KSR Ceres - 3 Channel Preamp Pedal

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0rimus

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Okay, so the clean channel on the Ceres is probably my second favorite clean tone I've ever gotten, only beaten by the Roland Jazz Chorus I used to own. Super blown away.

I was worried without any kind of midrange control I wouldn't be able to get a tone I liked. But that's not the case.

Not a super bright clean. With the tone knob dimed it can get a bit chimey but not to say, Vox levels. Does better with warm mellow cleans.

Distortion channels I need more time to weigh in on. All indications are very very good though.

My main 7 is under the knife for a pickup swap and trem upgrades :(

So I've been using my rg9 instead hahaha
 

johnnydeformed

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Okay, so the clean channel on the Ceres is probably my second favorite clean tone I've ever gotten, only beaten by the Roland Jazz Chorus I used to own. Super blown away.

I was worried without any kind of midrange control I wouldn't be able to get a tone I liked. But that's not the case.

Not a super bright clean. With the tone knob dimed it can get a bit chimey but not to say, Vox levels. Does better with warm mellow cleans.

Distortion channels I need more time to weigh in on. All indications are very very good though.

My main 7 is under the knife for a pickup swap and trem upgrades :(

So I've been using my rg9 instead hahaha

Thanks for the info! I was actually more worried about the clean channel than the gain channels as I use clean quite often. It’s good to hear you’re liking it.

Are you using an EQ pedal with it?
 

0rimus

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Yeah, I swapped my 10 band for 7 band mini style EQ, but still a staple. Haven't tried boosting it yet but I might soon. Running the bass at 0 and mids at max it's hyper tight, even with a 9 string.

But it might be good/better/different to use less extreme settings with boost.

Try running the 33 and Savage boost into it on the weekend once I solder up my 7 string

Maybe slam it with sum hm-2 and fuzz... Because, ya know, why the hell not?
 

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grrr_me_scary

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I have known Kyle for around 5 or 6 years now and I have owned most of his amps at one time or I was able to play through them long enough at home to have a good feel for them and all of their cool tweaking options.

This year I had heard the Ceres at NAMM but I really couldn't hear it very well since that place just gets too loud and drowns most things out (I try to get there early on Thursdays and Sundays to hear things properly).

I did get to try it and I thought it sounded good, but again, with the NAMM noise I really couldn't say if I would want one since I am not a pedal person and I currently had his Artemis II amp.

This situation just changed for me.

Last week, I sold my KSR Artemis II in order to get a custom "stereo" version made of the Artemis with "extras" on it.

However, right after I sold it then Kyle said a custom amp probably wouldn't happen for a long time since he is focusing on the pedals right now and his current amp line up.

This changed things for me.

I decided to give the Ceres a try based upon Fluff's videos and a need to lay some guitar tracks in the studio with something different than my JMP-1 and Mesa amp.

I took a BIG chance on the Ceres because I am NOT a pedal person and I love tube amps and preamps.

I received the Ceres pedal on Saturday (shipping was quick from Kyle's to California, like 2 days), opened it on Sunday night, and tried it out.

Holy Smokes Batman!!!

It sounded great going guitar > Mesa 2:90 power amp > two Mesa V30 1x12 cabs

It sounded amazing going guitar > Marshall EL34 50/50 power amp > two Mesa V30 1x12 cabs

It sounded even better going guitar > Axe FX XL + (for effects) with the Ceres in the XL + effects loop > Marshall EL34 50/50 > two Mesa V30 1x12 cabs

And my favorite way is guitar > XL+ with Ceres in effects loop with the cab simulator "on" AND an OwnHammer Mesa IR 4x12 cab using my headphones :)

It sounded BRUTAL when the gain was turned up and it didn't sound harsh at all to my ears like when you turn the gain up on some/most high gain amps, and I didn't feel I needed a noise gate in any of the set ups mentioned above, and I definitely didn't feel I needed a boost.

I like to play clean to low gain through medium/heavy gain (depending upon the song/style) and the Ceres didn't disappoint at any gain level or not work for any of the many styles that my band plays these days.

You can hear all of your guitar notes very clearly :)

I was able to really dial in the clean to my specific tastes with a graphic equalizer on the XL+ (I feel it helps just like it did with any of my tube amps or preamps).

Honestly, I fell in love with the Ceres, definitely no regrets, and I decided NOT to get the custom "stereo" version of the Artemis since I can use the Ceres and another preamp like my JMP-1 and get a dry/wet/blending thing going with my Axe FX XL+ and my Marshall EL34 50/50 and any of my Mesa cabs (the 1x12's or the 4x12's).

I purchased this for my birthday present to myself and I feel it was the BEST birthday present I ever received and I look forward to coming home from work and playing on it :)

In any of my setups stated above, I found this to be something I will definitely keep as part of my live and recording setup, and as I said above, I am NOT a pedal person.

Also, this was me on Sunday night after I stopped playing on the Ceres:
No Sleep.png
 
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johnnydeformed

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I have known Kyle for around 5 or 6 years now and I have owned most of his amps at one time or I was able to play through them long enough at home to have a good feel for them and all of their cool tweaking options.

This year I had heard the Ceres at NAMM but I really couldn't hear it very well since that place just gets too loud and drowns most things out (I try to get there early on Thursdays and Sundays to hear things properly).

I did get to try it and I thought it sounded good, but again, with the NAMM noise I really couldn't say if I would want one since I am not a pedal person and I currently had his Artemis II amp.

This situation just changed for me.

Last week, I sold my KSR Artemis II in order to get a custom "stereo" version made of the Artemis with "extras" on it.

However, right after I sold it then Kyle said a custom amp probably wouldn't happen for a long time since he is focusing on the pedals right now and his current amp line up.

This changed things for me.

I decided to give the Ceres a try based upon Fluff's videos and a need to lay some guitar tracks in the studio with something different than my JMP-1 and Mesa amp.

I took a BIG chance on the Ceres because I am NOT a pedal person and I love tube amps and preamps.

I received the Ceres pedal on Saturday (shipping was quick from Kyle's to California, like 2 days), opened it on Sunday night, and tried it out.

Holy Smokes Batman!!!

It sounded great going guitar > Mesa 2:90 power amp > two Mesa V30 1x12 cabs

It sounded amazing going guitar > Marshall EL34 50/50 power amp > two Mesa V30 1x12 cabs

It sounded even better going guitar > Axe FX XL + (for effects) with the Ceres in the XL + effects loop > Marshall EL34 50/50 > two Mesa V30 1x12 cabs

And my favorite way is guitar > XL+ with Ceres in effects loop with the cab simulator "on" AND an OwnHammer Mesa IR 4x12 cab using my headphones :)

It sounded BRUTAL when the gain was turned up and it didn't sound harsh at all to my ears like when you turn the gain up on some/most high gain amps, and I didn't feel I needed a noise gate in any of the set ups mentioned above, and I definitely didn't feel I needed a boost.

I like to play clean to low gain through medium/heavy gain (depending upon the song/style) and the Ceres didn't disappoint at any gain level or not work for any of the many styles that my band plays these days.

You can hear all of your guitar notes very clearly :)

I was able to really dial in the clean to my specific tastes with a graphic equalizer on the XL+ (I feel it helps just like it did with any of my tube amps or preamps).

Honestly, I fell in love with the Ceres, definitely no regrets, and I decided NOT to get the custom "stereo" version of the Artemis since I can use the Ceres and another preamp like my JMP-1 and get a dry/wet/blending thing going with my Axe FX XL+ and my Marshall EL34 50/50 and any of my Mesa cabs (the 1x12's or the 4x12's).

I purchased this for my birthday present to myself and I feel it was the BEST birthday present I ever received and I look forward to coming home from work and playing on it :)

In any of my setups stated above, I found this to be something I will definitely keep as part of my live and recording setup, and as I said above, I am NOT a pedal person.

Also, this was me on Sunday night after I stopped playing on the Ceres:
View attachment 68455

That’s an awesome story. Thank you so much for the review. I too bought the Ceres as a birthday present to myself and I can’t wait to get it!!
 

mnemonic

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Please stop it. (Can)t afford it.

You and me both.

I didn’t care much at first but some of these clips and reviews are getting to me.

Anyone who has a KSR amp compared to see how well it captures the sound of those amps?
 

MrWulf

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I think i will swap out my 805 and put in an EQ pedal. As much as i love it it is fucking useless in the pedal board when the Ceres by itself is already tight and gainy enough. Any recommendation? My pedalboard is quite tight so i can only fit something as big as the 805
 

grrr_me_scary

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That’s an awesome story. Thank you so much for the review. I too bought the Ceres as a birthday present to myself and I can’t wait to get it!!

Happy Belated Birthday!!! And I am sure you will feel the Ceres rocks!!!

Please stop it. (Can)t afford it.

Honestly, I am glad the Ceres sounds and feels so good because it saved me a LOT of money!!!

I don't regret selling my Artemis II now since I can get similar tones/feel with the Ceres at a fraction of the cost and it takes up less space :)

You and me both.

I didn’t care much at first but some of these clips and reviews are getting to me.

Anyone who has a KSR amp compared to see how well it captures the sound of those amps?

It really does get that KSR amp sound/tone/response and I think I might actually like it a little more than my Artemis II that I just sold but it might be in part to playing it through my Marshall EL34 50/50 that I had modded to take different power tubes (I have EL34's on the left side and 6L6's on the right side).

This gives me the best of both power tube worlds :)

There are two switches on the pedal, one for bypass, and the other for switching between the two gain channels (I don't like to call them rhythm and lead since either one can be dialed in to accommodate rhythm or lead).

The bypass can be set to switch you between the clean or one of the other two gain channels (you use the other one to switch between the two gain channels (you can switch between them before switching out of the clean channel)).

There is another switching option on the pedal that allows you to connect it up to a device that will switch everything for you (I don't know much about that option yet but it is on my To-Do list once I have decided where I will place the pedal on my rack setup).

I really do look forward to coming home and playing on the Ceres :)

I think i will swap out my 805 and put in an EQ pedal. As much as i love it it is fucking useless in the pedal board when the Ceres by itself is already tight and gainy enough. Any recommendation? My pedalboard is quite tight so i can only fit something as big as the 805

I didn't feel it needed an eq for the gain channels but after applying a graphic equalizer from my XL+ then I found it definitely helped me to tailor the clean channel to my own personal tastes :)

I think it could help though to tailor the gain channels to your specific guitar and amp, it's not needed, but it does help to add another dynamic/dimension to this amazing pedal and tone :)

I can switch the eq block on and off in my XL+ but I might see what kind of tones I can dial in by setting up a separate eq on my XL+ then applying it to each of the gain channels.

Again, it's not needed, but it can help to tailor it to a certain tone/feel or a different one, which just adds more options/possibilities.

To save on room and expense, I believe one of those smaller eq pedals out there would be fine for the clean (and I really don't believe it would be needed for the gain channels).
 
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dewberry

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The only thing that keeps me going is seeing updates on this post or in youtube. Can someone put me in cryosleep or coma ? This waiting is killing me. I hope the Easter bunny will send me an Easter mail that my pedal is ready lol!
 

johnnydeformed

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The only thing that keeps me going is seeing updates on this post or in youtube. Can someone put me in cryosleep or coma ? This waiting is killing me. I hope the Easter bunny will send me an Easter mail that my pedal is ready lol!

I’m the same. Checking websites, threads, clips daily. A couple of weeks ago Kyle said he thought they’d have mine out by early this week. Hopefully, that holds but if not I’ll keep living vicariously through this thread and YouTube clips.
 

DickyTripleD

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I’m the same. Checking websites, threads, clips daily. A couple of weeks ago Kyle said he thought they’d have mine out by early this week. Hopefully, that holds but if not I’ll keep living vicariously through this thread and YouTube clips.

I know it'll be longer for those of us going for the custom ones, but I'm stupid and impatient.
 

Bearitone

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I want to see one in a bright neon yellow/green with black knobs and text
 

dewberry

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I know it'll be longer for those of us going for the custom ones, but I'm stupid and impatient.
I hope one of those custom color is ours.

3BwbBjEl.jpg
 
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