Korg MS-20 is/was a "Limited Series". REALLY?

[TmTmClb]

Hi, this is my first post here.

Among the few synths I own, the Behringer K-2 gets its fair share of due respect from me. (N.B. this is not a thread about how good or evil Behringer is.)

I doubt very much anybody would hear the difference between the K-2 and the various Korg iterations of the MS-20 IN A MIX. The K-2 size and Eurorack patching compatibility are bonuses. I'm not looking for the most agressive sound/filter/resonance, or the integrated keyboard. but Damn! that 2020 Full-Size reissue is attractive. Bigger controls should make it feel like a real instrument and not just a powerful toy. I'm not talking about the features or the sound, but the heft and the PRESENCE of the object. The higher plane of knob twiddling. The gorgeous "shklack" sound of inserting full-size jacks vs. the "click" of K-2 minijacks.

The thing that has prevented me so far from buying it is the "Limited Serie" label by Korg. After all, they did the MS20m and the Mini (I don't count the plugin). What prevents them of releasing the MS-20B next year? If I was sure that this would never be re-released again, I'd indulge my recurrent GAS right away.

What do you guys think?

[Guest]

I think it's a Behringer advert.

[Eddy Deegan]

The thing that has prevented me so far from buying it is the "Limited Serie" label by Korg.
...
What do you guys think?

Korg have made available several reissues of the MS-20 and most of them are not limited editions.

The MS-20 Mini came out in 2013, a full sized Korg MS-20 (which was limited edition) came out in 2014, the Korg MS-20M kit came out in 2015 and the full-sized Korg MS-20 FS was announced at NAMM in 2020.

Most people with the discernment and budget to do so would pick a Korg model over a Behringer model I suspect. Apart from anything else, Behringer support is painful at best.

Given that Korg have made both full-size and mini versions of the hardware available socket size shouldn't be a problem so I'd go for one with the full size sockets from Korg, avoid the cheap Behringer clones and be done with it.

That's what I think, anyway.

[BJG145]

I hadn't really clocked this full-size Korg version; looks cool. It's a different thing compared to the Behringer module. The question of whether Korg might release another one wouldn't affect my decision either way.

[TmTmClb]

I hadn't really clocked this full-size Korg version; looks cool. It's a different thing compared to the Behringer module. The question of whether Korg might release another one wouldn't affect my decision either way.

Thanks for your reply, especially because it reminds me I forgot something in my first post: I also hesitate because if the K-2 loses value, it's not big deal given its price. I don't have to worry about reselling it. With the price of the MS-20 FS, it's another story. If it remains a limited series, I can hope to sell it at a good price if I need or if I feel like it. If they keep selling it for another ten years or if they release a new version, chances are resale value will go down. Please note I'm no collector or investor, just a guy without a steady income...

[BJG145]

If they keep selling it for another ten years

I was a bit puzzled that a limited edition is still available over a year later. I wonder how many they made, or are going to make. It doesn't really mean much without numbers.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/korg-ms-20- ... h-in-white

https://www.andertons.co.uk/korg-ms-20- ... h-in-green

It also sounds like they might be leaving the door open with their talk of "four limited-edition colors"; nothing to stop them releasing an orange one.

https://www.korg.com/uk/products/synthesizers/ms_20fs/

I take your point about the rarity or collector's-item status being affected by future releases, but it's impossible to predict really. I'd have thought they would hold their value reasonably well; perhaps its appeal is more as a high-quality modern MS20 to use now than an investment for later.

[rockydennis]

I don’t know how many of the MS-20 FS Korg intends to build, but every retailer online has them in stock so they’re probably not exactly rare. If there’s a possibility that you might have to sell it, buy one used to minimize any possible loss - in the US, I see a demo unit for $300 less than a new one.

[zenguitar]

The key thing to understand about Limited Edition or Limited Series is the capitalisation.

This means that what you are looking at is a name, not a description. However, it is intended to be read as a description, albeit one that is deniable.

I have some of my late mother's possessions to dispose of still (lockdown got in the way) and that includes a number of collectable, decorative, plates. And I am reminded of something that I learned in the mid 90's when she was buying them.

Many manufacturers offered Limited Editions that were genuinely fixed production runs with no more to be made in the future. But the numbers that they produced in those ranges often substantially exceeded the numbers produced in their standard, non-limited, range.

It is all about marketing and the power of capital letters.

Andy

[N i g e l]

yeah.

Its an ambiguous term..

Hardware limited edition = manufacture N units, smash the moulds, burn the blueprints.
Software limited edition = cheaper or free, functionally restricted version.

MS20 v K20?

Its the same electronics & the different form factor has minimal production cost. It boils down to buying a Korg v buying a Behringer.

I think this might be a keystone in my viewpoint of Behringer synths4all v asperational big brand items.

I missed the Korg MS20 "limited edition" [kit?] from 2012 ish but bought the later MS20-m desktop kit.
A dream come true + both filters, FM & pwm.

That was before the Behringer synth watershed; after the watershed, I sold the MS20-m and bought a K20 [pocketing the difference, kerching, thank you].

I cant tell the difference between the MS20 & K20 other than the form factor is smaller/fiddlyer & the external processing is more stable[which could be a bad thing musically].
Thats not an A/B comparison as I didnt own both at the sane time.

[Arpangel]

The MS20 in its original "form" is one of my favourite synths, but strangely, I don’t own one!
It’s something that I’ve never really "needed" so it’s at the bottom if my list.
There is something so right about the design, and the shape, a bit like a Mini Moog format, but more angular, and business like, I love it.
Just typing this now, it’s making me want one!

[N i g e l]

yeah, the design is iconic.
Literally !
Ive seen [non korg] webpages where the icon on the button to the synthesizer section is an MS20 symbol.
The angles, knobs & patch bay give the MS20 a kind of mad science equipment look.

[Arpangel]

yeah, the design is iconic.
Literally !
Ive seen [non korg] webpages where the icon on the button to the synthesizer section is an MS20 symbol.
The angles, knobs & patch bay give the MS20 a kind of mad science equipment look.

Typical, that reissue is out of production by Korg now, plenty of green and white ones around, but no black ones, the only colour really.
I love that mad scientist look, great description.

[nathanscribe]

Typical, that reissue is out of production by Korg now, plenty of green and white ones around, but no black ones, the only colour really.
I love that mad scientist look, great description.

Yeah, I picked up the black model as soon as they arrived in the UK and I'm glad I did. I'd previously had the mini version and although there was nothing wrong with the sound, the build and user experience was very different. I know people say the end result is what counts for the listener, but I'm a believer in the idea that the experience of using an instrument/tool counts for a lot when you're trying to make something with it.

[Martin Walker]

The angles, knobs & patch bay give the MS20 a kind of mad science equipment look.

Now I've finally realised why I bought an MS20 Mini

[TmTmClb]

well, thanks for all the comments. it all boils down to... my original dilemma. "it is all about marketing", the attractive design of the FS, its pleasing user experience, "K2 is good enough": all is in this thread, as it already was in my head.

Two things have touched a nerve:
- "only the result counts yet creation should be pleasurable", or something to that effect.
Back in the early days of ̶d̶i̶n̶o̶s̶a̶u̶r̶s̶ techno , I never ever got anything done on my E-mu Morpheus because of the endless soul-grinding hours spent turning the encoder wheel while looking at a small 2x16 characters LCD.
The K-2 UI is faithful to the original, but it's small and requires good lighting. Kills the charm of late-night low-light studio sessions.
- Buy the new FS MS-20 USED.
Now that's a very good idea, but I haven't seen one yet. I'll be patient and look closely and often at the used market, forgetting the "Limited Series" name-and-not-description (thanks zenguitar). Marketing has gotten more and more evil, and I SHALL NOT BE EXPLOITED!

[BigRedX]

As someone who owned one of the original Korg MS20s back in the 80s I have some observations.

1. While the patchbay looks cool and the having a dedicated control for every sound parameter is definitely an improvement over menu-driven synths, don't be taken in. This is not a proper modular synth. Most of the patch bay functions could have been easily replicated by switches for the modulation routing.

2. There is no access to the signal path other than an extra input before the filters. IMO to get the best out of modular synthesis you need to have the possibility of using the audio signal as a modulation source. I believe that some of the 3rd party mods give the ability to cross mod the oscillators, but nothing else.

3. To get the best out of this synth it need to be used in conjunction with a proper modular set up. When I added a Korg MS50 to mine the sonic possibilities were far greater than the simple sum of the additional modules.

4. Unless you are doing wild stuff with feedback loops and complex signal path access, you can do almost everything a basic modular synth allows with creative use of MIDI CCs

[Arpangel]

If you want to know if something has been discontinued, just keep an eye on my posts, I’m a barometer of discontinuity.

[nathanscribe]

barometer of discontinuity.

...title of your next album?

[Arpangel]

barometer of discontinuity.

...title of your next album?

Sounds like a David Sylvian album.