I have not posted much on this forum, mainly because I have been a happy camper. I was reading a review of the new Axe-Fx lll in Guitarist magazine and it has got me thinking, partly because it is very expensive and partly because of the vast array of choices available to the user.
When I first got the Kemper I will admit that I went a bit mad trying out a large number of profiles. However, as I continued to use the Kemper I found that I was using fewer and fewer profiles. Perhaps this was because I was learning more about what I liked and what I didn't. I realised that whilst I liked overdrive I did not like some of the sounds emanating from the traditional drive boxes like Boogies etc., which I have to say was a surprise to me. I found myself using some Amp Factory crunch Lazy J profiles with a little drive from a compressor in the front and I had this Carlton like overdrive that kept the feel of the guitar - a 335 by the way. A little tweaking of the Amplifier settings and I have ended up with the kind of sound that I have found so difficult to get with an amp.
I am not a great one for efx - a compressor and some reverb are all I need. I cannot see how all the choice available in the new Axe-Fx lll would benefit me. I am not sure that many players use a vast array of sounds once they have discovered what suits them. I am not even bothered if the profile sounds like the actual amp as I have never played through a Lazy J. Actually I have found the Amp Factory 20 watt Victory amp similarly good + a number of low powered Britt Fender amps.
To be honest I would be lost without my Kemper. It does make me feel a bit protective when I see some of the comments online from the Axe-Fx brigade. At the end of the day it is not about whether the sound you get is exactly like the amp you have profiled but whether the sound fits your playing style.