Korg Review: Ampworks

History: i've been playing for 22 years, have been gigging out for about 12 years.

Purchase: approx. $50 on sale at musicians' friend.

What I Like About This Korg Ampworks: The box is small - it can fit into the pocket of a gigbag with no problem. In general, the effects sound really good. the cab models are pretty faithful to the originals...but of course, if you're looking for perfect sound, you'd need to get the real thing. Takes two AA batteries, and battery life last for a long time with this thing. I also like how you can just plug into this and go straight to the board.

What I Do NOT Like About The Korg Ampworks: Some of the amp models are kinda noisy - especially those with distortion effects on it. The octave effect is pointless...it could work as some type of detune/feedback effect, but as an octaver, you might want to look elsewhere.there's no on/off switch - once you plug into the input, it's on. there's also no footswitch or adapter (both are sold separately). playing live with this box might be tricky, especially if you're a club gigger - the dials are not easy to see in the dark, plus all the changes need to be made by hand - not good if you want to switch effects mid-song. you can program two presets, but i think they get erased once the power supply is cut off.

Korg Ampworks Quality Rating: plastic, but still solid. as long as you don't throw it, stand on it, bathe with it or feed it to the dog, it will work just fine.

Review Summary: great for recording. playing out with it may be a hassle, depending on its application. i play out with it, and it works fine for my limited use. for the price and the size, it's a great box to have on hand, especially if you do a lot of home recording (like i do) or a lot of practice with a headphone amp (like i do). Musicians Friend has these on sale, so it's worth a go.

Rating of this Korg product: 4

This Korg Ampworks Bass Guitar Effects Review Submitted By: mojo jojo

Review Date: 2005-12-07