AX5G Review

Introducing the AX5G modeling signal processor – a compact modeling effects processors with professional grade effects quality, a built-in expression pedal, and much more!

Ease of Use:	9.5
Sound:	9.2
Reliability:	9
Impression:	9.3
Overall rating:	9.3
Users rating:	7.8
Comments:	5

overall: 8.8

Featured review by: Farether, on june 26, 2007

Price paid: $ 99.54

Purchased from: Feedback

Ease of Use: The multi-effect is pretty easy to use, just spend a few minutes to explore all the knobs on it. But it's really handy if you read the manual to, if you want to know the basics of it. You can even use it for Live performance by just putting the effects in the right order. // 9

Sound: I have an Ibanez GRX40 and an Ibanez GTA 10 AMP. There are a lot of effects and some effects look pretty similar, but with the help of the pedal you can adapt the sound. The effects like distortion, Overdrive etc sound very good. I play very different styles like the RHCP but also RATM. And I can get the sound of them both have an Ibanez GRX40 and an Ibanez GTA 10 AMP. There are a lot of effects and some effects look pretty similar, but with the help of the pedal you can adapt the sound. The effects like distortion, Overdrive etc sound very good. I play very different styles like the RHCP but also RATM. And I can get the sound of them both. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It looks like it's pretty long lasting, but I only have it for a few days now. It's delivered without an adapter but if you install 4 AA batteries you can use it up to 8 hours. it's made of plastic but it feels pretty firm. If I would have a gig I would use it without a backup, but it can be difficult to use because you can't skip banks, you have to go from bank 1 to bank 2 and so on. // 8

Impression: As said before, I play a lot of different styles and I can get almost every sound I want. It's my first effect but I'm 100% satisfied, a friend of mine recently bought a Behringer X V-AMP and it looks like it can do almost the same but the Korg AX5G also has a wah-wah effect and some other cool effects that the X V-AMP doesn't have. If it was lost I would buy it again for sure. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: truemetal91, on february 15, 2008

Price paid: $ 91.5

Purchased from: GAK

Ease of Use: This pedal, I must say, is quite complicated to use to a beginner, but once you figure it out it is ok. It is fairly easy to get a decent sound out of as long as you know a bit about balancing your sounds etc and if you read the manual that helps too. I would advise buying an adapter for it as changing batteries every 8 hours is annoying and expensive. One problem is that you can't skip between tracks i.e. 1 to 5, you must go through them all i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 which is hard for gigging so you have to set your settings according to each gig you play to get them in the right order or you will be skipping multiple tracks in the middle of a song. // 10

Sound: I use this pedal with an Ibanez arx-120 and a Marshall MG30DFX. My guitar doesn't usually take well to lots of effects, but I tend to use the Drive and amp settings more than the effects. The drive settings are generally better than the amp settings; the drive gives great tone and aggression and the noise reduction setting more than copes with the noise produced by the Marshall. The chorus/flanger and delay/reverb are a bit cheap but for 50 pounds still pretty good. The wah-wah is the same, a bit cheap, but is better than the other effects. Some of the effects on the pedal just sound terrible and I have no idea why anyone would want to use them. I think they are designed to replicate studio effects but the pedal is too cheap to do this any justice. However this is only a small drawback. // 9

Reliability & Durability: So far no problems what'soever with it and I would definitely use it without a backup. Has been working for over a year now and I have no reason to expect it to stop working. It is plastic though and so may be quite fragile if it gets bashed around a lot. However if you take care of it there should be no problem. // 10

Impression: Having had this pedal well over a year now I am very pleased with it. It produces a great sound for what I play, mostly hard rock and metal, and it's effects are good for the price. If I were to lose it I would probably not replace it as I would look for a better model but I would still definitely consider this range though. // 9

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: deltacross, on january 15, 2009

Price paid: $ 106

Purchased from: Audiophile Components

Ease of Use: I bought my AX5G Brand New. although it's discontinued in the Korg company, somehow it was still available in this shop. it has good presets, and tweaking them was relatively easy. by the way, this is my first multi-effects pedal. some says the manual is crap but when you really understand it, editing and making your own patches is relatively easy. the controls are in a step-by-step process and once you get used to it, it would be pretty easy. // 10

Sound: I use a PRS SE Standard and a Marshall MG50DFX. I don't run the effects on the effects loop because it gets a little too bassy for me. I just plug it in the input jack where all settings are halfway. Noise is not a very big problem since the unit has a nose reduction level and it works really well. Since this is my first unit, to me it sounds great. I got a hard time tweaking and getting a chunky distorted tone because I found the distortions quite thin, but after much tweaking, I found a setting that works well for me. I've used a Zoom g7.ut and I don't like the tone I get from it. I still prefer the Korg.
I've already made patches for different artists - Steve Vai, AC/DC, Pantera, Slash tone, etc and to me they sound fine so yeah, I can get the sound of my favorite artists. Most people complain about the wah effect since the pedal is way small and doesn't have much sweep, but for it's small pedal size, it can still produce a good wah effect.

One thing I love is the acoustic simulator. I think it's better than Zoom's. the drone effect is also nice. My only complain is the reverb and delay. you just can't separate the two. if there's a delay, there's also got to be a reverb. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I've only had this for a month and I already made a custom pedalcase for it. I'm careful with my stuff and I don't get carried away while playing (like stomping too hard of kicking the pedal) so I guess I can depend on it. I've already used it Live on a gig and it was amazing. great for Live sessions, not just for practice. I'd definetely use it on a gig without a backup as this is my only pedal. I just have to arrange the patches that would be most suitable for the progressions on the songs I will play because you can't skip patches you have to go through all of them. if you're careful with your stuff, even if it's only plastic, it would last you a long time. at first I thought it was made of cheap plastic, but no, it was hard plastic and seemed very sturdy. well, it has a metal part, the bottom part. // 10

Impression: I play alternative, some punk, blues, cleans, country, worship songs, classic rock, the whole chunky and meaty riffs and some shred but I'm not quite into metal. it's a really good pedal for the stuff I play. I've been playing for 5 years now. I own an Ibanez RG321MH, an Ibanez AEG8, some other cheaper acoustics, and just recently sold a Jackson copy. I have a good Marshall MG50DFX as my main amp, some say it's bad but to me it sounds alright, I got it Brand New for only half it's price, no defects or what'soever.
I only wish the Korg AX5G had a metal casing for added durability and that you can skip between patches and that there is no lag when switching between patches.
if it were lost or stolen, I think I would upgrade to the AX3000G or maybe get a Boss ME-20 so I can try different brands and sounds. I love it's being very compact and portable. just throw it in your bag or gig bag's pocket and your ready to go. I also love it's acoustic simulator. Yup, I compared it with a Zoom G7\.1UT... both have their own strength and weaknesses but for the price, the you can get more from the AX5G. // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: per-rock, on december 22, 2008

Price paid: € 81.5054

Purchased from: Musikbörsen (sweden)

Ease of Use: This pedal I complicated to begginers. But I had it when I was begginer so it work's
just read the manual before use. When you buy it don't forget to buy a adapter to it because I'ts really. Annoying to change batteries all the time. The manual is easy to understand read it! The stupid thing that you can change from ex:3 to 6 you need to
set up the effects in according places. // 9

Sound: I use it thorough a Gibson Speciale faded and the amp is Laney TF400. Sometimes on some dist effects but the effect is good. On the other effects and the most dist sound is good. With that sound to. The chourus ad flager is a bit weak but 'ts good for that price. // 10

Reliability & Durability: So far no problems with it and I would definitely use it without a backup.I played it in a year now and still digg the sound of it. It is plastic though and so may be quite fragile if it gets bashed around a lot. but if you take care of it there should be no problem. // 9

Impression: I have been playing this for a year now I think, and it produces great sound from what I play mostly, Rock/hard rock, and the effects are really good from that price, that thing I love with it 'ts a value knob on it that you can use to get, more of whatever you use on it. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: l0rd0ct0d0rk, on march 03, 2008

Purchased from: www.Sweetwater.com

Ease of Use: The AX5G Guitar Pedal is quite simple, yet you can almost adjust every itty bitty detail in your sound. It is quite simple to get your bare-bone-basic sound out of this little pedal. All you have to do is twist a knob, and select the category of the sound you want, then you have it. You can choose the pedal's function; volume, wah, effects parameter. The manual is very detailed on the pedal from how to change the sensitivity of this pedal, to adjusting what kind of output it is plugged in. // 10

Sound: I use my Peavey Raptor, and S101 Stratocaster as companions with this pedal. I use both guitars on my Custom-Made Peavey Double Backstage Amp. This pedal has built-in NR (noise reduction) settings where you can get feedback if you want to, or if you just want a really filtered sound. The effects have multiple parameters which can be changed to make the effects weak or strong. I find it rather easy to get a similar sounds to Most of my favorite metal/rock groups. I can get almost the exact same sounds of old rock n' roll artists (Chuck Berry). Some effects can be screwed up if you have bad problems with your strings buzzing, or your amp's feedback. If you get everything just right, you will have it perfect for almost anything. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Well, I've never depended on it that much for playing in public. I've used it at my cowboy church as a sound adjuster for my bass. I wouldn't say that it is durable enough to be throuwn in a suitcase and thrown in the back of a truck on a cross country trip. It could be your best friend though if you are very careful when you handle it. // 7

Impression: I play multiple genres of music, and I find it to be superb whenever I play any of these genres. I've been playing for approx. 1 1/3 years. I didn't really have any questions on it when I bought it. If it were stolen or lost, I would probably buy 2 of these pedals now that they're half price. I like the fact that it gets down to the knitty-gritty on every effect. For example, You select acoustic simulator. It allows you to select the guitar body and the type that you want your electric guitar to model. Yhere's not much to hate about the pedal. The 40 built in settings, and 40 customizable settings are my favorite features of this pedal. I compared this pedal to a DigiTech Multi-FX pedal that my friend has, and I prefer it over his, though his has more effects. If it were to need anything, that would be a solid-metal construction. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 21, 2009

Purchased from: Guitar Paradise

Ease of Use: I bought the AX5G Brand New! I was impress initially while watching the video clip from the Korg website. You must read the manual before using this effect. I find the manual confusing compare to the downloaded pdf manual found on the website. Once you get the hang of it's pretty easy to use. It has all the feature you need (wah, delay/reverb, modulation, noise gate, etc.). Good value for the price your payin. // 9

Sound: I'm using a Stagg (PRS single cut copy) and a Squire (Fender HSS copy) with the Kustom Defender. This effect matches my amp very well. Given that my amp is a class A tube amplifier, it really did not destroy the feature of my amp. Other effects like DigiTech creates a hum or a buz if plugged to an amplifier but this AX5G complements a class A tube amplifier. It has noise gate so it can get really quiet even at max distortion. My amp didn't have any effects on it but the AX5G made even sound better in all features. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can use it anytime! Recording or havin a gig. I've mainly used the AX5G on gig for 6 months and hasn't broken down on me so far. Easy to carry but you have to be careful because it is made of plastic. I would buy the AC adapter instead of using batteries for reliability wise which cost me another $10. // 10

Impression: I know the Boss pedals are legends of guitar effects as we all know. But if you want to start something worth while for the a good price, you really can't go wrong with the AX5G. Someday I will have a collection of Boss pedals but for now I'm really happy with the AX5G. If it was stolen I would buy it again. The only let down would be you have to pretty much set your patches in order for your Live performance to avoid doing cha cha on stage. I prefer this than a POD line6 just for the price you are paying. Overall, like I said you can't go wrong with this effect. // 9

Comments

[sikheadzraf]

very good effects!!
i bought one a few months ago..
i love the sound..
i tried it on a 60watt amp..
so clean..
sounding like it's expensive and solid!

[mbb2006]

I picked up one of these a couple of months ago and i have to say i am very pleased with it. I suspect that it would not stand up to much giging but as i don't gig thats not a problem. When you factor in that i paid 39 pounds, thats value for money!

[PopPunkPotHead]

Best $99 Ever!
It could use a little more effects/amp models but the adjustable parameters make the ones included very versatile. decent expression pedal too!

[nutinpwnsgibson]

my friend let me borrow this for a while, its one of the best processors in it's price range. i just with they gave the expression pedal a wider sweep...

[sikheadzraf]

i used mine for gigging for 1 yr. and still up to now. still good! the thing that ive hated about is that. reverb and delay isnt separated