Korg A3

Very easy to use. Cool presets, I have the device since 1989 and still work with some. I only needed the manual for details about certain parameters.

For guitar, the sound kicks butt. Although, a Behringer compressor and a Lexicon reverb are what I prefer for vocals and stuff...

IMHO, it is reliable. I only have one problem: The output of both channels seems to differ slightly. Feed it with a mono-signal, bypass it and check the stereo-output...

For guitar, Yamaha FX 900/500 and Marshall JMP-1 also seem pretty cool. The A3 *does* help me make music, because of the ease-of-use.

The A3 is reasonably easy to use IF you have the extra sound cards for your particular needs. Of course, the studio whiz kids program their effect chains from the scratch, but the rest of us are more comfortable in tweaking a preset to suit.

When it works OK, it sounds great. But... look at the reliability dept.

As the others have said, A3 sounds good and is easy to tweak. However, I beg to differ on the reliability issue. I bought mine from a metal/funk band guitarist who used it in his live rig. No, he was NOT particularly destructive about it, but... The connectors are the big problem. They are soldered to the circuit board with no fastening to the chassis. That means that the solder connections WILL break eventually. I will replace all the connectors the day I find replacements small enough to fit in. At the moment mine has no front panel sockets for instrument input or headphones as they didn't function and caused troubles to the rest of the unit. Anyway, the A3 will stay as a part of my home studio setup.

It's a good box. I'd buy it again if the price is reasonable and the unit is in perfect condition.

The programing is great I can dial my perfect sound in minutes. I use a sound much like Randy Rhoads used in Tribute.

The distortion is great I can't tell the difference from the digital to my old anolog units. The reverb just rocks I can almost overpower my distortion with reverb. The overall sound is consistantly powerfull and crisp.

Solid Metal construction - very stout. I have had mine for five years and it has never let me down !!! What backup ? NOTHING replaces the A3 !!!

I Wish I could find another one. I love the sound. I tried severl other procecerss none gave me the sound I wanted. I would like one more RAM card location for more effects at one time. The A3 is my crutch I am my most creative when playing with it. I would really like to know why Korg discontinued this great machine.

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