My Kemper story

  • What my Kemper means to me.


    I've owned my Kemper since 2013.
    It was purchased second hand form a guy just outside of Guildford, he himself had only purchased it from 'Andertons Music' in Guildford two weeks earlier.
    I had sold my Fractal Audio AXE FX Ultra (which I loved), so I could purchase the Kemper.
    When I first heard the Kemper at the sellers house, it had an 8 string going through it and it sounded nasty. However, I had heard this unit before and knew how good it would sound.


    Got the Kemper home and reset it to how it would have originally been shipped like.


    Plugged in my Gibson Les Paul and played a single 'A' chord.
    Holy Sh1t! I thought!


    Since that day, Kemper have improved on the software, the interface & the overall quality, time and time again. Each time giving us musicians more control over the tones we aspire to.
    Unfortunately, I have one of the batch that has the LED issue and I'm sure there's a SPIDIF issue too. However, I love it, no matter what.


    My Kemper is the only thing that keeps me sane. In 1996 I had a car accident (I wasn't driving), where I chipped the base of my spine / pelvis. This caused issues for a good 6 - 7 years afterwards, but with hospital treatment, I slowly recovered.
    Unbeknownst to me, this had actually triggered an issue that would cause great effect to my life.
    In 2011, I began to experience severe backache and moments where I was unable to move. By late 2013, I was unable to work, as the pain at time would cause me to black out or vomit. In 2013 I was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis & Scoliosis. I was also told that the car accident I'd had in 1996 had damaged my 'shock absorbers' in my spine (L4, L5).
    I have now not worked since 2013. I have had to leave my band and sell my Mesa MK IV and two of my heavy guitars as I can't lift them anymore.
    I do get depressed, then I go into my studio and plug in my Kemper and play. Sure, a few LED's are faulty, but I don't care about that. I have been informed by the excellent customer service department at Kemper, that if I ship my unit to a repair facility in Germany, They will repair my unit, free of charge and ship it back to me. This will mean I am without my unit for a while, which is why I haven’t done this.
    My Kemper allows me to escape, play till my hearts content & makes me feel like I’m still in the music game.
    So really, this is a thank you.
    Thank you Kemper. Thank you to all of the awesome people on the Kemper forum.
    Thank you for all your hard work, commitment and understanding.
    Thank you Christoph. My thanks go to all the people who worked so hard to create such an amazing product. You've prevented my insanity. . . . . . . . Well, delayed it.


    Ray Lloyd


    Livewire Studio

  • This was very touching story @rpl16a - I understand that health problems can get you down. I also understand how music lights up a sparkle in you. We musicians enjoy and benefit from one more dimension of life. From music. I just can't imagine what would my life look like without feeling the music and enjoying expressing it with instruments.
    Take care Ray, all the best for you.

  • Thanks for sharing your personal story and I hope you mend well and quickly!!


    Rock On!! :thumbup:

    You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools
    But that's the way I like it baby
    I don't wanna live forever

  • Heartwarming story, Ray and welcome! I hope things improve for you. :)

    The key to everything is patience.
    You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
    -- Arnold H. Glasow


    If it doesn't produce results, don't do it.

    -- Me

  • Ray, that's a terrible story, not content-wise, but just imagining the bad stuff you've gone through makes me feel quite sad.


    Kind of crazy that the Kemper keeps your spirits up despite all that and in that regard, I've got to say that on the flip side, that's one of the best stories I've heard on these forums EVER!


    So which guitars did you keep, I'm curious to know about the keepers :)

  • Ray, that's a terrible story, not content-wise, but just imagining the bad stuff you've gone through makes me feel quite sad.


    Kind of crazy that the Kemper keeps your spirits up despite all that and in that regard, I've got to say that on the flip side, that's one of the best stories I've heard on these forums EVER!


    So which guitars did you keep, I'm curious to know about the keepers :)

    I've kept my Chapman ML2 (nice and light), my Squire Strat (it's a stonker, Squire Vibe neck and . . wait for it . . a 1996 USA Fender Deluxe Body - Dave Gilmour model. Can't believe mymlick there. The guy didn't know!), my 2016 Gibson USA Les Paul Studio, I've done a few mods on it. Replaced the robotuners (cuz they're shit) with Gibson Kluson deluxe tuners (ivory style tulips). Replaced the brass but with a Tusq nut and replaced the truss rod cover and the knobs. Great guitar. I also have my acoustic (Tanglewood Nashville III) & my Yamaha Bass. I also have a Rockwood Les Paul in my studio, but that's my partners.


    I have to get my partner to lift the guitars down from the wall for me, but I play every day.

    Pro Tools 2019, Logic X, Cubasis pro 10.5, Kemper unpowered toaster, Champman ML2, USA/UK Custom Fender Strat. Livewire Studio. :thumbup:


    Check out : http://www.livewirestudio.co.uk

  • A warmhearted welcome from me, Ray!


    I too suffer from long-term health challenges which have been far-reaching and devastating in their consequences, so my heart truly goes out to you, and I'm already "thinking positive thoughts" for you, mate. We're not the only ones, even here on the forum; we're not alone in our suffering, and I want you to know that.


    It's obvious to all I think that the Kemper must've been your best gear purchase ever; it certainly was for me! It's fantastic to hear that our beloved beastie has managed to help keep you "sane", a much-needed silver lining to your music story.


    Congratulations on 3 years of Kempering, and isn't it fantastic that the company has promised you the free repair and freight when you're "ready" to do without it for a few days? That's the tricky bit, isn't it? How the Hell are you going to find a window? LOL

  • the plan is to make enough money in my studio to buy an AXE FX XL II. So I won't have to be bored.then when I get my Kemper back. 2 lovely machines. Ahhhhh pipe dreams. You gotta have dreams, right?

    Pro Tools 2019, Logic X, Cubasis pro 10.5, Kemper unpowered toaster, Champman ML2, USA/UK Custom Fender Strat. Livewire Studio. :thumbup:


    Check out : http://www.livewirestudio.co.uk

  • You gotta have dreams, right?

    Without them, there is no hope, and without hope, well, I've spent huge portions of my life there and it ain't pretty. Few can survive extended periods without any hope IMHO; the ability to dig deeper than you ever thought possible time and again is paramount, hence my assertion.


    Good to see you're gonna be able to construct your own window for the Kemper repair, mate. Woohoo!


    Good luck, Ray.

  • the plan is to make enough money in my studio to buy an AXE FX XL II. So I won't have to be bored.then when I get my Kemper back. 2 lovely machines. Ahhhhh pipe dreams. You gotta have dreams, right?

    Sounds like a good strategy, I'm sure it will be more than a pipe dream not too far in the distant future.

    I've kept my Chapman ML2 (nice and light), my Squire Strat (it's a stonker, Squire Vibe neck and . . wait for it . . a 1996 USA Fender Deluxe Body - Dave Gilmour model. Can't believe mymlick there. The guy didn't know!), my 2016 Gibson USA Les Paul Studio, I've done a few mods on it. Replaced the robotuners (cuz they're shit) with Gibson Kluson deluxe tuners (ivory style tulips). Replaced the brass but with a Tusq nut and replaced the truss rod cover and the knobs. Great guitar. I also have my acoustic (Tanglewood Nashville III) & my Yamaha Bass. I also have a Rockwood Les Paul in my studio, but that's my partners.
    I have to get my partner to lift the guitars down from the wall for me, but I play every day.


    Wow, the Squire sounds like an interesting instrument, quite a score! And that's quite a lot of guitars, put up some pictures in the "Show us your guitar" thread!

  • Sounds like a good strategy, I'm sure it will be more than a pipe dream not too far in the distant future.

    Wow, the Squire sounds like an interesting instrument, quite a score! And that's quite a lot of guitars, put up some pictures in the "Show us your guitar" thread!

    Will do.

    Pro Tools 2019, Logic X, Cubasis pro 10.5, Kemper unpowered toaster, Champman ML2, USA/UK Custom Fender Strat. Livewire Studio. :thumbup:


    Check out : http://www.livewirestudio.co.uk