Korg SE-300 Stage Echo

It takes a few minutes to understand the way the delay and reverb interact and how to get multi taps off the heads. If you keep one head button pressed you can press the others and they will stay down otherwise one will cancel the next.

There is a knob to set how much of the dry versus delayed signal goes through the spring reverb. counterclockwise only the dry signal hits the verb, clockwise only the delay hits the verb. it is possible to have the dry or delayed signal not even touch the reverb.

There is also a knob to set how much delay versus reverb is present at the output; counter clockwise you only hear delay, clockwise you only hear reverb. you will still hear the delay that you have sent to the reverb but it will be 100% wet with reverb. it is possible to have the delay completely parallel to the reverb or completely in serial with the reverb, and any place in between.

The variations that these knobs can create are at the heart of why no other tape delay can touch this.

also it has a weird auto shut off so sometimes if the tape is too tight when you first turn it on it won't work, so you have to unstick it and it will start going. It has a lot of knobs.

There is a version with reverb and one without. the one with no reverb is more of a studio unit, but get the one with reverb it is the coolest tape delay ever. The sounds it creates can become so diffused you cannot even hear the repeats. it is as if everything you play turns into an orchestra pad. This thing can give you great aural hallucinations and is a good substitute when you're out of drugs.

I would not gig with this at all.

I cannot recommend this highly enough it is the best delay unit ever. ibanez ad-230 is the only thing in league with this for trip factor. It may not look as cool as an echoplex or space echo but you will forget all about it's utilitarian aesthetic when you hear it. One last tip use the worst tape you can find.

Very easy to use. It can be used as a tape echo or a spring reverb or anything in between.

I am using it in a dub project, so I lots of tweaking, lots of knobs manipulation:) I actually think it is a very underrated machine, compared to Roland Spaceechos. I have a direct comparison to RE301 and RE501. Of course, each model have its own characteristics and sound, but I think you can do things on a Stageecho you cannot do on a spaceecho - echo/reverb ratio, reverb direct/echo ratio.. I love it. The spaceechos are, generally, more hifi machines, even with more feedback and long repeating, the sound is still very close to the original, Korg distorts more. I like the Korg sound more.

I can depend on it. However, when transporting it in winter, you have to let it warm up on the stage. Humidity condensates inside and the feedback is always very small, even with the knob fully turned. As the machine warms up (one hour or so), this gets back to the normal.

Never dealt with them... my machine is from the year 1980 and still no problem.

I make dub and reggae music, if it got broken or stolen, I would have to get another one. Actually I plan to buy a SE500, which should be the same without the spring reverb.
I also have a stereo spring reverb Korg GR1, which is more hifi sounding than the reverb in SE300 - it is much more woody, instant reggae:) The GR1 has little "splash" sound, the SE300s reverb vibrates more.
For the price you can get it, it offers more value than any Roland Spaceecho. If someone offered me a RE301 for my SE300, I would not give it away, unless I had a second one.

Anything run thru this unit is going to sound good. Period. Has a lovely meter built in to check your input.

It can do warm longish slapbacks, long beautiful loops, wooly feeds from nothing, flangey pitchbends, twangey reverbs, you name it. The spring reverb actually sounds nice! You can mix the signal fed to the spring between direct and echo for a predelayed spring reverb.
I've had it in my studio for a couple of weeks and I've run just about anything thru it with top notch results.

A sturdy suitcase with recessed knobs makes the SE 300 a solid piece of machinery. I wouldn't gig with it without an extra loop of tape, though. I give it a 9/10 because it's not nearly as flimsy as say the old echoplexes. 10/10 is reserved for modern tape echoes.

Wouldn't call them if it broke. I'd probably fix it myself.

For anyone who wants good old analogue warmth this is a VERY good purchase. It sounds better than the Roland Space echo, it's more versatile, and it costs way less.

Very easy to use. Includes knobs that control echo speed, echo feedback, input volume, echo-to-reverb output, etc. What makes this unit so easy to use is the ability to choose playback heads when adjusting echo speed. You can choose several tape head combinations with the push nobs that engage the three recording heads. This feature is not available on the more expensive Roland models.

Wonderful tape-echo repeats. Remember, this is a tape echo, so the repeats begin to distort after 8 repeats or so. But that is the beauty of this unit. However, unlike Echoplexes (I own a solid state Echoplex as well), this unit is wonderful for producing long, self-oscillating repeats. Echoplexes tend to distort to the point where you can't really get long, spirallng feedback patterns; the Stage Echo allows you to not only be transported to the stars, but create rockibily slap-echo as well. Nonetheless, its forte is long echoes. Think of Pink Floyd, Saucerful of Secrets-like echo. For those of you who into Portishead and other spacey, dub influenced bands, this unit is optimal for obtaining the long, sub-space echoes you love so much.
As for the onboard spring reverb, it tends to feedback when the echo patterns start to self-oscillate. But I don't think most people purchase this unit or the reverb. It is the ECHO that tranports you beyond our solar system.

These units are getting old (20+ years), so you will encouter problems associated with age; the tape heads should be checked before purchase. But overall, the electronics of this unit are far superior to Echoplexes. The motor drive is also excellent. But tape heads, motors, transitors, etc. do go with age. But my technician said these units are built much better than other popular tape echo units (Echoplex, Roland, WEM, etc.)

Non-existent; Korg does not support Stage Echoes anymore.

For those of you looking for a solid tape echo unit that will take you to galaxies beyond the Milky Way, the Korg Stage Echo is a excellent alternative to the Roland Space and Chorus Echoes. Those machines are going for absorbidant amounts of money; why bother when you can obtain a Stage Echo for $300 or less?? Plus, they are equivalent, if not better machines.
The tape feeding mechanim is basically the same as the Roland Units: it spools freely in a small compartment while being fed to the tape heads. Replacement tapes can easily be made by buying some good Ampex tape and splicing your own loops. This allows you to make long or short loops according to your own whim. Forget about buying the Roland replacement tapes on Ebay for $40 or more; buy some good audio tape or less than $10 and make your own!
In all, this is an excellent echo device. I purchased this unit because I was looking for a machine that produces long echoes similar to a Binson Echorec or Space Echo; with the prices of those units being out of range, the Stage Echo was a sound alternative. Remember, there are two versions of the Stage Echo, the SE-300 and SE-500. They are basically the same (same number of recording heads) with the exception of the sound-on-sound and extra mic-inputs available on the SE-500. For the loopers and echo-freaks out there, consider this unit as a good alternative to the Roland Echo units.