Kemper still in the game.

    I hear some talk now and then about people wanting a "Kemper 2" and I have always been a naysayer about that. I love the way Kemper has kept the unit valid and upgraded.

    I know that some people get bored and have to have the latest greatest so they can be first to tell you how great their new one is that you don't have. As I always say there's a limit to how exact you can replicate a tube amp and Kemper has perfected it IMO. When a unit gets to the point it can replicate an amp so well you cannot discern it from the "real thing" it's all it needs to be.

    I wrote this because I was watching a new rig rundown with this new artist and they were all blown away by this reverb pedal (that of course you can't get) and I was listening to it thinking I can make the same sounds using the crystal delays or one of the reverbs that pitch in the Kemper.

    We already all have his wondrous unobtainable pedal right in our Kemper keeping up with all this "new" stuff.

    Quote from Dynochrome

    I hear some talk now and then about people wanting a "Kemper 2" and I have always been a naysayer about that. I love the way Kemper has kept the unit valid and upgraded.

    I know that some people get bored and have to have the latest greatest so they can be first to tell you how great their new one is that you don't have. As I always say there's a limit to how exact you can replicate a tube amp and Kemper has perfected it IMO. When a unit gets to the point it can replicate an amp so well you cannot discern it from the "real thing" it's all it needs to be.

    I wrote this because I was watching a new rig rundown with this new artist and they were all blown away by this reverb pedal (that of course you can't get) and I was listening to it thinking I can make the same sounds using the crystal delays or one of the reverbs that pitch in the Kemper.

    We already all have his wondrous unobtainable pedal right in our Kemper keeping up with all this "new" stuff.

    And for no extra cost, the list of freebies since I got mine is off the chart. Also a huge fan of the crystal church delays.

    A brace of Suhrs, a Charvel, a toaster, an Apollo twin, a Mac, and a DXR10

    Like 1

    Agree.


    For me, there isn't anything on the market that is a match for the existing KPA when it comes to a gig rig. Nothing!


    No other device gives me the tone, ease of stage setup, size and weight, and right down usability on stage that the Kemper does.


    I don't expect anything to exceed the tone of the KPA (since we are already at the point that any tonal differences are a matter of preference), and currently nothing is even close (IMO) to the gig usability.

    I totally agree with this. I find it amazing that Kemper nailed usability from day one. I use a power rack, and with that, I know I can go to any gig and be covered.

    The I/O options, output EQ presets, controls for main and monitor volume, .... it's all there.


    The effects are all I need and they all sound great. I've always thought that each modeler has its own signature sound, which is a culmination of the amps / cabs themselves, plus the effects. Here I think the Kemper delivers in spades and I'm always pleased with the overall sound of my presets.

    Kemper is the one and done. If you need to have something new to blow money on to keep you interested, Buy whatever AxFX or Line 6 device that comes out each year that is so much better than last year's. Worst part of a Kemper is that it cured the GAS I've had for decades. I kinda liked the searching, but now I just search profiles if I need something different.

    I used to have a desire to buy drive pedals, and still use a couple in the loop. The Profiler can get close - but it can't totally nail the King of Tone. There is a harmonic 'richness' I've never been able to dial in that's just 'there' with the actual pedal. Having waited four years to get it.....I'll accept no substitute.

    Since I'm already using a slot for the effects loop.....and I like to tinker and build stuff..... I've got a 3 loop MIDI switcher. So....both sides of the KOT and whatever pedal feels right at the time. Presently, that's a Tumnus Deluxe. That gives me the chance to stack as many as three drives with only one slot used.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    Quote from Ruefus

    I used to have a desire to buy drive pedals, and still use a couple in the loop. The Profiler can get close - but it can't totally nail the King of Tone. There is a harmonic 'richness' I've never been able to dial in that's just 'there' with the actual pedal. Having waited four years to get it.....I'll accept no substitute.

    Since I'm already using a slot for the effects loop.....and I like to tinker and build stuff..... I've got a 3 loop MIDI switcher. So....both sides of the KOT and whatever pedal feels right at the time. Presently, that's a Tumnus Deluxe. That gives me the chance to stack as many as three drives with only one slot used.

    Try diff cables. i really find the difference can be 5 percent here or there. An sometimes its that 5 percent thats missing.

    When the Profiler doesn’t match the pedal……better cables wouldn’t be the answer.


    Besides….I'm already using top-shelf cables.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    I'm always impressed at how clean the effects in the Kemper are. None of the noise that I had back in my pedal and amp days.


    But boy, I sure do miss my noisy old Dunlop Rotovibe.

    I use Kemper as much as I can get away with but still find there are several situations where amp + pedalboard gets you there faster and is the better choice. But yes these Rig Rundowns are often totally ridiculous and the host must often be rolling his eyes internally.

    Quote from JedMckenna

    I use Kemper as much as I can get away with but still find there are several situations where amp + pedalboard gets you there faster and is the better choice. But yes these Rig Rundowns are often totally ridiculous and the host must often be rolling his eyes internally.

    Actually the host was acting impressed, and I was thinking, "Wait until you see what I can do with my "old" Kemper".

    Quote from Dynochrome

    Actually the host was acting impressed, and I was thinking, "Wait until you see what I can do with my "old" Kemper".

    What I can do with my "old" Kemper is:

    1) Carry my entire guitar rig in one trip from the car (and fit it in a car)

    2) Plug-in and setup in 5 minutes

    3) Sound great with a level of consistency I was never able to achieve with boutique tube amps and pedal boards


    That is where I live when it comes to what I need for a gig-rig :)

    Yup... Last gig I sauntered in, plopped down the Head on top of the Kabinet, plugged a XLR into the Main out to the PA, and done.

    Sound guy was completely happy and away we go.

    Love it!

    Yep. Me too.


    I have my PowerHead in a bag, a home made board (with a cary handle cutout), passive Kabinet and a two guitar gig bag. I can carry everything in one go at a push but tend to make two trips for comfort.


    For rehearsals (and possibly future gigs with purely IEM) I do it all in one trip without the Kabinet and just go direct to PA.

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    Yep. Me too.


    I have my PowerHead in a bag, a home made board (with a cary handle cutout), passive Kabinet and a two guitar gig bag. I can carry everything in one go at a push but tend to make two trips for comfort.


    For rehearsals (and possibly future gigs with purely IEM) I do it all in one trip without the Kabinet and just go direct to PA.

    Hm two guitar gig bag. Sounds practical. Any recommendation?

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

    Like 1

    I totally agree! This was the rig solution I’ve waited many years for. Do I still enjoy playing an amp at home? Certainly. But for live, the portability, consistency, quality and sound quality are unmatched in the industry.

    The only one thing I hope will one day be achievable is for Kemper to find a way to have multiple (preferably 20 or more) profiles that exist inside of one preset and as you play softer and louder, it adjusts itself) just like a tube being hit harder or softer. I can’t imagine how that could happen, but I don’t understand how they’ve done what they have already either. This is what I hoped liquid profiles was going to be before I read about them.

    Quote from JC MUSCLE SHOALS

    I hope will one day be achievable is for Kemper to find a way to have multiple (preferably 20 or more) profiles that exist inside of one preset and as you play softer and louder, it adjusts itself) just like a tube being hit harder or softer.

    When I play at stage volume, my Kemper responds to playing dynamics and guitar volume knob changes exactly like my amps that I profiled.