Korg MS-20 Kit Arrived

[mmarsh]

My MS-20 kit arrived yesterday Straightforward build, no issues. And it sounds GREAT!

Since this one has both filters, I spent some time comparing them. The original filter certainly has character, but it is really noisy. I think this is the issue with all the Mini's complaints. The later filter is a little less harsh, but retains the same character without the noise: quiet as a mouse I prefer the later filter so I will switch the jumpers and use the boot sequence to change to the original if needed.

Keyboard is great, though I did not realize that the synth is legato only. Not a huge deal, as I can alter playing technique where needed.

Overall build quality is good. Certainly NOTHING is coming off the front panel! Jacks and pots are all solid, no wigglies.

So am I happy to pay almost twice as much as a Mini? in a word, absolutely. The size is a big thing for me, especially the patch bay and keyboard. Also, having both filters is a real treat, and the possibility of mods with existing points on the pcb (pwm, single vco mod, etc.) make it truly a cool platform.

And the sound is just gnarly

Mike

[Oldretro]

My MS-20 kit arrived yesterday Straightforward build, no issues. And it sounds GREAT!

Since this one has both filters, I spent some time comparing them. The original filter certainly has character, but it is really noisy. I think this is the issue with all the Mini's complaints. The later filter is a little less harsh, but retains the same character without the noise: quiet as a mouse I prefer the later filter so I will switch the jumpers and use the boot sequence to change to the original if needed.

Keyboard is great, though I did not realize that the synth is legato only. Not a huge deal, as I can alter playing technique where needed.

Overall build quality is good. Certainly NOTHING is coming off the front panel! Jacks and pots are all solid, no wigglies.

So am I happy to pay almost twice as much as a Mini? in a word, absolutely. The size is a big thing for me, especially the patch bay and keyboard. Also, having both filters is a real treat, and the possibility of mods with existing points on the pcb (pwm, single vco mod, etc.) make it truly a cool platform.

And the sound is just gnarly

Mike

I couldn't agree more! I'm glad I could afford the kit and went for that, instead of the mini. And it's fun to build, not difficult at all if you follow the instructions to the letter. The keyboard of the kit plays very nice and smooth, unlike the clunky one of the original which always annoys me. Only the 4 selector knobs have a very slight wiggle, but turn much smoother than on the original. The other knobs feel sturdy and turn nice. Another positive thing is that the mini and the kit sound almost exactly the same as my original which I got in 1982. At first I was a bit sceptical if the mini and kit really sounded the same as the original, but when I tested the mini in a store I was completely convinced. And now that I can compare the old and new side by side I found out that my original must have the IC35 filter, even though it has not the screw in the VCA field on the front panel. I'm now even more convinced that Korg should release an MS-50 kit and/or mini and perhaps even an SQ-10 kit and/or mini.