Which tube amp(s) do you still keep and use - and why? - Kemper Profiler Forum (2024)

After getting the KPA I sold all other modeling gear - and some tube amps - but still own a few amps - and love them.

How about you?

Quote from Armin

After getting the KPA I sold all other modeling gear - and some tube amps - but still own a few amps - and love them.

How about you?

I currently have : Marshall JVM410HJS, Marshall JTM45, Road King II, Mesa Boogie Mark V, Tube Meister 36, Orange Jim Root No 4, DV Mark Triple 6 and a few others such as a Berman 501 from 1978.

Its a fact that Kemper is a great and unique instrument... but... those tube amps (at least for me with the Kemper and the amp in the same room) firstly feel slightly different when playing them (especially the MK V which is a world apart and much better I think) compared to the Kemper and I still feel that the tube amps win in tone and feel in real life next to the Kemper. So I won't be selling any soon.

I do sometimes sell the odd amp but not really because the sound is the same as the Kemper profile. I just need space LOL.

I also have a couple of other pieces of silicon based products that I will also keep as they have their own advantages in other ways. I do think that turning on a tube amp, setting up a tone (no time at all) and playing is for the most part a more enjoyable experience than twiddling knobs all day. But that's just n opinion and it IS subjective.

I did in fact sell the 'handbag' a while ago (had it since Jan 12) and updated (?) to a rack unpowered so I still think there's a need for the Kemper for me or I would have sold that instead LOL.

Actually it might be interesting to know how many guys sold their Kemper amps? I guess its the same question in reverse.

Nothing here is intended to devalue the Kemper amp in any way, everyone will have their own opinion.

I keep my Marshall 6100 blue edition stack and my Vox AC 30 mainly for sentimental reasons.
I play them rarely but I sometimes look at them when I play the Kemper.

Oh wait: I have written this before, and the question was posed before...

'64 Blackface Princeton Reverb and a Germino Classic 45.

These actually belong to a friend, although he lets me keep them here. But I find I don't really play them very often.

You guys should get them tube amps out, dust em off turn on, turn up play, stop and smile LOL

It might even make you buy another

I still use my small combo amps for band use.
The other's are for the fun to play an amp next to me and as reference sounds.

Combo's
========

Fender Blues Junior Limited
(My blues amp - band use)

Koch Studiotone
(Great amp for all kinds of music - band use)

57' Fender Deluxe
(Killer Fender Deluxe)

Head's
=======

Marshall JVM 410H
(So many Marshall sounds in one box)

Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier
(Replaced my Lonestar Special & MK V and is a great Rectifier)

Bogner Goldfinger 45
(A dream machine - best Plexi at lower volumes, great 800'er sound and much more)

Fuchs Black Jack 21 MK II
(My D-Syle amp)

Once I got the Kemper, my plan was to sell off all of the amps and cabinets that I had but was not in love with. There was one exception that I'll discuss later.

I plan to keep my favorite tube amps because they are quite different from Kemper profiles when it comes to tweaking them. While the Kemper is great at capturing an amp at a given setting, it doesn't provide the same experience when tweaking gain & EQ. It's not bad, just different. So I like to keep my favorite tube amps around for those times I am recording and looking to dial in a sound for a certain song. Once I've found it, I profile it into the Kemper for safe (and portable) keeping.

I then love to use the Kemper profiles of my amps for live performances. It's much lighter, delivers consistent great sound, and it affords me access to the exact sound I used on my recordings, no matter how varied.

So the Kemper serves two main purposes for me. Capturing the sounds that are in my recordings, and allow me to use them live quite easily. The bonus purpose is allowing me to try out countless amplifiers without great expense! If I find a profile that completely blows me away, I can then hunt down one of the real amps for myself.

Back to the tube amps I've kept so far. One is my Egnater M4 Modular Preamp. The thing sounds great, and being modular, grants me access to a lot of different pre-amps at a relatively low cost (it can use Randall modules too). I've also kep the Mesa/Boogie 50/50 power amp that I have paired with the Egnater M4. Lastly, I have a Johnson JM-250 Head. Yeah, I know it's a digital modeling amp that happens to have a tube circuit in the pre-amp stage, but it still counts as a tube amp to me. All the factory presets sound like crap to me. I don't care for most of the higher gain models, but some of the lower gain and clean stuff is quite nice. But my favorite models are not those of other brands of amps, but those that Johnson crafted themselves. The "Johnson" models in this amp sound really good, and like nothing else. As I mentioned before, I let go of the JM-150, but only because I had the JM-250.

Hi there

sold my Bogner, Fender Blues Jr., HK Tubemeister, Egnater Tweaker, Ibanez TSA15 etc..

Kept my Mesa Boogie and use it now with an A/B box with the Kemper. Still would say that the sound and feeling can be a bit better with the MB.

Surprise for me was the Scuffham S-Gear that sounds really like a collection of boutique amps. The price is below 100 Euro. It definitely has the same "quality" and feel as the Kemper. Blows me away. THe new Fender / Boogie model they have is sooo close in every aspect ...

Cheers
Sacapuntas

Check the recently launched single with my 14 year old daughter (all sounds by Kemper). Look for Alexandra Sacapuntas in itunes or Amazon ...

This one I built myself:

Basically a JTM45 and JCM800 in one amp only using the best components. Should do some profiles of that beast

Quote from Armin

After getting the KPA I sold all other modeling gear - and some tube amps - but still own a few amps - and love them.

How about you?

Quote from AxeMan2U

I plan to keep my favorite tube amps because they are quite different from Kemper profiles when it comes to tweaking them. While the Kemper is great at capturing an amp at a given setting, it doesn't provide the same experience when tweaking gain & EQ. It's not bad, just different. So I like to keep my favorite tube amps around for those times I am recording and looking to dial in a sound for a certain song. Once I've found it, I profile it into the Kemper for safe (and portable) keeping.

This pretty much sums up my response.

I'm not willing to bet my amps (I only have a couple, but I like them for what they are) on having captured enough different settings with enough different mics and mic positions.

For me, the Kemper is just another tool. I still have other modelers (none of which can profile, although they do have some attributes that the Kemper can't match), some amps and some pedalboards.

One reason to hang onto a "traditional" rig is for the ability to get in and change settings on-the-fly without diving through menus and modes. One knob : one function. I don't mind presets, but sometimes I want to be more spontaneous.

Quote from mDan

This one I built myself:

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Basically a JTM45 and JCM800 in one amp only using the best components. Should do some profiles of that beast

Looks and sounds great!

I'll keep my Matchless HC30 w/cab and small collection of nice pedals. Just to pull it out now and then, and show it to new generations when I get older

Also have a JTM45 and Peavey Classic 30 combo. The JTM will go, but the combo is nice to have for simple local gigs.