Roland Boss SY-1000 & GM-800 How good or bad are these guitar synths?

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Roland Boss Guitar Synthesizers? Are they really any good and what about the GK-5 Pickup? Is the SY1000 and GM-800 useful or Useless? Find out in this no holds barred inside and out closeup review.
Contents:
00:00 Start
00:20 Intro & Preamble
00:58 What's in this review
04:25 Inside the SY-1000
06:55 Controls of the SY-1000
09:25 I/O of the SY-1000
11:25 Summing up so far
11:51 A Real Review
12:34 Pickup cables
14:24 The GK-5 Pickup
16:29 GK-5 Close up
18:46 The GM-800 Synth
19:55 GM-800 Inside and Out
20:46 The main board
21:50 Chip side of board
25:05 GM-800 Controls
28:11 GM-800 I/O
30:00 The chips close up
31:10 Summing up GM-800
32:27 SY-1000 | GK-5 Syndrome
34:55 GKC-DA converter
36:31 Inside the GKC-DA
37:51 Summing up GKC-DA
38:49 SY-1000 Tone Studio
49:49 DM-800 Tone Studio
58:16 Summing up Software
1:00:02 SY-1000 Presets Played
1:11:40 GM-800 Presets Played
1:22:28 Final Summing up
1:24:06 Likes and Dislikes
1:26:18 Important Note
What you will learn:
Are guitar synthesizers for you?
What will a guitar synth cost me now?
What is the quality like?
Related links:
My website: tonymckenzie.com
The original review: tonymckenzie.com/marshall-jvm...
Boss SY-1000 Support: www.boss.info/uk/support/by_p...
Boss GM-800 Support: www.boss.info/uk/products/gm-...
GK-3 Cable genuine: www.gak.co.uk/en/roland-gkc-5...
GK-3 cable non-genuine: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0768HRF1...
GK-5 Pickup: www.pmtonline.co.uk/boss-gk-5...
GKC-DA Interface: www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-de...
My Roland GK-55 Review: • Roland GR-55 Guitar Sy...
My Boss GP-10 Review: • Roland Boss GP 10 Guit...
My Boss SY-300 Review: • Roland SY-300 Guitar S...
My Roland Boss GK-3 Installation Review: • Roland Boss GK-3 | How...
My Roland Boss GK-5 Insallation Review: • Roland Boss GK-5 Easy ...
I've seen Roland and Boss gear for guitar synths going back for many years. Some of these synthesizers for guitar have not always been that successful with issues ranging from not good sounds, to tracking that borders on being rubbish, to the high cost of the hardware and different other problems that could not easily be fixed.
However, Roland Boss have been busy over the last few years with the introduction a couple of years back of the Boss SY-1000 guitar synthesizer and recently towards the end of 2023 the GM-800 synth. And they did not stop there either.
There's a new guitar synthesizer pickup available too; the old GK-3 surely had its problems when using a 13 pin cable to communicate - AND a guitar lead. But the NEW GK-5 solves all of that with a single 'stereo' 6.3mm (1/4" Jack) cable from the GK-5 pickup right to the GM-800!
But what about the SY1000 with its 'old' interface, surely that's not redundant? No, Roland Boss created a GKC-DA interface that can drive the SY-1000 with a GK-5 to a 13 pin connector. I loked at that closely also.
So are these guitar synthesizers really any good? Well, yes and no - you need to watch the video from start to finish to learn the secrets of the Boss synths. I cover the hardware of each unit, the chips inside, the controls, the software and even end the video with at least 15-20 tones directly out of each guitar synth so you can get a feel whether guitar synthesizers are for you.
I do offer an opinion as we go through the video in a number of places and what I thought myself based on what I have known about these devices for a very long time. There are literally hundreds of different tones of synthesizers inside these units and if you're not really familiar with this type of guitar device then this video will undoubtedly help you to understand the equipment and tones that you can get from these instruments.
And remember that both units support guitar AND bass guitar.
I have spent considerable time creating this video over ten days of work and two days editing entirely at my own expense:
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, RING THE BELL, AND THUMBS UP to give my channel a boost and thank you for watching - I hope the video is enjoyable for you and that you see the tings in it that other reviews NEVER show!.
(c) A B McKenzie and www.tonymckenzie.com 2009-2023
All Rights Reserved. All Trade Marks Acknowledged
Visit www.tonymckenzie.com for more incredible reviews or my RU-vid channel
#roland #boss #guitarsynth #guitarsynthesiser #sy-1000 #gm-800 #bossgk #gkc-dm #tonymckenzie #synth #synthesizer #tonecentral #review #reviewer #mckenzie #gk3 #gk5 #guitar

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3 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 113

@w1zard0f0h 6 месяцев назад

Nobody makes review videos like you do. I love your channel.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Very time consuming but great fun making them :). And thanks for the kind words and for watching.

@257Cowboy 4 месяца назад

Fabulous and a real eye-opener! Thank you for your unique insight.

@tonymckenziecom 4 месяца назад

You are so welcome! and Hopefully the video is useful. Thanks for watching.

@w1zard0f0h 6 месяцев назад

Thank you again for another great video.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Thanks again!

@matteuklol 26 дней назад

That looked fun at the end Tony

@tonymckenziecom 26 дней назад

Certainly something different with this stuff. They move on still from what I see and offer a different way of looking at the music for sure. Thanks for watching.

@davidrand5150 5 месяцев назад

Thank you Tony. I have been a subscriber for many years. 🙂

@tonymckenziecom 5 месяцев назад

Thanks for hanging in there.... and of course for watching...

@paulfenton2070 Месяц назад

Well done M8...thanks very much!

@tonymckenziecom Месяц назад

Glad it helped and thanks for watching…

@Joe-mz6dc 6 месяцев назад

You're back! 😀😀

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Indeed! Have a great new year...

@Joe-mz6dc 6 месяцев назад

Happy New Year Tony. Rock and roll. 😎

@rafaelbrenerrosa 6 месяцев назад

Hi Tony! Great job! I have an Sy1000 and its really amazing and flexible. Seems that it fits better for the mind of a guitarist. Its like an evolution of the old ones. I think the best thing about the Gm800 is the Zen Technology adopted, this new gk interface is a problem and puts him down. Tks and happy new year! Cheers

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Yes I agree, the SY-1000 offers a lot for a little (especially if used). The Zenology is quite unreal but pro version software here is about £200 (cheaper in the USA). I also (off camera) took a Arturia keyboard MIDI controller and put that on the GM-800 and that is also a brilliant move. My guess is the SY-100 is the same, so they are really a twqo solution device. Overall while I was only really 'dabbling' with them in this video, I know that they will actually offer inspiration to some of the music at write time of that there is no doubt. Thanks for watching and you have a great new year too...

@AriaMehr648 2 месяца назад

What a genius🧿 thanks for every bits of time and energy you put to make this awesome video. Clap and bow for you sir⚘️🌹💯

@tonymckenziecom 2 месяца назад

So nice of you and thanks for watching.

@DrRussPhd 6 месяцев назад

Benn Jordan did a great and hilarious review of the Boss SY 1000. Watching his face while going thru the presets was worth the time. The Boss Tone Studio editor is slow as molasses to use. I have one and am looking to sell it. Love your work Tony because you don't pull your punches.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Yes I noticed the SY-1000 is about 1/4 the speed of the GM-800 Tone Studio... a vast difference - but the GM-800 appears to have two main processors. How it moves on in just a couple of years... Hey thanks for watching this stuff... this one took me 10 days and two days to edit. It is purely a labor of love for sure. Keeps me out of trouble :) and have a great new year.

@zoomzoom3950 6 месяцев назад

Just started watching, looking forward to your review. I owned my SY-1000 since it was first released, and I still have the SY-300 which doesn't need a GK. The GM-800 is different, will be interesting to see what it has today, and where this system goes in the future. Cheers!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

I reviewed the SY-300 when it came out and yes correctly no GK needed - but it was not perfect on tracking IMO. The SY is a useful device because of the I/O and can be used even without the Tone Studio for programming etc. The GM-800 can't do everything that the SY can, and unless you buy the Zenology Pro software cannot be edited fully. But like you say, it is interesting and my guess - there will be a GM-1000 surely :). Thanks for watching and have a great new year.

@robertbossart 6 месяцев назад

I still use the SY300 because no GK PU is needed. The tracking and playing with bendings is phenomenal! It's more like the GR300, so this means a big Fuzz Box. Now I added the GM800 for proper Synth-sounds like piano, horns and so on. For me, this two machines are the perfect combination!

@zoomzoom3950 6 месяцев назад

@@robertbossart I agree, the SY-300 is great pedal, I had it integrated with my GT-1 where I could get guitar, synth or blend both with an expression pedal. I use the SY-1000 standalone, with an expression pedal - it seems better suited to what I want from a guitar synth vs the GM-800. The GM-800, not so useful for me as I have software instruments, keyboard synths and and modules (Integra-7) for these sounds. Cheers!

@digital-guitars-uk 6 месяцев назад

Brilliant review Tony. I'm using the GM-800 more than the Boss SY-1000 and the Roland Cloud does offer some really interesting patches. Yeah it's an expensive thing however I have created Guitar Synth type patches on the Headrush, Boss GT-1000 along with the Fender Tone Master Pro so you can get those synth like textures without using the Boss products. Great Stuff Tone. Best wishes for the New Year 😎😎🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Well I got the GM-800 and SY-1000 for somewhere near £400 each give or take and the rest I bought to see how things had improved over the GM-300 (I think it was). And it is improved. The GK-5 pickup I do think is better than the older GK-3 but its over priced at nearly £250. This afternoon I plugged on a MIDI keyboard to the GM-800 and it works perfectly. So you could (if you don't want the guitar to input, buy a sequencing MIDI Keyboard (I have an Arturia one _Keystep Pro) and it all works great. But you have to use the MIDI ports and not the USB MIDI from what I see. Check out the Zenology Pro software from Roland Cloud, and man that takes the little GM-800 in to another world... with real sounds like from Roland Fantom, Jupiter-X, Juno-X, RD-88, MC-101, MC-707 and other stuff from what I see. Good to hear you. That video took 10 days and two after for editing! Yes you have a great new year too... and thanks for the post.

@nicodemuspapadopoulos4708 3 месяца назад

Nice review! AKM is a premier ACD/DAC chip makers. They are the de facto standard for high quality audio conversion. I have used some of their chips in audio designs.

@tonymckenziecom 3 месяца назад

Great info Nico. and thanks greatly for the info really appreciated. And of course thanks for watching.

@fader_dragon 6 месяцев назад

Always been intrigued by these guitar synths but never tried one (have used a Fishman Triple Play but that's not exactly the same). Thanks (as always) for the thorough review!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

They are worth the close look, especially if you can find one used... Thanks for watching...

@XXI.guitar 5 месяцев назад

Hola de nuevo, muy agradecido por tus explicaciones que otras personas no dan

@tonymckenziecom 5 месяцев назад

Oh, no hay problema. Empecé a revisar porque como dices, no cuentan toda la historia... y me cansé de comprar equipos que no cumplían con lo que a menudo decían. Gracias...

@bobmccarroll7876 6 месяцев назад

Great job, Tony. Have tried the guitar synths (several, over the years), but never really had much luck with them. Still, when I hear guys like Pat Metheny work them I'm totally floored. Cheers.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Oh those guys are on another level :) But using these things carefully could enhance at the very least any recordings that a musician might create. Certainly worth a look these days though it has moved on somewhat. Thanks for watching...

@Joe-mz6dc 6 месяцев назад

I know exactly what you mean. I've had the GR-09 for many years having wanted a guitar synthesizer since I was a little boy and I saw the first prototypes. I grew up listening to prog Rock like Yes, Genesis, Rush so as a young guitar player my desire to incorporate a synthesizer with huge. The reality is you have to alter your playing an enormous amount to really make it sound good. There's also the tracking issue. That can frustrate. I always had the most fun when I Incorporated outboard effects very carefully and slowly building up my tones. In other words you have to put the work into it. But the payoff can be huge. But yes I would say the number one issue is that you have to change the methodology of your playing and some players don't like doing that which is understandable. You have to be very very precise for example.

@user-qm1xt7dt3k 6 месяцев назад

I really like your videos

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for watching...

@Joe-mz6dc 6 месяцев назад

I've got a Roland GR-09. Bought it used a long time ago. It's in perfect shape. I think it was $250. It comes with 180 tones and the fellow who sold it to me had also bought the expander kit for another 180 tones. After the purchase I was doing research and found a nice Brian Moore i9 guitar with the built-in GK2 pickups $500 used at the time. And the bonus is it's an amazing shredding guitar with a nice small neck. I even use it with my digital audio workstation to control some of the synth plugins. Works very well.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Great stuff... and it is interesting just how useful the synths can be - I learned more about these newer ones, but they all have a place, just time restraints make me walk slow with them. But some of the tones are really good. Thanks for the post... all good stuff and thanks for watching too.

@jasonwojcik 6 месяцев назад

I tried...really...REALLY tried to like the Boss synths for ambient background sounds. I gave up and sold it. When I saw the GM-800, I wondered if its better. I think I would still be upset paying about 700 USD on a used GM-800. As stated by someone else here, if you want a syth sound, get a synthesizer. I probably will spend a few dollars on daw plugins and call it day. It was nice to not have a 90 minute look at all the preset sounds. The R&D and manufacturing costs for such a niche product is kind of a steal in my opinion given the retail price. Thank you for making this video, Tony!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Well I paid for the GM-800 about £400 - £450 somewhere there on eBay. Some guys like the GM-800 and of course some don't. It does offer a lot. I have not spent time on Roland Boss Synths for many years really, but decided to create the video because things move on, and the SY-100 was about £450 used also. The other bits were brand new and I had to buy them from the Roland Boss resellers that 'strangely' all have exactly the same retail prices for them. Maybe the CMA will be interested... However, this afternoon I plugged in... a MIDI Keyboard. Now, I have a very good synth. And because of the ZEN architecture that opens up with the zenology pro what is really a very useful device. (The zenology pro I think is around £200 for lifetime license). Now ha I am absolutely terrible at keyboards, but its a MIDI sequencer keyboard and through recording I can make that work pretty well (I think). It's something I never mentioned in the video and might just do a later follow up about that. Of course the keyboard guys will be laughing at me :) as likely they have been doing all that stuff some time back. But bearing in mind the GM-800 is sold in effect as a guitar synth, I think it could actually be a cheap instrument sounding the same as the Fantom, Jupiter-X, Juno-X, RD-88, MC-101, MC-707 and maybe other stuff for all I know. I never really would go through the hundreds and hundreds of sounds in those synths - like you say it could last for hours, and I always think the hardware and software IS as important as the tones (well nearly). I found those two synths very good value for the money especially used. Thanks for watching Jason and for the interesting post too. Have a great new year.

@aipsong 6 месяцев назад

Greetings Tony, I have a Yamaha G50 guitar to MIDI converter that I have set up on my Fender Jazz Bass. I haven’t used it in a long while, but your video makes me want to try it again. I have a lot of synthesizers (hardware and software) so maybe 2024 will wake up some electrons (entangled - the ones Einstein feared)!!!!!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Ha I get it of course. Well I had not been back to the synths in some years, so decided to grab a couple of used ones (yes the GM-800 was used off eBay). I bought the rest to show some of the stuff, but it can be an 'endless' task as learning about synths seems a bottomless pit to me... a guitar guy. But I have to say it is interesting. I coupled up a Arturia keyboard controller to the GM-800 and it worked great too, so like a dual sort of product. Well you should at least have a peak at the synths and my guess is there will be a GM-1000 with even more ability. We shall see, and hey, have a wonderful new year...

@zoomzoom3950 6 месяцев назад

Nicely done! IMO, the SY-1000 sounds more like a guitar synthesizer, with elements of the GP-10 (which I have too) where the synths are more guitar/bass focused (several of my patches feature the guitar (standard in) with the synths playing pad, arpeggios or walking bass line sequences in the background - e.g., I have one that sounds much like the Moody Blues song New Horizons; or change the character of the guitar sound using the GR300 and VIO) ... ....whereas the GM-800 sounds more like the guitar replacing a MIDI keyboard controller playing keyboard synths, and I have keyboard / MIDI based synths for that. Excellent in-depth review as usual, thanks Tony!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Thats a very good comment about the SY and the GM comparisons and I agree, the GM of course is using the Zenology mentality and seems very clinical - but true tones. On the other hand the SY-1000 has more I/O, still has some great sounds and can do stuff that the GM really cannot - at the least not easily... from what I see. I have put a MIDI keyboard on the GM and its really just like a keyboard synth... well I guess in that case it is! Thanks for the post and gave a great new year...

@BruceGiuriceo 6 месяцев назад

Thanks again Tony for yet another great video! I have a wireless Fishman TriplePlay on my Strat (it's great and I'm told it's the same segmented pickup as the GK series) but am considering a hardware synth so I can pass on using it with VST plugins / Logic Pro on some projects. Any thoughts on this?. Ideally, I would like to use the USB reciever to 5 pin MIDI to drive the Boss [something]. Happy New Year everyone!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Well from the off I believe that the GM-800 wont offer a solution from MIDI over USB. Now I could be wrong about that so you would have to check further. The SY-1000 I believe is more flexible re the I/O and a better chance of that working. But do remember I'm no expert on the synth stuff and there really is so much to learn with it all. I scratched the surface with this video only. Best I can answer and ha I'm still working on these synths... Thanks for watching.

@user-tb9rw7dh2t 6 месяцев назад

Nice job Tony 👍 I've been wanting a synth in a pedal format that does that tone that Adrian Smith gets in his solos on the "Somewhere in Time" album. However, I don't want to mount an extra pickup to the guitar, cord, etc.

@christianboddum8783 6 месяцев назад

Fishman Triple play has an wireless option but there's no getting around the extra pickup as of yet.... I play the triple connect at home, but I'll have to transport a laptop to use it outside the house, and I HATE those flimsy PC connections. FWIW

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

@user-tb9rw7dh2t Don't ask me! I could spend MONTHS on this gear... so much to it all really. Thanks for watching.

@user-tb9rw7dh2t 6 месяцев назад

@@tonymckenziecom I heard that it was a Roland GR 55 or something like that?

@user-tb9rw7dh2t 6 месяцев назад

@@christianboddum8783 Thanks

@director2bob 6 месяцев назад

Hello Tony.... new subscriber hear and have to say I love your channel. You have such a pleasant demeanor and easy style to follow. I have a couple questions I hope you can answer. I am an older man is his 60s and still love high tech gear especially MIDI. I am trying to put together a live rig that is easy to use and has killer psychedelic sounds. I have all types of MIDI gear and not sure what you think would make most sense, . I have two Godin guitars with the Fishman Triple Play MIDI pickup built in and a Godin Multiac Nylon string with a built in 13 pin MIDI pickup. I also have a Boss SY-300 and the Boss EUROS GS-1 MIDI guitar. I was thinking about buying a GM-800 and mounting pickup on the the Boss EUROS guitar. This way I would have two guitar synths going at once and buy the the SY-1000 for my analog signal path. Does that make sense or is it overkill? I also want to use my Godin Nylon string but is has a 13 pin output. I am hoping they offer a converter so people with 13 pin guitars can use the GM-800. Crazy thing is I was planning on buying a used GR-55 for the Godin until I saw the GM-800. I think I like the tones better. Sorry for long post but excited like a little kid looking at toys.😎. Love to hear your thoughts or comments from any of your subscribers. Thanks

@tonymckenziecom 4 месяца назад

There is a converter for the GK-3 13 pin to the new GK-5, and as you saw in this video a converter from the GK-5 to the older GK-3 types. I have not had experience with some of the gear you mention but it's quite possible to drive more than one synth with these converters... I think you might just need one and if there are secondary connectors on the devices they can be linked for the midi. The GM-800 remember is completely different synth than the older units and more akin to the newer keyboards from what I see. I don't mind long posts :) I can't always help but at least I try... and hey thanks for those kind words and subscribing too...

@tiomkinnyborg2289 6 месяцев назад

Yay, the original spanner-man is back!!. Love your work Tony. I will never understand why Roland/Boss puts a mono screen on their products. It can't be to save money. What is does is make me reluctant to buy it. I vaguely remember that someone made a guitar to midi converter that allowed you to send midi from any guitar. you just plugged it into the back of a synth and played. I guess it must have been vaporware.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

I think that did exist and I had one... (probably still do... somewhere!). Yes they seem to stick with mono... and its something I never really noticed much (probably too used to them by now). I forget the name of the brand that made the MIDI converter, but it really was a clever device - and I think made in the UK... thanks...

@AriaMehr648 2 месяца назад

Thank you alot sir. A question: how can i connect my godin 13 pin to any daw ?

@Byron_Blue 6 месяцев назад

Thanks Tony! Fun but too cheesy for the most part. Nice job at it. A few things would be usable but not much

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

I get that. To me, they do have a place. In 2008, I used that 22 unit for sax and it was I have to say brilliant. Later in 2016 The Gravity Waves album was completed, in July, with Alan Bruce, who wrote lyrics, played Bass Guitar and contributed to the album with some of his own music notably 'Al's Blues' and co-writing on 'God Particle' which in reality was a live recording. However, I used the synths I had at the time in a number of tracks - mainly for atmospherics etc. things like violins, organs, cello etc. and they did work well, if a slight issues on occasion re tracking (darn that GK-3!). I wish I had the GK-5 and these synths then but things move on. Trust me, when used as I described they really do sound the part - and the video really as far as the audio is concerned is nothing like what was on the 'Gravity Waves' album from back in 2016. An interesting experience with these two and I honestly learned stuff myself even making this simple video intro to them. Thanks for watching and have a great new year.

@MesaGuitarGuy 6 месяцев назад

hi Tony, new subscriber here. Great video's. I have the 800 and can't figure out how to setup the exp pedal to just control stereo volume out. Did you use the exp pedal for volume? thanks!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Actually I did not... I'll lookat that over the weekend and maybe knock together a little video to show what I do... (but depends on other stuff also going on).... thanks for the sub and for watching and if I make the vid I'll post it up here... thanks

@alexgenova9632 6 месяцев назад

I got interested in these because i wanted to get acoustic tones, strat tones, les paul tones etc... with out having to change guitars. Just change the synth patch. Can these units do that, or are they just for classic synth sounds? I'm using a Variax to cover all that now, but it doesn't always sound the greatest. Also the last update was maybe 10 years ago, so i'm worried it'll be discontinued or support will be dropped.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Certainly the acoustic tones are very good. I did not find Strats... etc, but they might be there or not. There are very many settings. All I would say is check one out if you see one... and make up your mind if they are for you or not. I was intrigued how they have moved forward since the old synths and they certainly have. Thanks for watching...

@robp775 5 месяцев назад

Late reply, sorry. But hopefully it answers everything. The SY-1000 does instrument modeling (Strat, Les Paul, basses, banjo, sitar, acoustics, etc). It can also do per string alternate tunings so it can replace a Variax (I have a JTV-59 btw, and bought the SY-1000/GK-3 for precisely the reasons you outlined) and can emulate extended range guitars (Alex Hutchings has a free patch to emulate an 8 string among other tricks) It uses GT-1000 amp/cab modeling both guitar and bass (Clean to high gain, but no internal IR loader) It uses GT-1000 FX modeling. They're as good as anything else out there. You can re-amp (Good) do pitch to midi (not the best, but it's there) and run four signals simultaneously (which can be a bit like spinning plates IMO). No Looper on the unit if that's of interest. Note that if you want controls on your instrument, you need the GK-3 pickup and 13 pin cable. If you use the GK-5 pickup, there's no onboard controls AND you will have to buy a separate D/A converter to convert from the serial digital cable back to the 13 pin analogue input used by the SY-1000. The 800 uses a Serial Digital input straight from the GK-5 so it needs a converter if your instrument is already GK-3 fitted. These are not toys, they require a significant amount of (a) initial investment (b) learning curve, frankly beyond the user manual (which I suggest studying in-depth) and (c) you may have to clean up your playing in some use cases. The fact Tony didn't know it has instrument emulation, which is pretty basic functionality on this unit, says he did not do his homework on this one. He has a bad habit of trusting a products ability to be used intuitively, and this is NOT a product to do that with. If you do buy an SY-1000, I would strongly suggest joining the VGuitar forums, whole bunch of very nice people who REALLY know their stuff. And tiny setup details make a hell of a difference. Last but not least, the internal Synths on the SY are, again, no toys, this is a flagship machine from the OG of guitar synths, and I'm sorry to say that 98% of the complaints I've heard on this unit are a case of user incompetence. The amount of people that still think 13 pin is MIDI staggers me. It's not. From someone who's owned it since it dropped, it's become the hub of my little home studio and is quite frankly the best band in a box solution I know of at this time. Just be aware that like a Ferrari, it's not cheap to set up and can have unforgiving idiosyncrasies that YOU have to come to grips with. That codicil aside, highly recommended. Hope that helps.

@franckvinkel381 6 месяцев назад

i don't have any guitar synth module at the day . Wich system would you prefer ? A GR55 or a Gm 800 ? I have a gt1000 and i need a guitar synth system. TXS !

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Well thats a hard question. The GR55 is a bit older these days, and of the genre I would consider the SY-1000 because it has really lots of good stuff like sounds, I/O etc.. However, the GM-800 has (with the right software) many thousands of both presets AND tones. Those tones however in the GM-800 cannot be edited without the zenology software. When you use the GM-800 all you are doing in reality is changing the particular preset. Although that is a real pain I guess, in the longer term I do think the GM-800 will offer more. It NEEDS a firmware update for sure to offer more features that I'm pretty sure will come, whereas earlier devices like the SY-1000 and the GR55 I think will fade as the newer system gets going. Hope that helps and have a great new year.

@XXI.guitar 5 месяцев назад

Necesito saber.. la pastilla gk5 funciona mejor, en boss sy 1000? Pues yo uso gk3 por comodidad tiene volumen y s1,s 2 y puedo mezclar las pastillas de guitarra, gracias

@tonymckenziecom 5 месяцев назад

Bueno, yo diría que por el costo adicional, realmente no veo mucha diferencia si configuras el GK-3 correctamente. A menudo, el desalineamiento se debe a la configuración, creo. Pero el GK-5 es una tecnología más nueva y si tuvieras un GM-800 en el futuro, esa sería una mejor opción. Sin embargo, tuve que comprar la interfaz para manejar el SY-1000, y cuesta... Lleva eso en Ind. Gracias por mirar.

@crohnoid7559 2 месяца назад

You seem to have missed the point that the GM800 is not a replacement SY1000. They have completely different purposes

@tonymckenziecom 2 месяца назад

Hmmm both basically Synths? Thanks for watching.

@joeking433 6 месяцев назад

So, Tony, why should someone buy the GK-5 instead of the GK-3?

@tonymckenziecom 5 месяцев назад

That depends on what you 'already have' by way of the synth side of things or what you want to control. There are converters both ways... just choose whatever. Interfaces cost more I agree, but then you could use BOTH types of device together... Thanks for watching.

@davehendrix671 6 месяцев назад

hey tony how ya doing bro do me a favor get your hands on a wizard and do one of your tear down vids if you can thanks

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Maybe I could find one... if I see one at the right price... we shall see and thanks for watching.

@davehendrix671 6 месяцев назад

@@tonymckenziecom thanks man you have the best gear channel on youtube imho

@XXI.guitar 6 месяцев назад

Hola yo tuve muchos problemas con el boss gm 800 .perdida de latencia y notas fantasma, Al fin muy contento con boss sy 1000 ,puedo tocar con velocidad ,pero no comprendo el boss gm 800, solo sirve para tocar saxo lento, pérdida, de notas.... para eso prefiero teclado fantom .muchas gracias.

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Hola, Ah interesante, bueno la GM-800 está usando pastilla digital y en los manuales citan la guitarra en 'falla' trastes pobres, mástil malo, etc. Sin embargo, personalmente no lo creo. El GM-800 tonalmente es probablemente mejor que el SY-1000, pero ambos tienen algunos sonidos geniales. Creo que lanzarán una GM-1000 en algún momento y la mejorarán aún más, pero también recuerde que para la GM-800 el firmware aún está en una etapa temprana. Gracias por mirar.

@XXI.guitar 6 месяцев назад

Espero que solucionen el tema de latencia para poder comprar gm 800,gracias

@Byron_Blue 6 месяцев назад

Actually I would prefer the GM-800 for useable patches

@bartholomeusclever 6 месяцев назад

totally agree ... more mature and useable sounds

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

I liked them both really - each one did have something to offer. But the Zenology stuff is mind boggling and only on the GM-800 and not on the SY-1000. So the trade across to digital pickup IS important and I guess we will see some interesting moves ahead from Roland Boss. Thanks for watching...

@joeking433 6 месяцев назад

Both those synths are priced sky high! The GM-800 is lowest on Reverb at $675 ($750 new) and the SY-1000 lowest is $775 used. Didn't you say you got those for under $500?

@tonymckenziecom 5 месяцев назад

You CAN buy them cheaper used. I bought each one for less than your stated prices... so you have to look around a little I agree. Thanks for watching.

@biomechanism4515 6 месяцев назад

you'll have to prize my SY1000 out of my cold dying hands,

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

:) It IS a pretty good unit for sure. I was surprised that the 'lesser' (is it?) GM-800 had far more processing power and a lot of those downloadable 'presets'. But the SY-1000 does have some wonderful tones in there. Thanks for watching...

@heliojohan 25 дней назад

Thanks for the video but I believe Roland just doing copy and paste the track are terrible !!

@tonymckenziecom 12 дней назад

Can you expand on that at all? Thanks

@motokev2727 6 месяцев назад

Fun toy...

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Could be. Ha I'm (as you see) no keyboard guy but they were/are interesting especially if you buy used ones :). Thanks for watching.

@strings2wood 6 месяцев назад

1 hour in "We're ready to have a listen.....' 😞

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

It's in there, but if you want short video's well, I'm not really the channel for them. They usually exist when someone is selling something sadly these days. However, have a great new year and thanks for watching - it is appreciated.

@ramon2008 6 месяцев назад

Both of those units sound absolutely terrible. They both have patches that sound like a bunch of boss units mashed together. The only thing that sound somewhat interesting is the gm-800 with the zenology stuff. But no one has made a video with that

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

I don't agree with this comment re the tones. Regarding the Zenology there ARE videos on YT showing in part about the Zenology stuff - in fact the only way to create new sounds on the GM-800 and likely future series of products. Anyone can create 'presets' but NOT the actual synth tones - you need the Zenology to do that... thanks for watching.

@essdieei1977 6 месяцев назад

If you like notes you never played🎃

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Ha a really great comment and I laughed instantly.. :) Thanks for watching.

@gibson2623 6 месяцев назад

If I want a synth I play a keyboard :)...They suck really

@chickaboomboom2726 6 месяцев назад

But are you good at playing a keyboard if not get the guitar synth

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

Good point!

@tonymckenziecom 6 месяцев назад

@gibson2623 Well here's the point, I later connected my Arturia MIDI controller to the GM-800 (it works on both units) and guess what, right there is a synth - and at substantially less cost than the Zenology based offerings from Roland Boss it seems. It took me just ten minutes to make it all work, so buying these, you have the best of BOTH worlds. Thanks for watching.

@gibson2623 6 месяцев назад

@@tonymckenziecom Hi Tom. Ye, I know what you mean. Great :)