The Korg Guitar Effects Line Helps You Shape Your Signature Tone
Today’s guitarists have a huge variety of choices when choosing a multi effects processor. Sorting through all of them to find the sound that defines your signature tone can be a daunting task. You want a device that will give you a great sound on stage, give you the versatility you need in the studio that is reliable and is backed by a company that has been around for many years.
Toneworks, the Korg guitar effects line for electric and acoustic guitars is a great choice for any musician. Their expertise is unrivaled in the music world – their background in electronic music dates back several decades.
A New Age in Music: The Modeling Guitar Effects Processor
In 1993, Korg began making guitar effects pedals after 30 years of successful operations as a manufacturer of keyboards, synthesizers and chromatic tuners. Their G-Series effects, not to be confused with the guitar effects Zoom manufacturs under a similar pseudonym, started the ball rolling. Now they are taking their expertise in the synthesizer space and applying it to their latest Toneworks line of guitar effects. Korg Toneworks units are designed for use with electric guitars, bass guitars or acoustic guitar, making a complete set of solutions for any situation.
The AX series, their most recent offering, is an amazing device which can give you the feel of having a pedal board full of effect pedals, without all of the hassles. What sets Korg guitar effects off from the other guys is their Expression Step Sequencer (ESS). Much like a keyboard sequencer works, the ESS will step through a defined set of parameters for an effect – or effects – automatically, in essence sequencing the effect. An example that is sited on the Korg website uses a pitch shifter, which sequentially steps through each of the voices of an arpeggio automatically. Think automatic Eddy Van Halen solos – WOW!
The AX3000 series, which includes the AX3000G for guitar and the the AX3000B bass guitar effects unit, includes models of 16 different guitar amps, 11 different cabinets and allows up to seven different effects in any single effects chain. The user can store up to 96 different user defined presets and the unit comes with 32 predefined presets. Bass effects never sounded so good.
It’s Okay to Open Pandora’s Box
One of the coolest trends of the last decade or so is the miniaturization of all kinds of devices. And the Korg guitar effect line sports one of their own miniatures – the Korg Pandora personal effects processor. This little device is just like dynamite – an explosion of effects in a small package. Made both for acoustic and electric guitars, this little device packs all of the effects you would expect from a top-of-the-line guitar effects processor – chorus, flange, phaser, rotary, tremolo, panning, notch filters, delays, reverbs, noise gate and even an acoustic simulator.
The acoustic simulator in this device sets itself off from other devices, allowing the user to model “the resonances and vibrational character of great acoustic guitars.” Want your electric guitar to mimic the characteristics of Taylor guitars? How about the sweet sound of the ever popular Martin guitars? Using their acoustic modeler, you can get that sweet sound, even from your favorite solid body electric Fender guitar!
The Pandora line also offers a special unit designed for use with electro-acoustic guitars as well. This acoustic guitar effects device helps take the sound of a piezo pickup to a new level by adding rich tonal aspects found in the best acoustic guitar and condenser mike combinations.
This unit even has a phrase trainer, as well as 100 different rhythm and bass patterns for you to play over. No need for other instrument accompaniment. And with the notch function, feedback will never be an issue.
The Bottom Line
If you are looking for a very versatile guitar effects processor that is easy to use, portable, tough and powerful then the all you need is a Korg Toneworks effects processor and a little time. With a Korg, guitars will never sound the same again
