gear wet dream for me would be a Kemper paired with an Axe FX II, or a Helix, or an Elevenrack or something just for the extra effects.
I am also a Max/MSP user and would program all sorts of crazy things to add to my signal chain by racking a PC in with my kemper. Which would also give me all sorts of new control options that are entirely outside the realm of any of the big guitar and pro-audio gear companies we all throw money at.
So I'm looking at some ideas for what kind of effects unit I should go for to pair with the Kemper, assuming I decide I need it after actually playing with it for awhile. the Axe FX is a no go simply due to price after already spending that kind of money on the Kemper. What would be suitable? I don't care about modelling or anything, obviously, but what would work well? I hear the Elevenrack isn't huge on lots of effects, its more for modelling, but would be a good edition. Something from Rocktron? Line 6? Maybe even an old second hand Boss GT-Pro?
I also would need a good speaker to use. Powered speaker? Power amp + speaker? So many options. I have to admit, you guys had me confused with all this FRFR talk. When I finally figured out what the acronym meant I just thought: "oh... you mean a reference monitor?" (would have been so easy for me to understand
) I have a pair of KRK Rokit 5's that would work just fine, but not for jamming or performance. And I love the idea of some DIY speakers.
I already have an FC300 foot controller, so I'm all set there once I learn how to program all the MIDI. Here is something like what I see my rig becoming:
Line6 G55 wireless (half rack) > Kemper Stomps & Rigs> FX rack > Max/MSP > Kemper return (delay/reverb) > Poweramp/ PA> Speakers/ FRFR with a parallel chain for when it's needed. GK3 > Roland GI-20 > Max/MSP w/ VST instruments > Poweramp / PA
I can use my GT-10 > Peavey Bandit as a backup rig. It'll work.
It's too bad there are no VST or Stand alone applications that are any good for running a full software setup strictly on the PC, but all that I have tried are kinda garbage. So I guess I'm spending my money. Although much of this gives me ideas for my eventual PhD thesis. I guess I might have to dive deeply into the convolution stuff.
TL;DR. I'm totally buying a kemper and doing crazy things with it, then profling and selling my amps. It's a cool time to be alive and a guitar player.
I started another thread a couple months ago about my plan. I needed a smaller amp. I was going to get back into playing and I needed a solution that didn't involve a 100W head and a 4x12 cabinet (or 2, as the case was when I had stopped playing). I love my amp. but it doesn't sound good unless you crank it. I love my effects. I play with A LOT of them. I've also been a BOSS user almost exclusively, with a dunlop or a Digitech gadget thrown in here and there.
I was never a tube purist, and I never bothered much dealing with true bypass pedals and being a big tone snob, wanting an expensive P2P wired tube amp. but I did have taste, and I figured out what I liked. The foundation of which was a Tube amp and Transistor amp played in stereo. Tube for mids, and SS for scoop. Sounds like a brick wall. But I'm tired of lugging the gear, and playing loud enough for my amp to grind the way it's supposed to.
Now the problem is.. I don't know what my taste is anymore. It is kind of fun because I get to look at this new / old hobby through fresh eyes and drool at things all over again (like my 2 beautiful Warmoths who were terribly neglected for those few years).
If you read my other thread, I had decided to turn my tube head into a 2x12 combo with some sort of attenuator. Had to get the Rivera Rock Crusher to go with my rivera amp, but $$$$$. Decided instead to go with a full set of Yellowjackets, converting my EL34 amp into an EL84, cutting about 60% of the power in the process. They were pricey too, and didn't work the way I'd hoped. (they do great things to the tone and keep the volume from going past about 5.5 or 6 even when you crank it up to 9, but it's still just as loud as 5 or 6, which is hella loud)
Plan 2, if I had the money, woudl be to buy a Carvin V3M, because its a mean beast that sounds amazing. I also bought a Teal Stripe Peavey Bandit, which is an amp I LOVE, and had planned to convert my Crate 120W SS 2x12 combo by building it a new cabinet that wasn't broken, and swapping the crate design speakers out for some Tone Tubby 40/40s.
AAAALLL these plans and not knowing which ones I wanted to go through with on a limited budget.
Got into a conversation about it with a guy I used to talk to all the time at the local guitar shop (something I also didn't do for many years), and the bastard told me about the Kemper. I guess about 5 guys at the store have gone and bought them now, and they're all fanboys.
"But the Warmoth crowd says AxeFX is the way to go." I muse, which the Kemper fanboys shot down. I am currently in no position to be a fanboy of anything other than Warmoth.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Kemper, and on an intellectual level I can nerd out hardcore (working on my Masters in Music & Digital Audio). I understand the concept of convolution, maybe even better than most Kemper users. It makes sense to create an impulse response of a Rig rather than worry about all of your physical modelling algorithms. I think it's a smart new look at an old problem with technology that's been around for years. I would consider it the real future of Digital, for those of us who are not afraid to use digital.
The thing is, there really isn't anything WRONG with digital, Just in how we have been using it for decades. Rows of BOSS stomps just sucked our tone because every single pedale had an ADC/DAC conversion. Multi effects were better because that only happened once. ... I'm getting on a tangent now... I'm a fan of pontificating.
The point is... Despite the fact that it does not do all of the things I want. I believe I will be picking up a Kemper rackmount as soon as I am able.
I think the ultimate gear wet dream for me would be a Kemper paired with an Axe FX II, or a Helix, or an Elevenrack or something just for the extra effects.
I am also a Max/MSP user and would program all sorts of crazy things to add to my signal chain by racking a PC in with my kemper. Which would also give me all sorts of new control options that are entirely outside the realm of any of the big guitar and pro-audio gear companies we all throw money at.
So I'm looking at some ideas for what kind of effects unit I should go for to pair with the Kemper, assuming I decide I need it after actually playing with it for awhile. the Axe FX is a no go simply due to price after already spending that kind of money on the Kemper. What would be suitable? I don't care about modelling or anything, obviously, but what would work well? I hear the Elevenrack isn't huge on lots of effects, its more for modelling, but would be a good edition. Something from Rocktron? Line 6? Maybe even an old second hand Boss GT-Pro?
I also would need a good speaker to use. Powered speaker? Power amp + speaker? So many options. I have to admit, you guys had me confused with all this FRFR talk. When I finally figured out what the acronym meant I just thought: "oh... you mean a reference monitor?" (would have been so easy for me to understand
) I have a pair of KRK Rokit 5's that would work just fine, but not for jamming or performance. And I love the idea of some DIY speakers.I already have an FC300 foot controller, so I'm all set there once I learn how to program all the MIDI. Here is something like what I see my rig becoming:
Line6 G55 wireless (half rack) > Kemper Stomps & Rigs> FX rack > Max/MSP > Kemper return (delay/reverb) > Poweramp/ PA> Speakers/ FRFR with a parallel chain for when it's needed. GK3 > Roland GI-20 > Max/MSP w/ VST instruments > Poweramp / PA
I can use my GT-10 > Peavey Bandit as a backup rig. It'll work.
It's too bad there are no VST or Stand alone applications that are any good for running a full software setup strictly on the PC, but all that I have tried are kinda garbage. So I guess I'm spending my money. Although much of this gives me ideas for my eventual PhD thesis. I guess I might have to dive deeply into the convolution stuff.
TL;DR. I'm totally buying a kemper and doing crazy things with it, then profling and selling my amps. It's a cool time to be alive and a guitar player.
