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FWIW I love my Kemper, and it coexists very nicely along with my amps.
Not at all, I'm sure there will be improvements but the sound/convenience/flexibility of my Helix has made my old valve amps and pedals obsolete. Sure they still sound good, but not as good IMO, and you add in all the additional benefits like direct recording and there are plenty of reasons to go digital.
Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
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Of course, personally for me I can afford neither a valve amp nor a Kemper. But I now dream of owning a Kemper, not a valve amp. Maybe in 5-10 years time, once the price has come right down.....
You have to look at a Kemper like a mobile phone or a car, not like a guitar or a painting.
The question is: "In the 5 years before it breaks/becomes obsolete will I get £1k worth of use out of it?"
It's not your 10 years, granted. But surely you have your amp serviced regularly? Valves replaced? Rebias? How much does that cost?
- Vox Tonelab SE - main gig rig now (got the TLSE because I was so pleased with the TLLE), bit big/heavy by modern standards but plugs straight into PA or amp and sounds good, easy to use on stage, easy/fast patch/stomp mode switching, built in volume & expression pedals, decent tuner, great range of amp tones & effects. Not perfect, but does what I need. Vox Tonelab LE (now a back-up) and ST - the latter is for fun when I just need something small, light, when I don't need lots of patches e.g. jamming with friends. Brilliant for covers where I need fast changing between different tones.
- Vox Valvetronix AD120VTX, DSM/valve hybrid amp - great versatile rig (esp with the AD212 extn cab and VC12 floor controller, and EQ/BBE Sonic stomp and Boosta Grande in FX loop) but too big and heavy (I have a bad back) hence the move to TLLE/TLSE. Unlikely to use for gigs but is main amp I use at home. Haven'y got heart to sell it - too good, & i wouldn't get much. Brilliant for covers.
- Conventional pedal board for use with 'straight' amps.
- Marshall Vavestate 8080 '80v' MkI. Great sounding, 2 channels, light, versatile 1 x 12" SS combo with an ECC83 in gain channel, and excellent Celestion G12T75 speaker. Very reliable, great back-up amp and sounds good on its own or with Tonelabs & conventional pedalboard
- Laney Cub 12R - speaker upgrade with Vintage 30, and revalved with JJ hand tested valves. Smashing little 1x12 combo, very eraunchy, loud, sounds great standalone, with Tonelabs or pedalboard. I use this for small club gigs and at home (has 15w and less than 1w input which is handy, and digital reverb is pretty good too).
- Laney VC30-210 plus GS112VE 1x12 extn cab. Lovely 'Class A' amp (OK, class A/B strictly) The 2 x 10" Jensen's give a different flavour 'vintage' tone that you don't get from 2x12 amps, & has very flexible speaker out options. Loud, lighter and smaller than 2x12 version, with acutronics spring reverb, 2 channels. very loud, ballsey amp with a character that's more Vox but with a bit of Marshall too. Was used for gigs/rehearsals but too loud for home use, and sadly doesn't get the use anymore.
- 2003 Marshall JCM2000 DSL401 1x12 combo. Two channel plus higher gain 'red button' option. 40w but loud as heck, spring reverb underwhelming, but typical 'Marshall' crunch. Used for gigging & band practice, mainly with conventional pedal-board, where I don't need lots of effects eg blues, classic rock rock stuff. I might upgrade the speaker next year.
- Finally, a little Vox Mini-3 - great fun, battery or mains, brilliant for jamming downstairs or taking to a friend for little jams. Weighs nothing, small speaker, but some decent sounds/effects for its size.
So, it's not that one piece of gear is 'better' than another, just that they each have their uses, and pro's & con's and I use them for different things - sometimes it can just depend on my 'mood' too. Also, the fact that my gear is older tech, it actually makes me better from the perspective of learning to get the best out of what I have and not being overly sensitive to nuances that mostly just get lost in the mix anyway. I've tried Line 6 HD500X, Boss GT100, and Zoom G5 - each had their pros/cons but even though these are no longer 'hip' pieces of gear I just kept coming back to my out of date Tonelabs that just work for me as gigging rigs.The amps too just suit me, and fit need/budget - I know there are some wonderful amps out there but as I've got older I'm actually pretty content to stick with what I have and I do try now not to get caught up in the 'grass is always greener' gas trap which can be costly, time-consuming, frustrating, and sometimes disapoointing.
Also I'm completely out of space in my little den anyway!
Your Kemper, much like a valve amp, will be just as good in 10 years time as it is now. (might actually be in better condition...)
The fact that you will be tempted by newer tech is not a bad thing, if it is... that is your own gas speaking!
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Helix/keeper/fractal stuff is genuinely excellent inspirational kit. No worries if not for you, but neither should it necessarily be dismissed out of hand.
Sell the lot and buy one with the proceeds
Question #2 - how much will you have spent servicing it?
Question #3 - do you seriously believe you'll still have the same amp in 10 years' time?
Question #4 - how much do you think commercially-available valves' cost and quality will change over the next 10 years?
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To be honest helix is good enough for me. Any sound quality gain here on out is going to be marginal.