It's nice to see an honest review. As a guitarist I felt pretty much the same with it all when I first tried it. I tried it with an actual midi guitar though and not with the pick up that comes with it, your set up actually looks like it works better. Going to be using some of your pointers for my Uni assignment. Thanks in advance!
Glad you liked it. This unit does have its 'quirks' but overall pretty good value I thought. The pickup is a necessity really and you can do so much more with the 55 with it than without it. The program that the guys made is equally useful. Thanks for watching.
I do tend to jest a little and it can be hard to tell if I mean it or not sometimes LOL - there's nothing like having some fun as you do it... so to speak.
Thanks Michael for the kind words... and do check out my other reviews there are near enough 235 to watch all similarly of the same standard. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony, Nice review and nice studio ! I would like to know how the latency is. I think I can hear the latency very good when you use the piano sound and the organ sound. I hear the guitarstrum clearly before the piano/organsound starts. Am I right ?
I have the VG99/FC300 it is awesome ! I use it with a Godin LGX sa ! but I never take it out ..just to much setting up .. think I'll invest in the Strat G5 and GT100 loved your review of that
Thanks for your great videos! I just recently purchased a GR-55 and have yet to receive it. I will pass judgement on it after I have played it. I do own a Roland GR-1, which I have had for years and always rather looked at the device as a compliment to rather than a replacement for other guitar processors. I personally have never had very many issues with the tracking on the Gr-1 and assume the GR-55 being newer should track much better. Rule of thumb...Clean playing = best results!
I should mention this because I was going crazy in the beginning using this unit. The GK-3 will send out the both the dry signal as well as the transducer/Piezo signal but in order to hear the mix you must have a second amp plugged into R output. I did not experiment with a slitter jack into one amp. I Imagine it should work. Just figure I'd mention it because some people mite think that the GK-3 switch may be broken as I did.This should be on the first Page of the manual. IMO. Who wants to go hunting for the answer to this problem in that fat manual. I just want to play. Love the sounds out of this unit. Thanks my friend. c];-D
Hi Tony, I purchased a GR55 and I am disappointed thus far. My first go at was with a Godin SA nylon ac acoustic...tracking issues....I then purchased a Fender GC1 thinking a GK3 pickup would make things all better. It has not so far....I am fooling around with settings but as u know, 8 million menu's.... I have a bundle of cash tied into this thing now..... Hope all is well with u. Thanks for the review. Regards.
The GK-3 pickup has to be set up EXACTINGLY correct with spacing and location. I did a video of that on my channel. What I found was the setup of the pickup AND the style of playing (as always with synth tones) is critical to the result. There can be tracking type issues then. Even on this video there are a few. There IS a program out there by a third party that makes the GR-55 nice... I'm sure I showed it on this video so check again... it worked wonderfully. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the great review - your flat-out honesty beats the over-produced Roland propaganda. I was curious about the piano sounds because my current Roland synth (GR33) has bad tracking on piano sounds which is a pity, because it is the one sound that would be great for creativity. Still, it seems that overall the GR55 has slightly better tracking. Thanks again. I look forward to any equipment reviews you do in the future!! Regards John
@tonymckenziecom hello i was wondering if you were using the same guitar/ GK3 pup for both the VG 99 the GR55? i was having trouble with note tracking at first but after adjusting things im getting rid of most of the note tracking problems in this video
Hi Tony, Just by way of clearing the air I apologise for my hot head response to your review. Correct, it is good to get all views on a product so I say, hand on heart, your review did look at all aspects and made people aware that maybe it is not as easy to use as the pro's make out. So, the positive points to come out of this is that the GC-1 certainly seems to be a better way to go unless you really want to play about with too many settings. I found that a tweak of the sensitivity and correcting the actual bridge-to-pickup distances made a difference straight away. Piano sounds do take a bit of work and force you to be more accurate with your playing but hey, that can't be a bad thing. For me, playing guitar in a large dance band WITHOUT a keyboard player, it is a good extension to the overall sound and songs like Abba's Money Money Money and Glenn Miller's String of Pearls certainly sound better with the extra sounds. Horses for courses I suppose. I would suggest anybody who is unsure, go and try one in-store first. If you can't do that and you are near Nottingham I'll be glad to demo the unit. So, with a truce called I wish you all the best and will look at other reviews you have done. All the best. Martin
Martin Belcher Hey listen Martin - I don't mind your views at all and did not take them in any other way than how you intended :) I do appreciate most guys coming to this channel and watching this stuff. You would not believe how much it costs me to buy the gear and make these videos! and I purposely will not monetise them no matter what for the benefit of the viewers. The pickup TBH in my view is ultra critical to get the best out of this (and the other units) unit and I actually made a video on the fitting of that. The GC-1 probably is as good as you can get in that regard. Fitting the GK-3 to a strat is at best extremely difficult. The PRS custom 24 it worked on for me was so much easier to fit and setup. The GR-55 is not a 'bad' piece of gear and some of the stuff (for me) worked great. Anyone who buys one without trying it (if they can) I would say is not doing the gear justice really. There are some bad things on the unit for sure and I was rather a bit disappointed as this GR-55 could have been one awesome piece of equipment - better in a number of respects where they seemed to 'cut back' perfection in some areas. In other areas it was a good or great unit. Trust me, when a unit like this is bad (in my opinion) I will undoubtedly say so in no uncertain terms - this would have scored five or less if it was c***. Martin honestly... you don't need a truce :) there was no war LOL. You have used the unit in anger (so to speak) and you will have gained a far different perspective (with what you do) than me simply doing an Inside and Out review. Each perspective has its place on this video as comments and I do think both are very valid so don't feel awkward about anything... it remains a privilege to have guys like you come here! Best regards - and I really mean that too.
Have you ever used or reviewed Sonuus i2m or G2m version 2? Could this be a better alternative to GR55? It is way cheaper than the GR55. I know it's monophonic, but you don't need that ugly pickup or spend money buying a hex pickup or guitar with hex pickup and you can play single notes seemingly as well either though a music keyboard or virtual instrument on the computer. This product is made in the UK. What are your thoughts if any?
I could be Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord at the same time! Maybe even Roger Glover as well? If I was going to spend big on a Roland gadget I wonder which would give me more joy. The GR 55 or the VG 99, I like the idea of a guitar synth but I may be more tempted by the modelling thing. While I make up my mind maybe they'll amalgamate the two and have it running on an i phone. Nice honest clip. Ta very much.
Thanks for the review Tony. I've been looking at these fro a while now. Decided to get a real synth instead. I think this thing would frustrate me too much.
I would agree with that for sure. Personally I felt the shortcoming of two separate outputs would lead guys away from it somewhat, also (depending on the patch) the change in method of playing might not suit that many people. Its a pity, because if you use a VG-99 (which this is supposed to be a derivative) that unit is nigh on perfect.
I have the magic box already and my GK3 arrives tomorrow :) whoohoo i have an old godan LGXAA but it is 10 years old and only has the acoustic bridge pickup:( really looking forward to my GK3 coming!!
yep you are correct. after fitting the gk3 I took my neck off and shaved down 1.5mm off the neck mounting to slant the neck back a bit. works perfect. the sounds suck bad for the most part but after a month of tweaking it is very good. great vid. I found it is worth the cash if you are ready to commit many hours on floorboard to set it up:)
Yes I agree, but it does take some doing. I originally sold this blue one... but you know what, I bought another but a black one this time :) so it can't all be bad or I would have never gone back to it. Pretty useful overall.
Well of course figuratively speaking LOL. What I really inferred was they you could use the GR-55 for the most part even without a manual, but I do concede that if you really want depth its in the manual for sure... Thanks for watching.
hello God Bless just got a ? ..How do i make my regular guitar pick ups sound... i select guitar on the gk 3 and i dont get no sound at all..can it be a special setting in the GR 55..THx let me know
@marathonman305 I have mine set up on my electric acoustic because i play fingerstyle & it works fine. (After i set it up correctly!!) It's worth more than £600 IMHO!! =)
Great demo, thanks. I tried one at Axe guitar...about $900 after you get all the necessary do-dads. I figure i'd only ever use about $200 worth of the effects. Way...way..way too complicated but to learn and to control. Life all mfx pedals i wish they would strip them down to the actual 25% of features that 95% of guitarists are ever going to actually use. Hint Roland..MORE IS NOT BETTER!! In 5 years these will be at garage sales for $25...the more digital the quicker it becomes obsolete.
WOW, you're really rambling! One reason you may not get many desirable patches is your headline states the use of a BOOGIE Gtr amp? You REALLY need to go stereo into a P/A or 2 Roland KC Keyboard amps spread apart for a sweet stereo spread. Goodluck😊
Hmmm... I don't know of other ways to communicate do you? Most people that come here want to see what I do in my videos... if you simply want to listen to it being played over and over the whole of RU-vid is at your command. I don't do 'twiddling for hours' reviews sorry. BTW The GR-55 is for GUITAR... and most guys play through their guitar amp. I deleted your second comment. It was rather disrespectful bearing in mind it's my channel and I spent hard earned money on the device so I could review it for reasonable people that want to learn more about the unit under review. You clearly don't need any advice about the GR-55 but maybe some re manners on other peoples channel so I guess that this channel is not really for you. Thanks for watching.
I used a guitar with a GK-3 Pickup (roland pickup) but you can use that or say a roland ready fender etc. The price varies with country but I think (USA) is $599 and UK £479 approx. May be less these days. Also check the new GP-01 from roland being reviewed soon.
It's not a bad sounding unit, but I could never purchase one of those... I love technology, digital things, signal chains and all of the stuff that many shy away from. I love a good challenge, but I would rather find a synth player then incorporate this into my rig. Seems like a waste of time really. First find a good guitar tone, then a good synth tone, then work out when to use which and how to click them on and off at the right times? It looks like a fun product, but it's not for me
Tony, I have a GR-55 and used it to great effect in a covers band for 2 years. I used to have a GR-20 slave to a GT-8 which worked well but got the 55 so it all came in one box. Amp and guitar sims alongside 2 PCM tones plus your own guitar and amp if you want. You really have to approach the 55 with an open mind rather than as a guitarist and also adapt your playing style. if you are prepared to work at it, it is a very powerful device. I can go from playing in the style of Van Halen to being the horn section, wurly organ, synth or any one of a different type of guitar amp combo at one pedal press in one small box. Dial in a Tele and I can be Andy Summers, a 335 and I'm Dave Grohl, a LP with DADGAG and I'm Jimmy Page. Even open G with no bottom E string for Keef. All without changing my guitar once. My favourite patch so far is for Comfortably Numb which starts with Synth swells, adds in acoustic guitar and strings, then choir "ahhs" and finally a Strat through a Marshall. 3 PCM sounds and 2 guitar/amp combos in one patch!! The other guitarist plays the solo but I can put down a hell of a wall of sound behind him. Yes the presets are crap, the patch switching is slow, the tracking takes patience and clean technique is essential but there is far more than your short video suggests and I think it really is a poor representation of the unit. I, like you, was originally disappointed with it "out of the box" (which is typically Roland), but work at it and it's a great piece of kit if you want to cover many styles and are prepared to work at it. Incidentally, whilst the "floorboard" editor is great I quickly learned to edit via the menus, as you need to know the unit inside out when you are rehearsing or on stage. Once you find your way it's as easy as using the PC software. It also works as an audio player and a USB sound card too hooked up to my PC and my PA for practice at home. If you only need a Les Paul though a Marshall to play ACDC all night it's not for you, but in a band covering varying styles and instruments it can go some way to making up for the keys player we all want to find but can't. And in one very compact unit. Sorry this turned out so long but really there is so much more to this unit than you have suggested. I hope you give it a proper try soon.
+Paul Stubbs Hi Paul I certainly get your point... I used a VG99 like that. And of course the tracking is not perfect. As you say it does come back to technique and the same technique applied to a number of Roland bits of gear. Not sure if I mentioned the streaming on this video it was a while ago (something in the back of my mind says I said it did not stream but I do know that it can). Please understand that I have only so much time on most videos and to cover every last aspect of ANY product is extremely difficult to do. I can't show everything. Indeed, I take the gear (having never used it before you see me do that) just as a brand new unfamiliar user would - and I make a point of doing that so that you see on the video what you might well experience yourself when you get it out of the box. Even the standard patches are used (I apply that to all gear) because it could be argued that no maker would make equipment that is 'world class' then go and screw it up intentionally with 'cr*p' pre-sets. In fact I recently bought another of these GR-55's to play around with a bit - this time a black one (it makes no difference :) ) and was surprised that when Windows 10 came out that the drivers did not work. It took Roland some time to even confirm they would be supporting Windows 10 which surprised me even more. Thankfully they did release an updated driver to support that OS (bearing in mind Microsoft say that will be the last OS they will ever release it was a very important factor). I still have a GR-20 which had a really great Sax on it but everything else paled in to insignificance compared to the GR-55 as a direct comparison and the GR-20 had not good tracking even if you played it slow in my experience. I still like the VG-99 which I reckon will be on the books from Roland for an update soon. Its a unit that can sound really good depending on what you are doing, but I do have to say that it is more guitar orientated. The GP-10 and the SY-300 are also both worth a mention although the GP-10 is nearer the GR-55 than say the SY-300 is by a long way. If I was to look at all these today, the biggest lacking of the GR-55 is the inability to connect over the net to those sound downloads as the GP-10 does which helps tremendously, but the GP-10 lacks in not having regular banks. The SY-300 is a different beast, but the main improvement is in getting rid of the GK pickup which it does a great job of. I do feel that the SY-300 has the interface of the future compared to ANY of the Roland stuff that uses the GK style pickup. In any case we shall see. Thanks for your comments and views which always help other guys (let alone me!) because any of my reviews are but a snapshot of a user that basically opens the box and uses the gear. No one seems to do that in the way that I do and I'm sure that your comments help others too. Thanks for watching.
+Paul Stubbs I have to say that I do approach the Roland synth pedals as a guitarist. I don't play keyboard and never have. But that's a very useful thing when someone is reviewing any of these pedals you (or I) have mentioned. They are ALL intended for guitarists. I am absolutely no different than the 'average' guitarist out there and I really do approach the unit (whatever it is) as a guy who just bought one and is looking through it himself - the result is a video that might well reflect the majority of potential buyers for the product in question. The fact is that the sounds (out of the box) are subjective and to assume that Roland 'put out bad sounds' relies on that subjectivity. My comment is based on sound business acumen where I know of no multi million pound company intentionally doing that - indeed in my opinion Roland (let's call them that) will have thought those sounds very representative of their hardware for sure. You are exactly right about each product not 'interfering' with sales of the next (or last) in the series and I completely agree... it's back to business reasoning really. Regarding the 'demonstrators' that's all fine if you are substantially better than most ordinary guys so in some ways those reviews (and I'm not singling out Roland - they are all as bad) are in fact misleading. Regular guys don't get those results for some considerable time if ever. I agree that the guitar synth market is a little 'strange' in the respect that it is very more niche than almost any other aspect of playing guitar. And I do think that is partly because guitarists generally love the 'immediacy' of what a guitar offers as you play while most (but not all) of the synth stuff requires a different technique than what the regular guitarist usually gets along with. You will know what I mean. The synths have always intrigued me but like I said I'm absolutely no synth guy but I do know when you get it all right then there are some wonderful musical additions that can be added to a guitarists arsenal of tones. If only these things simply played and felt like a regular guitar play without either the hang up's of interfaces, changes in technique and the rest then they would be an instant hit for the masses. I don't think that will happen any time soon unfortunately because it's inherent in the technology... a keyboard IS different than a guitar. The GR-55 might well have stuff on the forums - but you must agree (well maybe :) that it would be improved considerably if it had the internet capability that later gear does have. On value I think the £250 I paid for a second user as new one was worth it. But the original retail price (that I paid for the one in this review) was not justified for me. But it might be to others - I am sure Roland sold loads... later to be resold to guys like me for £250 ($350). While searching for drivers Roland did come out with a Windows 10 hit list of what they were going to offer by way of drivers and I was VERY surprised at just how much gear would no longer be supported. Disappointing for many I am sure bearing in mind that Windows 10 will be the 'last windows release' ever Microsoft said. And Windows 10 is pretty cool (I've used every Microsoft OS since inception and Win 10 probably is the best to date but Win 7 was very good). Anyway Paul... good points and thanks for the contribution... I always like decent input from other guys it makes everything better for readers that come and read all this stuff. Regards.
In my opinion the GR-55 is worth twice the asking price so I agree it's not worth the asking price since it is worth much much more. :-) I have a GR-30 & paid about the same price when I got into it. I am not a Pick user (I am a fingerpicker guy) so I have never had trouble with the tracking as I have been able to simply "take" what I want from the strings. Thank you for the review - The floorboard software was a great eyeopener.
The GR55 is not a simple effect unit, it takes time and effect to understand the possibilities, how to set the patches up and crucially how to set up the sensitivity to avoid any extraneous sounds on synth patches. I think opinion will always be polarised, some will love it, some will hate it. I LOVE IT ...it is an amazing piece of kit but takes some work :)
Hi Tony, Nice review and nice studio ! I would like to know how the latency is. I think I can hear the latency very good when you use the piano sound and the organ sound. I hear the guitarstrum clearly before the piano/organsound starts. Am I right ?
Is there a mic input? can a vocalist use this unit and have access to all those sounds like a guitarist? Great truthful vid, thanks so much for sharing.
I'm searching 4 a all in one pedal and cheap! lol But still after all these years (i'm starting 2 play guitar again (after 15 years) there is nothing changed by wires. Why is no one thinking on the mess of cables? Why is Roland a leader in electronics not be able 2 make just one cable for everything? I mean one input (guitar) and one output with a patchbay (multiconnector or wathever, even wireless)???
thx i did,nt think it was as great as they make it sound.. the thing with Roland is like Macs u could probably get it for half price as soon as the next unit comes out i bought their first digital 8 trk for 12000 quid in a year and a half it was down to 4000 quid i still have it to remind myself to always wait with roland
May I ask you, can you use the GK55 only (it's not cheap that way I know) as a normal guitarefxpedal to? Or does it take only the sound of the GKpickup? I got an old GR50 and a ART MACH2 in a flightcase but I wanne sell that stuff becausse an all in one pedal is slim & easyer than a lot of materials and or cables... is this a good idea or not?
If you are getting extra notes your sensitivity is set wrong. If the tracking is delayed then most likely the distance to your bridge is not set correctly in the settings assuming the pick up height is correct or vice versa. I spent most of an afternoon getting these settings correct and I have no issues what so ever with the tracking on any sound.
For those of you having trouble with the tracking on this; it's not the synth it's your pick up set up. You must set your pickup exactly; let me say that again, exactly as instructed. That includes distance to the string, the distance from your bridge to each pick up and the sensitivity of each string. Even any of these settings are wrong you are going to have issues.
if you have a midi card in your computer consider trying the You rock guitar..i have a first generation and its pretty decent...however most of the onboard sounds are pretty bad and the usb is much to slow for quick responsive midi triggers..one thing i will warn anyone who reads this about is you cannot do pulloffs or bends..the fretboard is rubber with pressure sensitive pads on every fret..its still feels like you are playing a guitar but not at the same time
I bought 55 grams Roland, I connected via MIDI keyboard, but no vulnerability to have no sound, how to do ?. There will be some work to do in the 55 gr?
+Pasquale Parise Pasquale it is difficult for me to give you advice in this way. I did ask you to do this: Ensure that the midi is on the same channel... or Omni. Difficult to diagnose from here. Remember?
Hi all. I really do have to take issue with this somewhat negative review. Like you I looked at so many reviews of this unit before purchasing. Your comments were the only one that made me doubt my purchase but I took the plunge and bought the GR55 and a GC-1 Fender Strat. As soon as I fired it up I managed to get good sounds and excellent tracking. The key is if you are using a piano sound DONT TRY AND PLAY IT LIKE A GUITARIST!!!! you can't bend on a vibraphone and expect it to sound great. Piano should be played finger style, using the CTL switch as a pianist would use a sustain pedal. Editing on the pedal is far more simple than you make out in this review (Am I really the IDIOT here?). I haven't even read the manual and already I have created some great sounds used on stage with the big band I play with. AND that is where you use the USER patches, to store your ON STAGE sounds. The modelled guitar sounds are SUPERB and again easy to edit. The only negative I have is the 13 pin lead is a bit touchy but if you use a lead clip to keep it out of the way you get no issues. Alex Hutchins, Robert Marcello, Gundy Keller...thank you for your POSITIVE reviews and demos that made me purchase this unit. Tony McKenzie, can I respectfully suggest you spend a bit more time with this unit before you make such a negative judgement call. I've had my unit for 3 weeks only. Want to hear what I've produced? And I am not a great guitarist by any stretch of the imagination. www.dropbox.com/s/133ljqo2x983y85/GR55%20Try-out.mp3?dl=0
Martin Belcher Well clearly you like the unit. That's OK and I have no issues with that. However, there are many 'features' that are not too good. Use the looper... switch off and yep... its gone. Now honestly, that's not really much use! Every point I made on this video was a genuine point. The tracking is not perfect no matter what and I have only found ONE Roland product that is... its called a VG99. Use one of those for tracking then come to the GR-55 and you will see yourself then that the tracking on this unit is nowhere near the same... BTW I used the GK-3 pickup that appears to differ from what you used? You used a GC-1 which is a different setup than Roland Boss supplied. Secondly setting up the GK-3 takes a great deal of time and won't even fit some guitars. I am fully aware of the ways that synths etc. have to be played when using this unit. What I would say is that you step back a little, don't listen too carefully at PAID reviews and consider the much wider picture. When you review products as I do I try to be completely unbiased toward or against the product and my findings are genuine at the time of the review. Every single review costs me the money to buy the gear... I have ZERO interest in promoting or otherwise of the equipment and that's exactly why many guys do watch my reviews. Indeed I owned the equipment just as you do. I do have to say that you are probably one of about three guys that don't like this review? As I said, step back a little from just one very focussed view and appreciate that I have to tell the whole truth... the good and the not so good points on every review and as the GK-3 pickup and the looper (?) will testify this unit is far from the perfection you have suggested. I like Roland and Boss gear. Indeed I'm reviewing two new products this month that I have personally bought and am waiting for delivery so I'm hardly someone who just 'trashes' gear for the sake of it... I have far better things to do than that. In any case thanks for watching and for your valid input as a user of the GR-55. I later sold mine.
***** I own one Black GR-55 and agree with most of your review, also it is quite expensive. What I can add is that the acoustic effects (specially emulated 12 string guitars) sound great. But you are right, COSM amps and distortions sound electronic and artificial, at least out of the box, I prefer my GT-8 so far. I´m wondering if there is a way of improving the sound by custumising the crunches and distortions and using the mag pickups... further experimentation needed...
richarmony Well I take those as they come and mess about a bit... but they are what they are and over time will improve... but I always think that without some effects on there they do sound not that great too. The stuff can't be expected to be perfect on every aspect I think and for the money it's not that bad. But I did think on the guitar tones that the GT-100 was better.
+Martin Belcher I agree about the piano playing. However, THERE ARE ISSUES WITH TRACKING, *but* you can address them. Rather than me say it all again, look at my post on watch?v=KvhodDWwyFs because unless you know this, you will spend hours trying to make it play well! I watched this, knowing that it was a negative review, because people who are *so* happy don't like saying unhappy things.
I apologize if I offended you. Since the other comment is gone and I don't remember my comment, I won't comment on that one. I'm one who believes "posters" have a thick skin. Should I simply placate those I disagree with. Again my apologies, I was simply trying to add ,using the expression or volume pedal on a solo instrument can add a more lifelike feel. I've played Godin Multiacs w/SA prior to Y2K on an old GR-33. The volume really works well with brass, IMHO. And my suggestion of amplifiers was a best case or a dream senerio. I to play through my guitar amp , but I'd love an 2 Roland KC Keyboard amps to create a lush stereo field. As you know the GR -55 has stereo outs. Have a nice day sorry to have offended you.
It's OK Rod... please understand some of them on the internet are not all nice guys... It's sometimes hard for me to read what the writer intended and I'm not offended - remember I make videos for guys to watch and have to answer literally thousands of posts. It's true to say that I don't use the GR-55 by the day and bought that unit to review really. Actually I bought two of them - this blue one was the first and I sold that and later bought the black one. I understand about the swells etc. and that is useful. The GR-55 can create some really cool stuff and you are right that stereo IS the way to go, but more often than not guys just stick with the mono. I used to have a full stereo rig that would have been awesome with the GR-55 but over the years I went back to regular mono Tube amps and as you say when in stereo the unit sounds very different. Ha I have a GR-33 and the sax is wonderful on that unit :) Indeed I just released a new album and the GR-33 was used exactly for that... on track two... 'before the end of never' here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4JoKaV-cKQw.htmlm24s you will hear the sax as I fade out the track (its just a review of the CD and tracks were kept short). I did not really like much else on the GR-33 myself, but many guys do. Anyway, there you go Rod and I'll apologise back if I came across nasty... Thanks for watching.
hey man, goodvideo,i bought the gr55 a month ago and am still earning how to use it day by day, it seems that you have better tracking on your guitar than i have on my ibanez, i was wondering what way you set up the velocity and nuance settings, i have a middle of the range ibanez and the gk-3 pickup is installed correctly, but because of the tracking issues, id say 50% of the sounds are useless to me in a live enviroment, thanks!
I assume you have a tremolo on the bridge? Getting the setup of the GK-3 was the most important aspect of the whole thing. They do try and emphasise this but that GK-3 I reckon will be the issue. I never changed the settings that you are referring to at all from default, but I spent some time on that pickup... check again. Thanks for watching.
thanks for the reply, oh jst wondering aswell, do you think because i have a tremolo system it is stopping the gk pickup from working optimally, i got an expert to install the pickup, its definitely in the right place but since you say you didnt change your settings and stil got good tracking i wonder is it the tremolo. its not the most conveniant piece of equipment i have bought to say the least :)
brian bridges What I found is that the height on each segment of the GK-3 needs to be set exactly at the right height from each string... takes a bit of time to do it. But I also found that a guitar with a tremolo on it was less effective at tracking because as you move the tremolo (or maybe knock it, the string height varies a little bit and that was the culprit on one setup I had. You will notice on that guitar that firstly it was a cheap second hand guitar - and while there was a tremolo fitted it was never used and blocked.... so it was actually like a fixed bridge affair. If you don't use the tremolo then block it off underneath with a piece of wood (like they do on a Fender Clapton Strat. Hope it helps.
hi tony i watched the video all the way thru thing is i have a 72 tele with ashtray bridge and im a little worried that the distance from saddles may be a lot different from a a strat etc .as i said works grand for a lot of stuff but then it will just play random notes and also play notes that are a totally different key haha ! kind of like a ghost in the machine 'also it seems like there is a little latency maybe i havnt got settings right . thanks again tony .
hi tony great video i was just wondering if u knew anything bout the tracking ? i just bought it and find there is issues with the tracking like sometimes i play piano and it sounds like its of tune or its hitting notes im not even playing. i have been playing with the settings but still cant seem to get it . am i missing something here ? tell ya the truth its doin my frikin head in .!! anyway any help would be appreciated .. thanks t
Nice demo, Tony, that thing makes some incredible sounds, thanks friend. Does not seem so complicated as you explained it. The add on software has a much better presentation that what Roland sends out. It is kind of pricey as you said. I think my next device will be the line 6 500 HD or the Boss GT10. Great review, friend.
Man there's just one thing I wanna know: does it have good distortion sounds? good amp simulations and all that shit? because yeah getting a piano sound is awesome but a good distortion is the most important thing to me, and I don't feel like spending thousands and thousands on a real gigantic tube amp
Hi! would the GK3 pickup still work properly if I placed it right in front of the bridge pickup rather than in-between the bridge pickup and the bridge? I have piezo wires running from the saddles of the bridge to the opening of the bridge pickup so there is no space for the GK3 pickup to be placed in that slot....thanks!
Good review but hide them :D. I'm an amateur and all my stuff is 1/4 inch jack to USB (so i'm using guitar rig 5 as amp presets and ableton live as my DAW). I'm new to the actual physical things so would i just buy a pedal board and hook them all up to that and that goes into my physical amp and that amp would be split into guitar to amp and amp to PC?
i bought it to have acoustic , classical and electric guitar in one. I do not using any other sound and this unit works perfect!!! In my opinion is better to buy rg55 then any of variax guitar which sound of acoustic or cl;assical guitar in variax they dont sound so good like in rg55.
Hi, I'm thinking of buying the GR55 also to fit to my electro-acoustic, have you had any tracking issues? seeing as the GR55 is aimed at electric ( solid body ) guitars I guess.
I have an older unit, a GR-09 and I can tell you from personal experience that a bass or keyboard amp is the way to go for your "wet" signal. I'm sending the synth-only sound to a Peavy KB-100 and the Guitar Out goes to a Line6 Spider 150 2x12.
Hello sr, I thinking about selling my expensive guitar and buying this marvelous device, for the synth the looping the effects everything... the thing is.. a friend told me he played the previous version and it had an issue with latency, is that now gone? is it the best guitar synth at this point? thanks in advance!
I just bought a GR 55 yesterday, and I am quite impressed with the tonal qualities, however. I have one problem that I need help with and can't quite find the answer on the internet: I can only have the sound of the GR playing by itself, as in I can't mix it with my guitar sound. Is there any special way to make sure everything is wired correctly?
Hi Tony, I'd like to add something here about the fitting of the GK pickup. Anyone out there thinking of getting one of these units should download the user manual first and make sure the pickup can actually fit your guitar without any serious modifications. I recently attained a GR-55 with GK-3 pickup at a ridiculously low price second hand. When I got the thing home I found that there's not enough space between the bridge and the guitar pickup to fit the GK pickup. Rolands 'solution' for this is (quote) "In such instances, it may be possible to attach the pickup by modifying the guitar (for example, by moving the bridge pickup more towards the neck to make room for the divided pickup); consult your guitar dealer." This may be fine if your guitar only cost you a little less than 100€ but, in my case, I play a guitar that I paid a considerable amount more for. Am I really expected to take a hammer and chisel to it to make room to fit the pickup?! Yep... I should've checked first... but I didn't so, just passing this on so, hopefully, someone else can avoid making the same stupid mistake. Anyone wanna buy a GR-55? I should also add that, according to the installation instructions, the pickup should be no further than 20mm away from the bridge (a diagram indicates that this would be the distance from where the strings pass over the saddle). Even if I were prepared to butcher my guitar and move the bridge pickup, the closest I could possibly mount the GK to the bridge would be 25mm. So, if you play a Charvel Jackson, don't buy a GK-3!
I completely agree. I made a video of fitting the GK3 to a guitar here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XUPwYIy65lY.html and I did talk about problems on other guitars at the time. I wanted it fitted on my Stratocaster, but ended up with it on a PRS Custom 24 (which BTW it fits perfectly on to). They can be very difficult to fit and also they can be aggravation if not set up to exactly what Roland say re distances etc. Mine works very well but as you say it is something that I guess few would 'butcher' their guitar for. Great point - and thanks for watching. Its always great to hear when guys have exactly the sort of issues that I did!
For live with the Roland units my favorite amp was the QSC K12s. I don't think they sound that good into a guitar amp, low end just isn't there. Just something to think about, there may be additional expenses to get the sound. BTW, I found you by watching your amp build, thanks, great stuff. Made me decide to buy the simple kit from him, before trying one of the more complex amps.
I have a GR-30, turned me off of guitar synth as a live instrument. I will still use the unit for recording once in a while into a Alesis Q2. The main trick is to not play it like you would a guitar, or to try to get it to sound like a specific instrument. It needs it's own technique. Accept it as not a guitar or a synth. I also have a VG-8, great unit for making demo's, saves time of not having to mic or change guitars. Both units are also great coloring agents, I imagine the GR-55 is too.
Got a lot of useful stuff from your review, so thanks. One note though, on your comment about the protruding 1/4" jack sockets being there because they didn't bother to finish it properly. I've actually found that pretty useful, as, facing the front of the unit, it makes it easier to see where the lead plugs in. Thought maybe that is the reason they left the sockets sticking out like that.
Like you, I had issues with this right out of the box using a Godin LGXT as the controller. Then I read in the manual that there is a procedure for adjusting the sensitivity of the pickups as there are several different guitars out there, like LGXT, that have built in controls. After following the procedure it was much better. All in all you did a good job on this... and yeah, the roland librarian is nothing to write home about that is for sure - thanks to your video, I will be using the floorboard program from now on. Cheers!
Yes, I did spend time on the pickup. But TBH I used the exact same pickup that I use on a VG-99 and it had zero issues on the VG-99. You should try one of those if you get a chance... its much better. Used with a FC-300 the pair are nigh on perfection... well nearly :-). Thanks for those comments and for watching - its appreciated.
I wanted something like this, but it costs 3 times more than gt10, and the micro gk3 thing is too much. I just want to plug and play. but then you have orchestra things and so much seducing stuff like jazz trio .. I can't make up my mind.
Many guys love this unit. My advice though, is to take the unit as it comes and try and 'work it in to your playing' styles. None of these units are really perfect in every way in my opinion, but I do think they are certainly worth a go... trying one first is essential. There is a lot in these units that many guys won't use, but once you find something that 'fits' then they tend to be worth every penny. Thanks for your comments and for watching.
Thanks Tony, I love your reviews, very helpful!! in this case I still enjoy this synth a lot, I had a previous one, GR 33 and I liked it a lot, but this one is much better built for touring and giging... thanks again!...
Indeed! I still have a GR33... the sax is awesome but the rest??? well I kept it for the sax and used on that Gravity Waves album I made with Alan Bruce recently. Thanks for the info and of course for watching and those kind words.
Well you can do it for sure there are many guys that do get good results... but I think the VG-99 was awesome in comparison - I have mine still but sold the GR-55.
Hello and thanks for the video! It was fun to watch and its good for me to watch your take. I've had mine for over a year and I'm still learning, so I relate to the whole confusion thing. However this is definitely not a toy. It's true, it's not just plug n play, as you mentioned.In the manual it explains how to set up dif guitars for sensitivity,as well as nuance and velocity clip which will be different for every guitar and for every player. This meant to me, I must read the manual,
I'm liking your video review for the GR-55. I have this myself, and I was wondering how you were able to play your electric guitar's pickups with the synth sounds without having to attatch the synth to another amplifier?
