Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com:
Often incorrectly cited as the "world's first guitar synth" (it wasn't - the Innovex "Condor GMS" system predates it by seven years), the Roland GR500 guitar synth and GS500 guitar controller was certainly a first for Roland. The synth module "was a simple analog affair with Bass, Solo Synth, and String sounds based on previous Orchestral and analog mono-synths from Roland" (see VintageSynth.com). It was my understanding that the pre-MIDI era synth used some kind of 5-note polyphony (I know, weird on a 6-string guitar!) which unfortunately was not known to function fantastically in practice.
The guitar controller itself was, I believe, built for Roland by Ibanez (but feel free to correct me via the comments section below). On the example pictured, the original guitar humbucking pickup has been replaced by an open coil unit. Note the hex pickup (essentially a housing containing individual pickups for each of the strings) which is situated between the guitar pickup and the bridge. There is no neck pickup. These Roland guitars have this strange black plate in the neck pickup position (covered in this instance by a hologram) which looks like it ought to have some purpose but probably doesn't. I wonder if it was just to conceal a pickup hole that had been drilled before the Les Paul style body was destined by become a guitar synth controller.
It's not too often that these guitar and synth units come up for sale together. (There was very recently a GS500 guitar in original condition up for sale on eBay but alas it was without the synth unit). This guitar and synth pair is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a starting price of $1,050. It's an interesting museum piece, but a cumbersome piece of kit, and it's not going to be especially useful for the guitarist interested in playing guitar synth, unless they are more or less content with producing simple sound effects.
For guitar and/or synthesiser historians only!
G L Wilson
© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!
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Guitar
Roland GR500 guitar synth with GS500 guitar controller, circa 1977
guitarz.blogspot.com:
The guitar controller itself was, I believe, built for Roland by Ibanez (but feel free to correct me via the comments section below). On the example pictured, the original guitar humbucking pickup has been replaced by an open coil unit. Note the hex pickup (essentially a housing containing individual pickups for each of the strings) which is situated between the guitar pickup and the bridge. There is no neck pickup. These Roland guitars have this strange black plate in the neck pickup position (covered in this instance by a hologram) which looks like it ought to have some purpose but probably doesn't. I wonder if it was just to conceal a pickup hole that had been drilled before the Les Paul style body was destined by become a guitar synth controller.
It's not too often that these guitar and synth units come up for sale together. (There was very recently a GS500 guitar in original condition up for sale on eBay but alas it was without the synth unit). This guitar and synth pair is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a starting price of $1,050. It's an interesting museum piece, but a cumbersome piece of kit, and it's not going to be especially useful for the guitarist interested in playing guitar synth, unless they are more or less content with producing simple sound effects.
For guitar and/or synthesiser historians only!
G L Wilson
© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!
- 1984 Roland G-700 Guitar Synth With Left-handed Gr-707 Guitar Controller
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here's something special for our left-handed guitar-slinging friends out there. It's a 1984 Roland G-700 Guitar Synth with GR-707 Guitar Controller which not only is in the cooler black finish (silver was standard, red was...
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guitarz.blogspot.com Can anybody identify the guitar played by Jean-Marie Aerts, the excellent guitarist of the excellent early 1980s Belgian band TC Matic? It looks like an archtop walnut Yamaha SG with the control plate of a Les Paul Recorder...
- Kawai Houndog Taylor 4 Pickup Mij Slide Guitar $275 In Sf Bay Area
I had oneof these Kawai Hound Dog guitars a few years back and I really liked the raunchy slide tone - and these things are built like tanks. $275 is about what they go for now - I think I paid $200 for mine back then. This one looks fairly complete....
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