Is now the right time to buy a Kemper?

The time was right for me. After doing massive research on all the similar alternatives, and seeing all the amazing you tube videos of the Kemper in use with major music moguls, I took delivery of mine 2 days ago. It is magic and an inspiration as well.

The ones answering do not know - and the ones who know will not answer ...

Anyway as you said - the Kemper is great as it is.

Quote from rackfiz

I'm not one to worry much for what the future brings, as I know I'd enjoy the product in the mean time regardless, but if it's possibly a month or so away, I'd be comfortable waiting.

It's one of those things that you just can't guarantee. I bought an Axe FX Ultra and shortly after the Axe FX II came out, that really stung. That being said, the Kemper is very much still a product in development and it's unlikely that a Kemper 2.0 would be released while the current one is unfinished so I reckon it will be a while until we see something new.

On a related note I only got my Kemper today and I really wish I hadn't waited so long.

Stop thinking about it, just go buy one...you won't regret it

I've owned many amps/gear over the years, the KPA is without a doubt the best gear purchase I've made in past 20+ years. I'm enjoying the tones, features, ease of use (especially for recording).

In my opinion, a new version is a long way away (probably years). They will work on new features, tweaks and improvements through firmware updates.

Besides that I'm not sure how much more the tone can be improved (if any). It sounds stellar to my ears. Keep in mind, the quality of the profiles (to a large degree) depends on the skills of the person profiling.

That's why I didn't go with an axe fx 2. It seems like they are coming out with a new version every year. I bought my kemper almost a year ago, and it seems as though the value went up according to the price increases on some sites

Like others have stated, we can't be sure. But I'd go for it, Kemper's commercial policy (among other things, luckily) seems quite different from Fractal's.

One of the best things IMO is that software updates don't change the way your old profiles sound, if not for small parameters settings which are announced so users can make their decision.

The great thing about the KPA is - the basic sound engine is finished - some more features and effects may come - but the basic sound is great.

The AxeFx one the other side is constantly getting closer to 100% accuracy - there is the disadvantage of the need to retweak a lot from firmware to firmware.

Both are great machines - if you need all the effects NOW - get an AxeFx - if you can wait for some additional effects and get the best 'tube amp simulation on the planet' get a KPA.

On my first full day working with the Kemper I came across an amazing EVH patch. It inspired me to learn a Van Halen tune Ive wanted to know for many years. In the process of learning it, I finally figured out how to pinched octaves. Like I said, a truly inspirational experience.

I think we won't see a Kemper2 for a long time.
I would not hesitate to buy right now.

Quote from Ingolf

I think we won't see a Kemper2 for a long time.
I would not hesitate to buy right now.

We don't have an official Kemper footboard as of yet for this series. I don't see them making a new unit for quite some time. They can't keep them in stock as it is. The quality of tone is simply amazing. How much better than perfect can you get?

Quote from rackfiz

Hi all,
New to this forum, I've been planning the purchase of a Kemper rack for a while now and should be making the decision shortly.
But, in knowing how long they've been available, two years or so now, I started to think... is now the right time?
That is, have there been any rumors of a Kemper 2.0 release pending? Or anything in the works?
I'm not one to worry much for what the future brings, as I know I'd enjoy the product in the mean time regardless, but if it's possibly a month or so away, I'd be comfortable waiting.
Thanks for the information!

I'm sure that even when there will be a new kemper sometime several years from now with some new features it will still be back compatible and can play the exact same sounds from the profiles we users have created today. They designed their Access Virus series with longevity in mind. The first generation of the virus sythesizer is from 1997. Even the old models still get firmware updates and can be serviced. I don't know another product in this category that is so future proof. That is a big difference compared to Line6, Axe fx, Boss gear etc that drop the support for older products when a new model is released.

Here is good info about the kempers long planned lifespan.
Why the Kemper is really future proof for at least the next 15 years

Quote from C.Kemper.
"We have no plans or ideas to improve the core sound engine of the profiler in terms of getting closer to something.
If we ever applied changes to that in the future, we will still make existing profiles and rigs sound the same.

My plan is to let your profiles and rigs sound the same in 15 years, as
you have created it today. No matter what hardware, software or firmware
you run it on. Of course there will be improvements and paradigm
shifts. But no technical innovation can algorithmically improve the
sounds that you have created by 20% or whatsoever. If there is an
innovation, you will have to add it to your sound by hand and in
purpose."

I doubt there will be anything new for another year or two, but I'm also absolutely sure that Kemper team are busy working on new stuff including the Kemper 2 (or maybe it'll be Kemper 3 or 4 if you include the rack and power versions as new versions). I just don't see the point in worrying about this. It's inevitable, the competition are also busy working on their next versions and somewhere someone is working on the thing that'll de-seat the Kemper from it's throne. This is the price of modern living and the ever accelerating development of technology.

The issue is how productive do you want to be. Waiting for the latest greatest is a mugs game. You could end up waiting forever and never getting anything done at all or you can get what's out there currently, have all this time to work with it and be productive, maybe even earn back what it cost you and be laughing and ready to update to whatever comes next.

Even if Kemper released a new product a month after you purchased would it really affect you? What you had would still be as valuable to you on that day as today in terms of enabling you to work or make those tones. Not to mention new products are hardly known for being stable or feature complete right off the bat, so you'd still need to wait for anything new to be really useable. Hell it's not as if the Kemper itself is complete even after two years, Undo/Redo still haven't been implemented and there's no sign of the footswitch, buying into cutting edge technology doesn't always pay off.

Deal with things as they are now, make your buying decisions based on that and not what might happen at an unknown point in the future.

Do you own a car? Why? Every year, they'll replace it with a brand new version.

You've heard from a more reliable source than I thought you would - no need to be concerned about a newer model 'for a long time'.

My Kemper sounds and feels just like my Marshall Jubilee. I can push a button and it sounds and feels just like my old Deluxe Reverb. Or, it can sound and feel like amps I've never owned.

This thing sounds and feels like the amps that were profiled. It has enough memory to store hundreds of profiles. It comes with 400+ factory rigs. there are another 4000+ on the free Rig Exchange. And, there are thousands of commercial profiles, too.

Get one, enjoy it. Someday, if there is a Kemper II, so what? Mine sounds and feels like the original amps, at the profiled settings. Not "almost" like them. A newer version will not sound and feel MORE like the original amps to me.

Or, continue to use whatever gear you have now - the gear that makes you feel like you want something else:)

In all seriousness, buy a Kemper from a store with a liberal return policy. If you can't find sounds in it as good, or better, than what you hear on commercially released CDs, send it back.

This is kind of complicated.

There already is a Kemper 2, it's the Kemper 1 with a built in Amplifier...so let's call it the Kemper H2A.
There's also a Kemper 3, it's the Kemper non powered Rack, which we can call the Kemper 3R....so I guess we'll have to call the Kemper Power Rack the Kemper R3A.

I don't think we'll see a Kemper 4 for a very long time, there's no need.

I haven't been able to play my Kemper for a week or so, it's been on loan to a studio.
Last night I downloaded the Bjorn Gottfridsson Mesa Profiles and plugged in a Tele.
C'mon, you can't be serious, I didn't touch a control on the Kemper, not one tweak and the tones were just glorious...ended up going to sleep at 3am...the Kemper is bad for your health, there should be a surgeon general health risk warning on the box.

Quote from Ingolf

I think we won't see a Kemper2 for a long time.
I would not hesitate to buy right now.

I hope you are right... but I heard this before with the rack version... bought the toaster and 2 months later the rack version comes out !.... love my toaster though !!

Well, this is a different matter tho!
IIRC Eng. Kemper had never said he would never make a rack version, he initially said it was not planned, and later it was not a priority. Smart from them to respond to market's demand, of course.
OTOH, the market barely demands for a new Profiler (if not for things like an audio interface facility (which is not going to happen) and digital slaving, and some weird things like a metronome or a coffee machine ), plus Eng. Kemper stated there will not be a Mark II.

Why give up so many years of sonic nirvana waiting for Godot?

Best gear purchase I've ever made, and I did it twice. I had two of them and sold them when I retired, foolishly thinking I really couldn't afford such high-end gear when not working. A few months later I bought again. No single amp has ever provided the same level of satisfaction. I say, go for it and don't look back!

I've only had mine a couple of weeks and went through the same internal debate over whether to drop what is a sizeable chunk of change on yet more studio gear.

All I can say is I wish I had invested in the Kemper long before some of my other less worth while purchases. If some new incartion should come along in a year or so, great I'll buy that too I guess but I wouldn't be without version 1 for even a week now I have it.

This:

Quote from Armin

Both are great machines - if you need all the effects NOW - get an AxeFx - if you can wait for some additional effects and get the best 'tube amp simulation on the planet' get a KPA.

... check well: if you need ALL the possible effects NOW, because already kemper have a lot of great effects build in.

And for the timing, go without problem for the actual version of the Kemper, they will support it for a long time even when Kemper II will coming out. Noone of us knows but it is reasonable that they will dedicate much effort now to close on the actual Kemper all the Library managing and all the Pedal Board stuff, after they will see...