Korg PX-3

Once you understand the way the menus are organized, it's piece of cake!

The sound quality is excelent for the kind of device I tested. My amp isn't great, but this little box gives me a very good sound though. One of the things I enjoyed most was the noise reduction. I only hear sound when I hit the strings.

It is a very good device to have at home for practice, but not very practical to use when playing on stage.

Never needed, just finished buying it. :-)

I consider myself a beginner, though I play guitar for several years. I don't take guitar in a professional way, but I like to strum once in a while. My conclusion is if you're up to do something only by yourself at home, this is the best thing to buy. If you go on a trip you only need 3 things. The guitar, headphones, Pandora PX3. Great Portability.
If you need something to go on stage, this isn't for you, unless you figure out a way of using your feet with it's little buttons. ;-)

The menu layout isn't as intuitive as it might be, but it doesn't take long to get used to it. The LCD panel is clear to read and most of the time you know exactly where you're up to.

I record direct to my PC, or through a pair of Technics headphones for practice. Although most of the 50 presets are unusable, you can get great clean sounds with little effort. However, I reckon the distortions on this unit are as bad as I have ever heard, and I have not been able to create one decent patch. Obviously I would be better off going into a tube amp for overdrive, but the Zoom 505 unit produces better sounds for me, although it is not as refined or versatile. I would give the PX-3 a 9 for clean but only a 5 for distortion, so that's a 7.

This thing wasn't designed for gigging as the battery life is poor and there is no external controller. I don't think it would have added too much to the price to have some sort of optional external controller, perhaps just replicating the patch +/- buttons.

Never had a problem with it.

I mainly play Steve Vai and Joe Satriani stuff, and this doesn't really fit the bill. I can get reasonably close to Metallica, but if you're a speed metal merchant then you'll be disappointed. I was expecting great things, but the PX-3 doesn't have all the answers. My advice is to do this little guy a favour, and buy him a friend to help him out with the distortion.

easy for me

I don't want to contribute to the final rating of this thing,Just several tricks I found:
1. the out put impedence of PX3 is not the same as the input impedence of ordinary amps. you need to input it into aux. input, instead of input.
2. if you use common input,don't use full distortion. The sound is pretty good if you use slight distortion, it'll be warmer and fuller.
3. you can get some good effect by yourself. eg, modify Jazz-->
valve(full) + (don't change the hi and lo gain of Jazz) + reverb(e.g. garage)+ 2x12 cab , I like it.

To be honest it's not the easiest box to get started with, it takes
a few hours to get to grips with the menu layout and how to get at all
the functions. They could have made it much easier by including a
chart showing where everything is hidden away.

When you do work it out, it's effective but not perfect (e.g. unless
you've setup presets switching off an effect takes a number of
different button presses to get to the control)

I read the reviews online and had some concern over the sound
quality - I'm glad to say these worries were unfounded.

The factory presets aren't fantastic - make your own and you'll be
a lot happier :)

I havn't stomped on it yet. It's a plastic box, the lcd screen
seems protected well enough to take rough treatment but I'm not
planning on giving it a beating, it wouldnt stand up as well as
your average metal stompbox.

I got the leaflet sent from korg before buying it, it took two days
to go from leaving a message on their answering machine to getting
the paperwork through the post.

For my general rock/blues style at a moderate level it's a very good
box, I tried some other kit and couldn't find anything nearly as good
for the price.

I like the sounds you can coax out of the effects and that the phrase
trainer is actually usable, the tuner and the drum machine are a
bonus.

Compared to what? It isn't a stage stomp box
and it isn't a rack effect. It's complex, but learnable

It's a wonderful sounding unit. The amount of sound processing
tech in this little package is astounding.

It looks very breakable, unfortunately.

I have absolutely no idea. The Korg website is an absurdity.

Get the AC converter from Musicians Friend. Batteries are a joke
in this.

Look, like some others have indicated below, this is NOT
an effect you plug into the front of an amp. It goes into the
auxiliary input (if you have such) OR it goes into the effects
RETURN (in other words, you don't "loop" it. Guitar -> PX-3 -> amp
effects Return input. Ok?) part of the effects loop, and takes
over the control of your amp. You no longer use the front face controls
of your amp (Volume, Tone, etc.), you use the PX-3 to control your amp.
*ALSO* - you have to get a converter plug from Radio Shack to
convert the PX-3's output from stereo to your amp's mono effects input.
(Unless, of course, your amp has a stereo effects input).

As far as the criticisms I've read concerning the PX-3's reverb and
delay, I have to wonder if some people have ears. They aren't the most
tweakable effects in the world, but what's there sounds fantastic.
I'm not overly crazy about the distortions, but, basically, nothing
beats a good guitar straight into a great tube amp for OD, feedback
and distortion, and you ALL KNOW that already. :)

Use good earphones, or follow the amp setup I've described above.
This thing works fine, and this kind of stuff is only going to get
better as time goes on.

(Tips: Arena (and its adjustable componants) are where you want to
start for clean stuff, Rasta is good also. Work the amp and speaker
sims for distortions and sustain, and especially the Pitch effects
at "d" and "-d". Use the Comp amp setting when you go through your
amp effects loop. Use the hyperbass button. Chew your food thoroughly
before swallowing and don't talk with your mouth full. Good luck).

Pretty simple for a digital piece. Easy to edit patches just click the arrow buttons and you're good to go. Manual is very good. I've had it for 8 months and have made my patches so that's cool.

Fender Tele and Fender strat w/ emg single coils. The unit sounds real good for the money. I am very critical of gear and I tend to buy way too much stuff and end up pissed. So, the amp simulations are very godd but you may have to tweak them to get the sound you like. The effects are very good, the modulation fx are good, esp. the phaser. The reverb sounds pretty lame. The delay is okay but it, like the rest of the unit is digital and it just doesn't have that warmth like a slew of stompboxes have. But as a pratice tool and midnight playing with headphones, it is good stuff. I plugged it into my Fender tubeamp and it just sucked the "personality" out of the guitar and added it own sound. With the emg pickups, it sounds like a toy. Its not too full sounding.

Plastic, about the size of a small wallet. Don't plan to gig with it. Just a pratice tool.

never contacted them.

Good for me for practicing at night, but I probably won't record with it. It is small and that is what I love about it. But not quite studio quality. Very impressive for the price and range of effects.

Easy to use personally.Very easy to get a good sound. Easy to edit the programs.
But might not be easy on the stage.

I'm using Fender standard strat and earphone. Sound is incredible clean. Even when I am using one of the single coils(which will hum when I use the distortion effect on my fender box),it's still like the machine is not on when I mute the strings.
Great 3D depth feeling.But it seems to because that the output is stereo.I doubt if it can exist when I use a speaker.
I don't quite like those distortioned pre-sets,which are not quite enough. But I can make my own "hard" sound out of it,which is really low-mid and heavy.
Sounds are beautifully trimmed.Though you might feel that they are too much trimmed,too clean,while not so bright or enought charactoristic.
The worst thing is lack of sustain.

N/A

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This little box is terrific! Right out of the box I was able to edit settings and change presets. If you take the time to read the manual,you're set. It is short, but clear.

I am using my trusty Fender American Standard Strat Modified with Fender Noiseless Vintage P'ups, Bullet 350's set for low action, and the Tremolo is blocked, A La Clapton. I Pump this thru an Electro Harmonix Micro Synth and a Stereo PolyChorus. For Recording I use a Johnson J-Station, and now,the PX-3! The PX-3 was as noiseless as my pickups. SOme of the presets are "weird," but the signature settings are tremendous. My Amp is a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 4X10. The effects are about as good as your decent (Boss) stomp box.

I don't gig anymore, but I do a lot of recording -- aspiring songwriter, you know -- and I plan on recording using some of the awesome signature settings.

I have not dealt directly with Korg.

I play Pop/Rock, Power Pop, and 70's / 80's Rock. I have owned a guitar since I was seven -- I'm 44! I am self-taught. I own a Fender Jazz Bass, and a Fender DG31 Acoustic equipped with a Fishman. I have a fairly well equipped Basement Studio. I would replace it if it was stolen (it is insured!!!) I love it's size, I think it is a marvel of technology. I wish the case were stronger, like made of aluminum or some light metal. It is great for practice, self-amusement, and I feel it will be a great studio tool.

I found this unit very easy to use, and I'm particularly impressed by the size. Attach it to your strap, use a decent wireless, and it's superb for playing live without having to remain static on stage - brilliant for all aspiring Eddie Van Halens !!!

Sound quality is generally very good, although there are quite a few pointless patches (see interval layering and strange keys). 'Arena' and 'Eddie' are impressive, sounding absolutely brilliant when DI'd !! Try using 'Eddie' as the rythmn for Satriani's summer song and you'll see what I mean !!!

Very reliable, and it will last quite a while on batteries, especially if you turn off the display light. Totally dependable.....

Not needed............

Having tried just about every effects unit, I found this to be consistently good in all areas. It comes very close, and can surpass on occasions, my Line6 pod.

how to get a sound of violina ,klarinet like vasilis saleas if ist posible and i like to have an etno tones with pandora because i heard ist posible with pandora please send me the patches how to edit this sounds thank you advanced

i play casio mg 510 midi guitar and the jaz chorus 120 amp.may favorite artist is vasilis saleas he playing a klarinet and he have veri special tone whith klarinet .
i whant to get thet his tone if is posible . distortion and chorus are very good.

i play a etno orient music. im very satisfied whith pandora px-3
it help me to make a good music

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.

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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.

Very easy to get started.
Definitely need the manual for more complex (beyond headphone practice) settings.
This is ready to go out-of-the-box to blow you away.
Gotta give it a 8 though overall because, even once you've gone over the manual a couple times, some of the complex operations still don't match the labels on the keys and it's a bit tough to remeber some of the key functions.

Sound quality is simply AWESOME!!
Stratocaster guitar.
There are a few presets that are useless in my opinion:
o All the pitch shifters
o Flower
All the rest are outstanding, especially:
o Eddie
o Floyd
o Jimi
o FX Wah

Where's Alex?

So far, so good.
I don't think this is really set up for gigging though.

N/A

Overall rating is a 9-plus because the key functions really need to be a bit more obvious when it comes to the phrase trainer and the Center Cancel and Transposition functions.
I wish it were MIDI - hey, I can wish............

Takes just a bit of experimentation to get control over the different features, including programming your own sounds. I lasted a day before I lost the manual, and it really wasn't an issue. A couple of minor issues are rather than having the patches be numbered 1-100, they are numbered 1-50, then it repeats 1-50, but there is a small indicator that shows these are the user presets. Confused me for a bit because I thought I had lost my programmed sounds, then there they were again! Maybe I'm just dense. Other than that, haven't yet been able to figure out how to remove the center channel of the input channel. Finally, the ads say it will record up to 16 seconds of audio and will allow you to slow it down, but it only records 8 seconds. Maybe there is a lower quality sound option that extends it to 16 seconds, but I'm not sure. Need to fiddle iwth it more.

I'm using this with a Yamaha AES 800, directly into a $99 boom box. Believe it or not, it sounds great. (Even better than I used to get with my Rivera amp, since I play at low volumes. The presets didn't blow my socks off (the "funky", phased, and a couple of others were pretty good. The distortion didn't impress me especially, until I began tweaking sounds. Then I was much happier. Versatile. The only gripe I have is with the distortion sounds, there isn't much sustain. I can get a great Gary Moore/Santana lead sound, but it will only sustain for a few seconds. Bummer.

Very versatile. I wish there was a web site where people could exchange settings and compare them to song sounds (e.g. here is a "Europa" setting. . ."). If anyone knows of a site, please drop me a line.

Very pleased overall.

This unit is really easy to use. Although I am fairly technology literate I fine that many of the multi effects units out there can be difficult to navigate through the effects and editing. This is not the case with the PX-3. What really makes this useful is the LCD display that at a glance tells you most of what you need to know. I found the dial a good concept for controling the volume, but somehow wish that there was another dial for scrolling throught the presets. In addition, eventhough I have worked with the rythm section considerable, I still reach down and turn the wheel to adjust the volume, which inevitably changes the pattern I was working with. I have to agree with the other evaluations here - this unit would be outstanding for the price if there were a footpedal for live performances. That and a belt clip or something for the unit. Other than that, anyone can be jamming with the PX-3 within a few seconds of pluggin it in. I have toyed with the editing features, but haven't done enough yet to make a valid comment.

Quite frankly, I found the sound quality to be excellent. I was considering a number of other effects units including the POD and Zoom 505, but as soon as I heard this machine, there was no question. Definitely more than twice the machine of the Zoom, and although not as good cabinet simulation as the pod - the overall flexibility certainly sets it apart.

Sound quality wise, for most people this is king. Through the headphones it sounds great - If you have good headphones. Put it through a practice amp, or any single amp for that matter, and it falls apart. But that's to be expected. This is a stereo unit! You definitely need 2 amps or speakers to make this work. But don't go out buying a new amp. Most people have a stereo in their hose, so this is what I reccomend - get a patch cord that goes from 1/4" plug to two RCA connectors (actually I use the cable that came with my portable CD player and an adapter that takes the 1/8" plug to 1/4") and plugged it into the AUX input on my stereo. NAD Amp, Paradigm Monitors and a Mission Passive sub. In this configuration, anyone can make this puppy sound good. The Eddie setting is HUGE.

They couldn't have put a better sound for the first one as well - Summer - which is clean with chorus and delay. Very nice. Also - their named presets are probably as close as you are going to get to the sound of your favorites. Floyd - try playing Brick in the wall part 2, Angus - do the intro to Thunder Struck or Highway to Hell. I also like Subharm which is a great jazzy tone.

On the flip side, some of the pitch shifting sounds are really useless to the average player. I think they could have found some better patches than these for the presets. Pretty obscure. Because of these, I would have to drop the score down a little.

The presets should keep most people happy for a long time.

Oh yeah - I like the noise reduction feature. Makes the PX-3 as clean as you want it to be.

Not had it long enough to comment. One word of advice - watch those batteries!

Havent had to use it. Heard it's good.

A definite must buy. If you had to replace this with the equivilant number of pedals and rack units, you would be into the big bucks. I think that any beginer should save the money spent on a practice amp and buy this thing. I usually don't buy things on impulse, but one chord out of the PX-3, and my credit card was out!

With a built in tuner, rythm machine, playalong with cd ability including the feature of removing the center channel (gets rid of lead guitar and vocals) for play along, as well as the ability to sample a segment of a cd, slow it down and maintain proper pitch for learning riffs, and to much for me to type, the PX-3 is one of those must have items for the beginer. I have been playing for about a year and nothing has prompted me to play more and helped me move my playing to the next level and above. Oh yeah - the fact that it fits in your gig bag is just sweet! only as big as most tuners!

Easy and selfexplanatory to operate right out of the box. HAven't played around yet with customizing it as I am having way to much fun with the factory settings

Using it with a Mexican Strat and Kramer Pacer with 2 humbuckers. I like the sound I get with the strat much better so far, especially when using the headphones. The factory settings are superb, again this is primarily through headphones. The built in drum machine is great as is the ability to plug in and play along with a CD or tape

This is a great little toy. I would not use this for a gig as changing the settings on the fly would not work well at all. The piece is extremely light weight, and I don't know how many hard knocks it can withstand. Time will tell. But I think that Korg is a very reliable and respected brand, and this is the third generation of Pandora. So I give it an 8 mostly because of it's plastic case

Worked great right out of the box

Playing on and off for 20 years. This is the third headphone/practice amp, multi-effect box I own. It beats anything I have, and have tried so far. Was looking into the POD as well as Tech21 amps for simulation, but the factory settings alone on this one made it a worthwhile purchase. All the other features are an added bonus.
This little gadget is usefull for any style of music. I play hard rock, blues, heavy metal, and progressive rock. But this thing is so versatile and sounds so great that I find myself trying out all kinds of sounds I have never tried before.

To make a long story short, I cannot put my guitar down and have to stop simply because my fingertips cannot take the abuse anymore.

Really easy to use, although some of the button selections to get at some of the 'deeper' options are a little cryptic. The basic options are really easy though, so it is straight out of the box, and off you go.

Overall the sounds are good rather than spectacular (although the Jimi H effect is quite something). Usual range of distortion / delays make for useful rather than exciting settings. Haven't used it much through an amp as it is really setup for practise situations - the controls wouldn't support use on stage.
Clean sounds are good.

Seems solid enough - although I haven't owned it for that long. Not likely to use it for a gig though becasue (a) the controls are inappropriate for quick, onstage changes, and (b) battery life is only some 9 hours max with 4*AAA, so it would be risky....... Could use it in conjunction with another footpedal as an effect to be sent/returned....if you see what I mean. This would allow you to use it as a single sound setting on stage, and to run power rather than batteries to it. Culdn't us eit on it's own though.

Never had to use it

I play mostly rock in a covers band. So for practice it's excellent. Sounds are fine, I can take an inline feed from my (small) minidisk player & jam along. The inline pitch-shift is wonderful for this too. Backing bass/drums are OK - but very limited. If the primiary aim is practise - then it comes highly recommended, but I wouldn't labour under any illusions about using it live. The controls are wrong, there is no clip to clip it anywhere useful (although I have heard that certain cellphone leather cases will fit).
I'd buy it again if lost/stolen, it sits fine alongside my Digitech RP-1, and is very useful in my home studio. The only alternative I considered was the (discontinued) Zoom 9000 series.

Pretty easey, you'll need the manual for a couple of things.

For what I use it, it's great. When I go on vacation, I take this along with my Yamaha travel guitar just so I can practice an hour a day and stay in shape. I play chord solos with a little reverb, and practice scales with the rhythem patterns. Some day, I'm sure, they'll have one where you can program the bass instead of the presets... Lately I found another great use for it: I play weekly solo guitar at a very small (but classy...) restaurant with my Godin nylon. Iv'e been using a Fender AmpCan so I can move around easily, and I just started using the Korg for a little reverb. I use the "Garage" setting at around 12. Nothing else. It works great. There's only one problem, see next category.

The thing works great, and is reasonably solid, however... DON'T LET THE BATTERIES RUN DOWN!!!! Keep an eye on the battery indicator, you got, at most, half an hour of playing time before this thing emmits the most horrible squeal you've evber heard. At home that's fine but live it can be a little embarrassing. Other than that, no problem.

Great! For practicing on the road, small gigs etc., I couldn't think of anything that works as great as this one. It's VERY small and the backlight is great for those dark restaurant situations. Just don't let the batteries run down...

If you want to play the Pandora straight out of the box, it is pretty easy. When you want to start getting deeper into it's features (programming effects and using the rhythm section), you'll need the manual. Once you get the hang of it, though, there's not much to it.

The sound varies depending on whether you're playing through an amp or if you're playing through headphones. I'd give the sound quality through an amp an 8, and a 10 through headphones (hence the overall rating of 9). For reference, I'm using a Fender California Stratocaster and a Fender Blues Jr. tube amp.

The Pandora doesn't sound it's best through an amp; it seems to lose some of it's sharpness, but it still sounds pretty good. Some of the presets don't sound too good, but many sound great. My favorites are Jimi, Eddie, Flowers, Phased, BB, 90's. The presets of famous artists come pretty close to creating their sounds. The reverb settings on the Pandora are excellent. You can choose different sounding reverbs, like Hall, Arena, and my personal favorite, Garage. The built in rhythm patterns, while a bit corny, are quite fun to play around with.

I first tried the PX 3 through my amp, and I was quite pleased with it. When I plugged in a pair of headphones, though, I was extremely happy with this purchase. Using the headphones, the sounds seem to really come alive. The stereo chorus, which sounded good through an amp, is aboslutely beautiful. The phaser jumps from side to side. The reverbs sound even better they did before. The distortions and overdrives sound much more powerful. It might be useful for you to know that the output jack on the Pandora is 1/4 inch. If you have a pair of headphones with a 1/8 inch cord, you'll need to pick up an adapter from a place like Radio Shack.

This unit has a very warm, tube-like sound. Most of the effects are quite good, but some of the pitch shifters leave something to be desired. While there are some preset programs that you won't ever use, you'll be able to program just about any sound you could want (and you can store up to 50 of your own programs).

For home and studio use, it would be quite reliable. I don't gig, but if I did, I don't think I could rely on the Pandora. It is small and made out of plastic, you know.

Haven't had to deal with Korg, and I doubt I ever will.

Since this is a multi-effects unit, it is suitable for just about any style of music you can think of. There are hardly any sounds that you can't get out of this little thing. For the price, you'll have a hard time finding anything that matches the features and great sound of the Pandora. You'll have a hard time finding a better headphone amp. If it were lost or stolen, I'd definitely replace it. I feel the PX-3 is well worth the money I spent. Let's hope Korg puts out a PX-4. If they do, I'll surely pick it up.

The PX-3 is extremely easy to use once you give the onwers manual a brief once over. You can definetely just plug in and play without ever touching the owner's manual but to learn all the little intricate stuff built into this little blue box, the owners manual will provide that. Extremely well written, not like some others I've (can I get an amen from all those Digitech onwers out there!!). It features a rotary wheel for preset changes, 50 factory and 50 user presets, one 1/4" input, one 1/4" ouptput which is stereo and a 1/8" aux jack for bringing in an outside audio source (CD player, tape, etc). You can jam-along with the outside source and there is a center cancelling feature to try to wipe out the vocals anf guitar solos. This I haven't really messed with, it will only work if the vocals and guitar were recorded on the center track. There is also a phrase trainer which will allow you to record up to 16 seconds of a song, loop it and even slow it down to as much as 25% without changing pitch. This is a really cool feature and works as advertised. Also built in is a rythym section, both drums and bass. The PX-2 had the drums but the PX-3 adds bass lines. Pretty cool for soing little jams. One complaint I do have is the inability to hook up some sort of foot controller for patch changing. I realize that the intent of the PX-3 is for personal practicing but having the ability to use a footcontroller would make it that much more versatile for those planning on live use. I know other processors like the Zoom Fire and the discont. Zoom 9002 offered this ability. I went to a Korg clinic a few months ago and the guy running it said he used his PX-2 live all the time, he taped it to his guitar strap. Interesting but...ahh no.

Right now I'm using the PX-3 as a headphone practice amp/learning tool. I'm using it with all three of my guitars, PRS Swamp Ash Special, EBMM Axis and Ovation Standard Balladeer. They all sound great. I haven't tried it with my amp yet (Fender Hot Rod Deluxe) and I probably won't for two reasons. One is my buddy who has a PX-2 tried his through his Fender amp and it didn't sound that great, seems as though the Pandora series suffers from the same ailment as the Line 6 POD, they all love full range applications (i.e. headphones, direct to mixer/multi-track, PA system, etc) and don't shine through gear specifically designed for guitar. Secondly, I have a separate effects setup for my Fender HRD (Marshall Jackhammer, Boss Super Phaser, Boss DD-3 Digital Delay and Dunlop Limited Edition Crybaby) which I wouldn't think about replacing with the PX-3. This may sound whacked, but when I'm using my full setup, I may put the PX-3 in line in bypass to take advantage of its tuner since I don't have a play through tuner. Today I was pleasantly surprised however when I brought the PX-3 to the studio. I was too lazy to bring my amp and effects board with me so I brought the little guy with me instead. Holy crap, did it sound awesome!! Straight into the mixing board in mono, this little walkman sized toy sounded fantastic, even when thrown into the mix of a Fafner bass amp and a Line 6 POD. Made me think twice about my full sized setup. As far as presets go, alot of them were really good (surprisingly enough!!) especially some of the artist style presets (AC/DC, Van Halen, SRV, Deep Purple, etc). All the effects are really good. Very simple stuff (flanger, chorus, phaser, reverb, delays, cabinet sims, etc) and simplified tweaking. If you're looking for stomp box tweakability, this isn't for you. I wasn't looking for something that was to complex so I give this category the highest marking.

I could definetely depend on it for what I'm doing. If I were to gig, I highly doubt I would use this over my full setup. This has nothing to do with reliability, this is due to lack of foot "controllability".

I've never dealt with Korg.

I've been playing for over two years now and have been through a lot of gear on my rocky road of learning and determining what is right for me in all applications. I've owned various multi-effects processors which had all the in depth tweaking one could handle: Alesis Midiverb IV, Boss GX-700, Boss GT-5, Zoom 510, the POD and have tried various others such as various Digitech products (from RP-7 up to the 2120), Zoom products, Johnson Millenium, Rocktron Voodoo Valve, various modelling amps, the list goes on. After finally settling on my current full setup (HRD with the above listed pedals) and forever swearing off multi-effects processors and going tube with the bare necessity of effects, I found I really wanted something I could use in my living room, my den, anywhere on headphones with some effects capablility. I was using a JD-10 for that but it really wasn't what I was looking for. I had been busting my buddy's chops who has a Pandora PX-2 since he bought it and what did I end up with? Well, not a PX-2, but close enough! :) It really is great for private practice and the fact it sounded awesome in direct record was an added bonus. As I stated before, the only downside I can see is the lack of foot control. I do find I like to turn effects on and off while playing and switching over from cleans to distorted tones and when I need to do this, I'll have my full setup ready to work. As far as convenience , sound quality at $189.99, built in ryhthym machine, jam-along, and phrase training, it can't be beat in my opinion.

Considering all the features, I found the PX3 to be very easy to use overall.

I bought the PX3 hoping that it would sound as good as the PX1 with more features. Unfortunately, while the clean sounds are definitely superior on the PX3, the distortions do not sound anywhere near as good to me. I was able to program a great SRV, EVH, blues and metal patches on my PX1, but there is a certain buzzy quality to all of the distortions on the PX3 that I could not get rid of. Also, all of the presets are horrible and you cannot program over them like you can on the PX1. The drum/bass presets are fun to jam over, but are rather limited. I used both single coil and double coil guitars when using the PX3 and was not impressed with the distorted sounds. I returned the PX3 and will stick with my trusty PX1 for headphone practicing.

I really love the Pandora PX1, but the distortion, overdrive and fuzz tones on the PX3 are not anywhere as good. I spent enough time trying to program decent sounding patches that were at least as good as those I programed on the PX1, but had no luck. Others may like the distorion/overdrive sounds on the PX3, but to me that had a very "beer commercial" tone to them. To bad, because many of the features on the PX3 and the clean sounds are very good. If Korg comes out with a PX4, I give another shot, as I generally like their products.

I love the PX3. It is very easy to use and get good sounds out of, at least in headphones. Editing the patches is a breeze once you figure out how it works. The manual is decent and will get you started, but it doesn't take long to put it down start playing. I give it a ten rating for ease of use. If you have any experience using other effects processors, like the Digitech RP series, for example, this thing is a peice of cake.

I mostly use the PX3 with and American Standard Strat and a pair of Sony headphones to practice at home. This is what I believe the unit was made for. The sound qaulity is nice with this setup. I've tried to use it with my band, through my Roland JazzChorus 120, and it sounded kind of weak and trebly when it was cranked up, compared to my RP-1. Maybe it was just my setup and I didn't really play around with it to try to get a better sound, so your mileage may vary. Some reviewers have had better results.

The drum and bass sounds are fun to use, but they sound like your little brother's old Casio keyboard rhythms, in other words, pretty cheesey. But hey, whatda ya want, its not a drum machine! If the next version (PX4?)improves on this, it will make a great product that much better. I'll give it an 8 for the sound quality.

I've had the PX3 for about 2 months and so far so good. It is a light little thing, mostly plastic, and it would be nice to see it a little beefier, but if you are careful and don't drop, it should be fine. I wouldn't use it for a gig.

Haven't had to deal with them.

Overall, it is a great little toy. I play mostly rock and blues (been playing for 9 years) and it suits me. Great for practice and jamming in your living room without having you wife tell you to turn it down (use headphones!). Go get one!

The manual is well-written & editing it is also easy. The presets cover many styles, U can use them to start your own sound.

It has most of the guitar efx U can think of, the compressor, distortion & the delay sounds very good to me. But the modulation type efxs are too digital to my taste. It also gives me very good direct recording results.

I broke my PX-2 for dropping it many times on ground, that's why I bought this PX-3. U really need to find a way to settle it in studio & gigs, the guitar lead would pull it on to the ground.
Dropping the PX-2 many times before it's damaged also showed the PXs are quite tough- not the best way to test gears though.

I mainy play easy-listening jazz fusion, this Px-3 acts as my major recording preamp in studio & I record my lastest cd with it. Of course it can't be compared with my Boogie in gigs but it does help me to lay down good tube-sounding guitar tracks in recording situations. I would buy it again for its price/quality. I do wish Korg put out an upgrade of it with footswitch & proper power supply (When I bought this thing in the shop, I was not told that Korg has an optional power supply for Px-3). I do use it for rehersals sometimes & playing live in a really small space, especially when I don't feel like carry things around.

The manual was cool and helped with the bits where one button press means the difference of losing the patch or not.

Had difficulty understanding why sound jumped to one side if Chorus was not on. All in all sounds are good and I will be gigging with it soon. Pity there was 'nt an option to add compression before the overdrive section. Distortions/overdrives were natural sounding and really lets my strat sound classy.

Cant say until I've tried it. Missed oppertunity with no solid clamp (for mike stand) or amp holder as it may hit the dirt if it's moved suddenly.

I play all types of music in semi pro covers band , from Blues Brothers to Pink Floyd via Gary Moore and Santana. I've been playing for 23 years (yes i'm that old !!) I own mainly Jap guitars (USA too damn pricey) Tele/2 Strats/Les Paul. I liked the PX3 coz its portable , good sounds , and has a CD aux in so I can practice without disturbing the street. I just wish thought had gone into the live band situation eg a holder / stand clamp etc, also it could have had small footswitch (only up or down change would have been godsend). I have had most models of this type from the Roland "Playbus" via Zoom 9002 and JHS Rock box and found (obviously !) the latest incarnation is the best. I may even be selling my zoom 4040 if this blue box works out well enough!!

The Korg Pandora PX3 is well worth the the $200 I spended to get it. Once you read the instructions and learn to use it, it's as easy as breathing.

I'm using my PX3 with a Fender American Standerd with three gold lace
pickups and a 25db mid boost and TBX. Mines sounds (at least I'm told)
alot better than the Fender Eric Clapton model Because of my mid boost.(I'm not telling where I got it. Ha.Ha.) Now if I could only play like him. But any way my Fender sounds like a dream through the PX3. I can make any sound I could dream of through this.

I've accidently dropped mine on a studio floor and it still worked like a charm.(although I don't recamend this) I've used this through a mixing board on gigs and it is just marvalous.

I've never had to deal with Korg,but if I do, I hope their not like Fender.

I am a blues player and the blue Px3 fits my bill to a tee. I've been playing for about four years and I am pretty damn good.( I better be; I practice for at least four hours every day.) I love the fact that I don't have to hook up all of my pedals to get a particular sound. I just pust a button or two and thats it. It's the greatest thing I've bought since my trusty mid-boost. Comparing the PX3 to the PX2 is like comparing the 96' Impala to the 99'. This product is totally outstanding for any level of player. When I first got it, (mail ordered from Musicians Friend) I was kinda mad because the thing is so small. But once I used it, I was blown away.It was well worth my very hard earned $200 on.( I'm a college student) If it were lost or stolen, I would some how put the whole country under marshall law, and when I find the bastard that stole it, I would cut his %&*! off with a
dull kitchen knife.

Unit is easier to use than the mark 1 or the mark 2 .The wheel is a real plus point as is the backlit display.The tuner is better than the previous models.

As with earlier models the sound quality and effects are very good for a unit of this size.The drum and bass sounds are ok but sound a bit old compared with most drum patterns/sounds out now.There are more presets now and I did not like that many of them.Too many distortion sounds not enough clean ones.Having 50 user patterns is a very useful addition to the mark 3.

Here is the problem ...If you have the drum pattern running and you change the effect as you change the drum pattern misses beats and speeds up and then down.The mark 2 did not do this.Had a problem with the wheel when changing the drum tempo sometimes changing the tempo caused the unit to crash drums just stopped.Had to switch off unit and switch on again.Unit did the same on another unit too

N/A

Think the mark 3 has potential but I think Korg have tried to cram too much into the new unit without pushing price up..think they should have looked harder at quality of drums/bass rather than the price of the unit.

Wow, can you say easy to use? When I played with it at the store, it seemed a bit confusing. (but then again I wasn't playing a guitar, just pushing buttons) Once you parouse thru the manual for a few minutes, it becomes easy to figure out. The Patch editing is a breeze and can be done in 30 seconds once you get the hang of it. This thing is packed with a ton of little features, like the bility to change the function of the jog whel in the corner. (it can serve as the master volume or patch selector, depneding on how you set it) The manual is long enough to get you going in the right direction and explains all of it's features, but not voluminous like some others. It is thinck because it has three or four different translations in one book. I do agree that I wish they hadn't folded the manual to get it in. Oh well, no big deal... I also have a DOD FX-7 that is nowhere near as powerful as this is, and this is still easier to use.

Wow again. This thing has unbelievable sound quality. The distortion processors are actually very faithful. The tube setting sounds as close as you can get to a tube without real tubes. (The only thing closer is my Crate CX-40C, The clean channel is so good that people mistake it for a real tube amp)Some of the heavier distortion settings (they call it scoop, crush, hotbox etc..)tend to sound alot alike. I almost wish that they had made it one kind of "Heavy" distortion with alot more settings. But there are 9 different types of distortion and a compressor, so you ought to find something you like. The Graphic Equalizer settings could stand to be a bit better, as it is now you can only boost/cut your high/low only. (two channels) The list of effects is amazing. There are four different kinds of choruses, Vibrato, four typres of flanges, two kinds of Double Vibrato (I dunno what it means either, but it sounds cool) four kinds of flangers, 2 tremelo settings, 2 pan settings, 2 autowahs, a fixed wah settings, (you dial up how open it is and it stays there) three random step filters, (once again, I have no clue what this is but it sounds real cool, kind of a spacey feeling) and a bunch (eight, I think) of pitch shifters. All of these are very good, some of the choruses tend to sound alike, once again I'd rather they just have one kind with more settings. All of these have one parameter that can be changed, and that parameter depends on what kind of effect it is. The manual tells you exactly what it is changing, I just fiddle with it until it sounds like what I want. The only disadvantage to this is that you can only run one effect at a time. IE you can't do a flange and chorus at once. I'm not an effects guru, but it seems like only the real high-end processors (like the Digitech RP 10's and up) actually let you do this. I once read somewhere that these are not effects that you would run together anyway, but I like to play around... The next setting in the patch programming is the Reverbs and delays. Once again, bunches of types of delays, inculding a stereo pong effect. However, like with the effects section, you can't run reverb and delay at the same time. (or if you can I didn't see it in the manual) Next, there is the cabinet emulator. Six different cabinet settings give you a wide variety of choices. And all of these settings actually sound good too. There is also a noise gate, (which cannot be turned off, but can be dialed way back) It even lets you name your patches, which helps. The factory presets are pretty good, I'm not sure as to how accurate they are to the artists they claim to emulate, but they're a good starting point for ideas. The sampling feature lets you grab ten seconds of a CD or tape and slow it down all the way to 25% speed. It doesn't distort the sound at all, but the way they do it it gets hard to hear the individual notes at playback speeds lower then 50 or 60 percent. It's got a tuner that is pretty good, it shows you how far off the mark you are so if you want to hone in on a specific tuning you can, like Drop-D or going a half step down. (you can even change the reference pitch from A440 to another pitch)Overall, the sound quality on this box absolutely amazes me. I cant believe how well this thing sounds for such a small box.

The unit is of course plastic and looks pretty cool. I don't know about how sturdy it is, I haven't played on stage with it. It feels incredibly light. I'd feel alot better if it was a bit heavier, that way you know there is some meat to absorb any impact. It's primary job is to give you a reliable way to pratice with your headphones at home, and it should hold up beautifly if you use it for that purpose.

Just bought it, hope to ver have to use CS.

By far this was worth the money. I went into MARS Music to buy the Pandora PX-2, but the salesman told me about this. I was reluctant to part with almost 230 bucks (the AC adaptor is NOT included and you have to buy it seperately, MARS sells one that works with it for 8 bucks)but I am glad I did. It truly is a great processor if you want to practice on your own. It doesn't come with any footswitches, so it would be difficult to use in a concert setting. I do wish it had a way to switch patches without having to stop playing, it really kills the guitar solo when you have to stop to switch between your lead patch and your rythm patch. The main purpose of this processor is to give you the best way to play at home with headphones and a CD player. ANd it does this beautifly. My advice, if you have the money, and you are looking for something to use at home, then get this. It is well worth it.

Fortunately, the PX-3 is very easy to use. That is important, because you are likely going to want to tweek the patches that come pre-set at the factory. The addition of the wheel is a vast improvement, and the back-lit screen is much nicer than the PX-2.

How do they do it? This thing is so small, so light...but it kicks-ass! I run a custom strat through it and use Sennheiser headphones. The sound is phenomenal. I do think, however, that the pre-set patches kinda suck. That said, some minor(or major) tweeking, and the sounds are great!

Never had a problem with the PX-2, but I do agree with the another user's commnents that the power switch is a little flimsy.

Never needed customer support

I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better value. For about 200 bucks and some change, you get a light, portable, yet powerful and easy to use personal amplifier that kicks-ass. What more could you want? Buy this product...you wont be sorry!

As usual, right out of the box the factory settings are so-so. A few patches like "Eddie" and "Angus" are simply incredible. It seems as if the PX3 design team tried to match up patch names with the people they sound like. That makes great sense. The manual is very easy to use except for two annoyances: the book is folded during shipping and now it won't bend back to being flat, and the list of presets doesn't give the actual settings (like in the PX2's manual). If you want to see the settings, check out my web site at http://www.users.fast.net/~jwoertz/music.html. The PX3's new data entry wheel makes it incredibly easy to create and edit patches. And the enhanced LCD display screen is a real plus. In less than half an hour, I completely understood how to create and edit patches.

I use a Fender Strat Plus with Lace Sensor pickups through a Fender Deluxe 112 amp. Compared to the Pandora PX2, this unit is EXTREMELY quiet with my setup. Korg did a fantastic job on all the new patches. I am happy to see that every patch doesn't have to use the noise reduction all the way up to get a good sound. I also noticed that the noise reduction doesn't "fade out" as obviously as with the PX2. I also own a DigiTech RP-7 and the Pandora PX3 sounds better through the headphones and the amp. The COMP (compression) is outstanding and I can get a beautiful clean sound by mixing compression with chorus and delay. Then I choose which type of speaker cabinet emulation (almost always "4X12"!) and name the patch, and I'm set. The auto-wah is also an interesting effect. If you tweak the EQ right, you can get a great slow auto-wah Joe Satriani sound with a little delay. Awesome.

THE PX3 seems to be built very well. I guess the only thing that doesn't impress me is the flimsy power switch. It slides over and is a little too loose. A button would have been much nicer. But all in all, it seems about as durable as one could expect from such a small piece of electronics. One drop on a hard floor might kill it - not because it isn't made well, but just because of the small size and complexity of the thing.

Never had to deal with them. I used to work in a music store and Korg didn't have the best reputation with customer service. Maybe that's different now. WHo knows. I can't really give them a fair rating here, so I'll leave this one blank.

I play all kinds of music except country and rap. I like the sound of Angus Young's setup but something about Satriani's wah technique really is the perfect sound for me. The PX3 (believe it or not) can really match any sound I'm looking for. Of course I would buy one again if it were lost or stolen! I love the fact that it's so tiny. I can sit on the couch and jam all night without getting yelled at! And the fact that you can name each patch instead of giving it some meaningless number is great. I do wish Korg would have upgraded the drum samples, though. Even with the addition of the bass guitar to the drum patterns, the drums need lots of work. I never use them. The backlight and tuner are great. It really brings out my creative side more than any other effects unit I've ever owned. Please check out my "PX3 Patch Sheet" on my site at http://www.users.fast.net/~jwoertz/music.html

Switching around is easy, and the data wheel is a nice feature. Other features include, rhythm/bass patterns, intelligent harmonizer, built-in tuner, and the usual dist/modulation effects. Manual is not needed to get going, but is useful and is in fairly understandable Jap-lish. Had to consult the manual briefly to figure out how to change tempo and key on the rhythm/bass patterns. The funk and blues patterns are fun to jam with. Also has straight metronome, useful for practicing scales. I'm trying to give out less 10's because these reviews are not particularly useful with all raves so I'll give it an 8.

Sounds are much better than the zoom 505 which I recently sold. Blues and Jazz tones are nice, it's the crunch/gain stuff that always leaves me wanting with typical headphone units. This one is better but not great.
First a few notes about using a headphone unit. I'm not an electronics guy, but let's apply a little common sense. Most people are going to say here that the "sound is OK thru the headphones but sucks through an amp." Fine, but remember it doesn't have a line or instrument output, it puts out enought power to drive a speaker (headphone) albeit a small one. Do you think if you plugged your guitar into your beloved Tube Screamer and plugged the headphones straight into the output of the TS-X you could hear anything? (Actually, I think it would come thru very faint, almost inaudible).
The point I'm getting at here, is turn the volume way down to match your guitars normal output. Let the power section of your amp do the work. Of course there's going to be hiss etc. if you have it cranked to (small) speaker levels. I did this through a pignose 40w tube amp into a 2x12 cabinet. Sounded decent, NOT pod or flextone, but decent.
Another similar point, with getting better tone out of this unit. If you use $200 home audio headphones or even decent $50 sony's the highs are going to sizzle. On any headphone unit I use, I seem to get better tone from these cheaper Koss closed headphones. When listening to a home stereo the Koss has significant loss of highs. It worked perfect for guitar applications. Point: You don't plug your Marshall super-lead into Polk Audio home stereo speakers right? Of course not, you use special mid-rangy guitar spkrs. Same applies to the headphones, it would be neat if someone made a set of cans for guitar only. The koss thing was a fluke and not perfect.
So, don't get me wrong with the 7 rating. The sounds are very good and much more "real" tone than the previous PX versions. Is it tonal nirvana? No, but it's a great practice tool. The effects section is fine, don't notice anything special or worse with their modulation effects.

Not really a gigging tool, but I wouldn't want to drop it. It would be decent enough to use *as* the backup if your amp fried, you can put the pandora through the PA, remembering to roll down the highs on the board. It would get you through the set at least.

I won't say but I wouldn't expect "boutique" type support. You probably would get shuffled around in a huge Japanese company, might be better to go your dealer.

Great practice tool! Forgot to mention digital phrase sampling (or riff slow down without pitch change). I think they give you 16 seconds to sample riffs from your cd and learn them. I paid almost $200 for a unit just for music study (it samples several minutes however). So I give the korg an 8 for decent tone with a tone of useful features. A great practice tool!

All Pandoras have a great sound using Sony studio Monitor headphones. This newest offering has 100 presets, a built-in 8 second phase sampler for jamming to loops, etc. Best feature yet- a bass-player-in-a-box, that follows the drum machine perfectly, doing 1/4/5/ blues progressions in ANY key you select. It really sounds like you are play to a band! The new rotary wheel makes volume changes, etc. even easier than before. This unit is somewhat complex, and requires that you read the manual to really learn how the features work, editing, etc. Many of the switches have multi-functions, and you can't just wing it until you understand it. The manual is well laid-out.

Many of the factory presets are kind of funky, basically used to showcase examples of what can be done. 50 factory presets, and and additonal 50 blank preset for storing your favorite tones. I use these exclusively for headphone practice, and they are GREAT! I don't think they sound outstanding through an amp, however. But what do you want out of something 2 3/4" X 4 1/2", and less than 1" thick.

I have never had any trouble with ANY of the Pandora family. This new unit uses 4 AAA batteries....PX1 & PX2 used 2 AA. But this thing does SO much more than the other two units. The color is blue-chrome over a matte finished plastic case- really cool.

I have never delt with Korg directly, but did have the opportunity to meet one of the key designers at the NAMM show in L.A. Jan 99'. A very friendly and informative guy- he REALLY knew the Pandora family! And was rightfully very proud, and gave great demonstrations!

When I'm at home, I play only through the Pandoras. I can get the 'Wall of Sound' and not disturb the rest of the family. They have been a real marrige saver! And the stereo imaging of the echos using good headphones sounds better than playing out of an amp, to me.

Data wheel is a big improvement over previous models

Much improved over previous versions. Especially the voicing of the Distortions. Sounds especially good through a PA or direct recording. not nearly as Processed sounding as the other versions.

Who knows, just bought it. I have had both the PX1 and PX2, never a problem with either.

Excellent for direct recording, personally I don't like the sound of most other direct recording devices but this sounds excellent on tape. a tremendous improvment, also quieter than the previous versions. the harmonizer effect could be better but for the size and price it's great