What is the general verdict on the KPA?

  • What is the general consensus on the KPA?


    Is it best for low to medium gain tones?


    Is it best for very high gain tones (metal)?


    Is it best for pure clean tones?


    Inquiring minds need to know... 8)

    All modelers known to man 8o

  • I initially read your post as "which of these is the one thing it does best?"


    I think the answer to that question may be relative to the needs of the individual. A consensus on that perspective may be hard to get.





    Then, it occurred to me you may be asking "Is the Kemper best (compared to other products) in any/all of these categories?"


    For me, yes, it is better than any competitive product in all those categories.

  • The KPA is the gear that the family man needs... :)
    No more arguing with the family members for playing loud while they watch the tv... ;)
    My Engl E646 and Splawn Quickrod have not been used for about 2 months...
    My recordings sound better than ever...
    Thanks Christoph... you deserve a statue!

  • Somehow I don't think these were the answers Hadley was looking for. :)


    I think this might be a KPA 'fanboy' roll call. :D


    I'll take part in the poll...I think the verdict is the KPA excels in all tones, clean to classic to metal.


    Here's a vid we did using Erik Stams clean Legacy Profile, and then his higher gain Legacy Profile.
    Then the last high gain solo is djemass Mesa Pre-Amp Profile, and then finally the same high gain Mesa Pre-Amp Profile with the gain turned down.
    The engineer/guitarist in this vid didn't have time to scroll through Profiles, we used whatever came first when the KPA was turned on.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…I&feature=player_embedded

  • Is it best for low to medium gain tones?

    This is the most critical area for me....and YES the KPA is still the best in this tones.

    Is it best for very high gain tones (metal)?


    You can not find any processor on the market with such a tube-sounding high gain tones!!! Organic, nice, and a real pleasure to play with them...


    Is it best for pure clean tones?


    Simply the best. :P You will not find anywhere this kind of crystal clear tones with a lot of tube-like harmonics and compression


    Finally it all depends totally by You!!!! If You can choose the right rigs from the rig exchange or You are making Your own...
    There are no limits!!!!!! :thumbup:

  • If I were going to rank it I'd...but it genuinely does them all well. The cleans are most definitely the best IMO.


    • Clean
    • Low/Mid Gain
    • High Gain



  • KPA can do it all - and all sounds great.


    There are some limits (as stated in the manual):
    -preamp and poweramp distortion st the same time
    -distortion from stomp box(es) and amp at the same time


    and another "limit" - some stomps / amps reakt not in the same way if no pickup is connected during profiling.


    But even for this e.g. stomp & amp were I able to create great profiles.


    The KPA is very "transparent" = no signature sound, but all depends on the used profiles.


    And in the meantime are great profiles of most amps available.

    (All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with soundside.de)


    Great Profiles --> soundside.de

  • Is it best for low to medium gain tones?


    Is it best for very high gain tones (metal)?


    Is it best for pure clean tones?


    If you know how to mic an amp and want YOUR tone: yes.
    If you don't care about profiling and use profiles from the internetz: yes.
    If you want YOUR tone and micing an amp feels like:
    [Blocked Image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3El_jidAW4Q/UVCFt4ZoUoI/AAAAAAAAA_4/Bf99uG6wjDI/s1600/I+have+no+idea+what+I+am+doing.jpg]
    Then probably not. But still: best digital box on the market, I wouldn't ever consider buying a tube amp :)

    MJT Strats / PRS Guitars / Many DIY Guitars -- Kemper Profiler Rack / Kemper Remote / InEar

  • Hello, the most critical sounds to reproduce on older modelers are in the clean and low gain range. the KPA excels in this domain with a amp tube feel & dynamic. It's even better than some real vintage tube amps since you can expand their tonal range to some extents you won't find on the actual amp (Gain course, EQ, verbs ...). All my tube amps are now collecting dust.


    I don't play any hi gain, but there are some real gems in this range too.


    Remember however you'll have to find the right rigs that match you guitars , lots of rigs are matched to a specific type of pickups & output level. Some combinations are pure magic. You'll find tons of goods low gain & clean rigs if you got a telecaster.

  • I recently plugged a Tele in one of the Amp Factory Trainwreck profiles and I was simply blown away... After more than one year of owning my KPA I still can't believe how good it is to reproduce low gain richness, but it can do everything as well... Nothing compare! :love:

  • I profiled all of my own amps and I concur with the statement made above, the profiled versions sound more dynamic and alive than the real amps. I love looking at the collection of amps I have but haven't turned one on in 6 months. I only keep them around in case the KPA craps out.

  • ----------------Here are my 2 cents:------------------------------------

    • the "general verdict" concerning the KPA by Kemper users is more less concordant: it does all of the above mentioned more than satisfactorily
    • the verdict of the axe-fx-users is similarily consentaneous: the KPA is a piece of crap and it does nothing of the above mentioned things as good as the axe
    • the verdict of the press is almost unanimous: the KPA is a revolutionary piece of gear, while the price is modest and the thing is worth every penny
    • producers around the world have started to use it. Bob Kulik, Michael Wegener and a few others who know what they are doing ...
    • if you listen to the vid posted by our colleague, shades of blue, which btw is a fantastic piece of music and feeling IMHO, the deaf, dumb & blind has to consider that the lunchbox is capable of just anything, not mentioning all of those"sound-like-gilmour-or-carlos-contests" and A/B comparisons on this forum
    • so to make a long story short: the general verdict is 8o :love: :thumbup: :thumbup: 8o :whistling: :love: :rolleyes: :D :P :) :) :!: :rolleyes: :love: :love: . period.

    My occupation: showing teenagers the many hidden secrets of the A-minor chord on the guitar.