KPA rack version...any news?

    I was waiting for the rack version to pick up a second KPA, but decided the 15% off available right now on the cosmic lunchbox was too good to pass ... 8o

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

    Quote from FaZz

    Hi all!
    Some news about the KPA rack version? I'm really waiting for this version, it makes sense to wait?
    A nice week to everybody! :)

    As I've posted previously, at 2012 Winter NAMM this past January, I was told that the EARLIEST a rack unit would be available would be at 2013 Winter NAMM....it could be later. :?:


    ....and, no, it makes no sense to wait, IMO. If you have one you'll have the opportunity to blend the unit into your live rig/recording sequence now (and understand what all of the excitement is all about). When the rack unit finally comes out, make a backup of all of your rigs and settings, sell the lunchbox, and look at the small loss as a rental fee. I was skeptical about the lunchbox form factor....now I find it very useful - it's easy to set up at exactly the height I'm working at, so that I can make any changes on-the-fly easily. In other words, I don't care about the rack unit any more. YMMV :)

    Why a rack if you can have a better looking head?
    Get a hard case for gigging.
    We will soon have tour cases available that can be placed onto your 4x12 cabinet. Lift the upper case cover and you're done. Definetly looks more amp-like.

    Quote from ckemper

    Why a rack if you can have a better looking head?
    Get a hard case for gigging.
    We will soon have tour cases available that can be placed onto your 4x12 cabinet. Lift the upper case cover and you're done. Definetly looks more amp-like.


    Soon available?
    I think Thomann has carried a KPA flight case for months now.
    I have one and transporting / gigging the KPA is a breeze.

    Quote from ckemper

    Why a rack if you can have a better looking head?
    Get a hard case for gigging.
    We will soon have tour cases available that can be placed onto your 4x12 cabinet. Lift the upper case cover and you're done. Definetly looks more amp-like.


    Hi CK, thanks for your answer!
    Taste aside, for my needs, the rack version is much more agile ... but I'm afraid I did not understand ... there will never be a rack version?
    Cheers :)

    Quote from ckemper

    Why a rack if you can have a better looking head? Get a hard case for gigging.
    We will soon have tour cases available that can be placed onto your 4x12 cabinet. Lift the upper case cover and you're done. Definetly looks more amp-like.



    Hmmmm.... it's definitely a matter of taste...



    -to be honest, I hate this small lunch box (and I don't like green color)




    -to be more honest, I hate this format a lot more than I like how the unit sounds (don't know why, but it looks awful to me)
    -I don't like head amps too
    -I just like racks (for a lot of reasons I won't explain here)
    -I've sold my two 4x12...
    -I've just bought a MATRIX GT1000FX, and don't want to sell it and lose money


    -I don't want to sell my 6U SKB and lose more money.


    -I've bought the lunch box to give it a try the time I had to wait the 3U rack version


    - the kemper has no real place in my room... it's on the top of my SKB and take dust more and more every day (my GT1000FX doesn't because I carefully put the cover on when I'm finished to play), while there are 4U free in the SKB for nothing...




    Mr Kemper, you're the boss and you decide what you will or won't do, but as you ask users what features they do request, why to not considerate the users who really want a rack unit? make a referendum, do what you want to see if it worth it, but please, make a 19" 2U or 3U (I don't care about that), with a 7 pins midi in with phantom power.

    Edited 6 times, last by ithaqua ().

    When I saw the KPA for the first time, I asked myself why not a 2 or 3 unit rack version.


    The answer was given to me by sound engineers and guitarists of other bands. No matter where I'm using the KPA live, I'm getting asked by other guitarists and sound engineers, what kind of amplifier it is. --> Perfect marketing :)

    It's funny when a musician's priorities have distorted so much that the aesthetics of a unit are more important than how it sounds.


    Could you imagine Hendrix, Page, or SRV saying "I love how that Marshall/Fender amp sounds, but I'm just not fond of it's shape and color, give me something else." (also it has no keyboard or octaver!) :rolleyes:


    But then again, the people critiquing the looks aren't exactly guitar legends. :P

    To add up with ithaqua,


    If Kemper does decide to not, or to longly postpone, the 3 U version it is up to them. Simple.
    As simple as for me deciding not to wait for it anymore and say bey bey Kemper. Simple.


    Nevertheless it iwould be quite dissapointing remembering the confirmation from Ola and other respected guys who asked Kemper about their 3U version. Comments where soon or sooner we would expect.


    So my believe is that Kemper already have finished their 3U engineering. But first they want to sell the current version to the maximum. And that is their right to do. But for me; no 3U means no KPA.


    Best wishes with your decision Chrisstoph!

    So...
    The KPA is a GREAT unit for sure, but the axe II is not as bad...
    Let me take an exemple: LAMBORGHINI vs FERRARI... both are legends, but many people prefer FERRARI (it's not my case, I perefer bulls instead of mustangs). Well... who can seriously tells one brand is better than the other??? who can tell "I've driven both and X is better than Y because of bla bla bla ... ?" only a few pilots!!!
    Now we're speaking about gear. My old buddy Bruno told me that he used the AXE II for one month without plugging the kemper, and decided the AXE was excellent, untill he plugged the kemper again and made a A/B comparison. The result was WOWW !!! the kemper is better than the AXE II... I know Bruno for many years, and I know how much his hearing is astonishing... but what if he didn't have a Kemper to compare? the AXE FX II would certainly be the most excellent processor on earth...
    Now, this is my friend's opinion... he's a pro guitarist, he lives from his music... It's not my case!!! I play 1 hour a week (maximum) because I'm too tired to play at the end of my working day... What can I say about Kemper vs my olde AXE FX standard??? The Kemper is easier to use, sounds more natural, but seriously lacks of some FX. Yes I'm an FX addict. I'm not a pro, but It was sweet to make my fingers doing crazy things with weirds effects (and YES they were good enough for me, and YES I had a square wave tremolo with no need to wait a further firmware to get it!!!.), especially when I was tired and wanted my music makes me dream. I play what I want, for my pleasure, and I don't care about other's opinion on how bad I am.. music is a love story between my guitar and me.
    If I get an AXE II now, and if I play in one ore 2 weeks, I'll probably won't hear the difference, but I'll notice how much weird things I love and can play. I've readen so many things about Kemper vs Fractal ... this is bullshit !!! for how many times will we read A / B comparison between FBT VERVE vs KSC K12 vs ATOMIC wedges? there are NO best cabinets or speakers because there are NO people who hear exactly the same thing with the same tastes...
    Why did I sell my AXE FX STD? to buy an ultra to get more FX: that's all!!! Bruno told me the Kemper is better? Yes, obviously, but if I don't play any guitar for one month, even an eleven rack will sound good to my ears.
    I don't need any people to understand my goals or my wants, I just want a Kemper that fits my SKB, with seven pins midi in (my FC 200 works perfectly: why would I buy a kemper foot switch with just 3 small leds for tuner I won't see from my 1m83???) . If this never happens, I'll sell my lunch box to buy an AX II.
    To finish, I have no desire to be agressive (the closests word in my vocabulary, even if it's not exactly what I want to say) with Mr Kemper, but like cars, I can sell my "ENZO" to buy a "MURCIELAGO", and won't be disapointed as well: the kemper is not the only high end product on the market... now wait and see

    For me rack gear always works out better especially for any live use, it's a lot easier to build a rack with everything you need and keep it small and lightweight, in my case I have a digital unit, a GTR wireless, a wireless in ear system + a small Furman in the back of the rack..and this is all in a 4 space Rack, I get to the gig and only have to plug 2 XLR cables to FOH, 1 Power cable and 1 Cat 5 cable, the whole rack is less then 40 pounds, anyone who does any flying gigs knows how the airlines suck these days, and will charge you for anything they can, so..small, light, compact is the way to go.

    I'll be honest.
    When i first saw the Kemper, I was like hmmm. - I also did not like the green, OR the looks, It didn't have a place in my studio, was always moving it around..


    However...now, I love it like only a father could love his child, even if a rack version was here now.. I'd ignore it. - I think to get the best out of it, you got to be able to move it around, twist its bits and gel with it.


    Sometimes looks dont matter, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


    And also, in a studio a rack version may be useless if your into profiling.. - you will be in a control room, and you need to take the KPA to the amp, not the other way around. unless you use looms of cable everywhere that will degrade the quality anwyay.