Posts by skoczy

  • Trying to recreate the Fender "amp in the room" clean in my bedroom

    Quote from OneEng1

    Still, a Kemper with a Kab will not be making anyone smile at whisper levels. You need to move some air IMO.


    I am an electrical engineer ..... I don't believe in "magic" associated with tubes, transformers, or cab speakers :)


    As with all things, this is just an opinion.

    I am computer science engineer, I also don't believe in magic, I don't believe in anything except myself :) By "magic" I meant non-linearity of tubes. I had Kabinet, both with Class D poweramp and 50W tube poweramp (Fryette PS2) and it sounded not much different to DXR10. Maybe better utilization of imprints, but the imprints also worked on DXR10. But I couldn't get any Amp In The Room from Kabinet, even when feeding signal with tube poweramp. Maybe the Kabinet is just to shallow and light, I have no idea.


    As with all things, this is just an opinion.

  • Sharing a repair experience

    Quote from jonwrightguitar

    Next topic: why did the editor take so long? ;)

    What it has to do with your case?


    It's obvious that you're in uncomfortable situation, but then why don't you record YouTube video saying, that Brexit from economical standpoint was not wise, or that UPS are bunch of bureaucrats.


    As for editor took so long, you may choose one of the answers:


    1) I called them and ordered them to wait

    2) Chris Kemper was reading a book and studying C++, laying on Bahamas and he couldn't focus

    3) They had it developed, but mistakenly for UNIX and they had to rewrite it for Windows/MAC


    See? It doesn't matter. It's a private company and they decide, how to run their business. And it doesn't matter even more in this case.


    There you have webpage of UK customs authorities https://www.gov.uk/government/…rade-and-excise-enquiries


    And a phone number: 0300 322 9434


    Hope that helps :)

  • Trying to recreate the Fender "amp in the room" clean in my bedroom

    Quote from OneEng1

    I agree with those saying that AITR is about volume. It isn't just the room dynamics with loud directional point source sound, it is also the feel of the SPL to your body, and how your ears interpret sound at high volume.

    I don't agree somehow. I could put DXR10 on high volume, with sound filling rehearsal room around, it had 130dB SPL, but it had zero Amp In The Room.


    I remember once being in music store, someone had Epiphone LP plugged into some 50W Marshall tube head connected to 4x12 cab. It was not loud in terms of decibels, but there was this missing piece in the sound, Amp In The Room.


    I don't know what is the reason, but I guess it could be the non-linearity of tubes in the poweramp pushing the cones of speakers in some magical way.


    I gave up chasing it, no chance to have Amp In The Room in my room, instead of I accepted the situation and kept playing and playing and playing. What really helped me practice everyday was (and still) is Yamaha THR30II.

  • Trying to recreate the Fender "amp in the room" clean in my bedroom

    For a long time, I had Yamaha DXR10, as it was praised to be ultimate FRFR solution for the money. Well, it was significantly louder than my Neumamn KH-120A studio monitors (and I bought it 4 times cheaper compared to cost of Neumanns) but it was flat. Zero of amp in the room.


    I ordered passive Kabinet and I tried it with TC electronic 200$ BAM200 and 1000$ Fryette PS-2A. Results? I heard no difference between the power amps. And I heard no difference between Kabinet and DXR10.


    I sold both and since then I don't care about the hardware. I play everyday and play and play and play.


    It doesn't matter if you play 57 original Gibson plugged into 67 Plexi. What matters is, if you feel good with what you're playing.


    You cannot chase happiness by getting best gear, your are happy or unhappy.

  • Sharing a repair experience

    It's not Kemper that s*cks, it's Brexit that s*cks. Whether you have voted for it or not, your have to live with the consequences.


    I completely disagree, that Kemper doesn't care about their customers. I had mine unit serviced twice, all done swiftly.


    You can always try competition products and their service. By the time they will accept your request, new version of the device (FX7 Ultra Crypto HEX) will be released.


    There are always solutions though. You can move to the country within EU :)


    I feel your pain, I wish you luck in your endeavours, but the biggest factor on what happens was decision to leave the EU.


    Good luck :)

  • Show your latest guitar

    Quote from BayouTexan

    I would have offered him $700 for it then do a proper setup on it, change trem springs out, and put some locking tuners. It would have been killer then! I like the maple neck on white look. But one rule I have is to never buy the same guitar and pickup configuration twice unless I know I will be changing pups out or when I would need a backup for stage (not likely this year ;)).

    Still this guitar was too heavy for me, neck was chunkier than mine. And the rusty heavy stings made the testing this guitar really annoying. And the seller wasn't eager to negotiate.


    I like maple fretboards too, but I'd go for black pickguard :)


    Let's see maybe I have a chance trying different model.

  • Show your latest guitar

    Quote from BayouTexan

    What size strings did he have on it? I have some strats with 9s and 10s. 12s may require a nut file and a proper truss rod adjustment. 12's would also require trem spring tightening due to the added force of the heavier strings. But nothing to hard to do.

    I don't know what strings size was there, but it felt like 11 at least or trem block springs loosened too much (what I exclude, 'cause the seller was not "guitarist", it was first guitar to learn how to play). However this chunkier neck and significantly heavier guitar overall were turn off for me. Maybe these dead strings added much to the impression. Anyway, I go with my vintage to do some fretwork and next I order some replacement tuning keys.

  • Show your latest guitar

    I was always wondering if American Stratocaster are the real thing. I had some Mexican with Noiseless Pickups few years ago, at the moment I am playing some quite popular strat rip-off.


    I read about American Special, watched all YouTube reviews and had a chance to try it today, seller wanted ~1000USD


    This could have been my guitar today (illustrative photo, not original), I admit I liked big headstocks on strats.



    But the seller didn't play on it for year and the strings were dirty, what's more they were to heavy for this guitar, when I tried tuning the guitar, the bridge moved upwards from the body. Not the best idea to present guitar for sale in such shape.


    I noticed it was significantly heavier (alder) with body little thicker than mine (east poplar) and the neck was chunkier. My strat has "Soft C", whereas American Special has Modern C (slightly chunkier than regular C).


    So the moral of this story is: always try guitar before you buy it. Don't believe reviews, don't buy brands. I'm not saying this Fender is bad guitar, I'm sure it will sell quickly, but I would regret if I bought it without trying.


    So I stay with my Vintage Icon V6MRSSB. It needs some care - I need to change tuners and do some fretwork. Other than that it sounds like a strat and is comfortable to play. And I've put black pickguard (stock was mint green) and for me it looks even better now.


    And I think I never presented it here, so let it be my "latest guitar".


  • Next updates?

    Please, please, do the guitar wood imprints! Because mahogany sounds darker and alder is brighter. Can we also have mix parameter in such imprints? So that people can mix some amount of mahogany to alder strats with maple fingerboards, that would be awesome!


    I hope the market competition is not reading this, because they may come with OCTAQUAD FX90 Ultra with such features and Kemper would go bankrupt, because they wouldn't compete without such crucial effects.

  • Next updates?

    I heard rumors that strings imprints are in the works, maybe next in the line there will be guitar straps or cables imprints?

  • Kemper Profiling Amp Successor

    I think there will never be any synth thingy in KPA2 (if there will be KPA2), as mentioned before synth itself requires multiple knobs and buttons (~30 of both on Virus2). Would it come with KPA pickup underneath the strings or the instrument cable would send the MIDI?


    What about sales of Virus TI2?


    I'm quite old dated with my thinking, but if you want synth sounds in your band, play real synth, you have one more person contributing to the fun in the band


    I don't want to be this bag guy, I simply cannot see this happen.


    But as always it's only my opinion, if KPA2 comes in 2 years with built in synth, you who need it are all satisfied.

  • Kemper Profiling Amp Successor

    Quote from drew_fx

    It's commercial suicide for a company to rest on its laurels. You can bet your bottom dollar that Kemper are up to something. What do you think their employees are doing every day? Popping down to the warehouse to ship out some Stages? Nah mate. There is blatantly some heavy research and design going on; that is what makes the most sense.

    I'm not sure what are your sources, so that you suggest that heavy R&D is going on, but sounds serious.

    Let's take MESA - I think they haven't committed suicide selling for years the same 4x12 cabs with the same V30.


    There are companies like Fractal, Line6, which work in the way that you suggest it allows them to stay alive. And there is Kemper with the same device for 10 years already. Nobody knows what's in their heads.


    There are users, that want newest, shiniest, fully packaged. There are users, who are satisfied with what they have. There is room for everybody and everybody's opinions, which are only opinions, so no need to excite too much.

  • Kemper Profiling Amp Successor

    Why not having KPA 2 with built in computer, whether with Windows or MacOS. So you don't have to connect built-in audio interface (which you don't have yet) to another computer. But the question is whether KPA2 should have HDMI 1.4b or also built in 24" screen, which would be attachable. I'm shy to suggest that it could have built-in best studio monitors, at least 5" :D

  • Kemper Profiling Amp Successor

    Quote from Nikos

    But I also could imagine that in the mean while they will soon offer a KPA XXL with dual/triple etc amps/more fx/more I/Os and whatever..

    This is a joke, right? Looking at this company approach to products' longevity - if they release KPA XXL with dual/triple amps, more FX and "whatever", they become Kraktal :D


    And I have strong feeling that KPA2 is not in the works. What doesn't mean that I am against it and I don't want these guys who wish it, for their dreams to become true. What means that both your and my opinion doesn't matter a smallest bit.