HIWT Cu20 – Kemper Profile and Performance Pack

NOTE: This demo was made with the Helix patch, but the Kemper profiles and performance sound and function very similarly.

THE AMP

This pack includes profiles and performances of a HIWATT Custom 20 amplifier. 

The Custom 20 is a hand-wired 20-watt combo amplifier from HIWATT. It delivers the legendary HIWATT sound in a more compact and lower wattage package. It’s only 20 watts, but it can sound enormous. This amp shines for both clean tones and classic rock rhythm tones.

We mic’d the cab with a Royer 121 and Earthworks SR25 through a stereo Neve 1073 preamp.

The result is a perfect representation of this very special amp for the Kemper Profiler.

THE PROFILES

The profiles increase through the entire gain range of the amp for all channel options.

PERFORMANCES

This pack includes a fully featured performance, with options for both single coil and humbucker equipped guitars. We’ve used the Vibrato input profiles (our favorite) for the performance.

We’ve set up these performances to use all five slots and all four effects buttons of the Kemper Remote/Stage with morph functions in all slots. Here are the slots and associated effects:

SLOT 1: CLEAN-ISH

This is your clean tone, but we set it up so that it breaks up on the bridge pickup, as long as your pickup has moderate output. Here are the effects in the different slots:

1. EFFECTS 1: Tremolo (off by default)
2. EFFECTS 2: Pure Booster (off by default – gives you a bit of drive)
3. EFFECTS 3: Quarter Note Delay (off by default)
4. EFFECTS 4: Dotted 8th Note Delay (on by default)

MORPH: Morphing will increase the wetness of both the reverb and delays. The reverb goes into a big ambient verb sound, and the delays increase in both level and feedback.

PROFILE USED: HIWT Cu20 2

SLOT 2: DRIVE 1

This slot gives you two levels of overdrive. It’s default tone is a light to medium-light level of drive (depending on how hot your pickups are). Hit the boost, and you’ve got a bit more gain on tap. The overdrive in this slot is provided by the Kemper Drive effect.

1. EFFECTS 1: Tremolo (off by default)
2. EFFECTS 2: Pure Booster (off by default)
3. EFFECTS 3: 8th Note Delay (off by default)
4. EFFECTS 4: Dotted 8th Note Delay (on by default)

MORPH: Morphing will increase the wetness of both the reverb and delays. The reverb goes into a big ambient verb sound, and the delays increase in both level and feedback.

PROFILE USED: HIWT Cu20 2

SLOT 3: DRIVE 2

This slot gives you two more levels of overdrive, both louder than the biggest setting in ‘Drive 1’. It’s default sound is a big rhythm drive tone. You can add more gain with the boost on Effects 2.

1. EFFECTS 1: Tremolo (off by default)
2. EFFECTS 2: Pure Booster (off by default)
3. EFFECTS 3: 8th Note Delay (on by default)
4. EFFECTS 4: Dotted 8th Note Delay (off by default)

MORPH: Morphing will increase the wetness of both the reverb and delays. The reverb goes into a big ambient verb sound, and the delays increase in both level and feedback.

PROFILE USED: HIWT Cu20 3

SLOT 4: LEAD

For our Lead tone, we set up a big gain sound with a level boost above the biggest drive sound in ‘Drive 2’. You’re guitar will lift nicely in the mix. Here are the effects available via the effects buttons: 

1. EFFECTS 1: Analog Octaver (off by default) – this adds a subtle low octave that will add a lot of body to your leads.
2. EFFECTS 2: Pure Booster (off by default)
3. EFFECTS 3: Quarter Note Delay (on by default)
4. EFFECTS 4: Dual Delay – 8th and dotted 8th (on by default)

MORPH: Morphing will increase the wetness of both the reverb and delays. The reverb goes into a big ambient verb sound, and the delays increase in both level and feedback.

PROFILE USED: HIWT Cu20 3

SLOT 5: AMBI/SWELL

This slot can be used for volume swells or for super ambient playing (without swells). The delays and reverbs trail for a very long time – proceed with caution :).

1. EFFECTS 1: Tremolo (off by default).
2. EFFECTS 2: Pure Booster (off by default)
3. EFFECTS 3: Crystal Delay (on by default) – this delay creates an awesome Shimmer reverb sound.
4. EFFECTS 4: Dual Delay – 8th and dotted 8th (on by default)

MORPH: Morphing will increase the wetness of both the reverb and delays. The reverb morph adds more shimmer, and the delays increase in both level and feedback.

PROFILE USED: HIWT Cu20 2