Making a Custom MicroKorg Module From Start to Finish

I've had a lot of MicroKorgs come through the shop, but this one really took the cake. It looked like someone left it in the sun for a decade. The keys were hopelessly yellowed and one of the white (yellow) key groups was broken. It was also missing knobs, had a strangely curved LCD bezel, severely yellowed translucent buttons, and overall, was cosmetically beyond. Functionally, however, it still worked like a champ. The main board worked perfectly. All outputs were clean and all tacts, knobs, and LEDs were fully functional and responsive. I have always wanted to build a MicroKorg module, and I finally had the perfect candidate.

The (No) Plan

I had no plan, no measurements, nothing, just an idea. I was going to pull the keyboard, keep the mainboard, and build a clean, aesthetically pleasing desktop module. Most people skip the pitch and mod wheels when they do this, but I wanted to find a way to keep them. Maybe on the front lip, maybe on the top edge. I wasn't sure yet, but I wanted to try. More than anything, I wanted it to be nice. I've seen plenty of these on Reverb and elsewhere over the years that had the proper form factor, but were rough, unfinished, and crappy looking. I wanted to build one that looked great for a fair price (which BTW, it sold in approx 24 hours).

Time for Some Fun

The first and most obvious step was to chop the front of this synth off. A table saw seemed like the best approach. Before committing, I checked my stash to see if I had a better frame to work with, since this one was discolored and slightly warped. After a quick comparison, I made my choice and headed into the garage. I measured things out as best I could and made the cuts. My measurements were off by less than a millimeter, which nicked the top of the front plate along the entire cut, but it only left one visible mark and still gave us a nice, usable case to work with.

Front Plate, Wood Sides and About Those Pitch / Mod Wheels

My first instinct was to use the leftover case plastic to create a factory looking front plate where I could drop the pitch and mod wheel in. Nice thought, but that idea (and the idea of keeping the pitch and mod wheel in general) went straight into the garbage. It was clear we were heading into janky territory, and like I said earlier, I wanted this thing to look nice, not hacked together.

Once I ditched that plan, I started digging around and found a beautiful piece of straight grain wood that just happened to match the chassis width. Total luck. I cut it down for the front plate, then sliced matching pieces for the sides. The first two attempts were a little off, but by round three everything lined up pretty much perfectly, flat across the top and square at the corners.

• Front Panel: Custom cut wood front, hand shaped and sanded to match the factory contour.
• Side Panels: Matching walnut sides, cut from the same board for consistent tone and grain.
• Finish: Dark walnut stain sealed with polyurethane for durability and sweat resistance.

Pro Tip: Don't be an idiot and use a Minwax stain marker like I did. Buy a proper can of stain (Minwax is great!) and stain the wood like a normal human being. The marker method worked out in my case, but it took forever.

Final Assembly

After the finish cured, I reassembled everything using our chassis, mainboard, and OEM parts from my stash. The factory black screws look nice on the wood sides. This feels like something Korg would have actually made. Though we lost the pitch and mod wheels, we accomplished our main goal. We had a nice looking module available for a fair price.

Sound Check

I powered it up and everything worked exactly as expected. Same MS2000 engine, solid and responsive. All knobs, buttons, tacts, and switches worked as expected. All inputs and outputs functioned flawlessly. Always a relief when a synth comes back to life after completely taking it apart.

One cool thing we noticed during testing with another MicroKorg as the MIDI controller: when we changed patches on the controller, it changed patches on the module. The pitch and mod wheels also worked flawlessly via MIDI. We instantly realized you could take two MicroKorgs, turn one into a module slave, run each through different effects processing (or even just slightly alter the patch on the module), and end up with something really thick and juicy sounding.

The Full Story

A lot more went into this build than what is mentioned above. Watch the video below for the full story. Though this synth sold almost immediately, we will be building more modules in the future. We have a sweet Monologue module in the works as I type this. Catch you in the next post :)

This post shows how we converted a MicroKorg into a desktop module and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Any work you choose to do on your own gear is entirely at your own risk. Modifying synthesizers involves electrical hazards, sharp tools, cutting plastic, and other safety concerns. Always disconnect power, use proper equipment and safety gear, and know what you are doing before attempting anything shown here. Captain Blacks Gear Emporium is not responsible for any damage, injury, or loss that may result from attempting similar work. If you are not confident in your skills, do not attempt this. Proceed carefully and, as always, measure twice, cut once.