Korg AX1000G

The Korg ToneWorks AX1000G was the first digital modeling multi-effects pedal I bought. I had tried out others and borrowed a few from other guitarists but I ended up buying this one in late 1999.

In a way, it is more of a stompbox modeler than a traditional multi-effects unit. Unlike many such devices, it responds differently to various guitars and amps instead of smoothing out differences and producing a "sonic sameness". Most of the straight effects sound good when used in front of a tube amp while the amp/cabinet simulations can add some life to a solid-state amp like my Peavey Bandit.

The modulation effects are also quite good. I'm not a particularly big fan of chorus, flange, or phasers, but they're a lot of fun to play with from time to time. I got the most enjoyment out of the pitch shifter and octave effects, that tracked very well, and the 'Filtron' (ie MuTron) effect for a funky 70's sound.

The pedal effects are interesting. The Vox Wah emulation is quite nice and close to the original. The talk effect is pretty neat sounding although a bit limited. I found the Univibe emulation was disappointing and sounded like some bad, lower end, pedals. I didn't think the pitch bend tracked as well as the other effects for some reason.

The ambiance effects were the really outstanding feature in the unit. The tape echo emulations, the Echoplex and Roland Space Echo style emulations, do a great job of producing anything from rockabilly slapback to spacey 70's style effects. It compares favorably to analog delay pedals such as the Boss DM-2 and DOD EchoFX. Also, the spring reverb simulation can really get that deep surf effect.

One of the annoying things about the unit was getting it into alternative modes, such as the tuner mode or the sampler mode. These moves require holding down a button and waiting a certain amount of time (2-3 seconds) for the unit to switch. Also, there is no bank down button. You have to press two buttons together to go down a bank which involves some fancy 'tap dancing'.

Another annoyance with the Korg was that blending effects was quite limited. For example, you couldn't blend a Univibe with an Octavia. This, unfortunately, is a common thing in many units, both high and low end.

The build quality is pretty good as compared to many units since the case is metal rather than the plastic common to many such floor units. On the down side, the expression pedal gradually wore out on mine to the point where it no longer works. This failure was one of the main reasons I replaced this unit with the Behringer V-Amp 2.

Settings

Here are some of my favorite settings for this unit.