All user reviews for the Korg G3

I just got it (no, it wasn't launched during the 2014 NAMM!) and it works great.
Clean, crunch and lead presets, plus some banks, easy and readable.
Not too much latency when switching presets, not worse than my Fender mustang 3 anyway.
Great connection options, with the direct tuner output and the two jacks for left and right. Standard 9V power supply, but consider 300mA of current for it to work properly.

USE

It's great, the input level can be adjusted without affecting the preset, so you program it once and that's it, even if you have 50 guitars. The same applies to the output level and the noise gate.

It doesn't have too many controls, a simple Contour instead of an EQ, delay or reverb but not both at the same time. One parameter for the compressor. Only one type of crunch and one type of distortion, but they are good, compared to the 876 settings and useless models of any modern unit that can drive you insane.

It's very user-friendly, and as long as you connect it to...

SOUND QUALITY

...a Vox ac15, it sounds awesome! But connected to something else it's not so great, it lacks something. It needs a distinct amp, full of life, very detailed in the mids.

Obviously, the contour poses a problem to balance the full-blown distortion sound in relation to the clean, but once you admit that the lead corresponds to the dark and hairy category, it's okay.
A guitar with an aggressive and lean bridge pickup, think sh4, will naturally balance the combination.

The clean is sumptuous, the compressor very good and natural, and the reverb dense and lively, it's addictive with the ac15.
The crunch is well-balanced, quite grungy but not too much, it's actually very well adapted to what you expect in this category and it's not too far from being ideal.
The full-blown distortion is great, it doesn't sound digital and it makes me wonder whether it's a hybrid circuit (like the g1 or ax300g, which I also have).
The delay is a slapback, short and medium, adjustable in terms of intensity (something Roland has certainly not understood with its Cubes). Up to 450ms max.

The chorus is stereo, but I don't use this type of effects.

OVERALL OPINION

I repeat, you need an amp like the vox ac15 to truly appreciate this g1 to its full extent.
I like its density very much and the fact that it never sounds sharp. Its clean sounds are addictive.
The ac15 becomes smooth and rich with it, while remaining well-defined.

A bass control in addition to the contour would've been great, but it's so nice as is that I don't even care about that!

There's not much to add to what's been said already.
It's rustic and retro...

USE

The main strength of this unit: Simplicity - Quickness - Effectiveness
It's made for people who want to play and not spend hours fiddling with controls. It takes only 5 minutes to understand it and start playing.

SOUND QUALITY

The quality is very good, at least with a good guitar and a tube amp. It has never altered sound, regardless of the tube amp I use, which is very important, in my opinion.
A bit of reverb, a bit of crunch ... and it rocks.
A trick that makes all the difference is to plug a TS or T0800 to it so you don't need to lug around tons of gear. Its perfect for blues or rock and you can always find THE sound.
Although I don't know how it performs with a solid-state amp.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had mine for a couple of years and I bought it because a guitarist friend of mine, with whom I regularly play, has used one for many years (despite the huge arsenal of pedals he has).
Not only would I buy it again, but as time goes by I often ask myself whether I should buy one or two more...for the future.

CLEAN / CRUNCH / LEAD
Analog gear is cool. I've had really complex pedalboards and even some that change your sound as soon as you plug in your guitar. In this case, the sound of your guitar and amp are preserved, as if you had connected a simple pedal.

USE

It's really very easy to use, no need for a manual.

SOUND QUALITY

The clean sound is nice, the crunch isn't bad and the lead, to me, is the best. I've tested all sorts of multi-effects and pedals and I must admit that this one really kicks ass. It all depends on what you're looking for, I wanted an urban dance squad sound, big rock 'n' roll but not metal. It sounds fat, with a lot of bass and a formidable sustain.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had it for a couple of days and I'm thrilled with it, even though I used to be allergic to multi-effects. Some time ago I bought a brand-new korg tone work and I could never find the sound of my guitars with it. What I like best is that it's analog, like the good old Japanese pedals. What I like least is the lack of controls for the delay and reverb, but you can still have a lot of fun with it. I bought it for 20 euros, so, to me, its value for money is pretty good.

Tired of my low-priced Zoom 505 I bought the G3 from a friend. He'd been using it for like 3 or 4 years, since he bought it from a new-catholic boy who got off of the music, right to the church. And the thing was working just perfectly! Paid like $100, in US dollars (I live in Brazil, so we pay much more for things like that).

It's just a good effects processor, with it's Compressor, Distortion, Overdrive, EQ, Flanger, Chorus, Delay, Reverb, Noise Reductor, volume knobs for input and output, volume level knobs and 3 banks with 3 effects each. It works like: Each bank holds a clean effect, a crunch and a lead effect! Its that simple!
Worked so well with my Squier, didn't stole it almost-Fender sound, like the Zoom 505 did!

That's the tough part... I don't really love it, 'cause the EQ controller is just a knob! So the sort of trebles, middles and basses are very limited. Gotta take it with the amp!
The distortion is not very clean, even if u want it clean, or warm, you know... The noise gate helps it, but just a little. If you turn it high-leveled, you just loose the sustain! The reverb and delay are just one knob! So you can turn it to the 1st level (short delay), 2nd (middle delay), 3rd (long delay) and 4th (reverb). So the dealy is pre-programed, u just choose the one u like and control its volume, not the rate!

Its just an old fashioned black and white piece, with rough ends and 4 ugly pedal switches. Some colored leds to show some effects especifications, a peak-led and bank comparation (too much to explain in here) But it's been working for almost 10 years, with perfection, until now!

It's a good Multi-Effects product! But I had never heard of it or found something about it on the internet.
Liked it very much, but for now I'm selling it, in search of any better single-effects pedals...

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is a multi-effects pedal made by Korg. It was a brand new type of pedal when it first came out, and was highly sought-after for a while. It has a lot of features and not a lot of different buttons in comparison, so it's in a way more easy to use on the fly than a lot of the later multi-effects units. This pedal contains overdrive and distortion as well as flanger, chorus, tremolo, rotary speaker effect, different speeds of delay, and reverb. There is a 1/4" input, stereo 1/4" output (mono is an option too), a tuner output, volume pedal input, a headphone jack output, and a dc power adapter input.

UTILIZATION

Using this pedal is certainly not the most intuitive process. In fact, getting to use a lot of the effects is downright impossible without the manual. I have been able to locate the manuals online, which is incredibly convenient for somebody who bought the pedal second-hand with no manual! The effects are all located on the same knobs. For instance, one knob will give a flanger, chorus, or rotary speaker effect depending on what number value you select. This makes it tough at first, but easier after getting used to it. It's also convenient in that you can save three banks (clean, overdrive, and distortion), giving you quick switching options via the footswitches. I give it a "very good" because it's tough at first but eventually becomes one of the easiest multi-effects pedals to adjust on the fly.

SOUND QUALITY

For all the convenience of using this pedal, it's a shame that the pedal doesn't sound all that great. If you like old-school digital effects, you're in luck. Just don't expect a good distortion or overdrive. I'm really disappointed in how awful the distortion sounds. The other effects work ok, but I've honestly heard better with different, individual pedals, which makes this sort of a waste of time. I didn't really get a tone that I'd like to record with, or even gig with. I find that this makes this sort of a waste of time for me.

OVERALL OPINION

I liked the ease of use of this pedal. But I didn't like any of the tones. I really couldn't believe that people were raving about this the way that they did. I found nothing I liked about it at all. It may have been hot technology at the time, and since it has been discontinued and replaced by newer models, it may hold a certain appeal for people. But I really don't see it. If you tend to like digital, thin-sounding effects, and don't have much need to pick and choose what sounds you have, then you will like this. Otherwise don't go on a wild goose chase looking for one!

Relatively few effects:

- Compressor
- Distortion / Overdrive
- Flanger
- Chorus
- Delay
- Reverb

Noize + a gear

This is completely analog. There is no digital display, you control everything with 8 switches and 4 pots.

There are three banks and each bank has 3 presets: a clean, crunch and lead.

Connectivity:

- Input jack 6.35
- Stereo output (or mono) on 2 jacks (or) 6.35.
- Output jack acordeur 6.35
- Headphone output on 3.5 jack
- Output for an optional volume pedal

UTILIZATION

The advantage is that it is super simple to use, everything is adjusted with 8 pots. It quickly gets the sound you want without having to go through menus as the multi-current effects.
I bought OCCAZ so I was not the record but I frankly was not necessary.

SOUND QUALITY

The effects are very effective, the chorus is worthy of a dedicated pedal boss. I use it primarily with electricity but also with my electric (for the chorus notament).

All effects are very good.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 15 days. What I like is the simplicity and sound quality. While few effects, but all are essential. I tried other newer models (pandora, korg another ,...) but they were not practical enough and intuitive and 80% effect me useless.

It is found that more OCCAZ. I've paid 75 €, to OCCAZ but never served, "the ec price is quite profitable, 75 € is the price of a stomp.
I think I'll buy without hesitation.

It's a good old analog multi-effects that I bought in 1994 I think.
- 3 channels: clean with compressor, crunch and lead
- Gain controls on each channel
- 1 tone control (1 button)
- Flanger, Chorus
- Delay, Reverb
- Noise reductor
At the time, I do not think the speaker simulation were very common. Indeed, on this unit, there was not. It's a shame because the game through headphones, the distortion is affected ...

But given the price at which you can find it now, it is more than enough to play with effects. (Notes are based of course on the quality / price ratio).

UTILIZATION

While there, I can not believe we can do easier. No need for manual, everything is "explained" on the device. When I say "explained" is a big word ... You want a reverb? Did you turn a knob reverb. Want to gain? You're a knob for gain ... It's simple, right?

The G3 has 3 channels. In each channel, you can store 3 sounds (making 9 in total). It can be a bit tight but frankly, do you need all that for a repeat? No, in general. on the other hand, it is clear that with more presets, it would keep all the sounds in memory. So what I did was prepare my sounds before every rehearsal somewhere while retaining the settings of all sounds.

SOUND QUALITY

Good (for the price) and less good ...
All effects (delay, reverb, flanger, chorus) are good. I played 5 years with no need for anything else. The clean sounds with the compressors are good too.

The crunch channel is nice for all that is blues and co. It is clear that this is not the lamps! But it does it anyway.

The lead is average. It is not possible to leave a big sound like POD or VAMP. We therefore just distos light passing though the solos but to become difficult to use if we try to play Metallica (though I did !!!).

It certainly can not compete with existing small muliteffets. But cheap, it makes many services. And besides, I figured out how to use it for a backdoor (see below)

OVERALL OPINION

I do a copy and paste from another review that I submitted: "As I said before, this G3 in 1994. Since then, it has largely done better. Before the sale, I am submitting this review OBJECTIVE if anyone does not know this device. "

Why do I sell? Because now I have all the gear that replaces it. But in recent years, I used it in a roundabout way:
I (and I have) a vamp. This device is great, except for the stage. So I used the G3 pedal input before the vamp as a pedal (s) very solid with no lag! You want an overdrive, compressor, 2 distos to the chain, a chorus before the distortion, a gain control input of the vamp .. ?? Bah voila: For cheap, you got it all! And I promise a grain of overdrive before attacking the fuzz of the vamp, it allows me to have the sound I was looking for!

I will conclude with a new copy-paste of my PX1:
"In conclusion, I would say if you are looking for a cheap multi-effects, take this one on occasion. It will make you all the services you can imagine such a device.

Note that I give (7) is valid if you are at 40 €. For each 10 € more or less, add or remove an item !!!!"
But you can add 1 point if you use them as second string with another multi-effects.

- 6 cumulative effects (compressor, OD / Overdrive, EQ, Flanger / Chorus / Rotary Speaker, Delay / Reverb, Noise Reduction)
- Technology: oh here ... is the digital
- 3x3 banks to save the sounds, they are subject to change at will
- The connection? : DC9V outlet for the adapter, a jack 6.35 per volume pedal, a headphone jack (3.5), two jack outputs 6.35 per output audio in stereo with 2 amplifiers, one input jack 6 35 per instrument and an output jack 6.35 per tuner (in this case on bank support for by-pass the sound)
- It comes in the form of a pedal

UTILIZATION

It's so easy ...
At first, we must read the manual to know how to save and also to reset the G3. Except here, you plug it turns the knobs and you scratch.

SOUND QUALITY

Overall I found the sound very pleasant, even distos Heavies are enough if we know the best from his equipment (G3 and amp).
But I always had a regret about the delay, which, even at the longest, is just 200 ms. If I had 800 ms I probably would never buy BOSS DD3.

8 / 10 because of the delay.

OVERALL OPINION

I have since 1995 and has always made me happy.
That material is to play right away and not spend his time programming.
It is solid, because I have not always been kind to him, ignorant and stubborn that sometimes I was, I brutalized, but it still works fine. BRAVO KORG for this nice little multi-purpose.

Today, now that I have a little more money, should not delude ourselves, surely I would buy a more hefty with integrated expression pedal, but at the time I had trouble falling asleep as he was not up to my guitar. A REAL LIGHTNING!