Korg PX-3

I was looking for a gizmo that I could hook up to a CD player for playalong practicing. The PX-3 was useful for this right out of the box - I plugged in my portable CD player, popped in the Jamey Aebersold/Andy Laverne playalong CD "Songs You Thought You Knew", plugged in the Sweet 16, and away we went! The factory presets that I paid attention to (WES, B.B., and JAZZ) worked very well, and were easy to tweak. I don't care much about distortion, so I won't comment other than to note that all the distortion settings sounded like distortion to me. I liked being able to alter the room ambiance and the speaker cab emulation so easily.

Using a couple of buttons, you select the effect family and type (e.g., ambiance/room 1), then adjust the level using a wheel. The display is easy to read if you have the backlight turned on, and gives both graphical and numerical feedback for the current setting of the effect being adjusted. Saving patches is easy, but I'd recommend making up your own parameters table form.

The manual is brief but appears to be complete. The one I got had English, French, and German sections. It seems only to lack a blank parameter-recording table for one's own settings. I wish the manual were available online as a PDF file.

Sound quality of this device was good to very good. I used it with a set of Sennheiser headphones (ear-covering but not sealing), a Panasonic portable CD player, and a Heritage Sweet 16. As I said above, I didn't spend much time on the distortion settings, but the straightahead settings I used all sounded pretty good to me. The PX3 seemed pretty quiet, except perhaps on some of the higher-gain distortions (while not playing), and even then it wasn't bad.

I tried it through my amp, an Evans 80, and it might get some use there, though I'm not much for effects. If one wanted to use this in a live situation one would have to set it once and use it that way pretty much all night - its user interface, though very nice in a practice/studio setting, does not lend itself to adjustment during performance.

Can I sound like my "favorite artists", namely Jim Hall, Keith Jarrett, Mike Noonan, Jack DeJohnette, et al.? No, but that's hardly the gizmo's fault. I can certainly imitate my favorite guitarists' tones, but that sure doesn't give me these guys' "sounds".

The effects I used all seemed to be high-quality to me. Again, I didn't use distortion much, so don't look to this review for info on whether you can sound like Ted Nugent playing Green Dolphin Street. It didn't quite sound the same as an amp on a chair 2 meters away in a room with a quartet on stage, but that's not a surprise. So sound quality isn't a perfect simulation of a live situation, hence the 9.

I've had this only a short time so I can't comment on its reliability. Although one could use this device for live performance, it's really not designed with that in mind IMO; and since I usually play live without any effects at all (occasionally with a detuner), sure, I'd use it on a gig without a backup. If it failed I'd just plug straight into the amp, no worries.

No experience.

Korg's website is awkward and difficult to use, though. Guess it looks nice, which after all is what counts, yes?

I play (at) jazz. The PX3 fits the job I had in mind for it perfectly. I'm not older than dirt, but I remember when they patented it, so I've been playing awhile - I should be better at it by now. My usual order of battle includes a Heritage Sweet 16 with a Kent Armstrong pickup, an Evans 80 amplifier, and a cable. Sometimes I use a Gibson ES335 or an Ovation Elite, or a Telecaster, and even more rarely I'll use a Boss Harmonizer. I like to practice late at night when everyone else is asleep, so I like having a headphone amp - this gizmo works far better than anything else I've tried, so I'll replace it when my son smashes it with a hammer. The PX3 does what it does pretty well, it's easy to use, it doesn't get in the way, and it's not annoying, so I give it pretty high marks.

I LOVE THIS BOX !!!! i've owned the PX-1 and PX-2, also. I love love love jammin along to the patterns. its very easy to get a great sound.
manual for the unit is ok.

i think the sound are really great. i really love play'n through headphones, really sounds good. very little noise with the unit.
i'm using a fender hot rod amp. i was able to get a good SRV sound. the SRV preset is aweful !!! i think the guy who programmed it at KORG was on drugs; way off dude !. the pink floyd sounds were also way off.
if anyone out there can instruct me on how to get a great david gilmore sound, please write me. i thought all effects were pretty good. there are some effect that i thought were useless, and wonder why they're in there.

no problems for a yr. seem reliable.
just make sure your plugged into a surge protector
i think the unit would be ok for a gig. i don't gig though.

n/a

i play blues !!. been playen for 7 yrs. i would buy another if stolen, but i feel sorry for the asshole, if i find him. i love the jam along patterns. i love that i can change the key of the bass. i love that i can plug a CD into it and record. i love that i can slow the recording down. I love that i can play it on my couch. I just love it !

Read the manual! This is true for every gadget which has more than two knobs. It's simple, well written and very useful. A must if you want to use all the capabilities of the Pandora and KNOW what you're doing.
After that, it becomes very easy and quick to use. A very well concept! When finished playing, you can put it in your pocket :)))

The sound quality is great. A Korg. Some effects (those using LFO) are having some background noise due to the minimal input signal and the nature of the effect, but it's unnoticable while playing. Anyway, the NR (noise reductor, another great part) can handle it without problems.
A lot, lot, lot of features and effects. The EQ could be more parametric, but the other effect are great and really useful.
The technical design (number of bits in the AD/DA, the DSP, the sample rate) is far better than those of any competitor now (July 2000) - even the several times more expensive ones!

No complaints, but don't step on it! If jumping around on a HM gig, place it on a safe place and use a long cord. Or use wireless.

I hope I'll never need it!

If you are playing a lot of different kind of music, it has the effects for all of them: from ballroom oldies to the wildest, hardest, loudest Metal - almost everything is covered. No effect can do all the signal shaping you imagine, but with the PX-3 you can set up an appropriate one for the song you are going to play. As I mentioned before, the only thing I'd improve, it's the EQ. It's OK for a multieffect, but compared to all the features of the other parts, it seems shallow.
The most surprising is - the size. Like a cigaret box! It fits in your gig-bag or jacket pocket!
And don't forget: it's only $200! Incredible!

I have reconsidered my opinion of the PX3. I bought the PX3 again and have changed my opinion of the sounds you can get from the unit. Previously, I thought the distortion sounds were inferior to those I can program on my PX1. While I still think that almost all of the 50 factory presets are terrible (who programs this stuff anyway?), you can edit your own programs in the 50 user programs and come up with some very good sounds. It is alot harder to get what you are after from the PX3 than the PX1 IMHO, but the PX3's distortions are almost as good and the overall sound quality is superior to that on the PX1. I have discovered that the cabinet choice is critical in getting a good sound. For a Tubescreamer-type blues sound with a Strat, the 4X10 selection makes a world of difference (i.e., Fender Bassman type of tone). I have been able to come up with some good SRV, Jeff Beck, Hendrix and EVH programs on the PX3 by spending alot of time. However, for metal or heavy shred type distortion, I still think the PX1 is better. The fuzz is pretty cool for Hendrixy-type of sounds.

The reverb, delay and modulation effects are very good, but not as good as you would get from individual stomp boxes. For example, the vibe does not sound like a Rotovibe or Univibe, but more like a chorus.

I think I gave the PX3 an overall rating of 5 last time. After buying it again and spending more time creating patches, I think the unit should be given a higher mark. Also, the drum/bass loops are alot of fun to play over. While the presets are terrible on the PX3 -- and face it, all multi-effects units come with horrible preset programs IMHO -- if you spend some time with the PX3 you can come up with some extremely good sounds.

The PX3 is definitely the best unit on the market for headphone practice. While I am keeping my PX1, the PX3 provides alot more options and sounds.

This unit, in my opinion, is much easier to use/more intuitive than some of the other multi-effect units I have tried. I was able to get some really good sounds right out of the box. If you read the manual, you will have no problems.

I am using this unit with a Fender Mex Strat, Epiphone Les Paul Classic, Crate GFX-30 amplifier. A couple of the preset programs (ones with high gain) had a little noise, but not any more than just using high gain on the amplifier alone. Most of the preset sounds are just as they are named. A couple of the sounds are probably not very useful for performance, but are kind of cool to play with.

I don't think I would want to use this live, or bang it around a lot because of its size. Other than that, it seems reliable.

Don't know, haven't had to deal with them.

I looked at several multi-effect units before trying this one. After plugging this one in at the store, the first few sounds I heard were great - right out of the box. Other units I tried were not like this - you had to tweak the effect for it to sound like anything decent. The size of the unit makes it perfect for practicing with headphones. I love the rhythm/bass accompaniment feature. For all that this little unit does, it's great!

Well the amount of parameters that can be tuned is rather limited (no 5-band parametric EQ here :-) ) but upside to this is that you can dial in great sounds in a matter of minutes. Having a knob to twist and turn is also definitely an advantage for some fast tweaking. All effect options are very cleverly chosen, so that the limited adjustable parameters are never an obstacle for getting great sounds.

This little box really surprised me... sound quality through headphones is simply excellent. There's a variety of distortion colours to choose from, and the tiny hi/lo EQ allows you to do just enough tuning to get some superb tones out of this: anything from crystal clear to some crunch to tube screaming to razorsharp riffin' sounds is available, it's so simple to get just the sound you want and it all sounds amazingly truthful. My hat off to the cabinet emulator, because there are very few units that sound this great through headphones or for direct recording (I know a couple of high-priced rack units that cannot match this): even the harshest metal sounds can be tweaked to sound sharp, cutting and real life. Modulation effects shine through as well, and there's even some choice in chorus'ses, flangers and phasers that make up for having just one tunable parameter in the effects. Especially the chorus is pure crystal, Police- or Marillion-style sounds are there for the taking. Add to that both chromatic and harmonic pitch shifting and you've got one very complete package; the only remark I can make is that it's a pity not being able to combine both delay and reverb. Apart from that the unit offers some astounding sounds; from time to time I'd swear the PX-3 is a more than worthy match for my trusty old Rocktron Chameleon. If it came with a MIDI plug, I'd be quite tempted to hook up a foot controller and try it out on stage :-)

It does look and feel a bit more solid than its predecessors, but this is clearly more of a home/studio device than a gigging device. Haven't managed yet to blow it up either :-)

No clue whatsoever... a more extensive manual may have been nice.

Not having the luxury to crank up my Rockton Chameleon / Marshall combination in the confines of my appartment I was looking for a unit to do both quiet practising and recording. I must say that the PX-3 surprised me quite a bit; for a limited price you get a very complete and superb sounding package of effects that is perfectly usable even with headphones (which is something many units claim but very few manage to deliver). Calling this merely a practice toy is not doing it justice, despite it's limited tweakability this unit is more than usable for some direct recording as well. Soundwise this baby definitely has what it takes, and will outclass some more famous and expensive units when used with headphones or DI'd.

A small tip: try some thrashy distortion sound with the Pitch4 pitch shifter set to "d" (detune)... it's the good old trick of panning one guitar to one side and a slightly detuned one to the other: great lush stereo twin-guitar riffin' in an instant :-)

If now they'd only fit that MIDI plug :-)

user friendly.

great clean tones.
good distortions , but not enough.
if you like to have some higain low mid dist. this device dissapoints you.

yep.

no idea.

I mostly play Speed Metal ,
I`m huge fan of Dimebag Darrell , and usually I use a low mid. higain crunchy dist. but this tiny device is not as kick ass as I wanted it to be :))
Clean tones are incrediblly nice you can get almost anything you have on your mind.
You should buy an adaptor or soon you`ll pay a lot for the batteries , AAA size almost 8 bucks for a pack of eight !!
great built in rythm and bass for the beginners.
accurate built in tuner.
some of the presets are great and some are USELESS but there is nothing to worry you`ll have hard time to finish user programs !!!
the only thing that I didn`t like was that the compressor effect is parallel to the dist. and the only control you have over dist. is the gain and that is ALL.

generally I`m satisfied and I recommend it to any body who wants to PLAY SOMETHING GOOD !!! AND WILD !!!

Very easy to use. One quick read of the manual is all it takes. Patch editing is straightforward. Part of this is because there isn't a lot in the way of choices compared to other products, but there's more than enough to get good sounds.

I am using it with a G&L Legacy Special. It's only noisy when running amp sims that would be noisy in real life, for example "SCOOP" (aka a Mesa dual rectifier) with the gain cranked. There is a built in noise gate, too. The effects are of acceptable quality. This thing is really a practice tool, in my eyes. It would also be great for scratch recordings. I like the pitch shifting on it better than I did on my Digitech RP2000.

Very reliable. I already dropped it once, and it was fine. I wouldn't gig with it, because it's not meant for gigging. Unless you just leave it on the same preset for the entire time.

Korg's website contains little to no information about the product, other than the press release and one photo. No extra patch settings, user forums, or anything. This is about par for the course for Korg, apparently.

I like to play everything. I like to experiment with different sounds. The Pandora covers rock and roll sounds nicely. It doesn't provide much in the way for country sounds. It's an outstanding practice tool. The built in rhythm section is great for practice. I play it through headphones, but I also heard it through a small amp and it sounded fine to me. Of course, it helped that the guy playing through it was -very- good. It's a great little processor for bedroom jamming and practicing in out in the living room while not disturbing anyone else.

This unit is very easy to use...........because the buttons are all multi-functional you DO have to read the manual, but it's very well written

I use it through a fairly cheap pair of headphones or through a pair of Koss powered speakers. The sound is PHENOMENAL! I've bought so many battery powered small amps and headphone units.....they've all been very disappointing......the PX3 is unbelievably rich......and unlike most multi-effect units, the factory presets are VERY useable. I still can't believe Kord packed so many effects into this little thing........the distortions are-believe it or not-great....very creamy.....I've been able to get santana like sounds, death metal, van halen, whatever....obviously they don't sound just like a Mesa boogie or plexi marshall.....if it did, they wouldn't make tube amps any more.....but they're WAY better than what one would expect..very nice sustain.....the Chorus is probably the best effect in the unit.....it's the best chorus I've heard in a multi-effect processor, period.....and I own a GT-3!!. My favorite factory presets are "summer" an "Every breath you take" kinda sound, "GooGoo" a very creamy distortion, and "Chorus" a great stereo chorus clean sound. I use this for personal practice (I'm really into practicing with a metronome) but I may actually gig with it. I play two "real book" jazz gigs per month, and with a little bit of tweaking on the factory preset, "wes" I get a better jazz tone than I can get out of my GT-3!!! The drums sound as good as some drum machines.....you get 50 patterns with bass lines which you can turn on or off.....also you can select the key of the bass.......if you need to practice your improv skills, there's not a better tool on the market.

Well, this thing is not meant to gig with, I'd only use it on a gig for a song or two to get a specific tone, like the "wes" patch I mentioned earlier....but that'd probably be too much hassle. I haven't had it long enough notice any malfunctions......it seems about as sturdy as the typical walkman.......It comes in a card box, with the unit itself in bubble wrap...I suggest keeping both to store the unit in.....one thing I should mention....go to radio shack and get an adaptor for it. Mine ate 4 AAA batteries in less than two hours! OUCH!!!

Never dealt with Korg

I play in a straight jazz band doing Ellington, Coltrane, Davis, pretty much all standards. Hell, two of the dudes in the band are high school band directors, what does that tell you? LOL Also I have an all original rock band that actually thinks we're gonna make it. My guitar influences are the big 3:vai, satch, johnson, also michael hedges, dominic miller (from sting), andy summers, and pat metheney.........I've played for 11 years and taught for 5....I bought this unit mainly for personal practice..making use of the built in metronome for finger exercises and the drum/bass patterns for practicing my improv skill......it has way exceeded my expectations.....the sound is frighteninly cool. The other night, my band needed to finish a song, so we plugged the pandora into my koss powered speakers, got a drum and bass line going in the key of the song and started screwing around with ideas...it was so cool to be able to do this at a low volume with everybody around throwing their two cents.....it has made writing very easy. I think this is the best value of any guitar product out there. It's almost useless to gig with unless you only use one sound per song. It's just not convenient to reach down and change patches while playing. Imaging trying that with a rockman and you'll see what I mean. One change I'd make is to give it a belt clip. That would make standing practice a lot easier.

The pandora was very easy to use,since i had just graduated from the ax1g,which basically has the same interface.The drum/bass editing feature kicks ass,and is extremely helpful in recognition of beat patterns,and its just a fun backing to solos.I bought this because i needed something that sounded better than my previous unit(which is hard to beat),so who could beat korg but korg itself.
If you dont know how to use this thing right out of the package the manual is extremely helpful,and i read over it just for good measure.It also comes in 3 languages,which explains the thickness

The first time i plugged in i was using headphones,and what can i say, the sound was amazing.It's quality and tone could stand up to my friends rocktron voodo valve.The px-3 generates a world of sound around you,and i completely lose track of time.Some people say it doesnt sound as good through an amp,of course almost nothing sounds as good through an amp compared to headphones,unless you have a pretty damn good amp(i have a princeton,which is pretty good).

The ONLY thing i have with this awesome efx processor is the placement.I just kind of put it beside me on a chair or something,because i dont want to step on it or drop it.It would be quite useful to have a holder or something to strap it to the guitar or strap,but im thinking about velcro which could do the trick.One of the many things i love about this is the back lit lcd,which is extremely useful in darker settings and dim stages.When it comes to durability,many people say it's not meaty or heavy enough,but i think it could take a couple hard falls before being damaged.I would gig without a backup,and it has this "lockdown"feature that lets you lock all buttons except the program select feature,thereby eliminating embarrasing drum beats going through your solo because you accidentally hit the rythm effect button.Overall a well designed machine.

Ive never dealt with them,but ive had alot of korg effect units before so i like em,and the website is cool.

I play really heavy stuff like korn and some classical with some southern rock for good measure,and this unit more than suits my needs,and all of it is packed into this little box the size of an mp3 player!!!!!!!I dont know how they packed so much in there,its the best thing to ever to happen to me equipment-wise(is this review rave enough?).
I ve been playin for about a year or so,and i have a fender standard mexican stratocaster and a princeton chorus hooked up to an ax1g,which i am selling to a friend due to my newfound prodigy of an effects processor.I really love this box,it kicks ass.If there were anything that came withit besides the manual,it would be a leather case for it,like those cell phones have-that would be cool.