Korg 104ds Hyper Distortion

This unit takes a little more thought than some others, but its not brain surgery. The 4 knobs control 8 different setting. A toggle switch changes the parameters controlled. It also has 2 footswitches: left turns the effect on or off, right changes between the 2 saved settings.

I nice feature of this unit is the ability to save "different" settings (patches). Editing and saving these different patches is very easy. Simply adjust the knobs to the desired setting and push, and hold, the right footswitch until its LED indicator flashes 3 times. THAT'S IT!

It also has an "amp" or "line" level switch. I have never used this feature. I only use mine as part of my effects chain in live performance.

One complaint, it is a little noisy as you increase the gain. However, I find this to be the case with most distortion pedals. I do not find it distracting enough or noticeable to look for anything else. It is also not transparent, but, with the intense distortion this unit provides, one should not expect such transparency.

THIS UNIT IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! Nor is it for the "blues guys" out there. This is "over-the-top", "balls-to-the-wall" HEAVY distortion at its best!

I use it principally with my Hamer guitars with humbuckers. However, on occassion, I have used it with my Strats and Teles. It works fine with any guitar, however, my band tends to play more Modern Rock and I can obtain a wider range of tones from the Hamers then my Fenders because of coil splits, etc. For amps I use an '83 Marshall JCM800, Model 4010, rebiased to EL34's and a Fender Blues Deluxe.

A great example of the tonality of this unit is Mark Tremonti's heavy tone in "Higher". I have that down to a "T"!

Its VERY solid with a metal casing. Mine is also mounted to my pedalboard.

I've never had a problem and I gig 3-6 times per month without a back up.

N/A

My band plays a very wide variety of rock from classic to pop to modern. I find this particular unit very condusive to the some of high gain modern material of today. If lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it...if I could...they are out of production!

I have been performing, teaching and recording for over 25 years, I think this unit and its "sister" product, the 105od (see my review of that one, too!), are a couple of the best sounding distortion boxes ever made!

Grab them while you still can!

This is one of, if not the best distortion pedals I've ever had the pleasure of plugging into. I didn't get a manual for it, but it's not all that complicated to figure out. You have 4 knobs with a mini toggle switch that basicly doubles their function (turns them into 8 knobs...). It also has a program switch that lets you set up 2 completely different distortion sounds, this I like. It took me a few days to really get it dialed in the way I liked it, but damn it sounds good when you do.

I mostly use this with a Rivera M60 1-12 combo and a 1980 Gibson E/2 Explorer, although I also use it sometimes as the sole distortion unit for my old Earth head. To me it sounds best with buckers (passive or active) and this is one of the few boxes that I like while using passive pickups, as I'm a big EMG user. I use the amps distortion for all but the heaviest shit I play. Thats where this little jewel comes in, for doing black and death metal. Oh yeah!!! I tend to go through a lot of equipment, but this is a keeper. I've had other distortion units with more distortion, but very few with better tone and clarity.

The jury is still out on this one as I've heard mixed results about this series of Korg products. So far I've not had a minutes trouble
out of it, and its a few years old already.

I've asked them a few questions of different products I've had over the years with mixed results here as well. Some of their staff knows whats going on, and some don't. I guess like about any other larger company.

I mostly play death-black and other heavier forms of metal along with your basic hardrock and rootsroot, but little else. It works well for the heavier tones I need, there is very little else for me to consider for a pedal with this much gain and bottom end. Can you get more gain in a pedal? Yes. Can you get more gain and a even better tone? Not for what I do. It works well for most death metal like early Xysma, Amorphis, Deceased and things like that. Good heavy bottom end that is pretty tight for fast palm muting. Also excels at the black metal kinda more midrangy tremolo picked thing. Thats basicly how I keep mine set up. Death on one channel and black on the other. Oh, for you people that think that is not music, this pedal will also do lighter distortion as well. I don't know about the cabinet simulator as I don't use it, gives me more bottom then my combo can stand. The noise gate is one of the better ones I've heard in a pedal, but its on all the time really. With the exception of some Art products (like the Xtreme) and like a Rocktron Rampage this has the best heavy distortion I've ever used in a pedal. The Art and Rocktron are also very good pedals, but different. This thing slays a Boss metalzone, even if it has a little less gain. It also don't have that hissy high end the Boss has, thank God. If anything happened to this I'd get another in a heartbeat.

its knobs are sucks...
should have made more knobs.

sound is almost perfect!!
killer distortion! you can vary tone vety widely!!

it's metal...

well, this is kinda hard to explain, but it seems difficult at first be cause you are overwhelmed by the complexity of this pedal, but once you get used to it or dial in "your" sound its o.k. It has 4 controls but also a toggle swith that allows each control two separate functions, EIGHT in all !!!

I dont know how I've made it ten years with out it, they've been around for about five years but I just got mine off of E-bay a few months ago. This thing is simply amazing. I can get tubescreamerish to Metallica. Whats great is that you can program one sound, store it, and totally swith the settings for another tone and save it also. So you can have a rythem sound then stomp for your lead !!! Also it has a built in noise gate for whisper quiet operation. I run it through a Peavey 100watt Trans-Tube head and a 4x12 sealed back cab. If your an 80's metal man, I have discovered that putting a Boss Metal Zone infront of this thing will make you weep with tears of joy. A true WALL of tone and distortion. It takes time though, to get 'em both tweeked just right. I've found the sweet spot for these two pedals used as a multi-stage gain, and I don't move the settings. I give it a 9, because it takes adding a Metal Zone to get a good harmonic producing, all out raunch distortion. Buy one. Then buy a MT-2 to add a little sizzle.

Mine is used and I believe it to be about 3 years old. Every once in a while, it has a little glitch and the tone changes, but stomp the swith and it goes back. I've heard bad things about the reliability of these pedals, so I would gig with it day in a day out.

I've never tried to contact anyone, since mine is used and not under warranty.

Great addition to any set up, unlimited possibilities from blues to metal, it can do it all. By itself its a little fuzzy, but add a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone in front and you've got TONE and SIZZLE. Built in noise gate and cabinet simulator for direct recording are a plus !

Very flexible pedal. Offers quite a few nice features, including two programmable presets. Takes a little bit of *well invested* time to dial in the sound that you're seeking.

Sound quality is great. Overall tone is smooth, yet this thing can crank out a nice Metal tone when necessary, including a great chunking rhythm. Sweet for leads as well. Makes my strings feel good. Good response. I only wish it had more volume (not gain). The amplitude is lower than the signal when the unit is off.

Made of cast aluminum, and the switches and knobs feel sturdy. i've been using it for a year now with out any problems, although i don't gig.

Never dealth with 'em

Great pedal for Metal, rock, alternative, and possibly blues because if its sweet tone. Sounds like tube through my cheezy solid state Crate. Damned shame they're discontinued. The only thing better would be a Mesa Boogie Triaxis.

It is relatively easy to use, after you read the manual, of course. You get to store two patches, which is cool. Editing is a breeze. The manual, after you find the language you speak, is kind of straightforward to a fault -- not very friendly (no "congratulations for buying the 104ds"), no suggested settings. But overall it is fairly easy to use and program.

This is a rack preamp in a box!!

My setup with this pedal is a little different than most folks here. The great thing about the 104ds is that you can use it as a direct box, going directly into a mixing board!! That's how I use it, going direct into a 4 track recorder I use for practice and riff writing. This pedal has a cabinet resonator, and I can get deep 4x12 tone with it.

The tone is awesome, getting a range of heavy tones, with scooped mids for metal, and cranked mids for hardcore. The tone is thick and with tweaking of the cabinet resonator parameters, massive tone is all here. The amount of gain is incredible. You can emulate any heavy sound, from Metallica, AIC to Sick of it All and BioHazard.

I am not using it with an amp, so I can't comment on amp sound, but if it sounds great direct into a mixing board, it will sound great in an amp.

I should also say that it is a warm, tubey sound, which is what I am always after.

The only flaw is there is not much volume to this pedal. Bypassing the effect results in a louder clean sound. This doesn't affect me much because I don't use this pedal for live performance, and I rarely play without distortion!

Oh yeah, you can get Stephen Carpenter's sound on the first Deftone's CD with the 104ds!

Like I said, I haven't used this on the road yet. I don't know if I ever will, so I can't really comment.

The pedal has always worked for me; looks solidly built --> alumminum casing,

Tuff enuff for the road and hard stomping ? -- I don't know!

Have never dealt with Korg Customer Service

If you're like me and don't get a manual with your unit, expect to spend some time experimenting with the settings. The fact that you can store two distortion types and switch with a click of the "Program" button is cool, but using four knobs with each having two functions (switched by a single toggle) and assigning two separate distortions will seem a bit overwhelming to a new user.

Refer to earlier reviews for the "play-by-play" of the various controls. With a minimal amount of experimenting, I was able to get two good distortions dialed in, which I will discuss below. Once you get the idea of how to use this pedal, you're in business, but take your time!

I use this pedal as a backup. My main rig consists of a custom pedalboard with an ART Xtreme providing my distortion and eventually running into Peavey 212 tube and solid state amps. I initially set one distortion type on the Korg to match the ART. Then I hooked it up to my Peavey Rage 158 practice amp, setting the pedal to drive that amp without blowing the speaker. The results were amazing, to say the least.

Using a Jackson AT2T with Armstrong chrome-covered humbuckers, I was able to get a distortion out of this 15-watt 8" amplifier that sounded just like a tube half-stack. I scoop my mids on both the amp EQ and the pedal, which is a good setting for this and other Jacksons when playing metal. I was able to get a rhythm tone not unlike what the guys in Carcass got with the old original Marshall Guv'nor distortion pedal, and a latter-day Testament lead tone when running through a Boss DD-2 delay. No noise to speak of, even through a tiny solid state amp, and the results were as good with my regular setup.

People rant and rave about Boss pedals, but this Korg is at the same level. Aluminum housing and out-of-the-way jacks are a plus, but I'm not sure how many well-directed stomps the Program and Effect buttons will take. The first 104ds I brought home had a defective button, so I'm a little untrusting. That bad experience aside, this thing appears to be built like a tank. I'd use it without a backup, but this IS my backup!

For any type of music requiring distortion, this pedal can fit the bill. I play metal, and am extremely picky about my tone, so the fact that this can essentially emulate my main rig through a practice amp is a credit to Korg's designers. It's versatile enough to be your sole source of distortion, but for me it's value is as a backup to my main distortion pedal. I bought it out-of-box on clearance and got a real bargain.

Since this whole line of pedals has been discontinued, you might have to hunt to find one, but it'll be worth the time spent looking for it and learning how to use it to its potential. For a lot less money than a number of other high-end distortions, it does a better job and can take a beating.

Whem compared to other pedals the Korg 104ds definitely appears to be intimidating. But don't worry, those few extra knobs are worth it. The pedal has 4 knobs, each of which controls 2 settings (switched between with a 2-way toggle switch), and 2 footswitches (one to turn on the pedal, and the other to switch between each of the 2 programmable functions).

This isn't a pedal where you can just plug it in and go, and that is the reason that I rated it as a 9. However, the fact that you can't just plug it in and go is a good thing. A musician wants to be able to tweak their equipment to their own personal settings. The couple of extra knobs on this pedal allow you to do exactly that, and even though it will take you a few extra minutes to get going, once you do, nothing will compare to this stompbox.

Let me just start off by saying that I am a tone freak. For the original music that I play I demand a wide variety of tones, and I have spent a great deal of time and money trying to accomplish a sound that I am happy with.

I play a Guild Madeira w/ humbuckers through a Fender Blues Deluxe w/ Mesa Boogie tubes. For my other distortion I use the blues overdrive channel on my amp as well as an Ibanez TS9 Deluxe Turbo Tube Screamer.

The sound that I have been trying to get is something that is rich and creamy, with lots of drive, but with lots of smoothness and sustain. I wanted to find a pedal that I could use for soloing, both for thick and chunky solos as well as real smooth stuff. The Tube Screamer simply doesn't provide enough drive for that type of sound.

I also wanted a pedal that you provide lots of drive but still provide clarity to chords. Most pedals can get thick and chunky, but full chords get muddy and when you try to adjust them they go overboard on either highs or lows. This pedal allows you to tweak it so that you can play full chords and have clarity throughout the highs, mids, and lows.

I have tried everything. Boss Metal Zone and all other Boss pedals, the Big Muff, DanElectro Fab Tone, Digitech RP-7 and similar units, etc. No pedal can compete with what this pedal delivers. The others simply sounded too fake, dull, and computerized. Even playing a Paul Reed Smith through a Mesa Boogie Nomad or Rectifier I couldn't get a sound that I simply loved as much as the sound that I get through my setup.

I am here to tell you that this pedal can cover it all. It can accomplish sweet singing sounds like Santana (for soloing) or it can bring you into the realm of straight forward rock and roll and even metal.

Trust me on this one. No matter how expensive the equipment that you have tried is, if your situation sounds similar to mine, check this pedal out. When you hear it you will be sold.

I have not had this pedal for very long so I cannot give you a very accurate rating. However, the pedal is constructed with a sturdy metal face/sides, with a hard plasic bottom. The knobs are rubbery, and the footswitches are very durable. As durable as they get.

I would use this pedal without a backup no questions asked. Once you master using it and get your settings down the way that you want them, you will be all set.

I have never dealt with Korg.

Overall rating for this pedal could be nothing less than a 10. I know guys who put together rack units and expensive guitars that cost them thousands and thousands of dollars. This pedal can give you just about any tone desired (with the exception of real light blues). Just combine it will another bluesy pedal and a decent amp and your sound will compete with if not exceed the "best" of them. For the price this pedal sells at new, NOTHING can beat it. NOTHING. Best tone I have ever heard for what I desire from anything, price not considered.

4 knobs with two switchable functions (gain, low, high, level, semi-parametric mids and 2 controls for the speaker simultaion called "Cabinet Resonator"). With the two programs (red and green) you can save two totally different settings and switch between them. The manual is okay even there are no suggested settings in it. With the semi-parametric mids it takes a lot of time two find your desired sound. The possible settings are enormous and no setting sounds really bad. Two choose two of them is rather difficult...

I'm using a Les Paul with two Gibson Humbuckers and a Hughes&Kettner Tube50 Head with a Mesa/Boogie 2x12" Road-Ready-Cabinet. Because of the noise gate the 104ds has got, it's very quiet. The distortion of this unit is absolutely great. The sound ranges from crisp overdrive to highest-Gain. The only annoying thing is, that the noise gate cuts the sustain right at the moment when your guitar wants to start singin'. I play mostly rock-stuff like "Therapy?" or "Live" and this box delivers every sound I need. I can't imagine that any distortion box can sound better than this thing. I had a Ibanez Thrashmetal before, but I sold it for two beers after I've played through my 104 for the first time.
The output-level of the 104ds is too low, definitely. With the level-knob all the way up, it achieves at least the bypass-level. That's a bit strange but no reason for me to give something else than a 10 in this category. The sound is simply too good to give something else.

That's where the unit has got it's problems. After two to three weeks of use the output-level sometimes dropped totally when I switched the unit off and on again. It came back after switching between the programs. I brought it back to the store and they sent it away for repairing it. I got it back after two weeks and it works perfectly now. No more problems since then. I own it for one year now and played some gigs with it without a backup. To destroy the box is rather complicated I think. Massive aluminium, very stable switches and rubbered knobs. The only critical thing is that mini-switch to choose between the knob-functions. It looks a bit weak.

The volume-loss is a general problem of the unit I think. As I've read here, some more users have got the same problem. To give a rating is very hard. After this one issue it has always worked perfectly and it's built like a tank. I give it a 7.

Never dealt with the company itself, but they repaired it surprisingly quick. I've made different experieces with other companies at that point.

With a former list-price of DM 399,- (~$200) it was simply too expencive. That was perhaps the reason why Korg let run out the whole series. But DM 180,- ($90,the special-price I payed for it) for this thing is more than cheap. If you can get one for this price....buy it and you won't have to look for a better distortion-pedal any more. I really can't imagine that there is even a better one around (I've never heard a better one at least).
I love it...

Mine was a floor model, last one in stock at GC. It is fairly easy to get a good sound out of it. Don't be scared by other reviews: Yes, it is more complicated than your average pedal, but a quick review of the manual will have you tweaking it to taste in no time. You will be rewarded by reading the manual because the pedal has some unique features (or quirks).

I use this with a DG20 equipped Am. Std. Strat and a LP Custom into a PV Classic 30 or a Fender Super 112. It is noisy if the Hi-Lo impedence switch isn't set correctly, or if your pickups are cheapies. Noise is effectively eliminated by this pedal because it has built in noise reduction that operates like a gate. Not the most subtle gate in the world, but this is definitely a HIGH GAIN device, so it comes in handy. Because of this gate you will NOT get infinite sustain, unless you consider feedback sustain because that is the only thing that will keep the gate open once a note decays.

You can save two different settings on this unit (one indicated by green light, other by red). You can get sounds ranging from dirty overdrive to ear bleeding distortion. However, what I think Korg was going for here was a pedal that could make your little amp sound like a stack - and this it does extremely well. I just made my first digital multitrack recording with it using my Strat and my PV, and it sounded MASSIVE. That's what persuaded me to buy it in the first place. It has this thing called a Cabinet Resonator adjustable with 2 knobs: Size and Depth. All the way to the left and it's flat - all the way to the right and it's a closed back stack.

It is not meant to be a direct box in any way. But it is great for micing smaller amps in a home-type studio or in clubs. Also, I have found no cheese in this pedal. It sounds "grown up".

I haven't made the pedal sound like any other artists I can think of, especially any of my favorites, but I also haven't tried.

Minus 2 points for abrubt quality of noise reduction and no true bypass.

I would gig it without a back up, but I'd bring extra batteries. I think it works better off AC power, but I'm too cheap to buy an adapter :) I haven't gigged out with it, though I've auditioned with it and no problems.

Korg is one of those companies that hasn't caught on that customer support is the way of the future. They make some fine products but, hey, just look at their web site. I've never had to contact them about this or any of the other products I own of theirs - and I hope I never have to, either. I'm marking them down for their alienating website (no online manuals, no toll free numbers, etc.) and from what I've read from other people.

I originally bought it because I read the reviews here and heard it was discontinued. I was going to sell this pedal last summer but am now glad I didn't. With my little home recording set up I'm finding it valuable to retain any and every toy I find. I can't figure why they discontinued this pedal; maybe they combined this series of pedals into their new multi-effects, the AX1000 or whatever it's called.

For metal, hard-rock, or hard-edged electric blues (or a boost for a tubescreamer) this is the best distortion pedal I've ever had. It's extremely versatile (a blessing or a curse), great for home studio use, and stores 2 separate settings. I love the cabinet resonator feature.

Better noise reduction (or quieter circuitry) and stereo outs would improve this pedal, as would true bypass. (For the way it sounds and what I paid I ain't complaining!) If it were lost or stolen I'd buy it again at same or lesser price. I'm glad I snapped it up.