Korg PX4

Having had a good look around at what was available, this seemed to be the best option (price aside). I bought this from Sound Control in Bristol UK for £149. I've had it about 18 months and no problems and recently I have used it every day.

It is only after having 'outgrown' the PX4 that I can say just how good it is. I recently bought a Boss GT6 and a Pod 2, BUT having gone back to the PX4 I can state that the presets (the sounds/patches) it comes shipped with are truly exceptional. There are many sounds that my GT6 simply can't easily emulate and I find myself using the basic PX4 sounds for recording far more than anything else.
Its size is a great plus point, very small and portable, but don't drop it - it will easily break - a nice rubberised or armoured wrap-around guard would be a nice extra to have available and I'd even welcome more durability for a slightly larger footprint.

You must accept that this is not a gigging tool, you simply would not be physically able to switch any settings in the heat of a gig although you can attach it to your guitar strap and if you have cordless headphones, you can do an impression of EVH by playing around the house with no cables as the PX4 has infra-red output.

The built in tuner is excellent as is the phrase trainer - but there should be a timer that allows you to physically start the record mode. This is a real blip in that I might lay down a backing track (anything up to the full 32 seconds available, but having pressed the start button, the time it takes to get my hand up back on the fretboard means there is a second or two delay and if I wanted the sound to loop - it simply wouldn't.

Back to the sounds available - Melissa and Piezo are truly phenomenal, very atmospheric. I would say that the cabinet modelling is a bit gimmicky though - and all that 'Wet Air' and 'Hall' stuff is a bit daft.

I took it on holiday with me together with my Speedster Traveler guitar and to be able to sit anywhere, on the beach etc, and slap some headphones on and simply play was an experience.

EVERY electrical appliance that needs a seperate power supply should come supplied with one and not as an extra - the PX4 falls into this camp = pants. This said - this isn't really the unit as such.




Construction could be a trifle chunkier.


For the guitarist of any level - the PX4 is a great tool but not being a floor based effects processor, it is strictly a desktop recording device or garage rehearsal tool. I would say that as the presets are so good (really they are) - you could be pretty stuffed attempting to emulate the identical sounds on stage. So if you hit upon a superb sound that 'makes' a song really special - be prepared to not have that available when gigging. I found this when recording my own version of Fleetwood Mac's 'Green Manalishi' - I put a much softer down tempo section in the middle with congas with a solo over the top using the PX4. It took the song to a different place - but I was unable to reproduce the sound outside of my home studio setup. I could have taken the PX4 on-stage, but as I said earlier, this wasn't practical as things move at such a frenetic pace during a gig. I got close to the sound using my GT6, but no cigar.
Of course it depends on what you want an effects processor to do - it certainly creates a range of interesting, varied and in many cases unique sounds, plus the extras are useful and functional - but it does have its limitations.

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

i purchased this item form guitar center for $199 because i was tired of my digitech floor effects processors and was wanting something more for just sitting around the house and for traveling.

This unit is awesome.the sounds i can get from this little unit are tons better than any of digitechs rp models in my opinion.the presets are fantastic.I havnt even started programming my own sounds yet.but it seems pretty simle to do so.the drum tracks are very realistic and very easy to record with using the phraise trainer mode.

the only thing i can think of that i dont like about it is in a live setting.im not saying it couldnt be done.i just think it might be a little difficult.

the construction and quality seem really good.but you would want to be careful not to drop it on a hard floor.but over all i think it will hold up quite nicely.

great unit especially for the price i paid for it.i think it will help tremendously in my practice sessions.

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

I picked up the Korg Pandora PX4 at a Guitar Center in Plymouth Meeting, PA the first week of December. It was "on sale" for $199. That's weird because its advertised for $199 on every website and magazine out there. No way I was paying more than that. I heard about the Korg PX4 through a friend who recently bought a Fender Jazzman Bass guitar. I asked him what type of amp he bought and he said he got the Korg Pandora for Bass. He though it was super cool. After he told me about it I became very intersted and checked out the Korg website. There you will find a streaming video of a live demo. Slick advertising. But I still tested it in the store for about an hour before I bought it. I really didn't look at any other models or do any comparison shopping, I was sure this would do the job.

The PX4 rocks because of the small size. Its about the size of a deck of cards and probably weighs less. You can take it anywhere. I used it last week to jam with a friend. I ran it through his Marshall 100 watt head to 2X12 cabinet. Sounded sweet. A week before that I played a mini concert at a small private party through a set of PC speakers. It worked out fine. It really saved me from lugging aroung the old amp.

The other cool thing is the selection of amp models, cabinets and effects that come with this thing. There are so many possibilities that sometimes when I am teaking a specific tone I get so deep into playing with the various combinations and settings that I forget what I was originally going for and end up with something completely different but still awsome. No problem I just save the setting and start again. You can save 50 personal settings. I though that was plenty for me but I'm begining to have doubts as everyday I find new tones that I want to save.

Not only that, but walking around the house with the headphones on and jammin on my Tele is a liberating experience. I used to have to sit in front of my amp to do that. Now I can go anywhere in the house.

Oh and the first set of batteries lasted about three weeks - unbelievable!

I have been playing the heck out of this little box for about a month now and I have been very happy with it. The only thing that has been negative is that when I connected an AC adaptor all of a sudden there was a lot of noise coming through my guitar pups. I blame it on the single coil pups and not the PX4 but its still a negative thing for me. And it would be nice if they threw in the AC adapter.

Plus who really uses the "Ring" effect? This is a useless tone (for me anyway). Kork should get rid of it and add some other sick effect like "crybaby surf pedal".

Overall the construction seems decent. But I wouldn't get rough with it and I would avoid dropping it on the floor. The on/off switch is teeny and a little difficult to control. I almost always push it a little too hard and start in backlight, which is the second click when I mean to start it at the first click. This is just a slight nuisance.

I love it. It's a great practice tool and lives up to everything Korg advertises it to be. The price is right too. It will provide endless hours-o-fun in the woodshed. It's a great buy. Go get one.

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

I purchased this locally at Keepers Music for $199. I mainly wanted a personal headphone amp for my Steinberger, but once I heard the effects, I had to have this box!

The box has a ton of effects for its size. The noise gate is much better than my Korg AX1G effects pedal. The multitude of knobs and switches allow you to change things without scrolling through a menu. The small size allows packing it, plus extra batteries, cables, adapters and bud headphones in my gigbag storage pocket. I'm still on my first set of batteries, probably because I haven't used the backlight very much. That backlight is a nice touch as my AX1G pedal I use at church is difficult to see. The PX4 comes with a clip that hangs itself upside down on your guitar strap, so moving through the house under battery power while jammin' is possible. The clip would also allow you to hang the PX4 on the top edge of a solid music stand. The rythm and bass lines are fun to practice with to get your lead riffs fine tuned. Thirty seconds of recording built in to loop and jam along. Or plug in your CD player, record, and learn to play along at a slower pace. For something different, try the E-L-P or SYNTH setting.

I'm not sure you could gig with it as easily as a pedal board. When it hangs from the guitar strap, you can't see the display unless you twist the unit more horizontal. Could be a cool design in the PX5 to provide a swivel display! ALso, gigging possibilities would be improved if a footswitch input was provided to allow hands-off capabilities.

It's a plastic case contining electronics so it's not meant to be thrown, dropped, stomped on, or have something spilled on it! But the metallic blue facing looks sharp and works well for my needs. Many people have commented to me on how such a tiny box can have so many sound variations!

I thought about just a headphone on mini amp when looking to suppliment my Steinberger. After trying the PX4, I have found new opportunities for expanding my level of playing. A few design changes in the future could make this a perfect unit. But if it was stolen or broken, I'd buy another...or maybe wait for the next generation (with footswitch???). I give it a 4 for size, usability, and design.

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