About Korg
KORG Inc. was founded in 1962 in Tokyo, Japan by Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai as Keio Electronic Laboratories, taking the name KORG in 1967 when it introduced its first programmable organ, combining the KO of Keio with ORG for organ. The company, still headquartered in Inagi, Tokyo, went on to build its reputation across synthesizers, music workstations, and tuners -- including the 1988 M1, credited as the bestselling synthesizer of its era with more than 250,000 units sold. In 1975, KORG released the WT-10, widely credited as the world's first handheld, battery-powered instrument tuner, effectively creating the product category its current tuner and metronome line, including our featured pick, still competes in fifty years later.
KORG's US arm, KORG USA, distributes the brand's tuners and metronomes alongside its synthesizers, digital pianos, and pro audio gear, and the company's broader history has been chronicled in a three-part retrospective by Sound on Sound. KORG has also owned Vox amplifiers since 1992 and acquired bass specialist Darkglass Electronics in 2022, giving its accessory line, tuners included, the backing of a full-catalog instrument manufacturer rather than a single-purpose gadget maker.
Brand website: korgusa.com
What Korg makes
Korg's catalog runs wider than the gear we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
TM-Series Tuner/Metronomes
Combo tuner-and-metronome units including the TM-70 series -- the line our featured pick belongs to — featured on House of Octave
Pitchclip / Pitchblack Tuners
Clip-on and pedal tuner formats for guitar and bass rigs
Synthesizers & Workstations
Keyboards including the Kronos, Nautilus, and modwave/opsix lines, descendants of the 1988 M1
Volca Series
Compact analog and digital grooveboxes and synthesizers
Vox Amplifiers
Guitar amps and effects under the Vox brand, owned by KORG since 1992
Darkglass Electronics
Bass amplification and effects brand acquired by KORG in 2022
Why we recognized Korg
The House of Octave Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose gear consistently stands out in our player-tested category guides. Korg earned it on the strength of the products below, judged the same way every product on this site is: assessed on build, tone, and playability, weighed against what players actually report over years of use, and ranked on merit.
Korg gear we rated highly
Korg TM-70T Tuner & Metronome
House of Octave's pick for best tuner-and-metronome combo for practice: a full chromatic tuner and a real metronome that run together in one handheld unit, so you can check pitch and timing at the same time. It ships with a clip-on contact microphone that reads vibration directly from the instrument, tunes accurately even in a noisy practice room, and adds a reference-tone 'sound out' mode for ear training -- versatile enough to cover guitar, bass, orchestral strings, brass, and woodwinds for any multi-instrumentalist.
Read the 10 Best Guitar Tuners of 2026 (Clip-On, Pedal, Strobe & More) guide →What earned Korg the recognition
- The Korg TM-70C is House of Octave's pick for best tuner-and-metronome combo for practice, valued for running a chromatic tuner and metronome together with a clip-on contact mic for noisy rooms
- KORG effectively created the handheld tuner category: its 1975 WT-10 is widely credited as the world's first handheld, battery-powered instrument tuner
- An independent, decades-old Japanese instrument maker, founded in 1962 as Keio Electronic Laboratories and renamed KORG in 1967, whose broader catalog and 1988 M1 workstation have been chronicled by outlets including Sound on Sound
- KORG's tuner and metronome line extends well beyond the TM-70 series into clip-on (Pitchclip) and pedal (Pitchblack) formats, one of the most complete tuner lineups of any brand in our roundup
- Backed by a full-catalog global instrument manufacturer whose portfolio also includes Vox amplifiers and Darkglass Electronics, giving the TM-70C engineering pedigree beyond a single-purpose accessory maker