NAMM 2014 – the “Do-It-Yourself” Korg MS-20

Now things are going to get interesting. After the release of the original MS-20 in 1978, Korg followed up with the MS-20 Legacy Controller and, more recently, with the MS-20 mini. And now the Original is back! Whereby the new model has a special feature: you have to build it yourself! It is an MS-20 Kit, isn’t it?

Korg-MS20-DIY-Kit-01

But don’t let your imagination run away with you. You won’t be welding together tiniest electronic particles. All you’ll need is a screwdriver and a little patience.

The really nice thing about the MS-20 Kit is its size. It really is – other than the MS-20 mini – the same size as the Original. If you’re looking for differences, you’ll find them in the external PSU (a definite disadvantage) as well as in MIDI and USB (which are definite benefits).

There’s also the possibility of using the MS-20 Kit for spare parts for the original version (plastic chassis, knobs, wheel …) – assuming you have the Original. Or you do things the other way around …

Korg-MS20-DIY-Kit-02

1500 Euros for the MS-20 Kit is indeed tempting. Synth enthusiasts should be quite happy with the MS-20 kit. Keep a look out for falling prices for the Original. There are a lot of those Vintage MS-20s out there right now that are going for 1000 Euros. But aside from price and demand, there’s still one question to be considered. What about the sound? We must simply trust that the high quality associated with that original Vintage Korg Sound has been maintained.

And if we may utter a humble wish: it would be really nice to have a MS-50 kit and a SQ-10 kit as well. Equipped with MIDI (the perfect fit for a studio of today) – that would do the ticket!

Korg-MS20-DIY-Kit-03

For further information:
www.korg.com/us/products/dj/ms_20kit

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“Es genügt, einen Ton schön zu spielen” sagte der Komponist Arvo Pärt im Jahre 2005. Diese Aussage ist ebenso einfach wie ich auch exzellent: Es braucht kein Meer an Tönen, denn entscheidend ist der Klang. Dass so mancher Vintage-Synthesizer der 70er und 80er Jahre teils unerreicht hochwertige Klänge liefert, steht außer Frage. Doch tatsächlich leben wir “heute” in einer nahezu perfekten Zeit. Einerseits hat man – mehr oder weniger – noch Zugriff auf die Vintage Analogen, andererseits wird auch bei Neugeräten die wichtige Komponente des hochwertigen Klanges wieder zunehmend berücksichtigt. Doepfer, Cwejman, Synthesizers.com, MacBeth, Moog, GRP, Studio Electronics, COTK, John Bowen und andere Hersteller bauen hervorragende Synthesizer, die den “Klassikern” in nichts nachstehen. All diesen (alten wie neuen) “großartigen” Instrumenten ist Great Synthesizers gewidmet. _________________________________________________________ In 2005 composer Arvo Pärt said: “Playing one tone really well is enough”. In other words, it is sufficient to play one tone 'beautifully'. I agree with that. All musical efforts are focused on the sound itself. Although I studied classical music (piano and drums), it’s the electronic sound that inspires me. Synthesizers are the epitome of new sounds and exciting tonal spheres. Today, many companies produce high-quality - excellent! - synthesizers: Doepfer, Cwejman, MacBeth, Moog, GRP, Synthesizers.com, COTK, Studio Electronics, John Bowen and others. It's their products I'm really interested in ... apart from Vintage Synthesizers, which I have been collecting for 20 years. Subsequent to our former websites Bluesynths and Blogasys, Peter Mahr and I have now created GreatSynthesizers. We hope you like it.

2 Comments

  1. maxAMC-mhs-

    i would love to see a KORG PS 3100-3200-3300 KIT
    hahah I BEEN LOOKING for any of em forever .. IM WILLING TO PAY email me who wants to sell hehe
    love this site

  2. Theo Bloderer

    … Korg PS-3100 … one of the most sophisticated analog synths ever (o:) !!!

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