Korg miniKORG 700 Available Again After Almost 50 Years

Korg announced today the availability of the miniKORG 700, a modern reissue of the company’s first mass-produced analog monosynth.

The miniKORG 700 FS is a full-size reissue of the two-oscillator “S” model, but incorporates a few modern updates, including an arpeggiator, built-in spring reverb, aftertouch, improved connectivity and more.

The miniKorg 700 FS was developed in conjunction with the original designer, Fumio Mieda. The miniKORG 700 FS is being offered as a limited-edition release, with a custom case.

See the Korg site for details.

52 thoughts on “Korg miniKORG 700 Available Again After Almost 50 Years”

  3. why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why
    – Best Ever Food Review Show

    2. Because thousands of synth players who were in their teens and 20s in the 1970s and 1980s are nearing retirement age and have significant disposable income. Like previous generations, they’re spending it on things that remind them of their youth. Hence, the quest to own the perfect TR-808 copy and the eagerness to own an Oberheim OB-X clone.

  4. It sure looks good on your vintage design table with all your vintage hifi gear in your vintage/retro style living room from early 1970’s. It’s a life style booster!

  5. I’m probably not the target group for this kind of luxury/Collector’s item remakes.

    For me is the price of 2000 € too high compared to what you get, for same price [and below] we are in the mid-range models from Moog and Sequential Prophet.

    Is this made for collectors or musicians?

    2. And it will quickly sell out, like the Korg ARP 2600 did, and prices will double. And like the OG minimoog reissue did.

      $2k is not cheap, but there are tons of musicians that will buy a gorgeously made reissue.

      There’s a lot to be said for the design of ’70s gear, with full size everything, solid construction and no hidden features.

      1. If Korg hadn’t reintroduced this synth via a remake and created hype, I’d venture to say that most synth enthusiasts wouldn’t/didn’t even have this synth on their radar, on their wishlist.

        1. I have an original 700S and it’s great. Sure, it doesn’t stack up against something like a Bass Station 2 or whatever, but it’s a totally different experience from something like that, and I think many musicians are beginning to realize that the experience of playing an instrument is just as important, if not more so, than modern functionality.

          1. So true – I’ve got a Bass Station II and it’s a great synth, but it’s also plastic and complicated.

            It’s not an either/or thing, though. It’s good to have some synths with all the bells and whistles, but the one you love will probably be one that’s straightforward and sounds great.

    1. I know, right? I can think of a lot of other new synths for that money that I would rather have then this reissued Korg. Heck, I’d rather have/use an Arturia Microfreak.

      1. the UI is a joke.
        don’t get me startet on 2000€ for a mono synth that’s is not capable of an interesting sound.
        the filters are cool. but not 2000€ cool.

    1. why? because different people have different subjective opinions

      are you familiar with subjectivity? or the concept of an “opinion”… if not, you should check that out…………

      because it will explain EVERYTHING

      2. Indeed, I sometimes wonder if Synthtopia (and most other news websites) would be better off without comment sections. But then people would just discuss the same news on some other platform like Fakebook and spread the toxicity there.

  10. my first synth experience when high school got one in 70’s.
    Had some hours of fun, the music teacher let me play extra.

  11. Why? Korg made them because they can sell them. The whole run will sell out before everybody who wants one gets one; there will be demand on the secondary market. I wish I had a high-priced premium product that would sell out before it’s made. My guess is, most of the haters on this thread would enjoy that as well. There’s nothing wrong with making a product people want – when Korg makes money on this, it helps them develop awesome, affordable tools for “the rest of us” – like the Volcas, or their amazing Modwave/OpSix/Wavestate/Minilogue synths. Everybody wins. You should be grateful that there are people out there who will pay premium prices for authentic retro hardware, regardless of their reasons – it’s good for the market and good for musicians everywhere.

      1. +1 for A is for Art.

        Korg has been great at making solid tools at prices normal people can get their hands on.

        This is fine. I’d be curious to see what the build quality is like.

  13. The web site says, “ The miniKORG 700 came about as a sub keyboard that players would set atop their organs” so maybe there IS something special here!

  14. Wasn’t this used on the first Cars album? I’ve seen vids of their keyboardist using it at early live shows. That alone is reason enough that people will buy it.

  15. Had my hands on one back when it was originally released. To me then it wasn’t worth it for the price….to me it still isn’t worth it. Very limited synth….even with reverb and aftertouch! If Korg can put aftertouch on the MinikorgFS then why can’t they incorporate those two things on their flagships? Oh well…

    Cute little bugger though

  16. Really love that they reissued this synth as a high-quality build! But with “improved connectivity” I would have expected at least an analog input for the clock signal to the arpeggiator and the possibility to control the filter by CV. It would hardly had added anything to the production costs, but would have made it much more flexible. I guess the filter CV should be easy to mod later on, but it’s a shame to have to start drilling on a brand new expensive synth…

  19. It’s great that Korg is making these period-accurate recreations and I see no problem with them charging “collector” prices. They are limited production runs for a limited audience.

    Products like this are basically test runs for the mass-market “mini/micro” versions. People who complain about the price can just wait for the cheap plastic version with minikeys but don’t gripe that Famous Producer X has a nicer version, that’s just envy.

    1. Who says they won’t?

      They’ll announce it four years in advance, they’ll shrink it down to a Eurorack module, and then people like you will cream your shorts, because you’ll think you’re getting a bargain!

  21. I never understand all the people who complain about how much a synth costs. If you don’t like the price, don’t buy it. If you are fortunate enough to have the money to buy it and it brings you joy or you just want to buy it to throw off a rooftop, buy it and have fun. Let’s not be negative to those who are fortunate enough to buy what they want and those who work hard and save to buy what they want.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *