Korg AX100G

The Korg AX100G is one of the most user-friendly stompbox modelers out there. The presets do a well rounded job of showcasing the potential of the programmability, as well as the variety of sounds. Anyone who is used to an amplifier will find that tweaking the gain section is exactly what they are used to, however, when tweaking effects, one does need to know how effects work. It's not brain surgery, but it does take a learning curve. In particular is the choice of time-based effects, like chorus or reverb. Not every combination will work together, but there are enough choices to get a very close representation of the sound that you are looking for.

The sound quality is exactly what you would expect from a multi effects processor for under $200.00. It's not anything that Lexicon would have to worry about, but it is good enough for any guitarist to practice and jam with. There is a light to heavy compression with every patch except bypass, and even then, your tone will be modified slightly. To my ears, it sounds about as good as a standard CD, without being mastered. The manual claims full bandwidth 20Hz-20kHz range, but that is a stretch to say the least. While it may accept an input at any frequency, it comes a far cry from actually reproducing or processing any frequency. It will do very well with a guitar, while providing adequate tones, it does tend to distort heavily with lower frequencies beyond that of a standard guitar. If you use a 7 string tuned down, you really won't notice it until you try to transpose, which begs to mention, the pitch transposer SUCKS!
There is a very unnatural, metallic ringing tone to it, which completely alters your tone. If you are looking for a synthesized texture, that's cool, but if you want to hear true harmonization, look for Lexicon or T.C. Electronic. Also, if you are going to rely on the Phrase Trainer, you'd be better off taking an Ear Training course, because this thing is useless. It compresses and delays the phrase you are trying to learn, until it is all but undecipherable at the slower speeds. But, that's what samplers are for. One problem that I've had is interfacing it with an effects loop. WARNING! If you have a tube amp with channel switching, you'll be tap dancing with this thing. It does NOT like a high gain input at all. You have to do too much with the amp simulations and tone controls, and it WILL suck your tone like a two dollar hoe on Sunday during halftime.

I would be inclined to gig with the Korg, but only in a controlled setting. If there's a mosh pit or flying beverages involved, you're in for another 200 bucks. But in practice or rehearsal, it's perfect. It does seem pretty sturdy, but then again, so did a lot of stompboxes that I've dealt with, so use common sense. This is not a road-worthy piece of gear. Use it in the capacity that it was meant for: a practice tool, something that is very portable, and something to get a simulation of a specific tone, not a cornerstone of your setup. If you rely on this for tone, you'll be disappointed, but if you use it as a swiss army knife of cool (just cool, not mind-blowing) sounds, you will be surprised.

I've never dealt with Korg, as a matter of fact, this is the first Korg product that I've purchased. I was always a little leary of predominantly synth based companies dipping into guitar gear, but for the price and the features, who can go wrong? I mean, come on, it's not the next 2290, but what the hell can you expect for 200 bucks?

I play primarily blues and jazz. I mostly fuse different styles in my blues playing, such as hard rock, rockabilly, classical, avant-garde, funk and just about anything else I can grab in the heat of battle. For what I want it to do, such as being a cool headphone amp after a gig, or for late night practicing and home recording sessions, and a scratchpad of tones for later use, this thing is pretty kick-ass. I play a Carvin Bolt-T Lefty, and it has been modded to the max. It can sound like everything from an old Gibson ES-400 to a pre CBS Strat to a '59 Goldtop and everything in between. I've found every amp simulation to be a relative mimic, but not a dead-on replicant. I think that a lot of people are looking for that in a multi-effects whizbang do it all processor, but they are not going to find it anywhere. First of all, you have to KNOW what these different amp models sound like as compared to the real thing. How many people out there KNOWS what a '62 Bluesbreaker sound like, or a '59 Bassman, or a Super Reverb without owning one? Sure, you can get the thing to SOUND like a Mesa Dual Rectifier, but only if you KNOW what one sounds like. Have you noticed yet that I didn't mention the Acoustic Simulator? Wanna know why? Because it's not worth mentioning, that's why! Think of it as a HIGH compression effect with a LOT of highs that distort your tone. Chorus, flange, phase, and reverb are cool, though, don't get me wrong. At this point in technology, it's really hard to fuck these effects up. On the other hand, what is it about pitch transposers and wahs, that are so easy for manufacturers to completely butcher? Really now, why doesn't someone take a look inside a VOX Wah pedal and see what's really going on, and then put it in a multi-effects pedal? This is the last multi-effects that I'm going to buy, simply because everything else is too overpriced for what it does, and I am saving my money up for a dedicated stompbox pedalboard and a dedicated rack with separates. The Korg AX100G will get you thinking about separates if you don't have them, but in the meantime, it will keep you happy and experimenting with the large variety of tones available.

Presets are good to start with. After you'll understand unit's simple structure and modes, it's operation is very simple.

Running Fender Fat Strat through the unit (two single, one humbucker).
Noise level is low, and when using noise reduction built-in, no noise at all. FX are great, but THE PITCH SHIFTER/HARMONIZER IS WEAK. Mean, it does it's job, but with a delay and it sounds cropped. That was disappoining. But for the money I paid it's worth of it! Will get a Digitech Whammy for pitch-shifter things.

Backup needed. All-plastic - may break. Accidently poured beer influenced pedal buttons operation - they're not protected enough.

Overall - good unit for practicing and rehearsals. But for the on-stage or studio I'd have some additional units - first of all Digitech Whammy for pitch modifications, which sux in AX100G.

I got this as a Christmas present and immediately grabbed my guitar. I went through all the set patches and familiarized myself with it in about 1/2 an hour. Then I grabbed the manual and in about 10 minutes I started making my own patches. Then I remembered that Guitar World started publishing POD settings for the songs they were publishing. So I grabbed my latest Jimi Hendrix issue and after about 5 minutes of translating I was getting some AWESOME tones. I liked the buttons use push to choose the effect to set. I have an RP-7 and it's a bit time consuming to change. The thing that bugged(and keeps bugging) me is the knobs. You can't tell where the setting is until after you move it. But the "ORIG" light helps. I like the fact that you can name a patch. That way I don't have try and remember what # on this pedal will get me what sound. The dual channel feature kicks ass!!! It's like twice the sounds at no charge. And the LED meter for the pedal is kind of cool. Although having the pedal stay the same even after you change patches can suck. You turn down the chorus for example and then change patches and now you don't have any sound cause you've turned down the volume. Pain.

I use any of three guitars: Washburn 340 with H/S/H(SD Parallel Axis pickups), Warmoth maple Strat with SD Alnico 2's, B.C. Rich with one bridge humbucker(DiMarzio Tone Zone). It usually goes into headphones but might go into Fostex FD-8, or into my Marshall 8008 into a Fender 4x12 cab. The problem I had was volume. I had to turn the master volume all the way up AND the master on all of the patches in order to get some good sound. I like to have some good headroom. The effects were cool. Except the ring modulator, I don't think I'll ever find a use for that. The feedback maker was neat. I wouldn't use it for any recording stuff. It is fun goofing around in practice with. The one sound I absolutely LOVE is the AC30 Top Boost. MAN is that one killer distortion. The acoustic sound is a little weak, but that's why I have a hand-made acoustic. Like a previous post I have to agree with the lameness of half the pre-sets. But they are a good starting point.

It seems pretty well built. The kobs are a bit inset so I'll be less likely to bang 'em off. Although knowing me I'll find a way. It's been banged around, stepped on, dropped, kicked, and all types of things in my studio room and it's still tickin'. Plastic chassis doesn't bother me. All plastic pedals are the same, even if they're attached to metal.

This'll cover some good sounds. Makes solo pratice more fun. It's alot easier to emulate sounds, via Guitar World. Been playing 'bout 7 years. I own over 11 guitars and basses. If I lost it or it was stolen I would rather get an RP-300. For only one reason, it lets me control the gain. I am however in love with the vintage patch on the Korg. It's worth keeping just for that. I should add that the rhythm trainer is better than most. Some pretty good beats using half-way decent kits.

I couldn't wait to get this baby home...popped it out of the box and DAMN...no AC adaptor! The salesman told me it was included. Nope. Oh well... I pulled 4 AA batteries out of my camera and gave it a run through...WOW! I'm impressed! This thing is what I refer to as a "latest generation" effects unit. I can't see anybody equaling the features (at this price) that KORG has...for another 6 months, that is. I'm not too easily impressed, but the AX100G made me a believer. In a matter of minutes I had matched the guitars that are on my favorite music...easy and satisfying. I'm not used to things working so easily.

The manual is very well written...not overly wordy and in plain English...other manufacturers should look at it and LEARN.

I'm playing my Fender Tele, triple pick-up, 5 way switch through the KORG, and am able to get numerous subtle, but distinct tonal variations. My amp has an EQ built in, so I have a lot of parameters to fool with...better than not having enough!

Noise? Not a problem. The unit has switchable, adjustable Noise Reduction available. When using the headphone jack output to my Sony VR-6 'phones, it is extremely quiet with most effects. I haven't recorded with it yet, but I expect it to be very clean. It has a pre-amp circuit, also.

I've been using it everyday for 2 weeks now, and in about 10 minutes, I can match the sounds of Nirvana, Steve Miller and Pat Metheny and anyone else I care to. That's what I was hoping for when I bought this unit.

I use all kinds of electronic equiptment (radio, digi cameras, AV etc.) and I'm impressed with the quality of the switches, case and knobs. Yep...it's made of plastic...so is my Glock pistol and it holds up well, too!

It is quite light in weight, and using it on a carpeted floor doesn't work too well. It should be placed on a hard surface. My feet are REALLY big (size 17) but without shoes on, it's just fine. I don't want to scratch it with grit from my shoes, anyway. I'd hate to play a gig WITHOUT it.

No malfunctions, no need for service, so far.

I amuse myself by trying to play ALL types of music. There are really only TWO types of music, anyway...

Good and Bad!

I've been playing guitar and bass for about 12 years, mainly with an assortment of straight acoustics...
Effects are just too fun to ignore; I'm having more fun playing now than ever.

If my KORG was lost/stolen? I'd be off to Guitar Center to buy another IMMEDIATELY!

I compared it to an assortment of typical Boss pedals and the DigiTech RP200 in the store, but the KORG seems about 3 steps ahead of all of them. Just like computer technology...twice the features for the same price every 6 months.

Favorite feature? Probably the Feedback circuit...it'll send chills up your spine when you first hear it...the GOOD kind of chills! It can also put out some really clean sounds through headphones; that's a great feature when you like to stay up til' the crack of dawn jamming to music...Someday I'll have a sound-proof music room, but until then...

Any decent music store will have a KORG AX100G for you to demo...check it out and post you comments here when you buy it...I'd like to see if you think it's as great as I think it is.

You've heard of "buyer remorse?" That's when you plunk down your money and about a day later you're wishin' you'd have bought something else.

I DO NOT have that feeling with the KORG AX100G!

Try it...you'll like it!

So far this is the easiest multieffects pedal to program that I've found. You select a "dedicated" button and turn one of the 5 knobs. When you get the sound you want press the save button twice, and you're done.
By "dedicated" I mean there is a button dedicated to each module. By comparison, with the Zoom GFX707, 505 (old version) and the Boss ME30 you have to press one button to let the machine know you want to edit, then press another pair of buttons to scroll to the module you want. Then with the '707 you have to turn one of three knobs. With the 505 and the '30, you press more buttons to change the parameters. With all three you press the save button twice (I think) to record.
With the AX100G when you press one of the buttons, you already let it know you want to edit AND which module you want to edit. Real easy. You could almost edit onstage, it's so quick.

One thing necessary to praise. This is the ONLY one in this price range that allows you to easily change the way you switch effects. In any one of its 80 patches you can change the mode, so by pressing on a footswitch you can TOGGLE the distortion in or out or even modify the amount of distortion. Pressing the other footswitch will allow you to TOGGLE the modulation effect, ambience effect or both, depending on how you've preset it.
This is like changing your multi-effects pedal into single stompers. Very cool, IMHO. The ME30 attempts this but fails miserably. The '30 changes a patch into stompers using its five footswitches, but here's the glitch. You have to stoop to press finger buttons to COPY the patch you want to do this with into the "MANUAL" patch, then press the SMALL finger button to turn on the manual mode.
With the AX100G, you can select ANY patch, then hold the mode footswitch for a second, and you're ready. And you do this standing.

Oh, yeah, a previous reviewer wrote that you can't tell what the previous settings are. Well, you can. While turning any knob, when you get to the original setting the display shows an "ORIG" icon. It's there but you have to look for it. It would have been far better to print the numbers in the manual, a la the manuals for the Pandora, or ME30, for a couple of examples. (You only get a listing of which effects are on, or would be on.)

Sound Quality: 7
I've just had this for a couple or three weeks, but I have to mention that I haven't spent enough time with it. The manual seems to admit that its REM modeling is modeled after stomp box distortions and not amp sounds. It's enough for me. I don't use the really heavy distortions, but I gravitate toward the "tube od". The tube od lacks the 3-dimensional feeling of real tubes, but I also don't have to carry a tube amp around to get that sound. It may not be close for some, but it's close enough for me.
I also will favor the clean sounds of the acoustic and classic comp.
This does have a couple of sounds that no one (in this price range) has so far. One's the feedback effect. I haven't mastered it yet, but I like it. The guitar sounds like it's about to feedback and when you hold a note you allow the feedback to continue. By pushing down on the pedal you intoduce some vibrato into the sound. I'm also set on modifying it so the feedback happens ONLY when you push down on the pedal (for that infinite sustain sound).
The other effect is the intelligent harmonizer. I haven't worked with this one, but at least it's there for when I get around to messing with it.

I don't know what's up with these jokers who put down anything made of plastic. Maybe they should get better roadies! I think short of using it as a bat when I play baseball (or using it as the ball in a football game), this AX100G should last awhile. I have to admit however the plastic on a GFX707 looks much thicker, and heavier-made.
But really, what ARE these guys doing with their effects pedals? Or can we say anything in a family-oriented web page like this? Maybe somebody's job is not to play his/her axe, but to jump around a lot.
That being said, I have to say that I like the plastic because I take care of my gear, and due to a bad back (too much gear carrying in the past!), I appreciate the occasional light piece of gear.
One thing however, the dial which selects the model of distortion has a detent for each model. On mine, however, the acoustic model is not placed on its detent. It's close to the detent for the "classic comp". In short I have two "off"s on the first two detents and the third is classic comp. I have to fiddle with it to get the acoustic model.
It's not too big a deal with me, I guess, since I didn't return it to the store. (But I did knock off a point for reliability.)

I don't know, let's see if they call or email me about my misplaced detent. ;)

I would give it an 8, because (and this is probably my fault) I've yet to program any sounds which will knock my socks off. Maybe I need to get some other people's patches to get a more informed and refined view of WHAT to program and not HOW to program.
The manual is very thin, and you really don't need it to play with this thing. It is that easy to set up. However, what they missed is a listing of their preset patch parameters to give us users some insight.
The ability of changing the patch up and patch down footswitches to toggle switches at a moment's notice (pure genius!), plus the relative ease of using the AX100G raises the rating to 9.

Would I get it again? Probably, depending on how I lose it.
Would I use it without a backup? Hey, effects are like icing on the cake. All you need is a guitar (and backup), a cable (and backup) and an amp (and backup). And AC (and backup).

Easy to use, but I just didnt like the knobs. Maybe that's just me, but they seemed to get in the way. But a lot better than others I've seen. The manual was pretty basic, but straightforward. Editing patches is very 505ish, just set and go.

The distortions suck. They just don't do anything. very sythetic sounding and bland. I'd much rather go and buy an amp and head (if I had the money.) Stomp boxes may be untidy and all, but sooo much better. I use it with a marshall JCM900 with a Crate 412 cab. the efx were ok, but again, I'd rather buy seperate boxes.

No! Plastic. Sheesh, it'll break off within three seconds! I wouldnt trust this at a gig. Esp. a smaller type club or so. Just not sturdy enough. I'd rather have something like the Zoom GFX-8 in its metal case.

Customer support is great actually. They responded really quickly to any complaints or anything. I havent gotten it repaired or anything, because I returned it within a few days of use.

I play jazz/blues/metal, you name it, I play it. Some effects like the ringman were really weird, but cool,.and the funky effect was a great wah-type, but still, all in all, the effects just didnt cut it. But for the price, not bad, but if you have a wee bit more money to shell out, try the Boss GT-3 or Xoom GFX-8. If it were stolen, I probably would be mad, cause I would have lost about 200 bucks, but I would not replace it with the same thing. I'd get something different. It gets in the way sometimes, and again, you just cant depend on that plastic. It'll bust soon enough, even if it doesnt take a ton of abuse. Again, I'd rather get a Zoom GFX-8, or a Boss GT-3. Or maybe the Digitech RP2000.

I thought this unit was very easy to use. I did sit down and quickly go through the very brief manual, but it didn't tell me much that wasn't obvious from the face of the unit. Once I started programming my own patches, it was a piece of cake. The nob array makes it easy to play with every parameter to get the sound you want. My only complaint is that there is no way to look at a factory patch and tell what the individual effects settings are. You can tell which effects are in use (also printed in the book), but you cannot tell what the rate or depth are. The only time this was a problem was when I was trying to create my own phaser and flanger patches from scratch.
For live situations, the effects mode is very nice. For the patch you are in, with a push of a stomp button a) turn off the effects or reverb in real time, and b) change the amp setting so you can go from accoustic to light distortion, or light distortion to heavy lead without having to change patches

I am using a Washburn Idol-64DL with dual humbuckers straight into the AX100G and then into a PA or headphones for practice. The unit has a broad array of basic sounds provided by the amp settings. While I enjoy occaisionally playing with the heavier distortions, I will be using the acoustic, clean and mild distortion settings the most. In my setup, all of the patches sounded pretty reasonable. The harmonizing patches had a little delay, but I can't see myself using them anyway. The main effects that I plan to use--stereo chorus, flanger, phase shifter--all seem to work well and give me the sound I was looking for. The reverbs also come in a nice variety and tone. The acoustic amp setting is decent. It doesn't sound like my Taylor through a mike, but it is useful and sounds as good as some acoustic-electrics I have heard, especially if you add some chorus in.

The unit is made of a hard plastic that looks pretty durable. I'm using mine at church for leading worship, so I don't plan on stomping on it too hard. One nice feature on this unit is it has cable hooks and paths for the input cable and the power adaptor. This should prevent accidently unplugging the unit while in use. I give it a 9 only because it is not metal.

I have not dealt with Korg. But I would highly recommend Accent Music. They have always been helpful and often have very competative pricing. See them at www.accentmusic.com.

As mentioned before, I will be using this for praise and worship music at church. I have been playing for about twelve years, starting on a Washburn D12-12 and just last year picking up a Taylor 710. This is my first electric setup, so I can only compare it to the tone quality I have heard others use.
I wanted a portable unit that would provide all the effects I would need in one box and let me plug a CD player and headphones in for practice. Additional perks in this box are the built in tuner, phrase trainer and the rhythm trainer (useful for practice but not live). I looked at all of the multi-effects processors from Korg, Digitech, DOD, Boss, etc. I didn't have a chance to look at the new Digitech RP-200, which looks like it is similar to this unit. The AX100G is the only one I could find in my price range that had all of the live features I wanted (assignable pedal) and was small enough to transport easily and had a CD input and phrase trainer for practice.
This unit has pretty much all of the features I was looking for, but didn't cost as much (and was not as large) as other units having the same features. I would buy this unit again.

Right out of the box, this unit is easy to use, the manual is very straightforward. Most of the presets suck (Does anyone really need a Kid Rock or Korn patch?) but it's easy enough to create your own, and I was impressed with the level of tweaking available for each effect, and I like the idea of having two drive channels for each patch.

My setup is an Epiphone Les Paul 100 through an Ibanez 25r Tone Blaster. The sound is generally very clean, unless you use certain drive setings like Brit Stack, or US HiGain, but even then you can just dial back the gain a little to clear it up. I play a lot of classic rock and britpop (an odd mix, I know) and I've been able to get most of the sounds I want out of this pedal. The only effects I dont really have a use for are the weird tuning type ones like Maj3up Maj3down,5th, etc.

It's made mostly out of plastic, but it feels pretty sturdy, with a good solid expression pedal and responsive footswitches. It should hold up for a while as long as you don't jump up and down on it. I've read a lot of reviews of this type of unit where people are concerned about stomping it too hard and breaking it - all I can say is use some common sense - you dont have to put your entire weight on a switch to make it work. I haven't gigged with it yet, but I think it would hold up fine.

I haven't had to get help on any of the Korg stuff I've had, so I've got no opinion. They do offer replacement manuals on their website though.

Overall, I really like this pedal. It also makes a pretty good practice tool with headphones. My only real complaint(and this pretty much goes for most multi effect processors these days) is that out of 80 patches available (40 user/40 preset) probably HALF of the presets are some kind of distortion. It would be nice to see more innovation in these presets. And please Korg, If you're gonna load up the presets with signature artist sounds, how about some classic sounds on there next to the Static X, Kidrock, Korn, Limp Bizkit patches? What's next - The TeenAngst100G pedal? Not everybody sings like the Cookie Monster. I would probably buy this pedal again if it got lost or stolen.