Hi All! How I got here (warning: long story)

    Hello,

    New Kemper stage user here.

    Well, I'm an hobby guitarist (almost 40 yo) that got back to playing guitar two years ago, after 15 years without touching a guitar :)

    I like to hear and play mostly heavy and prog stuff. Dream Theater of course (it's a problem to be a beginner-intermediate player when petrucci is your god), lately Soen (lotus album is great) and of course classic rock and 90's rock and guitar heroes from this period.

    In the last two years I've bought and sold a lot of gear (amps, pedals, guitars and what not) chasing tones for mainly Petrucci, but also Gary moore, SRV and others.

    This journey was long and even now with my Mark V 25, Mesa oversized 2x12, Music Man Majesty and many expensive pedals I haven't reached exactly what I was looking for. Maybe because I play at low volumes at home..

    The sound I got to is Ok, but it took me a long time and being a hobby guitarist with not much time in my hands (maybe a couple of hours weekly) I spent too much time researching and dialing tones that I could invest in improving my playing. But what can I do. Tone is very important to me . I don't have enough time to play with dialing in tones and settings, so what's the solution?


    A week ago I saw Kemper stage videos on YouTube and it hit me - that's what I need.

    I hardly play at the moment plugged in (kids are at home, covid-19 blabla) so being able to connect the Kemper stage to my computer and also record some music also lead me to it.

    Researching and watching more profile demos convinced me even more.

    I read some stuff about the profiler sounds like mixed guitars and not amp in the room, but I'm not a guitarist that spent years in rehearsing and performances, so maybe what I always looked for WAS that mixed sound?

    I got my Kemper stage on Sunday, played with it for a couple of days (I'm Techy.. so no problem), bought a paid JP2C rigs pack and i was AMAZED.

    All Petrucci tones that took me so long to get close to were there, sounds better (at low volumes, with headphones, etc'), and so easy to achieve!

    I really dig it right now even with my 5' KRKs (and sub) and on the headphones. I'm sure (and hope) it will be even better in the future when I'll get a good FRFR.

    So the Kemper journey is starting.. Not selling my tube amp and gear yet, but we'll see where will it go...

    I'll probably have many questions soon :) Happy to be here and see the great community.

    Edited 2 times, last by Zenmaster (May 6, 2020 at 11:36 PM).

    Hi, welcome, have fun here in the forum and with your Kemper. Sounds like the fun already started, very good. Thanks for sharing your story and happy to hear that you are so amazed by the machine. It's such an inspiration with all its power and magic - given the right profiles are in :thumbup:8)

    Zen, I think you hit the nail on the head when you guessed that maybe the recorded tones have been what you've been chasing all these years and that the amp-in-the-room sounds you were getting were never as close as the Kemper because... they were amp-in-the-room.

    All those bands and guitarists you listened to, including Dream Theater, provided you with recorded-and-mixed tones, which are very-different from the amp-in-the-room equivalents, which, let's face it, only guitarists listening to their rigs at home and in-rehearsal hear, along with their bandmates. These are not the sounds that "sell records".

    The fact that you managed to jump into something closer to what you've been after straight-away suggests to me that you've not only made the right decision, but that it'll just be a matter of refinement and chasing that last few percent from here on in. Well done, man!

    Welcome to the forum and the world of Kemper, mate. ;)

    Welcome and enjoy your musical journey with the Kemper.
    As with any road, it's got some great straightaways, captivating mountain switchbacks, and a few potholes.

    Wouldn't have it any other way...

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