WTB Roland GR20 or similar

phil_b

Im looking for a synthesizer that will be compatible with my Roland ready strat

Funkfingers

The GR-20 would make a simple, affordable starting point. Unfortunately, to get the best out of it, you need additional momentary pedal switches for patch selection. (Yes, the Up/Down switching on the guitar can do this BUT that is a terrible waste of two assignable switches.) It might work out cheaper overall to get a pre-owned GR-33 or the venerable GR-1. These already have the footswitches built-in plus a bigger, better display.

Fretwired

I have one you can have at a reasonable price. Only used in a studio.

Funkfingers

There is now somebody - not me, guv'nor - offering BOSS FS-5U footswitches at a very reasonable price in this forum subsection. 

phil_b

would a roland VG-88 be a good option?

Fretwired

phil_b said:

would a roland VG-88 be a good option?

It depends on what you're after. I'd say no as the VG88 has a lot of guitar and amp modelling which in my opinion sounds dated when compared to modern modellers like the Line 6 Helix etc.

I have a GR33, GR20, and GR55 - the old GR33 has some nice sounds but the tracking isn't as good. The GR20 is an excellent unit with a wide range of useable sounds. The GR55 adds more modern amp and guitar modelling and the ability to have altered tunings without having to retune your guitar.

If you want to try out guitar synth tech you can have my GR20 for £65.

phil_b

Fretwired said:

If you want to try out guitar synth tech you can have my GR20 for £65.

@Fretwired ;; Damm it

you were literally 2 mins too late. I just bought one on ebay and it did cost me more than that 

Funkfingers

phil_b said:

would a roland VG-88 be a good option?

VG-8 and -88 are self-contained digital modelling systems of guitar-type sounds. The synthesizer waveforms (including a GR-300 simulation) only arrived with the VG-99.

phil_b

thanks for the info

I bought a GR20. it is really just for a bit of fun and the novelty factor rather than anything musical so it was the synth sounds I was after rather that guitar tone modelling

Fretwired

phil_b said:

Fretwired said:

If you want to try out guitar synth tech you can have my GR20 for £65.

@Fretwired ;; Damm it

you were literally 2 mins too late. I just bought one on ebay and it did cost me more than that 

I did say I had one for sale ....

phil_b

Fretwired said:

phil_b said:

Fretwired said:

If you want to try out guitar synth tech you can have my GR20 for £65.

@Fretwired ;; Damm it

you were literally 2 mins too late. I just bought one on ebay and it did cost me more than that 

I did say I had one for sale ....

I did send a PM to you asking for a price after you posted that. It was just very unfortunate if I had waited just a few more minutes we could have done a deal. Sorry about that.

Fretwired

phil_b said:

Fretwired said:

phil_b said:

Fretwired said:

If you want to try out guitar synth tech you can have my GR20 for £65.

@Fretwired ;; Damm it

you were literally 2 mins too late. I just bought one on ebay and it did cost me more than that 

I did say I had one for sale ....

I did send a PM to you asking for a price after you posted that. It was just very unfortunate if I had waited just a few more minutes we could have done a deal. Sorry about that.

Odd, I have no PM. Nevermind .. enjoy your new unit. The GR20 is cool .. Vernon Reid uses one live.

phil_b

Fretwired said:

Odd, I have no PM. Nevermind .. enjoy your new unit. The GR20 is cool .. Vernon Reid uses one live.

looks like I messed that up too then.

phil_b

GR20 arrived today and it feels like I have discovered some sort of guitar witchcraft

Funkfingers

Crack the manual. Follow the procedure for setting the Sensitivity of the hexaphonic pickup. That done, you can get into triggering the sounds properly.

Basic block chordal washes will work in the Chromatic Polyphonic mode. Fancy string bending tricks require Mono mode A.K.A. MIDI Mode 4. 

phil_b

Funkfingers said:

Crack the manual. Follow the procedure for setting the Sensitivity of the hexaphonic pickup. That done, you can get into triggering the sounds properly.

@Funkfingers ; I did have a slight problem with the sensitivity. Even with it turned up tp max it only lights 3 LED's of the meter. but it does make sound at least.

Funkfingers said:

Basic block chordal washes will work in the Chromatic Polyphonic mode. Fancy string bending tricks require Mono mode A.K.A. MIDI Mode 4. 

I really have no idea what this means

Funkfingers

If, under previous ownership, your guitar had been mostly used as a straightforward electric guitar, it is possible that the Roland hexaphonic pickup had been adjusted downwards to get it “out of the way”. 

The hexaphonic pickup needs to be adjusted closer to the strings than you might expect. (We are talking feeler gauge distances.) Its coils and magnets are tiny. They are unlikely to cause wolftones. 

phil_b said:

I really have no idea what this means

Not to worry.

Having now re-read the product review in Sound On Sound magazine, I am reminded that the note triggering modes are not user programmable. They are predetermined by the unit on a per preset basis.

Suffice it to say that piano, organ and clav sounds will respond chromatically. They should not respond to string bending until the bend reaches the next recognisable semitone pitch up or down. 

Monosynth preset sounds should only produce one note at a time. Each new note cuts off the previous one. Chords will not work.

I could write more on this topic but it is unlikely to help at this early stage.

phil_b

Funkfingers said:

If, under previous ownership, your guitar had been mostly used as a straightforward electric guitar, it is possible that the Roland hexaphonic pickup had been adjusted downwards to get it “out of the way”. 

The hexaphonic pickup needs to be adjusted closer to the strings than you might expect. (We are talking feeler gauge distances.) Its coils and magnets are tiny. They are unlikely to cause wolftones. 

yes raising the pickup sorted that problem out

phil_b

Funkfingers said:

phil_b said:

I really have no idea what this means

Not to worry.

Having now re-read the product review in Sound On Sound magazine, I am reminded that the note triggering modes are not user programmable. They are predetermined by the unit on a per preset basis.

Suffice it to say that piano, organ and clav sounds will respond chromatically. They should not respond to string bending until the bend reaches the next recognisable semitone pitch up or down. 

Monosynth preset sounds should only produce one note at a time. Each new note cuts off the previous one. Chords will not work.

I could write more on this topic but it is unlikely to help at this early stage.

thanks that makes scene. one thing i noticed on piano for example is when i fret and play a note it works but if I lift off before the string has stopped vibrating it will then play the open string note (a bit annoying in you did not mean that note to be played) I guess you have to have super clean technique

Flattop

So how are you finding the GR20 Phil
I'm thinking of trying 1 also, never used one before
Can you change patches etc from pedal

phil_b

Flattop said:

So how are you finding the GR20 Phil
I'm thinking of trying 1 also, never used one before
Can you change patches etc from pedal

to be honest im not a good enough player to do anything useful with it but it fun to play around with the sounds.

the pedal has two selector knobs that you can use to select the patch you want. My roland ready strat has two buttons that allow me to scroll up and down the patches from the guitar.