A musical instrument manufacturer, concentrating on synthesizers and related gear.

Korg was founded in 1963 by a Tokyo night club owner Tsutomu Katoh with Japan's top accordion player Tadashi Osanai. The duo originally set up to produce a better backing-rhythm device than Onasai's Wurlitzer Sideman. The company started off using the name Keio Gijutsu Kenkyujo Ltd., later changing it to Keio Electronic Laboratories. Korg didn't became the official name until the mid-80s.

Korg's first product was a drum machine called the DA-20 Doncamatic. They soon moved on to organs and eventually synthesizers (starting with the MiniKorg 700). The company became known for their innovative products, being first with features like the key transposer and PCM synthesis.

International success first came with the Poly-800 and PolySix models. But the most major one arrived in 1988 with the Korg M1 workstation, the best selling synth ever. Yamaha had hit gold by acquiring a large amount of Korg stock just before the release of M1.


Korg equipment featured in Everything2:
Last updated: May 15, 2002

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