Korg AX1B

Pretty easy to use, it has a crisp LCD and a 1-digit led-display for showing the patch-info. Editing patches is easy, but it takes some patience before you get the sound you want.
I also like the built-in metronome a lot, which is very useful when playing alone.

Sounds great ! even when playing through headphones I heard no annoying static. Some pedals tend to blow up the sound sound when using the the B-snare, but the AX1B remains clear.

Fairly good, although I wish the housing was made out of metal instead of plastic.. I tend to push the buttons quite hard on a gig, and I'm scared of kicking the pedal to it's death.

Dunno, I never required any customer support for it yet.

I play experimental metalcore, with lots of distorted bass. For me, the AX1B is the perfect pedal.
For the price I paid for it, it's a very good pedal imho.

It was farely easy to use, it required some messing with in order to get exactly what you wanted.

The quality was very good i though, of course not as good as lets say... a gt-3 (guitar), but still pretty good. I didn't really notice any difference in quality between patches and effects. I use a 4-string Alembic, a 7-string Conklin, and a 4-string fretless fender jazz bass, which i run through an fender bass amp. I can get the same tones as some of the bands i listen to. I listen to mostly Industrial Dance but as far as heavy bands all i like is Primus and M.I.R.V.

It was reliable... Funny story, i used it about 3 weeks ago and it worked perfect, used an AC. Next time i try using it, which was the other day, use exact same Ac and outlet and the fucking thing won't turn on... it didn' get fried it just won't turn on... not to happy about that.

Didn't call it, i knew i'd end up paying mroe to fix it than to just go buy a new one, and if anybody knows of any good bass effects processors e-mail me.

I play mostly a funkish metal with a dab of experimental. Kind of like MIRV and Primus and Residents mised all into one. I need an effects processor that can give me those weird unique sounds. like the gt-3 for guitar. i've been playing for about 2 years heavily. i pick up things really fast so i'd defeinetly give Les and Victor Whooton a run for their money, i'd love to jam with those guys.

The Ax1B is not very complex . Its easy to create and store the sound. Not easy like a ZOOM but more than the most of the other manufacturer.

I use a Ibanez BTB505 on a EDEN combo METRO (2x10") whit a 2x10" AMPEG
(the vintage serie). The soud of the AX1B is very impressionant . The Ibanez soud is so mid an have a lack of brightness (i think) , but the AX1B EQ give to my bass a realy smooty enveloppe whit more brightenes and definition . The compressor is great , very important for me on stage , when my finger hits the string whit agressivity and power i have normaly some gain problem when i change to a little funky or slappy line , so wiht this compressor i solve my problem .
The quality of the modulation is realy good exept whit the octaver , he ?&$!?%"/!! realy esealyand is very easy to hear the problem .

I depend on it. The AX1B his now in my sond , and i use the effects everyday and in all of my gigs . So on stage i prefer use batteri so
the AX1B use 4 AA , i think 1 or 2 9volts is better . Whit an ZOOM i ever break 2 or 3 times the power input so i never have problem whit the adaptor input of the AX1B.

The Korg page is beautifull and no problem to signal whit the customer.

I play funk , black metal , techno , jazz , rock , hardcore , progressive, alternative... craddle of filth to Jamiroquai , Primus to pastorius , prodigy to dream theater and Mr.Bungle to the real book my AX1B realy help me to soud better and how crazy i whants .So just one big problem ,just 2 foot buttons and realy to near . On stage i have some problem when i have to change quickly . I wants a more big interface whit 2 buttons to switch bank and 4 for the choosing patch , like the digithech bp8 . So i think a version for bass to the AX1000G (for guitar) comming soon . This product will be the paradise , more serious and more easy to use with feet .

The preset effects on the pedal are extremely easy to use. No problem there. But to create your own effect, you're pretty much screwed if you haven't read the manual. But I'll still give it a 9 since the presets that it comes with are pretty much all you'll ever need.

I use the effects pedal with my Sunn Amp and my Fender American Bullet Bass. Using gold-tipped patch cords makes it sound 100 times better too. The noise level is NON-EXISTANT, and you always get a clean, clear sound. Every effect can be turned down without losing overall volume, but turning up the effect can make you alot louder. Almost all effects sound great, but the ones i like most would have to be chorus, flanger, pan, and a "room effect" that gives you super deep sound and sustain.

I've never had a problem with the AX1B, and i've had it for just over a year now. But it's made out of plastic, and that can be a little bit scary. Take it to a gig? Yes - but not without a backup. An amp accidentaly gets set down on it and it's probably toast.

Never had to deal with the company.

I got the effects pedal at a music store blowout sale, and have never regreted it. Playing christian rock and also worship services, it can give me the dynamics i need to play anything. I've been playing for 4 years (yup - rookie) and i can say that sound quality went up big time after i bought it. If it got stolen, i doubt that i would replace it just because i'd upgrade to something bigger. But for your average musician - it's got all you need.

Right out of the box, it's fairly straightforeward to use. A few taps here and there, and a brief flip through the decent enough owner's manual are all that's really needed to get even the more complex functions working. I like it.

I'm using this with a Rita 4-string bass (check the review) and a Slammer Impact series bass (with a Fender pickup fitted, so it's not as useless as a normal one). My amp, a Trace Elliot 65W. conveys the sound very well. The AX1B seems to actually help the rather quiet Rita along very well. The Slammer is also greatly benefitted and given a richer, deeper tone. The Distortion effects are downright nasty through it, ideal for playing Black Metal or related stuff (and yes, Metallica's "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" can be perfectly imitated with the Beast effect). Also, Roger Waters' delay effect in The Wall can be copied to perfection. Most of the effects are top of the line, fantastic. The pedal Wah is a little disappointing, but fiddling with the settings for a bit and increasing the intensity does have an effect. The volume pedal can come in handy in a stage show, and another nice addition is the ability to switch delay/echo on and off with the pedal. The loop feature is a little sad though, with only 1.8 seconds of recording time, rendering it useless for anything other than techno-industrial use. The loop Backwards-Forewards is even less useful, with too long a delay time for the back to take effect. The tuner is a bit unreliable, but good enough to make adjustments on stage if theres no analouge tuners around.

Getting an adaptor is rather important, as batteries never last long on a multieffects system.
It is dependable, enough so that its very difficult to unintentionally destroy it. The plastic may concern some people, but the price really doesn't warrant a metal case. Come on, get real.
Backup on stage for a multieffects is a bit difficult, so in the case of a complete catastrophe, it's rather simple just to pull the lead out of the output and put it in your bass.

Ehm... dunno.

I play lotsa everything, metal, blues, jazz, weirder stuff etc. so a versatile FX platform was necsessary. Bass solos have never been so much fun, and you can really experiment with this thing to find just what you're looking for.
I've been playing for about 4 years now (since '96) and I own a Rita 4 string bass and a Slammer Impact with new pickups, through a Trace Elliot 65W.
I guess if it was stolen, I'd go get another one. Wonderful for the price, and a hell of a lot better than that Zoom 506. The varaiety of effects is huge, and the expression pedal is cool too. The metronome is a bit sad, but then you can't have everything. I wish the loop was a bit longer, maybe even 5 seconds. 1.8 is a bit useless. It helps a lot to add depth to sometimes dull basslines, and being creative and making all manner of strange noises is great fun.
As far as bass players who refuse to use effects are concerned, wake up and see the world of the Mutltieffect pedal. The possibilities are ENDLESS.

To start off, one of it's weaknessess is that it's compression and distortion are in the same parameter, so you can't have both at the same time. This is the same for reverb and delay. The five band eq is great, it gives you so much versatility. Editing is usually quick for me now, and it wasn't that hard in the first place. The manual told me what I needed to know, it couldn't be any better, I mean it's not a fisher price toy. Unfortunate that you can only switch up and down to different presets, so if you switch in a song, the presets have to be organized properly.

It makes my cheapy bass and basic yorkville 200 watt amp sound much more expensive than it did before. The amp simulater is the biggest asset to the sound quality. It basically gives the sound so much more life. It's noisy at times when you crank the wrong effect, and the distortion gets no credit what-so-ever. Any sort of pitch shift will crap out if there is more than one pitch in the signal. I found the chorus to be weak compared to the phaser and flanger. I like the options with each modulation effect, you can get almost anything you want. It has some very unique things, like the sampler. Although it's only records 1.8 seconds, the scratch effect lets you make it sound like a turntable dj right in the expression pedal. And the pitch modulator (pixalator) doesn't sound like cheezy alien noises, it sounds like bubbles, however, it's somewhat weak and sounds gay.

As long as you're not stupid, it'll hold together. Plastic can be surprisingly strong sometimes. I can't afford a backup, it works well in a gig mostly because it doesn't get in your way. The expression pedal is quite stiff. I haven't had a problem with it yet and I've had it for almost a year not. You have the choice of using batteries in it, (4 AA), which you don't see often in processors. I will never be able to fully depend on it cause there is something about the way it was built, it feels really fragile. Like i said, you have to be pretty careless to break something like that.

Never tried or needed. Probably never will.

I'll play anything, and so will it. It's best for some one who's starting off, I may be buying something bigger in a couple of years, but the korg will be fine till then. It makes my crap sound better, which is a plus. But if you want something completely crazy, this is not the way to go. I would probably buy it again if I had to because it's so damn cheap for what you're getting. It blows the competition prices out of the water. I hate the fact that I can't use it to it's full potential, but what bass player can, we're rarely the center of attention. My favourite thing about it is the amp simulator, I wouldn't buy another processor without one. It takes tinkering to make everything work well together, if you put the wrong things together then it makes nasty buzzes and hums. Mixing compression with any modulation is bad. I'm glad i bought it, and at the time wouldn't and couldn't have bought anything else.

The manual is not clear and it is easy to program your settings.
Editing the patches is simple but you have to practice and then memorize the sequences to do it automatically.
It doesnt have an on/off switch.

I am using EMG Active Pick Ups and a Peavey TKO Amp.
The effects are to "digital" and a little noisy but only when you play the bass at real time. You have to deal a lot to get the effect you want.
My favorite artist is Victor Wooten and It took me about 1 week to get the right sound.
If you connect your bass directly to the amp you will notice that this unit is stilling your EMG electronics.

It is plastic. You have to be very carefull with the unit.
Recomendation: always use the box to keep it safe.

I never dealt with the company.
My unit did not come with the 9v adaptor and a friend bought the AX1B and AX1G and came with the 9v adaptor.

I choose this unit to avoid buying a lot of pedals/effects. I play serious funk and slap. For practice with headphones it is ok.
This unit is for beginners who like a lot of effects and do not care of sound details.
I wish this unit have an analog circuit for some effects mixed with digital effects to get a better sound.
If you use this unit "bypass" the bass signal gets like muddy. Then it is not possible to connect it to an effects chain.
I will not buy it again.

It's like I heard before I got it. It's easy to use, but require some tinkering. Don't expect to edit setting on the fly. Prepare your patch before playing. The LCD is hard to see in the dark but there's a led color-code for that. BTW, is there a site where I can get settings (patches) for this? If you have some you like, please send them to me, I might make a site with them... (and mine)

WOW! This is great. I was shopping for the Zoom 505 and I kept getting "buy the AX1B instead" from salespersons. Now I know why! Chorus, octaver, flanger, ampsim and more are great! I use it at gigs and in studio. The distortion is weak and not clean enhough, but I don't use it much. It's enhough for fuzz though. Again, great sound! (the talk-box sound is really cool!)

Well, it's plastic, but it looks like the most solid plastic I ever seen for something like this. It feels solid enhough. Only time will tell...

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This is great! You cant beat the AX!B in this prica range. You could spend ten times that to get all the separated effects and no get much more quality and control. To be completly satisfied, I'dd just need some better distortion, but you can just buy a dedicated pedal with the leftover money!

There are some good sounds coming out of this product, but not without some unneccessary effort on the part of the player, if only the AX-!B had been designed right in the first place. For starters, the unit has no on/off switch. You must plug or unplug. Trying to read the patch name while the unit is on the floor while sitting down or standing is impossible. This is not the well-lit Zoom unit with bright red glowing letters and numbers. This is an unlit LED. Try messing with that for awhile. Not good.

Sound quality runs the gamut from quite good to "Why did they even try to make that stand up as a distinct patch?" About five are at the top end, maybe another ten somewhere in the middle to low: the rest are just crap. Especially crappy is the metronome, which is touted for solo practice. The reason, I'm sure, is that bandmates would keel over from laughter if they heard this feeble excuse for a metronome.

You'd have to be crazy to take this thing out on a gig. Every two minutes you'd be bending over it with a flashlight to see if it's really doing what you think it is you wanted it to do.

Never dealt with the company. Korg does make other products, however, that are quite good.

I took it back to Guitar Center for a full refund less than a week after getting it. I have the Zoom 708 which is a much better unit, even has drum machine.

Pretty damn easy to use. Most of the presets are useful, but some are downright goofy. At least the presets give you a good idea of what the unit is capable of. Programming the unit is simple, about the same level of difficulty as the original quadraverb. One bummer is each effect has only one adjustable parameter. On mod effects, this tends to be speed, it would be nice to be able to adjust at least the depth too. But for the price, this is a small complaint. The manual is OK, it was clearly translated from the Japanese, and has a few of the typical errors associated with that, but it's still intelligible. Main minus is the bypass is accessed by hitting both up and down keys at the same time. These keys are far enough apart that this is difficult to do unless you've got clown feet. It's nice having a tuner at your feet as well, and the built in metronome is great for settling tempo arguments with the drummer.

Almost all the sounds are really good. Nice clean reverbs/ delays, although those tend to be dangerous effects to use on a bass, for the mud factor. I'd like more flexibility on the modulation effects (depth, tone, regeneration, as opposed to speed only). The distortions aren't that good, but they get the point across. There's a ring modulator that is as useable as one of these can be. The autofilter isn't the greatest, but it serves OK. The pitch shifters are cool as you can adjust them in real time with the pedal. Nifty. I like the wahs (there's 4), especially the 'voice' settings, which emulate talk box type vowel sounds. Smooth gate. Evil sounding octaver is pretty damn cool. Also the auto panners and tremolos are especially cool as these are controllable via the expression pedal. The 'random' effect is fun, kinda raindrops falling on my head sounds. Hmmm what else? It's great as a headphone amp. Amazingly quiet. Not just for a stomp box, but for a rack unit as well. This is much quieter than, say, an alesis product. I'm using it with a Danelectro adapter, and it seems to be no noisier than when powered with the batteries.

This is suspect. The all plastic construction inspires no confidence. The jacks are plastic, direct to circuit board types, and probably won't last. The stereo output jack will also grab a hold of some (cheaper) 1/4" plugs and not let go. Switchcraft types are fine. On one of my cables it took 2 people to remove it. At least it's not going to come out accidentally at a gig! Bonus points for having a cable catch for the adapter, as well as for being able to power the bugger via batteries. I'll be using it on gigs withou a backup, but if I had a longer tour to do, I likely would carry a backup.

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Price to performance, this unit is freakin' rocks. no doubt about it. I'm not a big effects freak for the bass, but this is the most fun, best sounding all in one's for the money in creation. I've been using it with a DeArmond Ashbory and a Musicvox Spaceranger bass through sony mdrv-6 headphones as well as through a trace elliot GP11 w/ 12" carvin PA speaker loaded into an old Dean Markley bass cabinet, and haven't been able to put it away. It's definately not the be all end all in effects, but for the $ (even new), it's a 10.