Korg 105od Classic Overdrive

Not a real review but important explanations about how it can sound better :

1/ Use a power supply! batteries make it sound noisy
2/ Always plug it first in the chain !
If you don't, you'll get crazy hum and hiss from it when turned on!
Try this and you'll see the difference !

Has a few slightly confusing switches and knobs without the manual.

I am super impressed with the quality of this distortion pedal. I mainly use DIY pedals but every now and then try a pedal out to see what it has to offer. This is a great sounding pedal. I gave it a 10 for being a simple stomp box distortion pedal and it's price range. Sounds far better (IMO) than most if not all rack mount unit distortions I have played through and also better than many pedals even modded ones I have tried out or owned (e.g. Boss DS-1, Boss SD-1, Ibanez TS-5). I also cannot figure out what these other people are talking about in regards to noise. they obviously have a defective pedal. I can turn everything on 10 and it is still very quiet although I haven't tried this at ear bleeding levels but anything will be noisy at those kind of volume levels. This is one of the most quiet distortion pedals I have ever heard.

I haven't owned it long enough to comment on this but it is physically built like a tank.

Never tried.

Fantastic value for it's league and type of pedal it is. Very good quality tone.

for the most part, it's pretty straight forward -- knobs to tweak and switches to stomp on. however, figuring out how to program the sounds took me a good 10 minutes. maybe i'm stupid...haha. but i eventually got it, and if someone were to just explain it to you, i'm sure it'd be pretty simple.

i personally find this pedal to sound quite nice. i don't know what problems these other reviewers had, but i didn't experience any noise at all. if there was any noise, it was nothing more than what i would expect. again, this is an overdrive unit; some noise is bound to be present. in terms of sound, i would say it's pretty smooth and very much to my liking. i have a boss sd-1 and for the more mild setting i tried to tweak and model the sound off of that. i also have an ibanez tube king, which i used as a model to tweak the more intense overdrive sound. it can handle both quite well. the only area i found to be limiting sound-wise is that the lowest drive setting has more crunch than i would like and i'm not able to get any less of a distorted sound. but this was ok for me since it was only a tiny bit over what i wanted. my one major gripe though, is the fact that there's a drop out in the signal when the effect is engaged. but a previous review stated that the problem is fixable. i will try it out.

i just got it, so i don't really know for sure. but it seems very solid. the brushed aluminum is very nice-looking.

?

got this thing on ebay for super cheap and i'm so happy i did. i would say this things is worth around $80 or so. it sounds nice and is very rigid in its construction. like i mentioned before...the one major thing that bothers me is the signal drop-out. i need to find some way to fix that. but overall, this one's a keeper :]

It's not the easiest thing to understand right away, with the program function. I could imagine that if one didn't have a manual, someone would go nuts and throw this out the door! But once you figure it out, you go "aha, I can get two overdrive sounds via footswitch", which is a very handy and fairly rare trait of an OD pedal.

I got this cheap, as these were discontinued, and the store just wanted to get rid of them. I use a Les Paul and SG through a vintage 140 watt Fender head, with a cabinet with vintage Celestions in it. At first, this pedal seems not very good, but it does what it does very well, and this is due to the lack of hype in the signal. It doesn't add brilliant highs to your guitar's signal (just click off the footswitch, and you'll see that it basically retains your guitar's natural tone/ EQ). But I say this not as a bad thing; it's a great thing indeed, it just had to be said here. You're not gonna get a trebly fuzz. You're not gonna get trebly screaming distortion. What you DO get, is an excellent overdrive vintage sounding crunch, with smooth sustain (not as transistor-y as some pedals that i've tried, with very "buzzy" unnatural sounding sustain). You can't alter the actual tone too much. The tone knob, even at full crank, doesn't have alot of top end, and the contour knob can be used to get some good mids, but it doesn't allow you the option to get too far from your guitar tone's natural EQ. If you want something more extreme in EQ options, this pedal is not for you (there's no bass knob, and like I say, the tone knob on the pedal is not extreme, and is more like a upper mid boost than a treble tone knob). The boost on it is slight, but it adds a bit more crunch, if needed. If anyone lost the manual (the programs seem like crap, because this is a somewhat complicated pedal), you can change the default program settings by moving the knobs, then holding the program button down until it stops blinking. If you hear the other program's sound being played when it switches, this is natural....just keep holding the program button down until the blinking light stops. The green light is for program one, the red light is for program two.

I've had it for a week, and it's been fine. But some of the other responses here in this category kinda scare me a bit.

Never needed to.

I'm trying to be objective here, rather than just write a "this sucks", or "this rules!" review, which basically does nothing for those people who are thinking of buying it. My overall rating is a very solid 8. The fact that I got this cheaply is definetely a plus, but it was originally priced at around three times what I paid for it, and I still think that it's worth at least double what I paid for it (80 dollars Canadian). I would definetely get it again, if it broke or was stolen (though Korg has discontinued it, so good luck!). I usually play my style of music--loud psychedelic stoner rockish stuff--through fuzz pedals, but for tonal options in the vintage, less harsh range, I love this pedal! The sturdy aluminum case looks cool, too.

Some negatives to it are that it is a bit noisy (not bad though) when the gain is turned up full crank, but really, the gain doesn't really change much if you turn it up past the 12 o'clock halfway mark, so it's not too bad in that position, and you don't really need anything over the midway mark. There's a split second delay when you turn the effect on, which is sort of a bummer, so leave this pedal on for an entire song, when gigging, if possible. It would have been nice to have a bass knob on it, and you'll probably want to add an EQ pedal if you want more low end-- or just do the low EQ-ing from your amp. But bass is not really what most people are looking for in an overdrive pedal, they're looking for nice, sweet, smoothly broken up tube-ish sounds from an overdrive, which is what this pedal states on the pedal itself, so basically, it succeeds. And all the great pedals in the history of guitar playing are going to do what they do very well (like if you criticize a Fuzz Face for being "too unnatural", aren't you missing the point??? Do your homework first).

You won't find many pedals that do this sound better. But again, if you're looking for something more extreme, do your homework kids--because nothing labelled "classic overdrive" (meant to emulate classic 60's/ 70's sounds) was meant to be extreme, anyway.

And like I say, the fact that you have two programs on here, is great, and you don't have to use a remote switcher, like some Boss pedals. You can use one program for a clean sound, with the other program as a more distorted version of that sound (like I do, I just turn down the volume on the more distorted one to match the volume of the cleaner sound), or you could use it as a distorted tube amp in one program and put the boost on and use the second program as an over the top lead section, if needed. Even at the lowest gain setting, it seems to have almost two layers of signals--one of your guitar's natural clean picking sound, and a sub overdrive, which could easily sound fake, but here, I think, it sounds great. Chances are you'll find this for cheap, as one of the last remaining pedals at a store (maybe a demo pedal), or even cheaper, used. Pick it up.

Initially, the way the controls work seems a bit counter intuitive, but for those who understand that pedals are only machines after all, not inscrutable beings, the unit quickly yields to human control. In fact, I just goofed around with it for about 5 minutes & understood the thing completely. Do not be afraid, Luke! Use the Mind!

I would actually say that I've spent more effort adjusting my Boss SD-2 than this 105od. The difference is this: when the SD-2 is finally tweaked, I have to CAREFULLY place it somewhere where it won't be touched, or I lose my settings when the knobs get bumped. The 105od SAVES my tweaks separately for each channel & can get bumped 50 times before the gig with no re-tweaking unless I want to.

I received no manual, just started dialling. Once you like the sound, you just press and hold the "program" switch for 5 seconds, the light blinks & your setting is saved, ready for rockin'.

Others have already described the 105's operation here, so I'll move on to why I like this thing.

If you need drive (for rhythm, saturation, etc.) plus extra drive (for leads, heavy crunch, etc.), and don't like carrying pedal boards, this is the all in one unit! It's not the absolute best OD out there, but it shames most all the stock Boss and Ibanez pedals, and some of boutique pedals I've tried as well! And for the price... It should be rated a 10+ (search around and see the ridiculously inflated ratings of other mass produced pedals that you KNOW are junk). If I had to run out the door with my axe & run to a rehersal or gig, this 105od is what I would grab. Just stuff it in the pouch of my gig bag and go. I don't usually need hyper palm-muting thunder, but the lead channel on this can go there, with the help of the contour knob & the boost switch.

To date, it has operated flawlessly. And again, for the price, you can have 2 or three backups! But I've not needed one. Just stomp and roar.

Let's face it, customer support is for boutique pedals. These are out of production, so I wouldn't even waste my time with Korg. Shipping/Handling and repairs would cost more than just snagging a couple more on eBay. I always endeavor to be my own customer support. Buy well, treat it well, have a backup.

I have to laugh at the updated review before this one. It almost appears this person may be wanting to have the next few 105od units on eBay to himself! Not a bad strategy at all.

I've played most everything except self-hating metal. I cannot hate anything or anyone that Jesus loves! I think this is my 32nd year of playing Pro & privately. I own cartons & rooms of gear. This 105od is a good match for nearly everything I've done, perhaps a bit too straight ahead for feedback loop wildness, but that's only fun until the crowd starts heading for a break. Again, this pedal is IT for the price!

My favorite feature is the ability to dial in a sound (for each channel separately) & save it; no more problems with getting the knobs bumped & trying to find the sweet spots again whil the rest of the band stands with their arms folded.

Well, this is a follow-up. Lately I had some problems with the unit, not the tone(still very enjoyable, best digital overdrive ever) but the programmable function. Lights didn't move, so I was blind with my settings, the contour knob didn't work on the green channel, and a strange hiss came on the background. Ah, that's what people over here are talking about, I said to myself...
Since I play with a lot of stuff I just laid the korg for a couple of months and , guess what, now it is functioning again(3 weeks all day long now)...
So if you can get one on e(vil)-bay, just don't. Those units are not dependable, and you'll get mad at them because they sound so good.

l.e.d that blinked while adjusting the sound?,thats the only thing that boggled my mind.so i suggest you read the manual first,afterwhich you learn that its a patch on the program mode,you will start to love this pedal

my set up is plain simple (telecaster guitar---korg 105od---marshall amp with reverb MG15CDR).The unit is very quiet even with the drive set to maximum.The thing about this is there exist a gap sound after turning the unit "on".so you have to be careful about your timing specially on a live gig!.there are two program a crunch(green) and lead (red)mode"this thing is very much the same with BOSS DUAL OVERDRIVE"but 105od is better because of the boost switch and the contour knob to scooped out the mid freq for your desired taste.I use to cascade a compressor in my chain but this 105od can stand alone as long as you switch the boost parameter.you will get a thick compressed smooth drive for doing solo lead part.I would compare it to Boss blues driver having a round hard driven smooth sound.This is the best overdrive pedal I had.This surely knockedout my old marshall drivemaster.Im a blues rock lead guitarist and i really love this .If you are a metal fan "back off" this is not the thing for you!

all in metal casing,very sturdy I think it can withstand tornadoes,tsunami,earthquakes hehehe.

i doubt if there is a customer support since they discontinued the production of this model

I am a lead guitarist and not a tap dance.I dont want to carry to much guitar effects on the stage.1 good korg 105od and a good amp with reverb will do.The rest is up to my fingers!A good guitarist need not to hide his crappy playing behind tons of guitar stompboxes.

This is the best overdrive compare to a real vacuum tube drive sound.

I will rate it at 10/10

This unit must be properly used, the input switch changes all(I have it on hi, therefore no hiss or uncontrollable noise)! The output switch is in fact a speaker simulation which sounds good but not with a guitar amp please. With an acoustic acoustasonic junior it's impressive and well balanced.
This effect has a noise-gate to reduce quantization noises, so you can't play with your guitar's volume control: you then get high background noise and get occasionnally cut off. Of course since it has two programs I really don't care.
Use it always with power supply because of high consumption(^~120milliamperes). Rechargeables nimh batteries don't work because of not enough voltage(you then get a strong buzz, just like alcalines go weak...).
Never had any problem in 5years so it is reliable, the switches are good but you get a drop when bypassing. Switching between programs is very fast without any gap.
Now I use it as a preamp(output to "line", first program with a clean sound and second one full-blown for a solid crunch sound. The trick is a Jacques tube blower as booster for solos and man the sound is pure heaven! Without any tube or guitar amp(never had any good one so I gave up and no regrets here). I only get compliments for this sound I have, and not only from guitarists so I guess it's accurate!
Would I buy one again? Of course!

This product comes with lo and hi gain switches for pickups type, amp and line out output selection and 4 knobs level gain , tone and contour. Can also store 2 programs. No manual needed for me. Pretty easy effect to use

I decided to do this pedal a some decent service. I see many don't quite appreicate the tone from this pedal. I personally find it amazing piece of thing. I personally owns Mesa V-twin, Old Marshall Guv'nor MK1, Vintage rat, Big muff, Daddy O, Sansamp classic. I find the 105OD can do very decent sounds. I personally hates modeler or digital effects. Used to ban myself on the digital effects as I have very bad experience on them. But I must say this piece of thing is extremely playable and had caught me into it with some amazement. It has the nice warm boost play thru Les paul standard and Strat Amercian Standard with Kinmans. The Boost switch on the pedal gives the sound more highs and harmonics. Very balance low it has got but not tight and focus as compare to some pedals. You can easily achieve smooth solos sounds. with a little more reverb you can get the Eric Johnsons solos. It definitely model after some of the vintage overdrives sound as you can hear alot of color on the tone. Futhermore it is cheap. I can live with the slight noise problem. The advantage of this is I am able to store 2 program which met my requirements of nice Clean slight overdriven boost and a high gain overdrive and nice sustains solos. Play this on a Fender deluxe 112 plus. Extremely a good run for the money. Cheap pedals but many nice tone treasure you can find on this. I even got my buddy to bought it on the following day I purchase this overdrive also. He was so convince on the sound himself. we could not believe our ears that a China made pedal can sound so decent. I would said it is more decent than most boss distortion/overdrive pedals. This pedal is discontinued line of products of Korg.

Have not tested it to its limit, cannot tell now still to brand new

Got from a good music retail shop in Singapore so never had problems in csutomer service. Luthermusic shop is great.

I played guitar for almost 2 decades and love to blay blues and some Jazz not very expert in this instrument but learn

It takes awhile to find out what each know and switch does...but it wouldn't take you longer than 5 mins.The more you explore the more you discover it's versatility and user-friendliness...And saving programs is a piece of cake...The manual's in 4 languages but is pretty helpful when yoou finally find the english side...

I used two guitar/amp set-ups and the pedal still shines...I used an Epiphone Les Paul Std. together with a Kustom 12W Tube Practice Amp and it sounded nice and warm...Fine tuning was needed when i swithched over to my modded Squire strat,running through an Ibanez 50R amp,but the sound still made me smile...Another plus point was that the input jack had a hi/lo line switch to better suit high output pickups to low output pickups.it even has an amp/line selector switch which allows you to go straight into a mixer without the need for a D.I.!(Although you need a 1/4" TRS to XLR jack for this.) The 105OD can generate the sound of guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton but it's definitely not for the metalheads who want hi-gain distortion.

The bottom casing is made out of sheet aluminium and the top cover looks like cast aluminium. It's pretty rugged so it shold last but i haven't tried chucking it down the stairs...So i wouldn't know.

i don't think this pedal is still in production but the shop i bought it from gives a 1-year guarantee that it won't go bust on you...

i play old school rock to hard rock to punk rock and the 105OD seems to be made for me...i like it's wide dynamic range and how you can go from a subtle overdrive boost to creamy or crunchy distortion...The best part is you can save two different programs and has a switch that allows you to choose between one program or the other.I have only been using this pedal for about 2 months but it seems to impress me a lot more than other pedals i've tried,like the Boss SD-1 or the OD-3.
it's amazing what this pedal can do...if it were stolen or lost,i wouldn't buy any other pedal except the Korg Toneworks 105OD Classic overdrive. And for $60(i think that was clearing price),it's the best pedal i bought under a $100!

I bought this thing used and it didn't come with a manual so it took a while (and some asking around) on how to use the "program" feature. The knobs are pretty much straightforward and standard. Boost switch doesn't contribute anything substantial.

Overdrive pedal or box of snakes? The only other pedal I ever had that was this noisy was my old Electro Harmonix Big Muff. Try as I could, I couldn't get a decent sound out of this thing. Tried it with my Les Paul, SG, Flying V, Mockingbird and Explorer and ran it through a Marshall. Gafe it all the chances I could. Jeeze! The overdrive on my little Marshall MS-2 has a better overdrive on it!

Buttons work intermitently. Temperamental little bugger.

I bought this when I was searching for a different sound to add to my range. Been playing since the late 70s and been in bands ranging from 60s covers to progressive to metal to hardcore punk. Paid $19 for it and it was $19 too much. I'll either try to unload it on some unsuspecting sucker or just use it as a doorstop. Made me appreciate my old trusty DOD Overdrive.

Fairly easy to get a decent but extremely noisy overdrive sound.
It can store 2 settings, each selectable by pressing the right-hand switch, but sometimes this doesn't engage when you step on it.

It sounds like a typical vintage overdrive pedal, reminds me of Marshall Zepplin tones, and it is easily the noisiest pedal I have ever used. The salesperson at the shop I bought it at said that these Korg units in the silver boxes were getting returned all the time for the noise problems and switching problems.
I tried it with a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Crate Blue Voodoo. I returned it the same day.

Noisy and the buttons don't engage like they should.
Apparently they weren't on the market for too long, probably for the same reasons why I returned it.

I play classic rock, blues, for a couple dozen years. All different kinds of guitars and amps. I returned the Korg because it was faulty in more than one way. It could have had a decent tone, but I couldn't really tell because I couldn't hear it underneath all the noise. I was looking forward to a pedal that could have two crunch settings without having to buy a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factory (not really worth the price either), nice looking box though. I guess I''' keep looking.

Once you familiarize yourself with the controls,getting a sound you want is not to difficult.The manual is not loaded with information but adequite.Editing patches is straightforward

Probably the smoothest overdrive I have ever heard using a Strat through a Peavey Ranger.The overdrive is very transparaent and won't color youer tone

no problems

Korg is areputable co. and I expect them to support their products

Played 35 years rock and blues.The Visual Sound Route 66 overdrive was a bit to harsh for me so I sold it.The Korg gets long sustain and has good tone,These are not made anymore so I wouldn't be able to replace it easily,but it's worth replacing.

Nice having two settings on what is basically a single stomp box. Editing is a snap as is saving settings, and having the LEDs indicate current settings make it easy to tweak the sounds.

I use with with an LP Custom and Epi Wilshire run into an assortment of amps -- Sovteks, Bandmaster, Kustom, and Trace Eliot, at various settings, though mostly clean to mildly overdriven. For me, it introduces significant hiss even with the drive at low levels, which isn't cut very much by the tone control. The overdrive sound is good and reaches well into the distortion realm, at least with humbuckers. I prefer its dry and edgy OD to that from Zoomboxes and even Boss, but see other comments below. I'd imagine this box would work less well with lighter strings and single coils unless you want a really thin biting sound. Sound is a little cleaner using a wallwart instead of batteries (which I find not to be the case for my zoom and boss pedals!) The boost function is very noticeable and I do use it for leads where it works nicely. So, you can have a good crunch for rhythm and a much harder, boosted OD for leadwork and only need one button to exchange volume, tone, and drive.

Many other reviews indicate the product is shoddy. I've use it without problem, but could see where problems might occur. I'd concur that the pots and switches are not the highest quality, but again this particular box hasn't failed.

Not much help on this product, which is discontinued. Did receive prompt mail response from an e-mail inquiry on another product that is still sold.

Lots of folk have trashed this pedal. I want to comment that I originally bought the Korg distortion model but brought it back to the store because it sounded lame, the cabinet simulator seemed worthless, and the noise gate behaved badly. I swapped it for the OD pedal which has fewer features, probably to its advantage. For the price I paid (new), it's fine. I appears that too many folk paid real money for a lightweight, but helpful pedal and that accounts for some of the lower ratings. I'd check it to see if it is fully functional first -- I've had this one over two years and have had no problems at all. I believe Korg pulled it off the market partly because of quaility control. I'd not replace it if it were lost only because I've got other OD devices. I do like its range and the dual settings.

Ok, so its a push button pedal with a metal exterior and looks serious but thats it. Yeah ok simple to use and the programming is not rocket science.

What quality?, I use this with my either my 77 Fender Strat or my Steinberger GM through a Marshall Valvestate (great amp) and I can never get a controlled distortion sound. Damping the strings with your palm and getting that nice distorted "chunk!" is the only thing worth mentioning

Could I depend on it?, makes an excellent paperweight.

????

I have been playing guitar for over 20 years and I have never come across something so bad in my life, even my old 80's Boss overdrive sounds a thousand times better than this. I have a just bought a ZOOM 505 II just for home practice and the distortion on that is far superior. DON'T buy this for a live pedal I would not trust it one bit the metal box looks impressive but the interior circuits are definitely third rate!
What can I compare this too? anyone remember the DeLorean? a flashy metal box and that was it.

If anyone is interested I am selling it for 90 Euros and I will even pay the postage to get rid of it plus it comes with power supply email me at moleymusic@hotmail.com

I'm going to skip this as my sole reason for this contibution is to help all the poor souls that bought one or more of these much maligned pedals.

Keep reading....

As you already know,these pedals all have a severe problems with the switches that manifest themselves as dropouts, even total silence.The problem can be addressed, however by opening up the units via the six Phillips screws, then pulling up the right side first guiding the PCB past the two metal lugs.You might as well disconnect the battery holder ,while you're at it, because all these pedals hum like a mother
without a PSU.
Now, see that plastic clip that clamps the PCB to the footswitch?It is almost certainly putting undue pressure on the cheap nasty footswitch,causing the contacts to be misaligned.You can remove the clips by squeezing them with pair of needlenose pliers,however the circuit board then might flap around and the LEDS will fall into the body.The thing to do then is undo the footswitch collar and reseat the switches in such a manner,that thereis nop pressure on the switch itself. You do this by lowering or raising the footswitch in its hole
by rotating the nut on the inside of the chassis.You have to gauge this by sight, and you might have to do it more than once to get the footswitch to catch everytime,but it worked for all three of my pedals.Do this to both switches in the unit then give 'em a blast with DE OXIT or WD40 for good measure.In the event you still have a problem
replace the footswitches with a pair of Carling or Fulltone switches.Although this requires major surgery these boxes(except the multi effect)are worth it.I'll try and answer any questions (tykey@ix.netcom.com),but I am not a representative of Korg,so don't hassle me.This information is free and it's a pantload more than Korg ever gave us.
THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

If Korg made cars there would have been a class action suit already.
Hello,Jacoby and Myers?

Korg sucks

When buying the unit you get; 4 knobs and 5 switches.
With the knobs you adjust Drive, Tone, Contour and Level.
The 5 switches; 1 (Effect) for turning the drive on and off, 1 (Program) for selecting witch one of the saved settings you want to use, 1 for adding boost (somewhat noisy), 1 for selecting amp or line-in, and finally one for selecting high or low output.

Programming is fairly easy; tune in the setting you want and press the Program switch for a few seconds and you have it saved to that "channel".

I mainly use this unit with my DeArmond M75T through a 40 w Solid State Marshall together with an Ibanez Digital Delay rack unit for delay and chorus.

Somewhat noisy even when not playing even though you turn the volume of your guitar down, the hiss is remarkably not affected by the amount of drive you use; even without it you can hear the noise.

If you don't mind the hiss you can get some nice tones from slight OD to pretty heavy stuff (but no distortion, sorry ;)) especially if you use the boost switch. It is probably most suited for "classic" to "modern" rock, maybe even some funky dude will like it:).

Reliability? This unit?
Well it looks pretty sturdy with the metal casing and all, but don't let it fool you, the reliability problem is located INSIDE the sturdy looking metal casing:

Sometimes when you switch from clean to drive you hear nothing! and sometimes you get stuck with one of the settings no matter how many times you step on the Program switch. Therefore I never gig without a backup because you never know when the damn thing freaks out.

Never dealt with them so...

I bought the Classic OD mainly because I needed a boost for my solos, and with the 2 drive channels I can have both a rhythm and a solo sound in just one box.

I almost forgot one thing that kind of bugged me; when you switch to drive there's a split second when the sound disappears. This only happens when switching on, and not when jumping between programs or when switching off.

So if you need some cheap OD, don't plan to gig with it and don't expect it to last forever I would recommend it to you.

This unit takes a little more thought than some others, but its still very easy. The 4 knobs control 4 different setting. A toggle switch adds a boost (which keep on because its seems to "thicken" the tone). 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, as you increase the gain, it starts to get a little noisy. However, I find this to be the case with most distortion pedals. With the gain down, the noise is bearly noticeable.

This unit has a VERY transparent tone! I like it better than the hearlded Ibanez Tube Screamers. I feel it has all the tone but MUCH more flexibility!

Blues players will LOVE it!

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 Stevie Ray Vaughan on "Pride and Joy". I flip on the middle pickup of my Hamer Steve Stevens 1 or my Fender California Strat and I'm there!

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 classic rock, overdriven tones of the past as well as some of the moderate overdrives used in today's music. 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 104dsod (see my review of that one, too!), are a couple of the best sounding distortion boxes ever made!

Grab them while you still can!

very straightfoward design...nice positive clicks

currently used between my Les Paul and my Fender tweed Blues-Deluxe.....get an occational pop when clicking....not as rich as I want my sound but a good durable peice....so far

its not something I couldnt live without and if it died I would most likely upgrade....purchased used and got a great deal on it but its not the sweetest sound on the market

Easy?? I'd say easy AND not....easy because this pedal requires little fumbling to come at a nice tone.....but NOT because itz true uniqueness (as compared to stomp boxes in same price range) is that it can store 2 channels. Itz fairly simple but requires the manual.

I give it N/A because itz a stomp box....how much easier can it get.

My setup is VERY simple.

PRS --> Vox Wah --> 105od --> Fender Chorus M-80

Noisy?? I've heard some other ppl complain that it gets noisy when you crank it up with the level knob turned all the way....all i gotta say is "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT"??????

I'm using this pedal with my "solid-state" fender m-80....i REALLY like the tone with this pedal...itz actually a funny story. I went into the store looking to buy a TS-9....the guy said, "hold on a min and lemme show ya this." I WAS HOOKED!! I played the two together and let me tell you.....virtually no difference at all.....i do think the TS-9 goes better for "lighter"/"cleaner" tones but again...not much difference here.

Now for all you seeking to sound like someone....here are some bands i can get outta this baby.

1. Kenny Wayne Shepherd/SRV tones (like i said...comparable to ts-9)
2. Pearl Jam
3. Rush
4. Led Zeppelin

the list goes on....basically anything that's not metal.

I LOVE IT!!! And i've had to for a while now so itz not the "new buyers" praise.

I give it a 9 because i can never be 100% happy with something...

Steel.....what else to you need to know.?

I play mainly blues rock to alternative rock....more like SRV to Pearl Jam and i'd say this pedal is a perfect fit. I've been playing for 3 years now and if it were lost? I'd likely buy another one...simply because i can't afford to buy the expense gear. I compared this puppy to the ts-9 and they are basically the same (to me).

All in all....if you're looking for some cheap distortion then look no further....get this puppy.

The few times this effect has worked, it has been easy to use, but the gain is too high to really work with the pedal... It is straightforward enough for anyone...

The effect is okay for overdrive... It sounds like a very crisp digital distortion, not a warm overdrive..

Looks are decieving.. It appears to be a solid box, but since I brought it home, it works 1 out of 10 times I try and click it on... im guessing this is no fluke, as the echo pedal from the same line of korg effects has similar issues...

Why hasn't their "contact" part of their web site worked in several months... They are impossible to reach, and the one email I got to someone at Korg has not been answered... I would really appreciate some service, as this was not a cheap pedal, and i would like to think I could trust the Korg brandname (i have really liked some of their products)...

Do not buy their pedals if reliability is important to you.. The sound quality isn't bad--has some unique features... but between the quality and lack of support I would advise against any korg pedal fx purchases.

The Korg 105od Classic Overdrive is a fairly complex piece of computer technology masquerading under the guise of being a simple stompbox with four knobs and a toggle switch. The pedal's design is more straightforward than Korg's three other ToneWorks pedals (104ds Hyper Distortion, 301dl Dynamic Echo, and 411fx Super Multi FX), as the toggle switch provides an additional level of gain rather than designating knob functions. If you are a total luddite, you could use it like a standard stompbox and dial in good tones right away. The beauty of the pedal, however, is that you can store two settings by holding down the program button on the respective "red" and "green" channels.

Things get a bit confusing when you get to the switches on the back. Reading the manual, you would be led to believe that the "High/Low" input selection would mimic the inputs on an amp - "High" for single coils and "Low" for humbuckers. This, however, is not the case as "High/Low" evidently refer to the respective outputs of the pickups. I only bring this up as it is not consistent among all of the pedals in this line, as my 301dl Dynamic Echo has these levels reversed to the more traditional configuration. Furthermore, the "Amp/Line" output selector uses the same sort of reverse logic with "Amp" activating a high roll-off filter/ amp simulator.

The manual is the weakest part of this pedal, but fortunately isn't really necessary.

Here's the deal. Because the pedal is an overdrive, rather than a distortion, it works okay with solid state amps (I use a Peavey Bandit with either a P-90 equipped SG or a 335 solid body with dirty finger humbuckers), producing its best tones when used as a clean boost. However, when overdriving a tube amp (I have an Ampeg VT-60) it produces fantastic tones. The best word that comes to mind is "creamy." I mean I know it is a cliche, but the tones are nothing less than artery-clogging eat-a-stick-of-butter and hope that you HMO covers quadruple-bypass surgery creamy.

Previous reviewers have noted pedal noise, especially when using batteries instead of an AC adapter. Although this pedal is the noisiest of the ToneWorks clan at high gain settings, I found it to be quieter than an original TS-808 that I ran into a guy using. If this were the case with something like a delay or a chorus effect it would be a problem. But remember - this is after all an overdrive designed to overload your amp's pre-amp section to produce distortion for rock and blues music. Getting all worked up about trivialities such as a little noise is exactly opposite of the original rebellious intent and roots of the two genres.

Furthermore, this pedal cleans up very nicely with either a softer pick attack or reduced volume, even when it is at high gain settings, in a way that the distortions on the 411fx Super Multi FX and the 104ds Hyper Distortion do not.

As far as a tonal palate, the best way to compare this pedal to Korg's Hyper Distortion is to compare Thin Lizzy's Whiskey in the Jar to Metallica's. Some more tones that this pedal is quite competent in copping:

Rush "Cygnus X-1"
Who "Magic Bus" (Live at Leeds)
Blackfoot: "Highway Song"
James McMurtry "Levelland"
Led Zeppelin "Heartbreaker"
Blue Oyster Cult "Godzilla"
Gear Daddies "Time Heals"
AC/DC "Live Wire"

Given that this pedal is digital, it is amazing how well it emulates tube circuitry. However, it seems to emulate all aspects of tubes - both good and bad. You know how some days you turn on your tube amp and it sounds kinda off because of temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, or whatever? Well, this pedal is almost as temperamental. Sometimes it sounds incredible, sometimes it seems to be a bit off - a bit noisier or just lacking something. (This could of course be the fault of the amp or even me, but still?.) As other reviewers have noted there also is a slight delay when you engage it. I have compensated for this by programming one setting for clean and the other for dirty, as there is no delay when changing from program to program.

After reading a couple of other reviews, I became obsessed with the slight noise the pedal produced when running on batteries. I called Musician's Friend and they replaced it with no problems. However, the new pedal seems to be a bit noisier than the one I returned. During the time it was gone, I found myself really missing it. I knew it was being discontinued and was worried that they would just give me my cash back. When it came, I was so glad to have it back the noise became a non-issue. Now that it has been officially discontinued, however, I don't know what the repair policy would be, if any.

I play a lot of different styles. For straight up rock, this pedal is great. For heavier stuff (e.g., Helmet, Dead Kennedys) I also use it to provide boost for the 104ds Hyper Distortion. If this pedal were stolen/broken I'd try to replace it, but I think that it would be pretty difficult given their relatively short production run.

In short, if you find one of these for less than a hundred dollars - get it.

I purchased the unit used without a manual, so I had a little trouble figuring out how to program it. Other than that, its very easy to use

The Classic Overdrive is superior to my Tubescreamer. The sound is more transparent and warmer than the Tubescreamer. It does seem somewhat noisy when programed with the gain full up, particularly when using single coils. This unit may be one of the best overdrive pedals I have tried so far. It seems fairly comparable to the Fulltone Fulldrive. The fact that it has two programable channels is a nice feature. I was using two overdrive units together, a Tubescreamer for slightly overdriven sounds and a Daddy-O for heavy overdrive. The Korg will allow me to discontinue this arrangement. The sound of the Classic Overdrive is very smooth, with no grit or grind. My Fender Hot Rod Deluxe sounds great with the Korg. You can get very good SRV sound out of the Korg with a Strat with Texas Specials. The smoothness of the overdrive also permits you to attain Eric Johnson-like lead tones.

It seems well made and hopefully will last.

I think I made a significant discovery here with the Korg Classic Overdrive. I A/B'd it with my Tubescreamer and Daddy-O, and the Korg had a better, more natural sound -- more like a tube amp turned up than an effects pedal. In short, I am very impressed indeed. The Korg is best suited for blues and rock, but is not a metal-type pedal. The only problems I have with the unit is that it seems a little more noisy when the gain in on full than some other units. However, an earlier post said that the Korg Classic OD is more noisey when you use batteries, which is all that I have used so far. In addition, there seems to be a very slight delay when you engage the unit. That said, I would strongly recommend this OD due to its sound, multi-programable channels and the price. Hey, for $45 used, I was a great deal and a major find.

Its pretty simple to use. A lot of features like boost switch, anp or line out switch, and a low and high output switch; alond with overdrive, level, tone, and contour knobs. You can also program two settings with the footswitch on the right side. Everything is right there. It just takes some time to dial in your settings.

I'd have to give it a ten. It does everything I want it to. I play a Les Paul Studio through a Fender Blues deluxe. It can sure change the tone of that amp. Its good at boosting the amps overdrive and shaping your tone with another source. I've played it through that and a JCM900 and it absolutely doesn't change the tone of the amp unlike some harsh distortion pedals (Fabtone). Its sounds great as a clean boost or an over the edge crunchy, hard rock distortion with plenty of gain and then some.

I'v only had it for about two weeks and have had no problems as of yet.

It does everything I want it to. I don't know if it would be for metal because I've never tried dialing that up. I use as a boost to my amp's gain and it does a fantastic job.

This is a revision to my original review. Although this pedal has a great sound, it is sooo noisy when using batteries. As soon as you plug in an AC adaptor, the noise disappears. This seems to be a descign flaw because I took it back to the store and tried several other units with the same results. I tried the Hyper Distortion and the 411 Multi-Effects and neither of them had this problem. Anyhow, for that reason, I exchanged it for a 411 Multi-Effects, which was able to do everything that the 105d was capable of doing, plus a whole lot more. My advice - DO NOT BUY THIS PEDAL, unless you are planning on using a wall wart!

Very straightforward. Any idiot could figure it out. You just set the dials and hold down the program button until it blinks, which indicated that you've saved your patch.

The sound quality is great. It has somewhat of a Tubescreamer flavor, but with much more gain and attitude. I would say it sounds about halfway in between a Tubescreamer and a SansAmp GT2. The distortion is very midrangey, which is what I like. I played it thru the clean channel of a JCM2000 half stack and got great results. It has a direct out for plugging straight into a mixing console. The texture of the distortion is much more refined than an ordinary stompbox. I would put it in the same category as the SansAmp and JD-10, which are classes more as 'amp emulators' as opposed to distortion pedals. The high-gain sound can be best described as 'brown'.

Built like a tank. Made of metal. The footswitches are solid. Battery life is 15 hours on a set of 4 AA alkalines, which is pretty good, compared to Boss stompboxes, which seem to use up a single 9-volt in about 2 hours.

Can't say. Only had is less than 24 hours.

I think this is a great overdrive unit. It was definitely worth the extra $$ because of the superior sound quality and features. It can turn any amp into a 3-channel beast. It's almost like having a fulldrive with independent channels.