Korg USA Inc. announces the hiring of two Product Specialists, Luciano Minetti and Kenny Echizen. By leveraging their individual expertise and joining forces with Korg USA’s talented Product team, these new hires will expand the company’s commitment to increasing product training, dealer partnerships, and outgoing content generation.
Luciano Minetti joins Korg USA as a Product Specialist in the home and digital piano, arranger, and workstation categories. He arrives from Apple Inc. in Nanuet, N.Y., where he served as Lead, Business Development. He is also the founder of Minetti Custom Keyboards. Minetti leverages his extensive performance experiences, with roots in Cuban and traditional jazz, having performed with renowned artists at famous venues, he was most recently featured as a guest performer at the Cuban International Jazz Festival in Havana, Cuba. Minetti graduated from Rutgers University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Music, Jazz Performance.
Kenny Echizen officially joins Korg USA as Product Specialist in guitar brands after working with the company over the past few months and appearing in several VOX and Blackstar videos. Previous to that, Echizen was a Product Specialist for Taylor Guitars and Xotic Guitars and Effects. He is a professional musician with more than 13 years of international touring and recording experiences, including film, TV and commercials credits. Echizen graduated from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles in 2006 with an Associate of Arts in Guitar Performance.
Korg USA is thrilled to welcome these talented new hires to the Product Specialist team, which works every day to exceed the needs and expectations of Korg’s retail partners.
Learn more about the Korg USA portfolio of brands at www.korgusa.com.
For additional comment or information, please contact Morgan Walker, Director of Communications for Korg USA at morganw@korgusa.com
Hotone Wong Press
Cory Wong Signature Volume/Wah/Expression Pedal
Renowned international funk guitar maestro and 63rd Grammy nominee Cory Wong is celebrated for his unique playing style and unmistakable crisp tone. Known for his expressive technique, he’s been acclaimed across the globe by all audiences for his unique blend of energy and soul. In 2022, Cory discovered the multi-functional Soul Press II pedal from Hotone and instantly fell in love. Since then, it has become his go-to pedal for live performances.
Now, two years later, the Hotone team has meticulously crafted the Wong Press, a pedal tailored specifically for Cory Wong. Building on the multi-functional design philosophy of the Soul Press series, this new pedal includes Cory’s custom requests: a signature blue and white color scheme, a customized volume pedal curve, an adjustable wah Q value range, and travel lights that indicate both pedal position and working mode.
Cory’s near-perfect pursuit of tone and pedal feel presented a significant challenge for our development team. After countless adjustments to the Q value range, Hotone engineers achieved the precise WAH tone Cory desired while minimizing the risk of accidental Q value changes affecting the sound. Additionally, based on Cory’s feedback, the volume control was fine-tuned for a smoother, more musical transition, enhancing the overall feel of volume swells. The team also upgraded the iconic travel lights of the Soul Press II to dual-color travel lights—blue for Wah mode and green for Volume mode—making live performances more intuitive and visually striking!
In line with the Hotone Design Inspiration philosophy, the Wong Press represents the perfect blend of design and inspiration. Now, musicians can channel their inner Cory Wong and enjoy the freedom and joy of playing with the Wong Press!
Reverend Vernon Reid Totem Series Electric Guitar - Shaman
