Wavestate Buyer's Remorse

[bonyjames37]

Purchased my Wavestate in October based on the Youtube reviews. Loved the sounds but hated the cheap crappy keyboard they put in it with no aftertouch. And the plastic case? This thing won't stand up on the road. Why Korg? What were you thinking?

That whole Youtube review process is more like payola with some of those jokers. The reviews are very soft as to not offend the manufacturer's thereby cutting off their new product review income stream.

I paid 800+Tax now 5 months later dealer's are selling selling barely used ones for $500-$600.

Last month I purchased a Modal Argon 8. WOW! The build quality on this is thing is off the chain outstanding and priced the same as the Wavestate but has a Fatar keybed with aftertouch , Steel and Aluminum case. seamless software integration. It feels like a real instrument not a child's toy. Wake up out there! Don't cheap out on your customers to make an extra buck or they might go away.

There are some great companies out there shaking things up like Modal, Elektron, Erica Synths & Ashund Sound Machines...makers of the Hydrasynth. That thing is built like a tank and made to last.

Don't think I'll be an early adopter on Korg products anymore...
Choose wisely...

[ob1bazillion]

I love mine considering the way the programming is done and what it can do. It seems more geared toward sound design than taking on the road maybe.
Somewhat agree with you on the keyboard though. When I want to play, I like to bring out my keyboard controller. It has some nice CC options for users who are interested in that kind of thing!

[danatkorg]

Your first post here, and I guess your last as well?

[bonyjames37]

I purchased my first Korg product in the early 80's, the Polysix. It still works...amazing! I've owned a Triton, M1, MS-20 to name a few and I was never disappointed. My frustration with the Wavestate is I sold whatever I could to get the money to buy one and it really fell short of my expectations. Currently I have it hooked up to a Novation Impulse 61 controller so I can take advantage of the full feature set.

I guess the product I should have waited for was the proposed Wavestate SE but alas when I purchased there was no mention of this being in the works. I'm not in a position to buy anything anytime soon and today I saw a pristine Wavestate on eBay for $475 in the box so I can't even sell mine to get me halfway to the next iteration. Scary for a product that's 5 months old. My dream would be to have a rack mountable version of the Wavestate with a tightly integrated piece of software like the Modal app that works independently or from within a DAW.

I understand the pressure for a commercially successful product that makes a profit but I would have spent more money on a Wavestate if it had a good keyboard with aftertouch and a metal case.

But that's just on man's opinion..

[Sharp]

My 2 cents....

The Wavestate is nothing short of an inspirational synth. By just flipping through the presets, surly your mind must fill instantly with endless idea’s for new songs.

Even with the most basic effort to program the synth by simply mixing and match performance layers with different programs opens up vast possibilities for even more creativity. Not to mention what happens when you put in serious effort to dig deep into this puppy.

Sorry but the Wavestate is quite simply an extra special instruments. An absolute gem to own. I really mean that.

Build quality, it’s a KORG. I couldn’t even be bothered saying anything other than KORG have always produced great quality products. This should be simple common knowledge.

I know for a fact this is one synth I won’t be selling, ever. I’ll also go out of my way to save up for it’s bigger brother (SE) when that gets released so the two of them can be paired and live together on the same stand.

And if I’m a really good boy, my wife will also allow me to get the ModWave this year. 3 purchases in total that will have zero regret. Zip, nada....

Regards
Sharp.

[Derek Cook]

Love the Wavestate, but don't really like the form factor (three octave, no aftertouch being my biggest bug bear), but went for it at a bargain Black Friday deal and because no larger format was visible on the horizon last November. And of course I have plenty of other keyboards to play it on

But I was a little bit "I don't believe it" when the Wavestate SE was announced, but not for long!

Am I annoyed with Korg? No. The Wavestate is fantastic value in the form factor at the price I got it for (£449 GPB). Will I be migrating to the SE and selling the Wavestate to part fund it when I can? Absolutely!

[jezar-01]

Well, everything about the form factor of the Wavestate is perfect for me.

The keys are full sized, yet the overall size of the unit is exactly what I want. The build is sturdy enough, yet the weight is perfect for having on my lap when I am lounging around the house doing sound design.

Personally I think they've nailed it. Well done guys!