New Vintage : Korg SV-1

[LucB]

Hey all,

I'm surprised nobody posted anything on this, but have you folks head of the new Korg Stage Vintage (SV-1)?

Here are the specs, i've taken them from the korg site (http://www.korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=562)

Models:
SV-1 73 73 keys
SV-1 88 88 keys

Keyboard:
RH3 - Real Weighted Hammer Action 3
8 Velocity Touch Curves

Tuning:
Transpose to any Key (± 12 half-steps)
Fine Tuning
8 Tuning Curves

Sound Engine:
EDS (Enhanced Definition Synthesis)
RX (Real eXperience) Technology

Polyphony: 80 notes

Sounds: 36; 6 Banks x 6 sounds

Bank 1; Electric Piano 1:
Tine Electric Piano (x4); VPM Piano (X2)

Bank 2; Electric Piano 2:
Reed Electric Piano (x2);
Electro-Acoustic Grand; Korg SG-1D;
80's Synth Piano; MIDI Grand

Bank 3; Clav:
Clav (x4); Plucked Reed Piano-ette; Transistor Piano

Bank 4; Piano:
Bright Japanese Grand; Smooth European Grand;
Mono Grand; Upright Piano; Piano + Strings; Piano + Pad

Bank 5; Organ:
Tonewheel (x3); USA Tube Console; Italian Combo; VOX Combo

Bank 6; Other:
Real Strings; Tape Strings; String Machine;
Real Choir; Synth Brass; Sharp Brass

Favorites:
8 Assignable switches for fast program recall

Effects/Processing:
Five Individual Sections

Equalizer:
On/Off Switch; Bass, Mid, Treble Knobs

Pre-FX:
On/Off Switch; Speed Knob, Intensity Knob; Compressor, Boost
U-Vibe, Vibrato, Tremolo, VoxWah (Auto/Pedal Switch)

Amp Model:
On/Off Switch; Drive Knob; Clean, California, Tweed, AC30, Mod'ed OverDrive, Organ Hi-Gain OverDrive

Modulation FX:
On/Off Switch; Speed Knob, Intensity Knob; Chorus 1, Chorus 2,
Phaser 1, Phaser 2, Flanger, Rotary (Fast/Slow Switch)

Reverb/Delay:
On/Off Switch; Depth Knob; Room, Plate, Hall, Spring,
Tape Echo, Stereo Delay (Tap-Tempo Button)

Valve Reactor Tube:
1 x 12AX7

Other Panel Controls:
Master Volume Knob
Transpose Button
Local Off Button
Function Button

Demo Songs:
36; Press Transpose + Local Off buttons to access

Connections:
Audio Outputs:
Left/Mono, Right (1/4" Unbalanced); Left, Right (XLR Balanced)

Audio Inputs:
Left/Mono, Right (1/4")

MIDI:
Standard In, Out; USB/MIDI port

Damper Pedal:
Damper (fixed)

Pedal 1:
Switch Type; Sostenuto or Rotary Speaker Fast/Slow functions

Pedal 2:
Sweep Type; Volume/Expression or Wah functions
Switch Type; Soft Pedal (Una Corda) function

Headphones:
Stereo 1/4"

SV-1 73 Dimensions:
45.0" × 13.66" × 6.1"; Weight: 38.5 lbs (without music stand)

SV-1 88 Dimensions:
53.3" × 13.66" × 6.1"; Weight: 45.3 lbs (without music stand)

Accessories Included:
Power cable, Quick Guide, Accessory CD,
Music stand, Damper Pedal (Korg DS-2H)

Options:
ST-SV1 matching stand; EXP-2/XVP-10 expression pedal; PS-1 footswitch
CB-SV1-73 and 88 Rolling Carrying Case



So....what do you guys think?

[nvbrkr]

For true vintage vibe they could have borrowed the Poly-61 / DW-6000 looks for it as well.

[Hair]

Reading the Japanese press release it seems they were actually going for "1960's retromodern or retrofuturistic" - I don't think most people outside sites like this are going to consider something from the 80s vintage

[Hybrid88]

Looks cool apart from the end pieces

I like the Prophet 5 style pushbutton switches, now all we need is a similar thing on a new Korg synth, say a fully analog PolyEight?

...Ahh, we can dream, why is it Korg and Roland seem to shun their analog pedigree, releasing digital stuff pretending it's the same only better?

[depulse]

A ROMpler in fancy clothes...

[Operatron]

just another digital j**k 8======D ~~~

[Jack Spider]

I've been impressed by the demos I've heard so far and like the styling of it - reminds me of the Polymoog. More the Nord Electro corner of the market than synths and is a more exciting product to me than a new synth - I reckon I could fit it in my setup.

[LucB]

Rompler or not, the demos are very convincing and the idea of driving it with a tube seems legit to me, i've always prefered synths to go through my vintage guitar rig then straight to PA.

I really wish i could afford this bad boy, i'm becoming less and less of a knob tweeker, and am looking more and more for a keyboard that will give me those classic sounds, hands on, and still sound good.

Can't wait to try it out at a music store, but it will be somewhat pricey, i've seen them for 2199$ US on the net so far, so that means here it will cost around 3500$ CAD, and i'm just not that rich right now.

Maybe this question will get us further in the discussion:

In your opinion, how does this keyboard outplay the other similar optionss, such as a Roland with SR JV80-08 and SR JV80-04 for instance?

[Stab Frenzy]

For true vintage vibe they could have borrowed the Poly-61 / DW-6000 looks for it as well.

Why? It's a stage piano, not a synth.

[clusterchord]

I've been impressed by the demos I've heard so far and like the styling of it - reminds me of the Polymoog. More the Nord Electro corner of the market than synths and is a more exciting product to me than a new synth - I reckon I could fit it in my setup.

+1

its pianos and rhodes/wurlie sound more convincing than Nord Stage, that i played a few days ago. organs arent its strong point as Nord's i guess, they put it in there as utlity. but i like the pianos. only thing i ve noticed that may pose some conern is , sometime sthe velocity switch to different layer of samples, sounds too obvious, when players suddenly move into forte or fortissimo.. but its hard to tell. im looking forward to trying this out when it shows in the stores.

i am kinda tired of carrying my rhodes. hmm.. so far none came close enough for me to forego the luxury of the real thing.. we'll see..

i really dig the looks and size. minus the tube sticking out. that is lame. but thats korg for ya.

[tekkentool]

should have been a physical modeller.

[bleurgh]

why is it Korg and Roland seem to shun their analog pedigree, releasing digital stuff pretending it's the same only better?

It would certainly be nice if they did, particularly Roland - I love their analogue stuff - but I suppose Korg and Roland know their markets much more intimately than any of us do. For the largest chunk of their market, presumably the new stuff IS the same only better. These customers are happy with an accurate emulation combined with all the bells and whistles of current technology - that and the fact that they can have sounds from a variety of different instruments in one box that weighs only a quarter as much as one of the genuine vintage instruments the new stuff tries to emulate. Could you imagine how large and heavy something like this new Korg unit would be even if it only offered half the sounds with analogue circuitry? Oh my aching back!

Don't forget the real possibility that even though Roland made some great analogue stuff in the 70's and 80's, the people behind those products are probably long gone now. They probably just don't have the know-how anymore.

Never really liked the old Korg stuff, I have to say, although I have a Mono/poly that I enjoy using from time to time.

[nvbrkr]

For true vintage vibe they could have borrowed the Poly-61 / DW-6000 looks for it as well.

Why? It's a stage piano, not a synth.

Well, file that comment of mine under "not that terribly good a joke" -category.

[Stab Frenzy]

I've been impressed by the demos I've heard so far and like the styling of it - reminds me of the Polymoog. More the Nord Electro corner of the market than synths and is a more exciting product to me than a new synth - I reckon I could fit it in my setup.

I think it looks pretty awesome apart from that embarrassing tube, but for that price I'd be picking up a PC3 or PC361 and getting more (and better) sounds, the VA1, more polyphony, amazing effects and a sequencer.

[Stab Frenzy]

For true vintage vibe they could have borrowed the Poly-61 / DW-6000 looks for it as well.

Why? It's a stage piano, not a synth.

Well, file that comment of mine under "not that terribly good a joke" -category.

Done!