Mini Kemper stage, can you make it?

  • Hello dear Kemper engineers! Can you make Kemper stage size and weight like Quad Cortex ?

    I like Kemper sound much more, i thing its the best digital guitar sound, but its very hard weight аnd size. Can you make size , that i can put it in my guitar bag??? May be i can pay for that?? I thing that all of Kemper users thinking about it...! Why you make it so big?...

  • They already make one much smaller. See here...


    https://www.sweetwater.com/sto…gle&utm_medium=organicpla


    • Compact multi-effects processor
    • 86 stompbox effects
    • Effects include chorus, reverb, delay, tremolo, flanger, and more
    • Large LCD screen
    • 30 preset patches and 50 used patches
    • Stereo in and out
    • Great for guitar, keyboard, bass, pedal steel, and more
    • Built-in chromatic tuner

    And I don't think about it. ;)

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • They already make one much smaller. See here...


    https://www.sweetwater.com/sto…gle&utm_medium=organicpla


    • Compact multi-effects processor
    • 86 stompbox effects
    • Effects include chorus, reverb, delay, tremolo, flanger, and more
    • Large LCD screen
    • 30 preset patches and 50 used patches
    • Stereo in and out
    • Great for guitar, keyboard, bass, pedal steel, and more
    • Built-in chromatic tuner

    And I don't think about it. ;)

    And a guitar that goes with it

    https://www.amazon.com/EVH-Min…id=1643417426&sr=8-8&th=1

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • Hey guys, i thing that you are not concert musicians! So, if you play only at your house on the couch , you dont understand me. I have been using Kemper since 2014, Im professional concert musician and Im understand , what im writing here and its not funny at all!

    Have a good day!

    Edited 2 times, last by Rik ().

  • There have been numerous requests for something smaller and I respectfully understand the benefits and desires to have such a thing.


    There never seems to be any suggestion that this is being considered though, and again I understand why.


    If Kemper brought out a smaller version, what would it be priced at? Because when you pay £1200 for a Kemper Floor, it didn't cost anywhere near that to build. You're not paying for the cost of the components plus labour. Making it smaller and maybe losing the ability to profile would use slightly less components, a few footswitches and XLR sockets less but it would need extra investment in a product line and infrastructure. It would also possible lead to people selling off their Profilers, who like me have made great use of all the free profiles made by other but never returned the favour. That might then upset those contributing to RigManager, knowing that people can now access what they've shared without paying the same price for the privilege.


    To be clear, the Virus synth funded the creation of the Kemper. The money from the sales of Kempers pays the wages, the pensions, the mortgage of the company but also the R&D for their next project, whether that is a Kemper 2 or something completely unrelated to guitar. Kemper have rewarded the early purchasers with stability and second hand prices. I doubt they will change their practices any time soon.


    I

  • Hey guys, i thing that you are not concert musicians! So, if you play only at your house on the couch , you dont understand me. I have been using Kemper since 2014, Im professional concert musician and Im understand , what im writing here and its not funny at all!

    Have a good day!

    Don't take yourself too serious. No one has ever died of humour. A kemper isn't exactly heavy and if you compare it to a real e.g. Marshall stack it's nothing in comparison.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • But if Kemper doesn't make this one, they risk losing some of their customers. Already, many users i know are changing the Kemper to Neural Cortex because of its size. I dont like Cortex, i think that kemper sounds better, but...

    Edited once, last by Rik ().

  • There are always those who swap to the newest stuff. I don't believe kemper team lies awake at night and worry about that. Besides that, why do you think a kemper is heavy? Carry a guitar weighs more than a kemper does and playing live with a guitar strapped around your neck weighs more.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • You are not alone in your request for a Kemper Mini. I had a very active thread a few weeks ago on this exact subject.


    I believe the price point needs to be sub $1000.00 so it can compete with the Fractal and Line 6 small offerings.


    I don't think that the lack of this product makes Kemper lose customers, but I believe that having a Mini would greatly increase the number of customers due to the form factor and price point.

  • You are not alone in your request for a Kemper Mini. I had a very active thread a few weeks ago on this exact subject.


    I believe the price point needs to be sub $1000.00 so it can compete with the Fractal and Line 6 small offerings.


    I don't think that the lack of this product makes Kemper lose customers, but I believe that having a Mini would greatly increase the number of customers due to the form factor and price point.

    I would pay a lot more!, the main thing is that the size does not affect the functions, they should remain the same. I'm just tired of lugging a heavy Kemper bag to concerts all these years! Time goes on, progress goes on!

  • I'm sure they'll make it.


    I don't carry my Stage overseas because it doesn't fit an airplane cabin case. I used to carry a Fractal AX8 because it perfectly fit the case.


    Now I fly with an Atomic Amplifire 6. It's so little I still have room in the case for every other thing I need for these 2-3 days journeys, including the spare modeler (Atomic Ampli Firebox). Well, the guitar doesn't fit.


    I wish they made a Kemper that size and I'll get it as soon as they release it.

  • There are arguments on either side.


    One of the reasons why Kemper have been so stable is the resale value. With second hand prices remaining so strong even after all these years, many many people will still buy it brand new.


    PRS have stated for many years that their main competition is their own used guitars. If the used prices tumble, people will buy those instead of new ones. You want your used prices high. It ensures new customers. Adding a lower price, different device has very real potential to destabilise this. You might sell a load of compact devices but is your brand now tumbling down? It's not all about bringing in new sales for something. There are pitfalls.


    Again, not saying they won't but satisfying a demand might have consequences for a smaller company.

  • While not everyone (I suspect very few) would be willing to pay more for a smaller KPA that by necessity had fewer controls than the KPA Stage, I do believe that lots of people would want a smaller form factor even if they had to give up some buttons (the existing FC is 16.5" long. About the smallest I can see it getting is 13.5

  • I remember an interview with someone at Marshall amps some years ago. He said they made the big money with the solid state amps.


    Some people just use one sound. Or two. If I used just 2 sounds and I was in a big and famous band I wouldn't worry about carrying many Kempers or tube amps, but if I use just one or two sounds and I play in a working band with no roadies, I'll use another gear. And that's what I do with one of the bands I play with. And overseas (like 30 gigs per year; that's 60 flights).


    I'm really using live just 4/5 profiles (generally same amp model with different levels of gain and optional delay and reverb) so the Stage is a little two much.


    Believe me: I love my Kemper. I still think what they do is like... Science Fiction (because I don't believe in magic). If someone told me in the past about the possibility of a device doing that, I wouldn't have believe it was possible. But I'd have a lot of fun thinking about it.


    So... I'm just having a lot of fun thinking about it: a shortened Stage that does what I'd like. With Tap tempo, please :)

  • I would say that if you are doing fly gigs, get a flight case. I have two Kemper stage units and they are both flight cased.
    I have those two Kemper’s and two guitars that are also flight cased. They all go in the hold on the plane.

    I know that once we get to the destination country for our gigs, all our stuff is then put in the van the promoter has. Usually with the the rest of the hire gear for the dates.

    The last thing you want is your Kemper in a little soft bag being banged around in the back of a van by every other piece of gear that is in a proper case.

    Obviously, this is how I do it but you may have other reasons that you don’t want to do it like this.

  • I carry my Kemper rack as hand luggage on a plane and then a guitar in the hold, but that leaves no clothes allowance. Even if it was just a 1u with no screen I'd be up for it.


    A Kemper with fewer inputs and outputs would be of no use to me though. And here is the problem; everyone's needs and idea of a Kemper mini probably vary a lot.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

  • I carry my Kemper rack as hand luggage on a plane and then a guitar in the hold, but that leaves no clothes allowance. Even if it was just a 1u with no screen I'd be up for it.


    A Kemper with fewer inputs and outputs would be of no use to me though. And here is the problem; everyone's needs and idea of a Kemper mini probably vary a lot.

    And that is definitely a problem.


    I know that one use case people complain about is musicians that tour and travel. I have my KPA Rack in a good flight case, which would be my preferred solution with the FC that can easily be carried on (some people have made custom flight cases for it too).


    Having said that, this class of musician isn't going to be happy with an ultra-small 3 button device with a tiny display. They would need a minimum of my 5x2 + 2 button solution (~13.5").


    There are others that are proposing a very small KPA that is really not for live performance. That kind of device could easily be 3 foot switches with a bunch of small buttons and knobs you use with your hands. This is a very different use model.


    I think the "Throw and go" gigging musician is the one I would attack first. Gets you more mobility and gets you into the sub 1K device market (Current Stage is $1800.00 which is pretty steep for many bar band weekend warriors).