Roland GR-20

This little gem produces quality right out of the box. There are many ways to alter the waveform and modulation of each patch, but you cant really alter the base tone of the patch. That is probably its only weakness. This thing is a breeze to use.

I am using a roland-ready stratocaster. I run the standard 1/4 inch guitar jack into a Boss GT-10 and the 13 pin synth jack into the GR20.
I use Roland cube monitors on the left and right outputs of the GR20. The sound has incredible depth and separation. I tried using different amps (Line 6 Spider, Cyber-twin,Roland jazz chorus) but the little Roland Cube monitors are the ticket. (Not the roland cube amps, but the cube monitors they are different items.) Using the monitors instead of amps allowed the GT10 and GR20 to keep their rich tones.

This is my third GR20. My first 2 I bought on EBay and they had problems when I got them. I just bought a new one and hopefully it will last a long time. It does feel fragile I wish roland would invest a little more in a sturdier chasis for their great electronics.

I have never dealt with Roland on a personal level.

I play neo-classical and classical-jazz fusion.
I have been playing 32 years and this little unit is my favorite pedal of all time without question. I dont use the pianos, organs, brass etc, as their own sound, but rather use them more like a pad, my guitar signal decays into a hint of a percussion, woodwind, etc. It just gives me this massive beautiful tone. The only thing I dislike is that some of the patches are waste filler patches.
If it were stolen or lost I would have a new one within a week.

I am not a techno guy, but it was easy to set up and get going. I already had a synth ready guitar so that was helpful. Manual is OK.

I have a synth ready Turner Model 1 and play the synth mostly through a Carvin AG1000 amp just because I get a clean sound. I know some use cheap guitars to mount the included split pickup on, but make sure you have a guitar that stays in tune. The Turner is a real luxury and I feel unworthy of it to be honest. Some of the sounds are off the hook, sax and strings in particular, but also some good keyboard sounds. When people see the gorgeous koa Turner guitar and hear the sounds that come out of the Roland, they are really blown away.

Seems good so far, but is still quite new. Probably more trustworthy than the Carvin amp!

No cause for customer support yet.

I play fingerstyle and have for 35 years or so, many genres, and the Roland really opens up a lot of new sounds for me. I experiment with different sounds and songs, and sometimes things just fit well. It is easy to save favorites sounds to the user bank and pull them up for a particular song. It is a luxury and I am not a pro, so probably would not replace it if stolen. Keep in mind this thing hates harmonics, so you cannot be sloppy or too aggressive or you will get all kinds of garbage.

ROLAND has decided to go for a stomp box kind of ease since they know that guitarists are no experts in synth technology.The layout of the controls is...minimalist.Just 2 knobs..one for bank select and one for sound select.Basic FX like reverb,chorus've their own knob so u dont've to surf thru banks of FX.Using this gadget is a no-brainer.
Editing patches is also extremely simple,but keep in mind that they dont offer in depth synthesis.Just utter basics like attack/release,EQ,reverb/delay on a patch.
Please keep in mind that using this gadget demands very clean finger technique.MIDI is unforgiving.it doesnt understand fret noise,muted notes etc.Either its a note or its not.If u use muting,pinch harmonics etc,midi'll just generate some awful junk notes.U'll need to clean up your sloppy finger techniques if u want to get any useful sounds out of it.(there's a bit of a learning curve,but its worth it).
manual is simple and to the point.

I/m using a chinese strat imitation guitar brand called J&D.Its a cheap guitar,but neck is smooth.Guitar's pickups are OK,but in this case,it doesnt matter cos u need to use roland GK pickup as input into GR20.this gadget is totally noise free!(even considering that i use a cheap local made guitar amp).BIG PLUS POINT:The internal synth sounds are surely mind boggling.they open up an endless ocean of creativity.Orchestral,ethnic,pad sounds really stand out as flawless.guitarists please keep this in mind:Sounds such as sitar,sax,violin r unbelievably realistic,but please dont try to shred on these patches.U r supposed to imitate those instruments techniques if u want any realistic results.
FX:As i already mentioned,u dont really've a wide range of FX in this gadget.Roland has assumed that most guitarists already've FX units,so they've focused on giving u the raw synth sounds.U can process the output of GR20 wit an FX box if u like.The reverb/delay FX in this unit r too simple but atleast usable.the only control u've is more/less of rev/dly.There r no internal controls over rvb room type or dry/wet.EQ is also very basic.Just a cutoff & resonance control.
REALLY COOL:This gadget has midi out,so u can play external synths/sequencer software synhs thru it.This measn the possibilities are endless!

Lemme warn u that this gadget is made of plastic.it surely wont sustain ruf use on stage like stomping on it.The glide/hold pedals look really weak.I'm scared to even wear shoes when i'm using the exp/glide/hold pedals.This thing is very delicate.considering the money i paid for it,i look after it with a lot of care,so its safe in my hands.But any rock/metal guitarists would stomp it into the ground in no time.

havent needed it so far.

I/m quite diverse in my music styles.played rock/metal for a no of years,got tired of it,moved into flamenco & indian classical for a while.Ever since guitar acquired midi capability wit GR20,i've moved heavily into electronic music like trance,rave,techno etc.midi is a whole new world for me so i'm tripping on all its features!i've been playing for 8 years,have a zoom 707II also.
i love: the endless creative possibilites this opens up for me in terms of sounds,the arrangement possibilites wit midi & the chance to drive people crazy when i'm live.Crowd goes mad when they hear all kinds of electronic sounds coming out of a guitar.
i hate:LATENCY ISSUES:the tracking on 1,2,3,4 strings re perfect.U can go upto 140 bpm(16th notes) with no issues,but u get some funny unintended notes beyond that.this is gud enuff.But the latency on 5th & 6th strings is so bad that its unusable.(manual says that its a law of physics that it takes a long time to detect pitch of bass notes,so its not a defect.)In any case,u almost cant play any melodies on lower strings,so m a bit grumpy bout that.
When using midi out to drive an external synth,there's a small delay.usually u wont notice it cos synth sounds r not exactly meant for shredding,but its annoying when it misses so many notes when u play 16th notes at even 120 bpm.So i just end up using texture pad/arpeggiated trance sounds on which u cant make out any delay.
Compared it to axon ax100.Inspite of all its 'great reviews',its more expensive than gr20.Also,there's no way axon could beat roland in sound realism.however,axon might've low latency as a +point.
Guitarists,pls explore the amazing world of midi! it'll make u a better songwriter,arranger.U'll also develop better finger technique as midi guitar is unforgiving.

Very little is menu driven. Most of the unit's features are controlled by real knobs and switches like the stomp boxes of the 70's. Most of the patches are quite satisfactory in their original state, so editing is not a big issue for me; tweaking the parameters is an easy process, however.

The manual is comprehensive and easy to follow. There are no glitches so commonly seen when there has been a translation from another language.

The samples and sound quality are very good. For me, however, the least realistic patches are the guitars. Players have to keep in mind the nature of the instruments they are imitating; if you set it for piccolo and play power chords, it's going to sound a little weird. I consider myself to be a pretty klutzy player, but I've experienced very few unwanted sounds. Individual string sensitivity and "play feel" settings can accomodate all playing techniques.

The first one out of the carton did not pick up the B string. The retailer (Sam Ash) immediately replaced it and the second unit is flawless.

A telephone inquiry with a Roland technician prior to purchase was very productive.

I'm using it with a guitar that has the Roland pickup built in, so installation error was not a factor. I feel that any perceived latency problems can be corrected with changes in the attack setting. All in all, it's a great toy that delivers reliable, professional effects.

Hear GR20 samples on tribute site - myspace\kimcarnesmutantdoppler
GR20 is a GREAT TOY, and has some good synth sounds that are a BLAST to thicken, add texture for an impressive WALL OF SOUND. I was immediately able to add piano on GR-20 guitar synth on one song. Since piano chords are constucted differently than guitar chords, the sound is a bit different, but GR-20 adds spice. You can stream the midi into Cakewalk Sonar to change or add 1 or more layers using favored soundfonts or DXi / VST sounds or effects.

A COMPLAINT is that the cord curls up into knots within 30 minutes. Embossed black legends on the black plastic case are hard to read.
GR20 has 5-pin DIN-5 midi ports but lacks USB midi port.

Tip - Set the unit to ALWAYS transmit in poly mode (all notes on 1 channel. Why? Although GR-20 synth output handles note bends OK in mono (6-channel mode), the streaming midi output note duration
and bends is inaccurate and unusable for recording (and probably also unusable to sending to an external synth). By contrast, the streaming midi from poly mode has accurate note duration tracking, and although omits note bends, poly mide streaming midi is usable for recording, for layering sounds in Cakewalk Sonar, or routing to an external synth. I found Piano - Patch 4 (in poly mode) gives the most accurate streaming midi, which I was able to layer sounds during live performance in Cakewalk Sonar (and presumably would also work OK for an external synth). Streaming midi for midi recording or for layering live performance tracks works much better in poly mode, despite lacking note bends, because the streaming midi note duration data is far more accurate in poly mode.

I like over 20 of the GR20 patches. GR20 has several impressive lead synth, keyboard, brass and wind sounds. The Sax samples are superb.

Using GR20 at a gig is a bit dicey. You must adjust your style (avoid fast changes, also, GR20 does not like harmonics), find a setup that gives good sound without GR20 tracking errors and squeals
(use Poly mode), and then remember what patches go with what songs (use GR20 user bank).

When dialing in a new patch, you must adjust volume, chorus etc to get a proper sound. This problem is avoided by storing the corrected patch in the user bank, which automatically saves and loads the
revised presets whenever the user patch is retrieved.

A major advantage of the GR20 is to correct guitar tuning. Fender strats whammy bar are notorious for shifting strings slightly out of tune, but GR20 keyboard patches are superb in correcting that problem. GR20 Keyboard patches automatically shift notes to the correct semitone which gives perfect pitch and intonation, which is crucial for getting the best result. Using a GR20 keyboard patch-4 in poly mode, the streaming midi with perfect note pitch can be passed on to layer new patches in Cakewalk Sonar or an ext synth for live performance, midi recording, audio recording, or re-amping with new patches and effects.

I used GR20 as an external synth driven by Cakewalk Sonar and found that Cakewalk Sonar can drive several tracks onto 1 Gr20 patch (only 1 GR20 patch can be played at a time from GR-20 Midi In Port).

Very easy to use as a standalone and also as a VST softsynth controller.

This is the key point of my review here. Everybody keeps saying "the unit is terrible as a PC softsynth controller". Well, let me tell you that THEY ARE WRONG! To all of you people who keep saying this, try exercising this simple techniquet - try changing the patch on the unit! Yes, it's just that simple. Once you set the GR-20 to a patch that is SUPPOSED to play legato, hammer-ons, etc, - for example any horn or string patch - you will have all of the control you could ever ask for. Duh. Don't believe me, e-mail me and I will send you links to samples of my playing.

Also, you can also try adjusting the string sensitivity. Each string can be set to 6 dferent levels of sensitivity. I have mine set on the highest for the top four strings, and the aecond-highest sensitivity for the bottom two strings, and I get SUPERB control from the unit as a softsynh controller.

If you ae a real guitarist who is able to control his/her instrument, you will have no problems in any of these areas. My guess is, if you are a casual/hobbyist guitarist who tends to strum as much as you pick, you won't get the most out of this instrument. Fingerstylists and accurate plectrum users will. And I don't mean that you have to be John Williams or Paul Gilbert, either.

Sounds range from average to good to superb. There are limited but excellent electric piano and B3 organ tones. Horn and reed patched are good to excellent. Single-note string patches (violin, cello) are a little weak. Double-bass patch is excellent.

Other than the unit is mostly made of hard plastic, so would not withstand being fallen on by some heavy gear (so don't let it get fallen on!) it is sturdily constructed and solid.

As poor as has been stated. "On page XX of the manual, it says..."

I don't think this unit performs any worse than the Axon. I have watched many of the Youtube videos that demostrate the performance abilities of the GR-20 and the Axon 100, and it is obvious after watching them that their performance is comparable in terms of tracking and latency. The only area the Axon outperforms the GR-20 would be in bridge-to-neck string assignments, which is truly a unique and interesting feature.

easy to edit.poor when using external sound modules.the gr1 was very easyto set to external modules.

This is the weak point on the gr20.roland seems to go for number of sounds instead of quality of sound.The saxs,accordian and violin are good.The organs,horns and most of the other sounds are not usable on stage.

I have used many roland products most where very reliable.I still have two gr1's.both have problems,was told by roland that it was my guitar. I now have three midi guitars all have the same problem on the gr1's no problem with the gr20

If you own two units with the same problem this is most likley a disgn flaw. if so admit it

big band,country,rock&roll and gospel.Started playin in the 50's rock&roll.Play dances gospel on stage for the last 35 years. I have 4 guitars old fender strat ovation and breed love all are midi.I use the ketron x4 and korg pa50 for backup via midi pedals.The gr20 is ok for the price, If stolen would opt for the gi20

The GR-20 is definitely easy to use if you are exploring the patches for the first time. The Aptch Link feature is of great help to change patches in a live situation, but I wonder what would happen to those without a good MIDI pedal board. I miss the bank/patch buttons of my GR-1. But ot os true that, once you installed the GK-3, sounds came easy.

I based my rating considering two factors: basic sounds and "new" sounds. Basic patches are quite good, and even better for certain patches, like the smoke sax. Tracking is a real improvement over the GR-1. In fact it is so much better that I can ever use drums and percussion pads in real time, with no extra care on playing. But in some areas I am still looking... Rhodes pianos aren't there and I like the fretless bass on my GR-1 better. I guess Roland was not looking for the best sound, but for the "best for the buck" here. Now about the "new" sounds: If you are looking for original sounds, forget it. The lack of real editing wont allow you to came down with the killer patch. I guess I would keep my GR-1 for the new patches.

Don't have any real experience here, my unit is new. But, considering my old Roland equipment is working without a glitch (GR-1, GP-16, D-110, JV-880, and even a W-30) I bet this one will be the same.

Never use it. But if manuals came into this section, boy... I wonder if there is any real musician involved in those texts...

I play mostly rock, and some progressive, so probably a third of the sounds are quite useable (a big number, by any standard). I have been using guitar synths for the past 15 years. Although tracking has improved, I was expecting a little more from this unit. Probably it is perfect for those musicians looking for basic sound mimicing, and those who doesn't like to dive into synth programming. I am not a synth programmer specialist, but I would like to have some room for exploring. I would buy it again, but I am not getting rid of my GR-1.

I'm a total synth idiot. Tried in vain to get good sounds from soft synths for recording, and despite my early years of piano lessons, I'm a guitarist at heart.

The GR-20 couldn't be any simpler to get a GREAT sound from. There are over 400 stock patches that cover everything I'd ever want to use live and recorded. So easy to dial in. Just turn two knobs. And the MIDI setup for use with my POD X3 Live was a piece of cake.

Manual and quick start guides are great. Patch editing is limited, but it really gives me only what I need to edit. This is a synth for a guitarist that doesn't understand programming synth sounds.

Amazing. The piano sounds alone are worth the price of admission. Very convincing. I especially like the blended sounds of strings or horns with the pianos. Organs are very, very good. Strings and pads are just awesome. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a guitar synth.

I give this an 8 because the brass and winds really leave something to be desired, but I have to say, I do enjoy the distorted blues harp. Didn't have a way to get that sound before for a song. Now I do, and it isn't bad.

All in all, it contains every synth sound I would ever need. I mostly use pianos, organs, string and pads. But the synth lead sounds are great too.

Tracking...not bad at all. The key here is to be very careful about installing and adjusting the pickup. Be sure to do it exactly as the manual states. I have almost no perceptible latency with mine. I'm wondering if what some people are calling latency might in fact be the attack time on the patch.

It is made of plastic, except for the metal bottom. And the cable, while it looks sturdy enough, you should always have a backup. I put mine in a custom case to protect it during transport. Don't plan on stepping on it much because I control it from another unit, but under normal usage, it should last.

I play in both an 80's Hair type band and also do praise and worship music. Been playing 20+ years and use a couple of Line6 POD X3's and an Atomic Reactor 212-50, depending on which band I'm with.

I installed the GK-3 pickup on my Schecter C-1 Classic using the Les Paul bracket for the pickup and the strap button mounting bracket for the controller. Perfect fit on that guitar. Didn't even have to modify my guitar case (a hard RoadRunner case from Guitar Center).

One thing I would have liked to see come with it would have been a better cable for the magnetic pickup input. Something with a right angle jack. Not a huge problem at all, just go to the store and spend a couple of bucks for a nice one. Makes the whole setup look neatly done.

One thing to remember about getting the most from the unit is not to play your guitar like a guitar. Play it like the instrument you are emulating with the synth. Play chord inversions that are common on the piano, play piano rhythms, etc. Also, play within the register of the instrument. A flute is going to sound silly played up on your 24th fret. Won't sound like a flute at all.

All in all, aside from the Line6 PODs that I've bought over the years, this synth is probably the next most versatile piece of gear I have now. It makes me into more than just a guitarist. Now I can go to the bands and offer keys for songs that we just weren't able to do before.

This unit is designed for ease of use.Read the manual. Set up of the GK-3 pick up is crucial. Use the supplied feeler gage. Once your guitar is set up,even a string change should be no big thing.

Here is where I distance myself from the rest of these reviews. OK, you purchase a guitar synth so you can duplicate piano, organ, horns, etc... Have you ever seen a piano player running into a guitar amp? That's right, you now need a good full range PA to duplicate your orchestra. Your Marshall stack was designed for guitar, not a flugal horn. Running this unit into a quality PA produces accurate tones of the selected instruments. I use this in live gigs with nothing but compliments.

Never had a problem. Unit is high impact plastic. So far so good

Haven't had the no pleasure.......

Our band does a number of Doors, Stones, etc... The sax patches are killer as are the sitar and acoustic guitars.
A little pricey but the dimension it will add to your music makes it well worth it.

Considering there are not many options for using this thing, it is pretty simple to get it up and going out-of-the-box with very little setup. This is a good thing for getting going but a bad thing if you need advanced options. The thin manual covers pretty much everything you can do with the GR-20.

Not bad. there are a few good sounds. However, there are no advanced options for layering sounds or editing sounds beyond the most basic parameters. I had hoped for some nice synth lead sounds for jazz fusion improvising ala Jan Hammer, Chic Corea, Jay Oliver, George Duke...

There are some nice sax sounds and keyboard sounds. If you want to expand the sounds further by using this thing as an external MIDI controller, look somewhere else. This thing works well on the patches in the unit but is the worst controller on the market. It sends pitch bend data at +-24 and unless your synth allows you to change this you will get terrible response from the GR-20. No pitch bend, no slides, no hammer-ons... Not good.

I have only had it a couple of months, so I can't comment on this.

Email support is like sending your email off into cyber-space where it will never return. Phone support is a bunch of guys with the manual saying thing like "Well, it says on page 24 that it does this..."

I guess this is about as good a guitar systhesis is going to get after 20+ years. It looks like it will never touch keyboards for tracking anaccuracy. You have to play very cleanly to get this thing to work well. Even then it can be a challenge.

This a follow-up to my 11/05/2007 review in which I had "no opinion" regarding customer service. This has since become an important issue for me and I wanted to post on this matter for the benefit of others.

Still fine, except that the guitar and mandolin patches are extremely bad with no possibility for firmware upgrades to improve them. Shame on Roland for that. The pickup has been mounted as precisely as possible, but some patches still track very poorly.

It has not failed to work or malfunctioned in any way.

This is where I want to comment: I have sent so many email messages to Roland Backstage I truly cannot remember how many I have sent, and have yet to receive a response of any kind. So, based on my experience and that of others who have reviewed this product, there IS APPARENTLY NO ROLAND SUPPORT for the GR-20, so for Pete???s sake, don???t buy one of these expecting to ever hear back from them. You are on your own!

I use it, but not as useful as I had hoped. An expensive toy.

All has really been said about this unit, I just want to add a tip. I bought the GR-20 not as much for the use with my guitar as for the sounds themselves. I connect the GR-20 to my synthesizer (Yamaha SY-85, SY-22) and use the GR-20 as a "sound-box". No latency and perfect pitch. I still use it with my guitar aswell, and it works fine, exept for that annoying latency, especially on E and A strings.

this is a very simple pedal to operate just twist a couple of dials and you can get pritty much any sound you want, there is a patch list in the manual which you may need as there are over 400 different sounds.

for setting up your own settings on sounds there are many different thing you can change, the hold type, the function the glide(pitch effect)button and the exspresstion pedals function, there are also dials for attack, relaese, delay/revurb and chorus.

the reason i marked this 9 was the gk3 pickup it very irritating to install as you have to make shure it is the right distance from the strings, the manual is very helpful and tells you everything you need to know

i use this through a marshall avt50 the sounds are brilliant, you can get anything you want from deep synth sounds to banjo. the sounds are designed to respond in a simalar way to the instroment there mimicing, the piano sounds are all cromatic which mean if you do a bend it will jump pitch rather than graduly bending into pitch, like a real piano.

many of the sounds i cant see anybody using on stage and are there for novelty value but many of the sounds are very useable and mixing them with your guitars tone can get some very intersing sounds, try playing clean with the string sounds or with plenty of gain and a modulation synth sound the possibilities are endless.

well built dials and buttons, a very sturdy expression pedal and solid metal casing make this pedal very dependable for gigging. iv spilt beer on it and it still works like the day it came out the box, take care of it and it will last you a good ten years with no problems

never had the misfortune of dealing with roland the way this built i never will

this is one of the best guitar synths on the market, if you set the gk-3 up right you wont get any tracking problems i use 8 gauge strings and iv had none. the sounds are fantastic, its built like a brick shit house and its as easy to use as your basic guitar amp.

addmitedly only a certain guitar players will want to use this as it is just a keyboard controlled by your guitar, but if you want to add a edge to your playing and have a different sound to your useual guitar player look no further, this pedal is brilliant i recoment that all guitar players should at least cheack this out it realy opens up new musical idears.

This thing is super easy to use. I mounted the included pickup on one of my Strats. I removed the strings to make it easier, as they suggested. Just center the pickup under the strings and mark the screw holes with a pen, then mount it after you take the strings off. Simple.

Changing patches, etc. is very straightforward. The best thing to do is load the ones you use most often into the User bank, then you can save your edits, etc. Plus, you'll have an easier time remembering which patch number corresponds to which sound if you have them set up the way you like within the User bank.

Manual was very good and easy to understand. It is very important to adjust the sensitivity of each string for consistent output. Just follow the instructions, it's easy.

The big sticking point of these things is the latency when triggering sounds. This is inherent to the technology and there is no way around it. I actually measured the latency by recording straight guitar signal to one track, and various other synth patches to another track, and then measuring the latency offset of the note attack. The latency of the low E string is about 70 milliseconds; the high E string is about 28 milliseconds. The way to offset this is to transpose the patch by an octave, and use the first 3 or 4 strings for your sounds. Also, if you are using it for recording, just record a dry guitar track along with the synth track, and adjust the waveform in your multitrack software to offset the latency by using the dry guitar track as a guide. It's really simple and will tighten up your mix.

No noise noticed. Nice, clean digital synth sounds. Yes, the Sax and Organ sounds are what sold me on this unit.

The effects are very basic. You cannot adjust the delay time, only the repeats, and the reverb and chorus are very rudimentary.

I am using this with a Fender Strat. Do not mount the pickup on any old guitar you have laying around; if the guitar does not have good sustain acoustically, or has fret buzz, etc. then your synth sounds and tracking will suffer greatly. Use a decent guitar. In my studio, I am running it through a mixer and out through my studio monitors. Live, I run it into a Crate Powerblock power amp and into a full range Peavey PA speaker.

I have been using Roland/Boss stuff for years and have never had a failure. No worries. Yes, I'd use it without a backup.

Never had to contact Roland. They have a great website with all documentation, tip sheets and manuals readily available. You can even register your product on line instead of filling out the warranty card. Cool.

I play many styles of rock from thrash metal to jazz fusion. I bought this unit so that I could retire from going through the pain of learning to play various keyboard parts for my recordings. I'm a guitar player since 1975, not a keyboardist, but love having those sounds on my tunes. Using the guitar to trigger these sounds is a blessing.

The latency issues can be worked around by time correcting them in your multitrack. Live, it actually sounds pretty cool, particularly when you play your guitar in unison with the synth. When Jan Hammer and Jeff Beck play a unison part, they are not perfectly in sync with each other. If they were, it would sound like a robot playing. The inherent latency adds a more realistic element when playing unison parts. Many of the pads and orchestral patches have a volume swell built into the attack, so you don't really notice a few milliseconds of latency.

I didn't compare this to any other products. For the price, this is the only game in town, unless you buy a used GR-33. I wish it displayed the patch name instead of just a number, but once you save your favorites to the User bank, memorizing them is a snap. I have found this to be a great compositional tool, as the different sounds lend themselves to different musical styles, ones that you may not normally play with. It is helping to push my creativity into new directions.

Bought this and was assured that it wouldn't take much to set up. Imagine how relieved I was to find that this was the case.

The pick-up itself was on and adjusted nicely within 10-15 minutes but the real time and effort, or should I say the real fun, was in putting my sounds together. I basically went through each and every one of the sounds on the whole machine, making notes of the location (bank and number) of every sound I thought I'd need / use. I later copied them to the user bank and started editing them.

The trick seemed to be setting the right sensitivity (st) and balancing out the volumes across all patches. I also set the expression pedal to be my volume pedal for all patches (more later).

Manual was great: simple enough for when you've just got it out the box and want to sound good immediately. but also in depth enough to tinker once you're more comfortable with the system as a whole.

Most of this has been said so far but I'll sum it up if I can: yes, the guitar sounds are largely useless, but if you want to sound like a guitar, try using the guitar itself, you know, that thing your new synth is attached to???

Yes, the breathy sax is great, but like someone already said, the most amazing sounds on here will be the ones you'll struggle to find a reason to use. Clarinet, steel drums, xylophone, accordion, glock, didgeridoo loop, etc don't always lend themselves to your classic pop / rock covers band - but then again that's not what I do and for my show, this is the absolute perfect tool.

No worries with the sounds. Play your usual chops with bends, pull offs and etc and you'll get the odd problem, approach the thing like you'd approach the actual instrument (play within a certain range, don't bend piano notes etc) and you'll be fine.

Three years down the line and never had a second of bother with the main unit. Stupidly put my guitar in a soft case ONCE and smashed the knob on the pick-up (my mate got me a replacement from a poweramp someone was throwing out at work).

Always gig without a back up. Would call in sick at work the next morning to go and buy another one as soon as possible if it ever broke.

n/a

I play in a comedy trio with a drummer and an acoustic guitarist / singer / comedian. We do comedy songs (a la Bill Bailey) and although some of our 're-worked versions of classics' are more obviously meant to be funny than others, we do some songs quite normally and use this beauty to help us with that.

Our version of My Girl has slower brushed drums, a chorused guitar with strings mixed into the background, our version of the Who's Squeezebox has the banjo in the background and often the sounds come in handy to add a bit of variety to a 3-piece set-up e.g. the accordion in Irish songs and the strings / keyboards to fill gaps in slower numbers.

In terms of the comedy aspects, I use the flute for the whistle in Always Look on The Bright Side of Life, the B5 type organ for a blues parody, the steel drums for a reggae parody, the glockenspiel for a door bell effect during a joke we do, the didgeridoo loop as ambient backing during a longer joke about two Australians, the banjo for a 3 second clip of Duelling Banjos to end a joke about the inbred family at the wedding we played recently, and the xylophone works brilliantly for a version of King of The Swingers.

We do jokes and routines including 'Name That Tune' which use the bass (Mission Impossible, Under Pressure, Grease: Summer Loving, Another One Bites The Dust), the clarinet (Pink Panther, Strangers On The Shore), the brass (Spanish Flea, The opening Rocky Theme / Fanfare) and more, and this really is the heart and soul of the musical side of our show.

This doesn't mean that the sounds can't be used seriously. Like I said above, I happily use the accordion, strings, piano, organs, banjo, bass and a whole host of other stuff in a serious 'I want this to sound good' setting and have even guested with a local blues band using the brass and keyboards to do stuff like Midnight Hour, Mustang Sally etc.

I've seen a few reviews elsewhere and a few people saying that this really isn't a live performance device, but be realistic with it, use it in the right context and play the thing in an intelligent way and it's absolutely amazing.

My first guitar synth ever. I'm 58 and been playing popular music for 45 years.
Actually, the GR-20 is among the easiest guitar toys to use and program I've ever owned. Saving patches in the user area is DEFINITELY the easiest ever. Setting the sensitivity was easy. Setting "Play Feel" is a little tougher, primarily because the pickup must be installed exactly right and the sensitivity must be set correctly. Regardless, the play feel setting is set different from patch to patch, and I think it can be very subjective.
Detailed tweaking of the actual voices of the patches is not an available feature, but I don't mind that. Not for the money I paid.

This is where my review will differ from the others. Other reviewers don't mind the fact that the guitar patches are quite poor. They don't track well either. In my opinion, if the VG Strat and Line 6 Variax pioneer of guitar synths do likewise? I cannot imaging any excuse for this. That complaint laid aside, all the other patches are very realistic. The flutes, harmonicas, and keyboards are just downright spooky good. Horns are pretty good too. The Gr-20 needs a better "rock" tenor sax patch for things like Delbert tunes. I score low on sound quality because Roland has let the upstarts steal the show in the guitar patch area. Evenb more curious, Roland designed the guts to the VG strat!
The unit is quiet. I run it through a Mesa nomad 45. My 82 ESP strat is the synth guitar is use. I did not have to deface my guitar to install the GK-3.

I have no concerns about reliability.

The jury is still out on this. I sent an email awhile back to customer support that still has not been returned.

Let me first further explain my gripe regarding "no good guitar patches": If the GR-20 had good electric guitar patches I would do less dancing on my pedalboard because I could assign guita patches (if it had clean/compressed Strat, LP on rear pickup thru a JTM 45 set on 8, etc.) to my midi pedal and just fly between them without having to reach back and throw the GK-3 selector switch and push buttons on my pedalboard. Just one example, for instance: On Neil Young's "Old Man" I use the 5 string banjo patch (incredible!) but then have to reach back and switch to straight electric and punch my compression pedal to do the slide up at the chorus. Sometimes I don't make it. If there was a steel guitar patch on the GR-20 I would have no problem. Also, sometimes I'm playing a distorted lead through my Mesa and need to switch to horns. I have to go to the amp's clean channel first, yada, yada, you get the picture.

It took less than 10 minutes to unpack and setup the GR-20 to work with my GK-3 equipped Epi Les Paul. The GR-20's string sensitivity adjustment is much easier than the AX-100 method. The negative, the AX-100 can be setup for four separate guitars (8 with the new firmware)--the GR-20 only stores settings for one guitar, so you must recalibrate it for each guitar you play.

The manual is short and sweet and covers the GR-20 features and configurations very well. The GR-20 is a dumbed down unit, and thus lazy folks like me should find it quite user-friendly and easy to setup and use.

Patch editing is simple, unfortunately, there is not much to modify.

By way of comparison, I also own the Axon AX-100, considered by many as the best guitar to midi converter available. Though it was relatively easy to setup, the GR-20 is even easier.

Internal Sounds
I have not had time to work through all of the sounds, but the pianos, organs, strings, brass, and wind instruments sound great. They are significantly better than the throw-in internal sounds of the Axon.

I have read that the unit is noisy. Not mine. Evidently, some are , some are not. However, like all effects boxes and synths, you want to make sure you don't have ground loops and the like. All my boxes get clean AC from a power conditioner.

I run the L/R outs into a Mackie mixer and send that to my recording interfaces and a SLP power amp with PA speakers. Sounds great.

Tracking and Note Recognition
For my style of playing (bare finger fingerpicking) the GR-20 tracks just as well as the AX-100. It keeps up with my fastest alternate picking as well. Shredders may reach its limitations, but frankly, shredding and most synth sounds are not a great combination.

External Synths
I connected the GR-20 to my Yamaha S03 synth and it triggered perfectly well. I could sense a slight amount of latency, but certainly not a show stopper. I had both the GR and S03 outputs in the mix and they sounded perfectly in sync with each other.

The one negative is the GR-20 pitch bend range is fixed at 24 semi-tones (two octaves). That's great for its high granularity/resolution, but my S03 patches range from 0 to 12. Thus I have to set each S03 patch to PB range of 24. I knew this going in, but wish the GR allowed a flexible PB range or a chromatic option.

Sure, I would (will) depend on it. Just don't toss it in the back of the van unprotected.

I called Roland/Boss several times before purchasing and had no difficulty getting a hold of real human being that knew what he/she was talking about. Plus, my dealer, Sweetwater.com, stands behind everything they sell.

I recently purchased the Axon AX-100 from Sweetwater. According to most reviews, it is the best guitar to midi converter available. And I agree, it works very well. However, it is not (for me) very portable. So, I took a chance and purchased the Roland GR-20 through Craig Wilson at Sweetwater.

I say chance, because there are quite a few reviews that state the GR-20 tracks noticeably slower than the AX-100 (especially on the lower strings) and does not trigger external synths as well.

After owning and playing both, I believe most guitarists would be perfectly happy with the tracking, note recognition, and external synth triggering of the GR-20. Can't wait to play this unit live!

I definitely would buy this unit again, and frankly, probably would not have purchased the Axon if I had known the GR-20 performs as well as it does. Of course the Axon has a 1/2 dozen cool features not found on the GR-20 (layering, arpeggio, pick/string splitting, etc.), but those are features I would use more live and the Axon just is not as portable as the GR-20.

It takes a fair amount of time to audition all of the patches available but moving your favorites to the user bank is easy enough.

I use the GR-20 to fill in quite a wide variety of pads, licks, and accompanyment. Going just by the display (numbers) can get confusing in the heat of the moment, especially when impromptu playing.

Be sure and keep a copy of the patch list (from the Roland site) in your gig bag for future reference. A cheat sheet taped to the pedal board has been handy too when dialing in impromptu patches.

Nothing's worse than bringing up the wrong patch...

Prior comments are pretty much on...

Having a variety of picks helps. I keep a bunch of the 0.38 flimsy Dunlop picks or in a bind, will use a matchbook cover as a pick for some of the more "delicate" voices (i.e. flute soloing).

Sometimes, simply the pulloff will trigger a note which could be very inappropriate if you're providing solos or accents. You can either practice your technique for these but sometimes, slapping on a capo to the correct fret so that the pulloff will produce a compatible (root, harmonic, whatever) sound is a quicker and safe way to proceed. The pads are sufficiently broad to occupy the sonic space.

I don't use it's stringed instruments for lead sounds but as a backing to the guitar. This has been alot simpler than getting lead quality sounds for the stringed instruments (which earlier posts observed as a GR-20 shortcoming). Works well...

Prior posts suggested using a keyboard monitor. Didn't have one so I sort of cheated:

For most playing, I run the GR-20 into a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. DSP amp. It's a dual amp so one channel gets the synth signal and the other channel gets the guitar feed from the GR-20 (after running through the pedel chain). The amp with it's tweeters and ambience effects complement the synth outputs well.

The better way to play is to send both L/R synth outputs to the Acoustasonic (adjusting the ambience for each channel separately) for a broader sound and run the guitar out through the pedal chain and into (in my case) a Fender Princeton Reverb II. I'll drag this rig out for special events where I've enough setup time.

On stage in smaller venues, you can place these amps apart and really fill the room nicely.

Earlier posts warned of it's plastic construction. I concur...

In the moment once, I really stood on mind and could feel/hear plastic giving way. It was a scary moment. Also, the jacks in the rear weren't as secure as I would've liked for all the setup and teardowns a week the unit had to go through.

Fixed both by sticking the GR-20 on a dual level pedal board (22" x 44"?) -- The cables in the rear working loose have no longer been a problem and the upper deck is such that I can't carelessly stomp on the GR-20 pedal, rather approach it with a bit more control.

Been solid since...

This is not a review for Roland - We all know about them. This is a plug for the place I bought the GR-20 and that would be Danny's Guitar Hacienda in League City, Texas.

The folks at Danny's have been nothing short of friendly and helpful to area players over the years I've visited them (And there's a G-C down the road to boot) Every town should have a place like Danny's.

Manny got me an incredible deal on the unit as it was to replace a stolen Marshall. I believe we're well beyond even see below).

Few have done so much to help me improve as a player.

Been quite a ride...

Had a Marshall stolen and about that time, our keyboard player was thinking of moving on so I picked up the GR-20 to replace the Marshall and to fill in the pad the keyboard player provided. That was about three years and alot of GAS ago.

Following prior advice, I stuck the pickup on a cheap instrument (my Ibanez strat clone) and found that my better sounding setups not getting any use -- A wierd frustration. Fixed that by picking up a synth ready Godin Fireway SA (though the Fender synth ready Strat was a close second).

Got a bit tired of playing electric guitar out of the acoustic amp. It wasn't bad but it was solid state. So I fixed that by picking up a Fender Princeton Reverb II for the guitar feed.

Wasn't pleased with all the setups / teardowns on the plastic unit so I built a huge pedal board. Made the mistake of building such a large one that I simply *had* to fill the spots with more pedals.

Despite all of the above, things have honestly worked out musically well. Even my wife likes what she's hearing and throughout all of this, there's a GR-20 somewhere in the middle...

I bought it on ebay and everything was in good shape. I had the local music shop install the GK3 pickup on my PRS Custom 22. The plate wouldn't work with my bridge and I didn't want to tape it since it's harder to adjust and maintain. They did it in 2 or 3 hours.
I think I have software version 1. Version 2 is an update for bass support, so I'm not worried about it.

The controls and layout are very user friendly by any standards. I played the old GR-1 back in the day and that thing had a learning curve. The manual is helpful surprisingly. I wanted to hook up the GR-20 to my computer so I can play Absynth and had no trouble whatsoever. I expected it to be more complicated...go figure!!! Patch editing is easy but not very deep but not a concern given what I will say about the sound quality in the next section.

I talk about the sounds later, but the biggest barrier for guitar synths has always been with tracking. The GR-20 isn't so bad actually. I haven't played the GR-1 in well over 5 years now, but the Gr-20 is definetly an improvement. After reading some articles and playing with it for a few days, I have to agree with the consensus that you do have to adjust your playing a little and realize some of the sounds are not appropriate to "shred" with...even if playing a keyboard. If you set it up properly and play with precision, you can play just about anything. Remember, you are no longer playing "guitar" and you are playing guitar synthesizer. Dynamics are different regardless of tracking. With that said, tracking isn't perfect nor can you expect it to be, but I'll go on the record as saying the tracking is good using the GR-20 by itself or with soft synths..

Ok. As far as the sounds in the GR-20 go, I wish I had nice things to say. Unfortunately, the patches seem to serve the purpose of showing that " hey look, I can play synth sounds on my guitar". Flutes and trumpets etc sound ok, but I have little use for that. In the modern era of advance synthesis, these patches are a joke and I can't imagine any serious keyboard player using and especially basing their rig around these sounds. That being the case, why would anyone settle for them.

I originally bought the GR-20 assuming that I would use it by itself and just mess around with it hooked into my computer. I expected latency using Absynth, etc, but this turned out not to be the case. After being very disappointed with the sounds and discouraged in general about incorporating cool synth sounds in my rig, I decided to try hooking it into my computer. Let me say, it was a whole different world. No noticeable latency and the sounds on Absynth and Rapture are amazing to say the least and so much fun to play with and actually useable. I'm sure most of you that played these programs know this, but it still rings true when using it thru a Gr-20.

Right now, I'm in the process of rack mounting my home PC and adding it to my guitar rig. Ableton Live can be used for guitar and or synth looping in a live setting, it can host vst synths, and has amazing effects to add to your soft synth..or guitar I suppose if you wanted to.

I have an AMD X2 4200 processor with 4 gigs of RAM for those of you who may want to try this. Using a few effects in Ableton Live 6 with Absynth uses about 10% of my CPU which leaves alot of headroom! I have the buffer size all the way down to 64 samples too!

No foreseeable problem and see no need for a back-up. If there was a for a back up processor, etc for fear of it crashing, I'd be looking for something else that u don't have to worry about.

N/A so I'll give them a 10.

I play hard rock mainly, but play almost everything. I've been interested in electronic/computer music lately which is why I've been interested in guitar synths. I've played guitar for over 15 years now. I play a PRS Custom 22 thru a Diezel VH4 head with one open back and one closed back Mesa cabinet. My effects are a Mutronics Mutator (hooked into a Boss Line selector), TC G-System, EHX Big Muff Pi, EHX HOG, a custom Dunlop Wah pedal (roger mayer upgrade enclosed in a dunlop hi/lo volume pedal with a custom led and on/off switch), the Gr-R-20, and now my computer with a M-Audio sound card.

I'm 55, playing rock since I was 12 and new to midi. This thing is great. I came home after buying this thing, stuck on the pickup and plugged it in and out came the most amazing sounds. There really isn't much editing of the sounds, but there are some great ones in there. I look at it like this is for a midi rookie that wants to use it without a long learning curve. Manual is ok, but it leaves a few things out. I have not updated to the bass version and I probably won't.

Smokie sax is unreal, as soon as the rest of the band heard it, it was being used in several places. Voices, horns, organs, pianos, all just amazing, but as you read this you have to remember I'm new at this.

I ended up doing a hard mount on my Parker Nitefly, the pickup is too tall for a clean mount on that guitar and my action suffered; had to cut the pickguard. I made an amp out of a VOX 2-12 combo amp box, Crown DC75 power, Crate acoustic preamp, and a pair of Emenance 12's with horns and X-overs, going for that full range sound. I use this amp for the acoustic side of the Park also. I send the electric side to a VOX AD120VT, quite a wall of sound.

It's a Roland---they seem to last. I guess we will see, had to replace the power supply already, but under support I fill you in on that one.

Here is all the positive stuff on the company---got the unit home that the power supply was intermittent. Called GC and they didn't have another one so I called Roland--immeditely faxed them a letter stating what was wrong along with my receipt and within two days I had a new one--no questions asked, and no need to return the defective one. They also have an email support team--when I can't figure something out, I email them in the morning and by noon I have an answer. I have used them three times, and the same thing everytime. They are great!

I happy, the band is happy, the audience is happy, even my wife is happy. I spend more time playing than I use to and that's a good thing. I will have one for along time. Playing three different sounding guitars all the time can get confusing, but it good for your consentration.

This thing is great. I've had it over a year now. Editing is a breeze (after you do it a few times). There's ample space to store the sounds you plan to use live for quick access. In the user bank, you can edit and store the sounds you like. I keep about 20 of the possible 99 in that bank at the ready. In the studio, it's a valuable tool. I've done three independent film scores using the GR20 and a Tascam 2488.

I have two synth setups. I use a GK3 pickup with a Schecter C1 Classic and a GK2A with my D'Agostino Benchmark. The guitar feed goes to a fender Cyber Champ and the synth goes into a Peavey KB/A100 keyboard amp. For solo work, I run the whole mess through the keyboard amp and dont use a PA system. The sax sounds are great. The "dread nanosecond" is still alive and well, but this device triggers much faster than those I've used in years past. I'm very pleased with the strings and piano sounds. The guitar sounds leave a bit to be desired, but I just turn the damn thing off and play guitar.

I use it on the gig with no backup. I bought an extra cable and I have two GK equiped guitars. If the module failed, I'd play guitar.
After over a year...no problems.

NO experience. I was able to download this and other Roland manuals on line before I made the purchase.

I play whatever I want. I've been playing 50 years and found unemployment in every field of music. I'd buy another, or maybe even upgrade to the GR33... The GR33 has words in the display instead of numbers. I love the fact that I can play 3 instruments at the same time. I hate the fact that I play 3 instruments when often one would be more tasteful (My fault, not Roland's). I've been in and out of guitar synths for about 15 years. This thing is the nuts!!! Great live, great in the studio. I heartily recommend this effect.

Brain-dead user friendly with all of it's limitations compared to my
Yamaha MU 100 tone generator and Yam. G-50 guitar midi converter, bought 'prox '99, which is a headache to utilize on a regular basis, with me as a hobbiest with tons of eq., as well as me having less and less of a tolerance for "getting back to a particular play mode". As Boss pedals go, including the RC-20XL looper and surely the Boss RC-50 new looper, this is a simplistic, go-for-it, type synth of the Steve Morse type applications, with some gravies and sauces for your choices of applications.

For $595, excellent and I agree w/ a lot of the evaluations. The Yahama's quality is to die for, esp. with the pianos w/ a sustain pedal and others; however, I'm satisfied with the Roland. Pads, overall and in general, were/are shockingly good and the tabla drum/sitar are much better than the "world" music aspects of the Emu
versions I checked out 3 years ago. Guitars do suck, but the slap bass is more than usable in a Stanley Clarkish kind of way (do I hear strings coming)? I'll re-evaluate perhaps in a year. The guy on page 4 has the right idea, with utilizing a mixer! Then, you can add the spices and ginger to the mix. Marshall eq. for majors.

I'm a hobbiest so it's cool. Wouldn't imagine that it would hold up on the road very well, but otherwise, it doesn't appear to be fragile. Other than the rack units, arent they all that way? Treat it with respect.

Never had a reason to deal with them.

Strictly instrumental/improvizational/experimental ala Jerry Garcia's Dark Star, John M'cLaughlin, Rachmananoff, dash of Soft Machine, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Trower tones, Peter Green's End of the Game, David Torn, Beethoven; whatevers. I'm going to isolate this thing and rape it for everything's it's worth, w/ processors and select pedals w/o breaking down main system, run thru Rode K2 variable mike to Superscope cd/rw recorder...very inspiring first stage w/ lots of headroom...thru pignose 40 and Laney 30; later to Marshall 1960ax's/TSL60 to Pro-tools or Sonar 5. Lots of fun with the former! The mike is to die for! Will review again next year.

The manual for installing the pickup was too detailed for me, I just concentrated on the instructions in italics and then had enough confidence to install it. I didn't take the strings off like it says. Maybe a helpful tool to have before you begin is a thin steel metric ruler that measures fractions of millimeters found at most hardware stores.(mine is in inches and I had to convert to millimeters as I went).

I am using it with a mexican made strat and I plug the synth into a Yamaha PA. It generally doesn't sound as good through a guitar amp, because of the more limited range of the typical guitar speaker. Guitar amp will still sound good as long as you have a very clean channel to play it through. I think this unit sounds very good. The pads are fantastic, and worth the price of the whole thing. Instruments with a sharp attack (piano, mostly) have to be compensated for with your playing style, and can also be adjusted by trying some of the different built-in tweaks. I feel that the compensation I am making for sharp attack instruments is no big deal at all, and is actually making me a better and more precise player. Bottom line: This unit tracks very very well when the pickup is placed in the right spot on your guitar. And the technology should only get better.

The manual lets you know that this unit will not take too much abuse. That's fine with me, since I am very easy on stuff anyway.

Hope I never need it.

This is a great unit for me. I play jazz-classical fusion, and jazz-folk fusion. I also play folk music, and it isn't as suited for that. I really hate smooth jazz (where's my frontal lobe? and how long have I been stuck in this dentist's chair????), but it is extremely suited for that, since the unit is midi. If you are creative enough, you can find an application for the GR-20 in any music. Using the guitar to trigger a pad makes playing and practicing extremely enjoyable for me. The sax is great for playing jazz lines. Now when I play an arpeggio, it sounds like a piece of heaven, and not just a geeky guitar run. If you have even a slight "experimental" edge to your music, then I whole-heartedly recommend this unit. If you are extremely straight ahead (punk, rockabilly, classic rock covers) then I don't recommend it as strongly.

Very easy to get into this. A simple synth for technical dummies but with enough possibilities to make your mouth water. The cabling together with an effects pedal like my Boss GT5 is very cleverly organised. I mix on board, no technicians screwing up my sound.

Top machine with very good patches. I'm looking forward to expanding on this when a new version comes out.

It's a Roland, it's made of very robust plastic. Sometimes I wish they'd use more roadworthy power cables at Roland/Boss though.

I've used Boss/Roland for nearly 10 years and never needed them, that says enough.

I play christian music in a very wide range of styles, I like many of the ethnic sounds and the harmonica, sax, horns and synth patches are very good.

The GR-20 is very easy to use, especially if you have past experience using effects pedals or processors; especially if they were a Roland or Boss product. I have been a big fan of Roland products for many years and have owned numerous pedals, rack mount gear and currently own a Roland VS-1880 among other products. Perhaps my experience using these products enabled me to adapt quickly to the features and functionality of the GR-20 but I was easily able to navigate throught and edit patches without using the manual.

The manual is not overwhelming in any way and is easily understood. I feel Roland has done a great job of dummying down all there manuals for the non-technical. The layout of the front panel is well thought out and easy to use. Whether you want to adjust the sensitivity of the pick-up or edit a patch it is quick and easy.

I installed the GK-3 on my 96 USA Fender Strat, it was literally a breeze, 15 minutes top. I had to raise my bridge slightly for clearance and then adjust my neck angle as well. Other than that, nothing. I had considered installing it on my Les Paul but will leave it as is for now. I am running throught a Traynor YCV80 with 2 X 12, not to shabby. Currently I am not running any other effects in my live rig, but plan on purchasing the GT-8 as soon as possible. I saw a Roland clinic at my local music store and the guy was using both the GR-20 and GT-8 and blew me away.

It is absolutely noiseless, but I do not have the output level set to max either. For recording it's a dream, especially for composing original material. What a songwriting companion. To be able to basically do every instrument from beginning to end is so cool. I can complete a new song and bring it to the band for their input. To be able to add keys and a horn section is great.

Is it the real thing ... no, but after really learning or better understanding how to play properly there will be many who won't be able to tell the difference. There is a learning curve, especially with some of the piano and keyboard patches that will pick-up unwanted sounds if you accidently hit other strings, If you mute a string you lose notes too. Finger style as opposed to strumming works best for piano. I especailly love combining strings to fill in behind my guitar playing, just watch the balance / levels. The guys in my band are just blown away. We do a lot of covers from the 50's, 60's and 70's and the GR-20 is a great addition. It is basically an enhancement of what I did before I had the GR-20. It does everything I could hope for, I have demo'd guitar synths many times over the past 15 + years and the tracking and price is finally where it needs to be. Most day I really love new technology, the GR-20 is one of the reasons I feel that way.

It's a Roland product, of course. I have a great relationship with my local music store, and anytime I have a problem with any product by any manufacturer he takes care of it for me. My best advice is to find someone you can trust and build a relationship. It really pays off. It also helps if you have spent a good chunk of change over the years. Also don't be difficult to deal with.

My Roland rep is A-1. I don't phone or e-mail Roland directly, I go throught my music store and let him deal with the rep. I have never been disappointed.

For a guitarist in a cover band it really opens up a lot of new options for song selections,and has been very useful for song writing and composing / recording. I feel it has helped in the creative side of song writing as well.

I have been playing guitar for over 25 years, I have never been real big on effects. For many years it was just me and my guitar straight into my amp, but this is something that really feels right. If lost or stolen I would get another.

I love the hold pedal but I don't see any real benefit, for me personally, for the glide pedal. Kind of wish the expression pedal was not plastic, but I take care of my gear. I transport it in a road case when gigging, and I don't lend out my gear to anyone who wouldn't treat it as good as I do. Overall a great designed product from Roland. I certainly recommed it. It not magic, you still have to play it to make it do what it is capable of doing.

It's very easy to use. I suppose because it doesn't have as much function to customize or edit as the Gr-33 model.

the Manual is ok. all my effects unit are either boss or roland.. and from my experience they tend to put a little bit less info on the manual when the product is capable of much more.

i use an Ibanez SA 420 DX or is it 420 X??
and a peavey classic 50-50 thru a custom made cabinet.

it noisy sometimes when i use the guitar out to my GT-6.. but it's probably interference noise from the monitors (TV, etc) coz when i move it gets louder or softer.

the effects sounds the best when put thru a tube amp i sounds awful thru a solid state.. although it does sounds decent thru a keyboard amp.

the effects dont really do much. i used extra fx ( reverb and eq between the gr and the amp). but not anymore.. sold the extra fx to buy pickups.

love sounds.

here we go...
i had it for 6 months and the band selector started to go balistic...
changed patch on its own like it was possesed....

i tried to perform and exocism but it didnt work..

i called the tech or the guy who sold it to me.. and told me theyre going to fix it..
he had one and said the bank selector is a potensio not a switch.. and it's pretty wierd to use a potensio instead of a selector switch.so i said hmmm okay man...i like to know a thing or two about my fxs and guitars

so it seems that i can't depend on it like i can depend on my gt-6
i wish it was built like the gt.. you know tank solid..
gig without a backup.. why not.. i like the rush when you're playing and something went wrong, and you have to find a solution.. (as long as it doesn't happen too often)

well the guy who sold it to me repaired it for me so that's cool but once upon a time i tried to contact the support to ask about something and didnt get a reply... so ill give it a...

i play everything from world music to heavy metal.
it is a good match when im playing in a trio or trying to impress people.
but it worked really well in world music and contemporary music.

if it was stolen i wouldn't buy it again.. i'll find the bastard that stole it.. and take it back.. (simply coz i dont have any money)
of course i'd leave something behind for the thief to remember me by.

i wish it had the edit capability of the gr 33 and sturdyness of a gt6.

oh yeah a better tracking on low notes

overall it's well worth the money.. it's GOOD

The unit is very easy to use! In fact, my 11 year old son has no problem moving around in it.

The sounds are for the most part pleasant with the occasional cheesy patches. I am using an american standard strat with this unit. Get this, I got the unit and the $1,100 strat for a total of $799 used. a guy bought the two as a package and couldn't figure out how to get the thing working, his loss! I am using a Soldano SLO-100 head. Since the SLO has poor switching between the crunch and clean channels, it becomes very volume sensitive. However, the pickup unit for the GR-20 has a volume knob that does not alter the sound of the patch, so this helps my situation. The unit is very quiet with no noticeable loss in signal when switched to guitar only. The tracking of the pickup is fantastic! It took about 3 hours of playing to get used to it. I see many reviews on this site stating it takes getting used to due to tracking and inadvertent noting. I personally do not have this problem. If you are a fairly accomplished guitarist with accurate finger/pick coordination you should not have a problem. My guess is the guys with the problems may require a more disciplined method to enhance this area of their playing style. Regardless, it still is a lot of fun to play with this unit.

I have experienced no problems with the unit. I plan on gigging with this unit.

Have not dealt with them.

I play in a cover band where we play everything from Van Halen to VAn Morrison so this unit is a welcome addition to the band. the guys in the band have been after me for over a year to invest in one of these. I kept putting it off but now that I have one I'm very excited. I've been playing for 26 years and the equipment I own is quite extensive plus I won't bore you with it. I strongly reccomend this product. You will have a Blast with this unit!!

The Rolland GR-20 guitar synthesizer is not actually difficult to use but you need a very good picking technique to get the best sound out of it. Although the tracking is very good, there are still some problems getting fast notes to sound with lower notes (E and A strings). Changing patches quickly is also not very easy since you only have two choices on the guitar switches, up and down. The best thing is to connect a midi footswitch or multi effects processor to get easy access to the patches.

I use it with a Fender Stratocaster Deluxe and a Fender Blues DeVille amp. The GR-20 has got a huge variety of sounds of excellent quality. I previously had a GR-50 and a Gr-9 and this is really a great improvement both in the quality of the sounds and the tracking speed. The editing of the sounds is very easy. You can adjust some parameters with knobs without having to go into patch edit mode, which is really handy.

I don't know since I bought it recently

Never had to deal with them

I play for more than 30 years, rock, blues,new age and my own stuff. I find that with aguitar synthesizer I can explore different types of music and also use it as a midi controler to record songs in a sequencer. The Gr-20 is the best synth I've had so far. I haven't tried the axon which claims to have a superior tracking. But I'm quite happy with my GR-20. I would by it again if stollen, definetly.

Too much easy to use, Edit the patches: it's a simple pressure on a button after setting the Gr-20. The manual explain clairly how to use it, how to install the devided pickup, how to set your machine, but i don't have found how to update it. For now, it's upgraded, I see no difference between befor and after update (the update is meanly to play bass with the module), to select patch you select a category of instrument wanted, you select the instrument you want to play and That's it!

Other things cool with the Gr-20 it's when you put a midi cable from the device to your computer and you could play instruments of a midi software used

I haven't notice any background noise, It's a midi device... so the only sound you hear is the instrument selected.

I know it's a midi device so don't be surprised if it sounds... midi. For a midi device I think the sound is great.

I use it directly to a input on my computer soudcard (audigy2) and it works well.

The option on the divice such attack, release, chorus, delay/reverb, level all are working properly. And when you store a user patch, the Gr-20 remember the option you were using... so when you change from a preset to an other you don't need to reset all Gr-20 options.

Ok here starts the problems

Your guitar MUST always be tuned well or a sound one tone higher or lower could be played instead of what you realy play. I dont suggest it on tremolo guitar. With this device you will be forced to play with precision cause now you must forget technics on guitars like sliding, hammer on, pull off It wouldn't sound great at all

Some time when I play fast (real fast) some notes are forgotten by the Gr-20

And the BIG PROBLEM I GOT: ok, the Gr-20 is made of plastic and the inputs/outputs are not fixed in any metal base, so it's easy for someone who don'T take care at all to push the backside connectors to a wall or a desk or also walking on the conectors, mine was broken after 1-2 month of use. So take realy care of your device.

Ok It was broken after two month of use

So I tell my sellman about the problem, He wasn't able to joint the company for 3 months, after the guy of the company don't take my device at this moment cause he was supposed to join the company about how to handle the problem. so 5 months laters they contact me to drop my Gr-20 to the sellman. In the same week, my sellman drop it to the repair shop as suggested by the guy of the company (like if to repair something you take it else where :S ). Two months later, my device was returned in my hands. Cost of reparation 200$ CAN. Cause the machine is build stupidly and over I paid this item 1/3 more than is value in big guitar store

so for 10 month of none use a garanty with 10 months to forget and for a 1000$ for the device, taxes included and 200$ of reparation I say If you would like to play midi juste bought a midi keyboard (usualy there is more presets and techno and other style presets)

All about the sound is number one if you are expecting what you should expecting from midi sounds

Playability is ... good but not excelent

The device conception made it fragile. NOT AT ALL SOLID

And the service from the company sucks totaly

Cake!!

Most very good... Guitar stuff bad. But if they made the guitar stuff sound good there wouldn't be a reason to buy a GT-8 ... right!??Think about it.

Just don't use your waffle-stompers!!

Roland offers that?? I thought they were just to damn big..lol.

With the shortage of descent.. or should I say non-flakey keyboard players out there. This is a godsend for cover bands. Plus you can still have two guitar players for the rock stuff. Real keyboard players are so left hand happy that this setup sounds cleaner anyway.
Don't use the tape for the GK3... mount the thing... just put it on a cheap axe.

Practically plug and play. The GK3 pickup attached easily to the tone-pros bridge on my guitar with no need to drill holes. There's the trauma of taking off all the strings and readjusting the bridge, but I was prepared to spend a couple of hours getting that done and it was time well spent... Not a lick of trouble since. The instructions are easy to follow and assume you know nothing. I know nothing about synthesis, so that's right up my alley.
The GR20 is very intuitive. Anyone who's familiar with the ME33 or similar Roland pedals will find it a breeze to navigate.

I use several different setups.. depends on the application. For solo work, I use a Peavey KB/A100 keyboard amp. The pickup is mounted to a Schecter C1 Classic. For band gigs, I send the synth to the KB/A100 and the guitar to a Fender Showman Reverb. In the studio, straight into the board. I don't hear any excessive noise. AS with any synth, there are lots of useless sounds. Those I moved into the user library are awesome. Everybody's drooling over that moody sax sound. I agree !! Dozens of sounds in every bank.
I've had the unit 3 weeks and have not even begun to scratch the surface. The nylon string guitar with strings is especially good for Willie Nelson material... The Flute for Herbie Mann. Moody Sax is great for nailing jazz solos. I'm a big fan of Jimmy Smith. With the Jazz Organ and Tenor Sax sounds I can bring that stuff to life in a trio context.

As with anything new, it seems good now. For $600 I'm not carrying a backup. Roland products seem to hold up well enough. Throw gently.

No experience.

I guess I play jazz oriented blues. solo work leans more toward "acoustic fare", while band work leans more toward stuff like James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding et al. It's a good match if the operator (that's me) can learn to develop a little restraint. The problem with being able to play Sitar in "Misty" is that you might!! Lately, I'm writing soundtracks for an action film and a documentary. The "ethnic instruments" section has already shown me significant value.
I've been playing guitar 46 years. I have a Strat, a D'Agostino Benchmark, a '74 Gibson Howard Roberts Custom, a Gibson LG0 flat top and a lowly (but nice) Galveston Jumbo A/E. I also own an Alvarez bass and a room full of assorted amps, speakers, effects and recording gear I like to call the studio.
I'd buy a replacement. I love the sounds and the simplicity. I'm an old guitarhead who grew up with off/on and volume for amp settings... please dont ask me to scroll through menus for answers. I hate the fact that you need that special 13 pin connecting cable to send the data to the sound module. (That reminds me... I need to buy a couple of spare cables.)
I owned a couple of prehistoric Rolands and 3 Ibanez midi guitars with Kawai sound modules. I chose the GR20 because of the great reviews it got on Harmony Central from people who bought it and had nice things to say. It tracks quickly, but the dreaded nanosecond delay is in there. You have to learn the restrictions of the instrument.......just like any other instrument.

Mounting the GK-3 pickup to my Eggle LA Pro was easy even with the adhesive tape. My guitar man was not prepared to drill into this guitar and frankly I agree. (I replaced the sticky with a high quality d/s tape after about three months when it started to lift taking care to degrease the area well - since then it had stayed firmly put a further 6 months and counting)

No, you can't edit the patches much other than attack/decay and reverb/delay. Once you have tweaked the dozen or so patches you desire (and there are piles of them to choose from) you can easily drop them into a user array that holds up to 99.

The manual is comprehensive and easy to get to grips with.

I have the original firmware - I can't see me needing to update it, so I cannot comment on how easy it is to do this.

I tried it for a spell on my strat but it didn't suit the tremelo system - pushing the bar a little lowered the strings onto the hex p/u. Back on the Eggle it will stay because it fits next to the bridge fine. You have to experiment for comfort.

Running the GR-20 direct into a guitar amp seems wrong to me because guitar amps aren't meant for keyboard type sounds. Would you let your keyboard player crank his act through your amp too? No, I got some powered monitors with 15 inch cones and horns designed for all purpose use and set them some ways off to each side of my regular combo and they handle all it can give. Now we are talking about making a substancial further investment in your sound reinforcement if you want to gig with it or you can route it through your bands PA of course. Putting it into a guitar amp at gig levels will blow your Vintage 30 as soon as look at it so don't go there IMHO.

Once you have selected the patches you want and done what honing you can you have to practise your technique to avoid unwanted notes errupting - you mustn't be sloppy with your fingering because you won't get away with it.

Yes, some of the patches are "pants" but consider the unit as having a library for you to check out the ones you need, load to your user space and you'll be fine. Somebody somewhere will want a Chinese new year street party going off around them but not your humble scribe thank you.

There are two non-latching stomps on it that can be defined. Out of the box they are assigned to hold and shift pitch respectively. So you can play a note or chord and hold that sound as long as you wish or wizz up or down an octave (or a designated interval) at the touch of your toe.

At the guitar you have a volume control, a selector for guitar only, for synth only or for guitar plus synth and two buttons to advance or regress the patch number without bending over to do it. Therefore you have all the permutations at your fingertips. Your regular guitar output is routed through the sturdy proprietory 5 metre midi lead supplied. There is a master volume control on the front panel for extra fine tuning and a sturdy power supply unit. Finally there is a Kensington security port to lock it down in mosh pits. (Caviat - it's a plastic chassis - hmmmm)

The floor unit enables you to connect to your choice of amp and/or PA system accordingly quite simply.

I have gigged it with no problem. The floor unit is plastic when it could have been metal so you just have to avoid being a monster with it - although it isn't flimsy by any means. Buy a decent hard transit case to take it places and it won't get chipped.

If you can afford a backup then do so, I haven't been let down by it. Get a spare midi lead to be safe.

Had no need for support.

I play reggae / rock. It compliments my style and what I am listening for. It performs faithfully. If it goes missing then I buy another because it was one of my better decisions in the first place and I have the gear to go with it.

I've been at guitar playing since the early 70's and have a raft of stomps that I rotate through a pedal board as required.

This is a lovely piece of kit and with a bit of application and patience you can derive some great soundscapes for your band or recordings. My main reservation to offer to someone thinking about a GR-20 is that is generates a bigger sound than a regular guitar amp should handle and some other means of amplification should be considered.

Not a problem. If you can set the clock on your VCR you can run this unit.

You should take a quick look at the manual and go thru the sensitivity settings etc. but it's making cool sounds in no time and you quickly figure out what sort of adjustments you need as you work with it.

Don't expect any thing with a wide range of tones to sound good thru narrow range sound equipment. Through a good pa, or direct in to record or even thru a good keyboard or acoustic amp. It's amazing.
I play it thru a Bose PAS and I couldn't be much happier.

I play it live about every other week. I kick it around my office to record all the time. With normal use, I'm cool without a backup.

I've had no problems with mine but I have had to send a Boss product back to CA for repair. They were very nice about it and had my other toy back in great shape with no hard feelings.

First, I can't believe the tape is still holding the pickup in place perfectly after 4 months.... I don't mind hard-mounting it but , hey, it's still cool.
I have this on my Variax 700 Acoustic !

Folks, I have the ultamate swiss-army-knife of guitars.
I love it. Whether I'm blending slow attack strings behind 12 string guitar or taking a sax break THIS THING IS FUN.

I bought this when it became available after seeing a live demo at the NAMM show in Anaheim. This is the best tracking Roland synth I have tried. It tracks just as well (and the latency was no worse) when I MIDI'ed it to a Yamaha TX-81Z external tone generator...very impressive.

There are some very good presets...some of the pianos, the strings, the organs, the pads...the "Moody Sax" really sold me. Some of the presets are not very useful. The sound effects are just that...effects.

There is no software editor at this point in time. You can't really edit patches like on the GR-33. This synth just has basic cutoff, attack, delay, chorus, etc.

The manual is adequate and easy to understand. There is currently software available from Roland to update the unit for use with a bass with a Hex pickup. I have no desire to do that so I haven't installed that update and have no plans to do so.

This synth would be great for any style of music...especially for pop, jazz, or progressive rock. Some sounds are more realistic than others....true with any synth. I believe this sound engine is based on the Roland JV series of synths.

You must play this thing according to the patch you're using. Don't expect Yngwie licks to sound good using a string patch.

As with any Hex pickup, the trick is to spend a couple of hours adjusting the pickup and the "feel" settings on the unit according to your playing style. I *highly* recommend installing the pickup in a semi-permanent way by using the screws included...the double sided tape always wants to come undone and the pickup will move using the tape. I attached the pickup to a Fender Stratocaster. I had to buy a gig bag to store the guitar because the hex pickup assembly sticks out a little and the guitar won't fit in my form fit Fender case anymore.

Les Paul guitars have the advantage of using a special Hex pickup attachment to the bridge...no modifications necessary to the guitar.

I can not emphasize *enough* the need to properly set up the hex pickup...this makes a world of difference in the performance and lowered latency. If you're Joe or Joan Six Pack guitar player and have no patience for doing this, don't bother buying a guitar synth. But for the intelligent guitarist, this unit is amazing. I have been playing for 30 years and have better technique than your typical rock player so I was able to adjust my playing to fit any ideosyncracies that pop up with the patches. If you play as sloppy as Jimmy Page, you won't be able to use this thing. Playing with your fingers using piano or string patches works better. You can't have your strings kissing the frets (like Joe Satriani) and expect no glitches. If you raise your action a little...Strats need higher action anyway to sound good...it will make a world of difference.

I also suggest practicing your guitar chops while using the synth....you will get more used to the patches and how it reacts the more you use it.

I have seen guys on other websites rag on this unit as not tracking well. They walked into a store and picked up the hex equipped guitar and it didn't track. Surprise, numb nuts! Store employees don't know anything about this thing and don't want to take the time either to set it up. They'd rather sell $149 Affinity Strats to alterna-rock weenies that come in with their mommy's credit card. I bought mine at Sam Ash and there wasn't even a demo model. And they made sure to let me know that they weren't going to open it up either....I'd have to buy it new in the box.

The bottom line is that I am extremely happy in this unit. And knowing that it tracks well when MIDI'ed to external synths means that I won't outgrow this thing anytime soon. I want to use it with samplers and other higer end external synths.

There is a max of 48 voice polyphony. The effects are delay, reverb, chorus with minimal, one knob control of each. You must write your change to a User patch (99 on board).

This is a great entry level synth that doesn't sound entry level. Not expandable, but with the excellent tracking to external synths that's not really an issue. Playing dynamics can be adjusted. You can match the synth output to a guitar amp or line level using built in settings. You can split the guitar and synth outputs to different amps or you can take just the guitar and run it to outboard effects and back into the GR-20 and *then* take the composite guitar/synth signal to a single amp or sound recorder. The internal effects DO NOT work on the guitar signal...only the synth sounds.

There are Glide and Hold foot pedals....their functions can be modified as to what type of Glide and Hold effect you want. There is also a Continous Controller pedal that can be modified the same way.

I bought mine for recording purposes...I don't gig with it although I would not hesitate to do so.

I have used Roland products since 1982 and have always been impressed with the sound, quality, and reliability.

I've never had to deal with customer support nor get anything repaired.

Software upgrades are available on the Roland website.

If this was stolen, I would buy it again and is definitely worth the $$.
I have used this since May of 2004. I love the tracking speed. I wish there was more editing capability, but I'll be able to do that on other synths I buy to go with it.

I used to own a Yamaha G10 guitar synth which, on paper, was probably the fastest tracking guitar synth available, but *awful* to try and play. (Playing a plastic, bowling pin shaped guitar strung with 6 .016 plain strings is just not natural.)

The GR-20 is much more user friendly and an outstanding piece of equipment. I sometimes lurk in the Yahoo GR-33 and GR-20 Groups...a good place for information and to network with other users.

Overall, this thing is a breeze. The floor unit it practically self explanitory and as guiatr synths go, good sounds are easy to get. The manual is very clear.

I installed the GK-3 pickup on a 1990 Ibanez EX. This model was the rock-botoom of the Ibanez EX line and I had no reservations about drilling two tiny hols in it. The pickup took about 15 minutes to install and the onyl adjust ment I made was to the overall height of the pickup. It is mounted on springs so this was easy. Everything worked right out of the box.

I run this unit into a variety of amps and mixers. It depends on what I am doing at the time. The unit makes no unwanted noise that I can detect. The patches are of inconsistant quality. There are some good ones, some great ones, some poor ones, and some that make me wonder if they should even have been included. I gave this category a 6 because of the inconsistancy. If I could I would say that half the patches get a 10 and the other half get a 4.

Its plastic and because all guitar synths are so technique sensitive, I would never use one live. I will do tons of tracking with it though. If I have to go live, I'll recruit a keyboardist.

I play a mix of hard rock, psychadelic and fusion. I've been doing this on and off for over 37 years. I own 2 Les Pauls, a Strat, an Ibanez EX (now a MIDI guitar), and 2 Takamine acoustics. I also have a few amps. If this unit were lost or stolen I would replace it but not until months later which is how long it would take to save up enough money. I love the idea that I now have the instruments I need to get my ideas across. My favorite feature is the HOLD pedal so I can jam with my bad self. I compared this unit to the Roland GR-33. The GR-20 won hands down because it takes less than 2 weeks to generate a sound after you attack the string.

An absolute scoosh! 20 minutes to fit the pickup to a 20 year old Ibanez Roadstar II using the sticky tape, and it only took that long because I had to go and hunt for an allen key to arise the bridge saddles to give the 2mm clearance specified in the manual. I've decided to keep it on that guitar so I'll eventually drill through the location holes on the pickup and screw it down.

Accessing the sounds is another doddle. The manual's good but you could find your way round this thing in a minute or two by trial and error.

The sounds are clean and there are a few very useful ones.

I play a range of music from folk to blues mostly in sessions and folk clubs and I don't need much power so I've been running this into a Peavey 15watt practice amp which I use as a side monitor and mic up if I need more level on the FOH than it's giving me. The odd time I use distortion it's through a Zoom 505 which is just fine for what I'm doing.

Playing is different. You have to adjust your playing dynamics to suit the individual sounds. Some, like saxes and the accordion are better played monophonically with a flat pick. Pianos are good finger picked, strings sound nice behind clean picked guitar. Banjo (?) works well alongside picked guitar, and some of the percussion kits are terrific with reggae type rhythms.

There are of course a lot of sounds on here that a normal player will never use, or which have novelty value and nothing else.

The (limited) editing facilities work ok. Useful if you want particularly "Synthy" sounds.

I've found the most use for the user bank in storing my favourite presets for quick access on stage, maybe with a bit of reverb added.

Because the sounds are dead clean the unit is perfect for digital recording. I use a Zoom 8 track mutitracker, and laying downs tracks has suddenly become a lot more creative and fun too.

I'm always on the lookout for more portability in amplification and I've run the GR20 through a pair of computer speakers to try it. It sounds as good as you'd get from PC speakers.

Here's the rub.

The bank selector switching on my unit has become unstable and jumps from bank to bank spontaneously.

Nobody at Roland has heard of this before so I think hope this is a once off. - see customer support

At #370 a pop I'm not going to have a backup on what I get paid for a gig.

The (very pleasant)guy at Roland had never come across this problem before. He suggested a possibleproblem with the MIDI patch controls an I should do a system reset - back to factory settings - which didn't work. SO it's back to the shop with it.

I called my dealer, the excellent Sound Control of Glasgow, and the guy said "Bring it in and we'll replace it." so no problems with support.

Assuming the switching problem is unique to this individual unit and the replacement works fine, I'm delighted with this box.

It does all the things I need it to do.

Take the time to setup the pickup correctly. Then everything is easy. I mounted it on my big green Gretsch. It tracks perfectly even yanking on the Bigsby. I screwed the controller onto a tiny wood shim on the underside of the F-hole and it's rock solid. Tweaking the organ and Mellotron sounds is easy and fun, and I hate programming stuff. It's nothing more than turning a few knobs and hitting "write".

This is why I wrote this review...ORGAN GUYS TO NOTICE. I run mono into my tube amp. If you plug into the "mono" output, the organ sounds nice and church like. But...if you plug into the "left" output...WHAM!... a close mic'd leslie! Really powerful. I'm selling my Leslie simulator. And it doesn't affect the other voices at all.
Just ad a bit of tube overdrive and there it is!

Great

Excellent

I found it easy to install the pickup (I'm using the sticky pads on my acoustic). It takes a bit of doing but if read the manual you can't go wrong. As for the GR-20 itself, it's easy. There's not much to it. Bank knob and main sound selector knob...

I haven't tried this on a full rig yet, but I've tried it on my home studio setup and it sounds wonderful. There are some silly things that are cool to play with, jazz scat singing etc.

I know a few folks who have gigged with the older GR-33 and the GR-1 for years and they have not had problems. I have no reservations about gigging this thing.

Never had to deal with them.

I don't think I've had so much fun in all my musicial life. This was just a joy to play. It's now the mainstay of my rig and I'm starting to write material with the synth pads and choirs on the GR-20. For the pickup and the main unit it's well worth the price.

RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, THIS UNIT WORKS GREAT. I ALREADY HAVE AN IBANEZ S 470 DX WITH A GK-3 INSTALLED, THAT I USE WITH MY VGA-7 AMPLIFIER, SO I BOUGHT THE GR-20S WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE A GK-3. I ALSO ORDERED THE GKP-4 GK SPLITTER TO SEND MY 13 PIN OUTPUT TO BOTH THE VGA-7 AND THE GR-20, (WITH 2 MORE OUTPUTS STILL AVAILABLE,). LUCKILY, THE IBANEZ TREMELO IS THEIR ZERO RESISTANCE MODEL THAT IS THE BEST UNIT FOR A GK PICKUP, AS THE STRING HEIGHT STAYS CONSISTANT WHEN YOU DROP AND LOWER THE PITCH, RESULTING IN FAR SUPERIOR TRACKING! MOST PATCHES NEED TO BE SLIGHTLY MODIFIED TO SUIT MY PARTICULAR PLAYING STYLES.

I RUN THE GR-20 INTO THE STEREO AUXILIARY INPUTS OF THE VGA-7, BYPASSING ALL OF THE MODELING FOR THE GUITAR SOUNDS, AND GOING DIRECTLY TO THE 130 WATT STEREO AMP. I INSERTED A DUMMY PLUG INTO THE GUITAR OUT OF THE GK-20, WHICH SHUTS OFF ANY GUITAR SOUND COMING FROM THE GK-20, GIVING ME TOTAL CONTROL OF BOTH STEREO SIGNALS. THE HORN AND STRING PATCHES ARE MY FAVORITES. REALISTICALLY I WILL ONLY USE A TOTAL OF 10 PATCHES FROM THE GR-20 AND 10 FROM THE VGA-7. THE VGA-7 IS A FULL RANGE AMPLIFIER INCLUDING HORNS WITH THE 12 INCH SPEAKERS, WHICH REALLY COMPLIMENTS THE RANGE OF SOUNDS THE GR-20 IS CAPABLE OF.

I AM PLANNING ON MOUNTING THE GR-20 INTO A RACK, AND CONTROLLING IT FROM MY BEHRINGER 1010 FOOT CONTROLLER. MY OLD GR-300 WAS METAL AND REALLY STURDY. THIS IS PLASTIC AND I'M UNCERTAIN ABOUT IT. THEN AGAIN, MY DELL LAPTOP IS PLASTIC, AND IT GOES ON THE ROAD ALSO...

ROLAND SLACKS AT CUSTOMER SERVICE! THERE IS NO DIRECT E-MAIL SUPPORT, WHICH I'VE FOUND TO BE THE BEST WITH OTHER COMPANIES IN THE PAST. VIA PHONE, THEY SEEM TO BE CLUELESS. HOPEFULLY, I'LL NEVER REALLY NEED THEIR SUPPORT.

I ONLY GIG AND/OR JAM OCCASIONALLY. I RECORD SHORT 30/60 SECOND SEGMENTS FOR RADIO ADVERTIZING FROM MY ATTIC. FOR THE RECORDING THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PIECE OF GEAR, WHILE IT HAS ME CONCERNED ABOUT GIGGING ABOUT TOWN. I DON'T WANT THIS TO BECOME AN INDISPENSABLE PART OF MY LIVE SOUND.WHEN IT COMES TO GUITAR SYNTHESIZERS, ROLAND IS NOT ONLY THE BIG DOG, THEY ARE THE ONLY DOG. I'VE TRIED THE AXON AND OTHERS AND THE HEADACHE IS NOT WORTH THE EXTRA CAPABILITIES. ROLAND IS THERE OWN COMPETITOR. I HAD TO DECIDE BETWEEN THE GR-20, AND THE GR-33, WHICH HAS BETTER MIDI IMPLEMENTATION. THE GR-20 SEEMS TO TRACK A LITTLE BIT BETTER, AND IS WAY LESS COMPLICATED.

It doesn't require too much to edit patches. It's easier than editing patches on a standard multi-effects unit for sure. The GK-3 pickup was a breeze to install. It comes with a supplied bracket that's perfect to fit on a tune-o-matic bridge. The manual is pretty clear. A 5 year old could read it and understand what effects to what. Getting a good sound out of it isn't hard with so many presets. Very easy overall.

In a way, you could use this on a terrible guitar and it really would make no difference as long as the intonation is correct. I've used it on a Fender Strat, and now it resides on an LTD Viper. There is no outside noise, and there is no reason why there should be. The soundboard doesn't rely on an analog signal. Aside from everyone else, I believe that all the patches are excellent. Paying $600, nobody should be dissapointed. People should have tried it in the store before buying it. Don't rely on a company's demo. As said above... don't expect a $3000 synthesizer. So for me, it's everything I heard and wanted. I sat in the store playing it for over an hour before I even thought about buying it.

The patches overall are great. A bunch such such as the Flamenco guitar, breathy sax, organs,strings, pianos sound really well. The trick to using some patches (and it should be obvious) is not to play them as if you were playing a guitar. That's how you get the realism across from a synthesizer. I can play a ton of piano sounds on the guitar and make them sound exactly real. Some of the basses can get by as being realistic while a lot of basses and guitar sounds are their purely for some extreme synth sounds. I've never heard a correct distorted guitar patch on the best of synthesizers, and wouldn't expect it from this. That's what multi-effects are for.

The trick to getting the best sound is setting up the GK-3 right. The manual says 1mm from the string with the highest fret fretted. Once you acheive that, this unit wil pick up pull offs and hammer ons with no problems. This allows you to lower the sensativity so you won't have random sounds coming through. The tracking is good. I don't have much problems with it. You have to be precise in your playing. A small bend in the string could mean a change in sound that you don't want. The fastest song I've emulated was Bach's Toccata and Fugue with the "Cathedral Organ" and it tracked it all. The velocity is also excellent to add-in to the realism.

Overall, it's pretty good sound quality.

I surely can depend on it. I would gig without a back up... but then again, I'm not sure I have any need to gig with it in the first place. I bought it as a desktop tool which it is doing an excellent job. It's plastic construction isn't a problem. It's pretty solid and sturdy. Nothing is loose. I use to own a Boss ME-30 with worse construction than this, and I beat the hell out of the ME-30 and it still made it through gigs and recordings without a single issue. I expect the same if not better out of the GR-20.

Never had to deal with them.

I'm going to give it a 9 overall rating. It has everything to suit my needs. I tried it out, and knew what it had before I bought it... therefore making it everything I need. It's a better value to me then the GR-33 I tried out. The tracking is great and everything that goes along with the GK-3. It definitely helps makes music. It also allows you to open your mind to other things than just rock. It's a great peice of technology for the price in my opinion.

I'm sure the synth unit is a snap to use, but the GK-3 pickup is a different story. DO NOT count on using the double sided tape as a way to keep it on your guitar. It clearly states in the manual that the tape is meant only for TEMPORARY use - and with my experience it was very much temporary. The second option (the mounting plate) would not fit on any of my guitars - strike two. After having a tech do the holes and get the plastic GK-3 mounted, it took a LOT of adjusting to get the thing to track even remotely well. There is a reason you don't see a lot of guitar players using the synths. Not saying it cannot work, but beware for a lot of headaches. Mine went back to the dealer, even though I got the whole thing at an incredible discount. No regret returning it.

Fair from what I hear online, but I didnt care much for the majority of the sounds.

Seems flimsy (the GK-3). The synth unit is probably okay...not built like a tank by any menas, though. Would not try to gig with it on a bet.

In the past, it has been rotten with other products. Doubt it changed.

It may work for some people, but certainly not for me. Not worth the hassle; poor tracking, obviously made cheaply. When you have it professionally installed and spend forever adjusting it (yes, everything was to the specifications in the manual) and it is still WAY less than mediocre - I can't help but not recommend this one.

The GR-20 controls are intuitive and very easy to use. Once the HEX/DIVIDED pickups is installed you're ready to go. I had to engineer a pickup mount for my PRS Santana SE for a piece of plexiglas. Drilling holes and glueing to were not an option. Please drop me an email for installation photos.
Tuning the guitar and setting the sensitivity of the GK-3 was also a snap. Compared to the old GR-1, the 20 is miles ahead in improvement.

Patch is editing is quite easy although the built in patches are great.

The manual is complete with easy to follow prodcedures with pictures and diagrams to support the setup and use process.

Currently, my GR-20's GK-3 divided pickup is attached to my PRS Santana SE. As mentioned, I engineered a mount to prevent the invasive techniques described by Roland. I comes with a Gibson style auto brige mount that doesn't fit the PRS. The one I made affords a more exact placement of the hex pickup to the exact specs. as provided by Roland (tolerance and position relative to the bridge.

I connect the unit to directly to headphones, the computer or to my Carvin Quad-X/Twin 50 arrangement.

The unit is quiet and would fare well in a studio environment.

Steve Morse often used a Synth and I'm sure you can replicate some of his work give your ability to play as well as him. All effects a cool synth type effects. Most venture out of the realm of guitar effects and rightly so - the is a synth.

This unit tracks very well when mixing dry guitar with the synth output.

It's made out of plastic and is not water proof. Aside from those, It seems well made. I wouldn't slam it around though. Treat it like an expensive keyboard.

I play at the guitar. I enjoy all styles except what call shucking (a.k.a. one chord, out of tune, with lyrics like "kill, I hate everybody etc). Give me Steve Morse, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson, classic and most other music that follows some or of the diatonic syetem.
Lost or Stolen? It's insured
I don't hate any feature. The 13pin cord seems to be a weak spot but must consider the amount of information be transfered between the guitar and the GR-20.
The unit has everything. If you got the GR-20 and the Adrenalinn II, your ready to Rock and roll or handle most studio work (in my opinion).

Nothing can be easier! There's really no need to study the manual. I used to play GR-33, GI-20 and Clavia Nord Rack2x and spent a lot of time with it trying to edit and create new patches. In fact, it was waste of time as mastering of all other gear was a drudgery and all my guitar playing was only browsing the sounds for more than a year. Now I've found it. It's simple as a breeze and what impresses me most is the response. I am sure the digital correction of a pitch works perfectly so there is only minimum of sound mistakes compared to GR-33

Strings, voices, pads, pianos, ethnic instruments, organs and some synths are great. Generally I don't like much the Roland saw and lead type synths but usually setting the attack and release helps to my ears.

It's new and I hope it will be "a holder" like all other Roland stuff I have

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I've been playing for more than 20 years but still nothing special. Mostly classics, poprock and recently I started to learn rock guitar. This gear suits perfectly to embelish the backgrounds and makes people stare where are all the sounds coming from looking at the one man band.
I also use VG-8, VG-88, Godin ACS

Installation: I have a trapizoid style tailpiece and there was no easy answer to the mounting of both p/u and controller.
After raising the p/u to the proper height from the body using the spacers it was so unstable and with all the palm muting and stuff I kept pushing the P/u over. Once the sticky spacers came off, they were
not as sticky anymore.
I decided to carve a p/u holder out of wood with a curve to match the curve of the guitar body. It works great, real stable.
I also made a mounting platform for the controller so it's on a flat surface. I used velcro. Now the controller is also stable and can survive a tug from the cable, enough to pull apart the velcro. I needed to use epoxy in a few vital velcro holding spots.
The whole thing took me all day to do, but now the GR20 is mounted and stable enough, All without hurting the guitar at all.
Great for me because I know how to do things like that. But for people that don't or won't, well, Roland could have planned better.

Playing: It's very easy to use, almost to easy. Very intuitive. It's so easy, I'd like more editing control. But what it has is cool.
Tap tempo? no. Not good for time based fx.
Must play in front of the beat to sync. Pat Metheny does it with a slower unit. But It's weird.

I dig them. There's more here than I'll ever use. I'm already finding my faves.
It definatly makes you play different, or at least more accurate. I feel like I have to pick harder with less dynamic range. I'm still working on the optimum settings for each sound. It's coming into focus.
I'd give it a 10 for sound if it wasn't for the lag in time of the sound. I'm just into playing a note and hearing it as I picked it in time. The GR20 is fast but I can hear it.

I'm enjoying it. Makes me work hard for good sound, and that's a good thing to do.

This has to be such a simple Guitar Synth to use - honestly, you plug it in and go - easy to use, easy to get sounds out of it. Havent looked at the manual - thats for girls, right?

I love the variety of textures this thing brings - I love just listening to the different sounds - its made me rethink how I play - not because there are tracking problems, but because of the different instrument sounds

usual Roland kit - well made and will last for aeons

Havent had to ever call them - i;ve got a VG88 as well - and its just awesome.

I play a mix of classical, Rock and blues. I've played for over 35 years - I started young! I play it via a Godin Multiac Nylon SA, which is a peach of a a guitar - the nylon string sound mixed with the breathy voices is awesome. I've also got a Jackson Rhoads, a Line 6 combo, and a Hohner GT3 with the GK2 which drives the GR20 as well.I'd definately replace it if it were lost.

I've wanted a guitar synth since the first time I heard a VG-8 but always thought it'd either be too expensive or too hard to set up...RUBBISH.

This unit is cheaper than I expected and is a doddle to set up if you take your time and have a bit of common sense.
The pick-up is tricky to install but not impossible.

WARNING: I had to use it with a Strat because I couldn't get it close enough to the bridge on my Tele because of the metal plate thing (technical eh?)

Manual: Absolutely MUST read it before you start - gets you in the right frame of mind.
Editing Patches: I found it necessary to store all the patches I want to use regularly (42 so far) to the user bank so that I could balance their volumes and chorus/reverb/delay levels (which didn't take that long).
Setting-up the individual string sensitivity was a 2 minute job too.

Only moan in this area is that the disply only shows numbers and so I need to keep a list handy to remind myself which patch is which number - this might improve over time but I don't want to be fiddling around on stage if my mind goes blank at the wrong moment.

If you have had no experience of playing around with effects then take a point away, likewise if you're expecting to edit every aspect of a patch but otherwise...

Sounds vary dramatically in quality and I have to say that I agree with most of what's been said on this page so far.

The piano / piano & strings / piano & orchestra sounds are good but need a certain amount of fiddling about to get them right.

Saxes, trumpets and brass section sounds are the best and indeed most usable and realistic patches on the unit - yes the breathy sax is as good as everyone keeps saying. My pop covers band has added both One Step Beyond and Tequilla to our set-lists because of this these sounds.

I have used the banjo to turn a few heads when playing with my Country band although I was hugely disappointed with the quality of the acoustic and nylon string guitars.

Many of the sounds such as the pan pipes, marimba, steel drums, clarinet and sitar are excellent if you can only find a reason to use them. However, that's the real joy of this unit in my opinion i.e. that there are so many good patches you'll be scratching your head and pestering your bandmates to try to find a way to use them all.

I'm giving this section a high score despite the awful guitar sounds because you have to remember that you ARE actually playing a guitar in the first place. If you want good guitar sounds use the flaming thing in your hands! I just don't see the logic of buying a guitar effects unit to make your guitar sound like a guitar.

Simple fact: treat it carefully and most things will last.

My cheap plastic Zoom multi-fx has lasted over 3 years and it's not exactly inspiring to look at. This is slightly more sturdy to look at but won't take a pounding like the metal Boss stompboxes. I have a slight concern about the special GK lead that goes to the pick-up, but only time will tell on that one.

Back-up? You're kidding though - I carry this so I don't have to bring the keyboard and there's no way I could afford to buy a back-up GR-20 just to have it sit around incase this one breaks down.

I am thinking of getting a spare GK lead though (depending on price).

Based on my suspicion of the cable my rating loses a point, if the cable lasts well add a point back on.

N/A and hope it stays that way.

The people in the shop I bought it from knew nothing about it at all. I had learnt more than these so-called experts knew simply by reading this page!

I play an old Strat into this with the guitar output going into a Zoom GFX-707 that I've tweaked beyond recognition over the last 3 years and that gets the job done nicely.

I play in a variety of bands and play a variety of music such as 50's / 60's Rock n Roll, classic Blues (Clapton, Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac) and Country (traditional right up to modern stuff) but always play cover songs and mainly bought this to try to get out of playing keyboards (which I hate, but have to do on a few songs).

I mainly use the piano, brass, saxes, organ and banjo sounds and find them all convincing and more than up to scratch.

The main thing to bear in mind is that you simply must remember what kind of instrument you are immitating: if you're playing a piano part then forget the string bending and vibrato, if you are using the brass section sounds stick to one or two strings max - I know this sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many people still try to play their usual licks regardless of what sound they have on.

As for tracking speed, I don't play anoything fast anyway so couldn't tell you how well it would keep up with sweep-picking or tapping BUT I do know that a lot of the patches don't like hammer-ons or pull-offs that well. This thing really screws with your technique.

OVERALLL: Highly recommended if you're willing to spend a relatively small time being creative and actually THINK about what you're doing with WHICH sounds, HOW and WHY.

Having owned previous GR series synths, this is by far the easiest one to set up and get good sound out of. Previous versions required sometimes hours of tweaking for just one patch and the GR20 simply a dial in and tweak the attack, decay, reso, etc...but all very easy if you've have any knowledge of the synth terminology.

I installed the GK-3 pickup on my Carvin DC135T. It took about two hours mostly for the measuring of the spacer to get the height correct. This part is critical...this is not the time to be in a hurry. After the pickup was installed and the guitar restrung I had do to just a minute adjustment with the provided screwdriver and I was up and running.

As for the sounds, like others said the guitar patches are lacking but the winds, brass, synth, organ/keys, ethnic and even some of the percussion are very useable.

The guitar out goes to my Boss GT-5 and back to the Mix In and then to a Carvin 300SX 3/4 stack (100 Watt) using the effects return.

The sax patch #3 really blows me away. I put on a Tommy Bolin CD and ran through "People People" and hit the sax solo note for note and I really couldn't tell the differenct between the synth and the CD.

I'm planning on using the synth for 70% home recording and 30% on gigs.

I know I can depend on Roland products, they are the cream of the crop. I've never had any problem with ME units (GT-5), synths, or Boss pedals.

No problem not to have a backup...after all I play guitar, this just enhances the sound....if it were to fail onstage, I'd just have to go back to playing like I did without it.

I've only dealt with customer support at Roland once, and that was to get the EPROM upgrade on my GT-5....they gave me an RMA and I sent the unit back. The turn around time was about 3 weeks and it came back cleaned up and working good as new right out of the box.

Mainly I play classic rock (60s & 70s) with a good share of funk, jazz and blues thrown in. I've been playing since 1974 and although my current work keeps me away from home so I can't be in a regular band, I travel with my rig and have joined many other bands on stage in clubs around the country.

My present gear consists of a Carvin DC400T, Carvin DC135T, Line6 Variax, Fender Strat, Fender Tele, and Fender acoustic guitar. My main amp is a Carvin SX300(SS) with an additional 4X12 slant cab loaded with Brits. I also have a Peavey Express 112, Fender Champ, Line6 PodXt, Behringer V-Amp2, and Morgan Monroe MAC80. For effects, if not using the V-Amp2 or PodXt, I use a Boss GT-5.

I would have to say I'd replace this unit if lost or stolen.

My only problem is sending patch changes via MIDI from my GT-5...not sure its possible, although I know for a fact the GT-6 can do it.

For home recording this is a great tool to have.

One of the fun things about playing a guitar-synth (from prior experience) is the head trips you lay on the crowd when theres only 2 guitars, 1 bass and drums on stage, but their hearing flute, sax or synth.....this unit has some really good VOX patches that I'm sure will spawn some creativity on my part also.

If you're thinking about getting a guitar synth, and don't want to learn or don't have the time to get into deep editing, this is the cat's meow.

Just be sure to read the manual on the pick-up and follow the instructions to the letter and you're installation will be simple and flawless.

This is a follow-up to my first post, which is the bottom most one on this page.

I've had it for a few months now and am starting to use it in band practice now and perhaps gigs later.

The unit is easy to use, though installation of the included GK3 pickup may not be easy, espcially is you are suing an archtop guitar with a trapeze tailpiece like I am.

Patch editing is minimal - you can change the amount of chorus and reverb as well as attack and delay, but little else. for that reason, it is real easy, but very configurable compared to the GR-33.

I'll give it a 9 for ease of use after installation of the GK3.

Oh yeah, this thing is more of a desktop processor as using it means you have to twirl knobs to go form bank to bank or step through each patch in a bank to get to the next bank.

I plan to use the User section to copy over the 20 or so patches i will use (out of 300+).

It also has MIDI capabilities, which I haven't tried to see if I could get thorugh the banks by foot. I've got a large MIDI pedal which I'll try someday.

you can't change the instrumentation cominbations given like you can with the GR-33. If the ptach gives you a bas on the lower 2 strings and an organ on the upper 4 strings, you can change that to be a violin on the lower 2. Supposedly, you can do that with the GR-33.

OTOH, this unit is almost as easy to use as a Zoom 505-II, but like the Zoom mfx pedal, you are locked into what they give you. Don;t worry, there's enouhg in there to keep you busy for a year.

Tube amp, SS - I use both as needed.

There are 8 or 9 banks of instruments - wind, brass, strings, synth, voices, etc, each with 20-50 patches.

The sound quality is decent and very close to the real thing in some instances like the "Breathy Sax". Most of the sound samples sound digitized, but they sound thta way on th elower end keyboards, too, so what's the dif?

Some patches are noisy, but most aren't.

I like (some of) the organ sounds, bass guitar patches, piano, strings, wind, and synth as they give my gutiar an added dimension that is just not possible even with the best floor based processor (Digitech GNX3, for ex).

I can add violin solos to rock tunes that while they don't sound like a Stradavarius going thoruhg a million dollar sound system, sound like a violin.

Tracking is generally good, though fair at times on some ptaches that seem to lag just a little behind. You can alter the attack and decay to sharpen or soften that feature as needed.

Keep in mind that using other instrument sounds means you have to think in terms of the other instruments and how they would be played. that means mastering a more melodic approach when using strings or a chunkir rhythm apprach when using the organ patches.

didn't liek any fo the guitar-related patchhes - nylon, 12 string, distorted. they all pretty much such, though the nylon can be somewhat useful, I guess.

I'll give it an "8"

Eh, my little plastic Zoom 505-IUI has held up well over gigs, so I expect the GR-20 to do so as well. Some folsk are unhappy it's plastic; not me as I need lighter gear.

At $600, i will not be using a backup, but if the unti did go out,I'd have to rely on my mfx pedal as best I could.

I can't grade the reliability yet, not without trying it live for a year.

I have no idea. i don't usually buy Roland products (hate their amps).

I (try to) play jazz, blues, rock. I bought the thing because I was in a gigging band that needed some keys now and then. then I quit the band (I'm older and had played with them for 3 years) due to a need for change of scenery. Then I jstufued keeping it as i thought I'd get back into jazz, perhaps a duo and add a dimension to that. Then I hooked up with old friends for another rock/blues effort, so I'm shoe-horngin the GR20 into that project.

If I had my 'druthers, I mgith have shot for the Gr-33. I'm not a tinkerer, so the GR-33 scared me as to having to config it. The Gr-20 is real easy - almost too easy as I am seeing a need to control the combination of instrumentation more than i thought I would. Still, if I got the GR-33, I'd probably be unhappy at having top spend too mcuh time programming it, so I'm probably better off with the "idiot gauges" of the GR-20 <g>

I wouldn't say the problem I had was with the GR-20 by itself, it was with the GK3 pickup that came with it. I thought it was a flimsy piece of junk and I never got it to mount correctly to my guitar. I thought the patches were easy to navigate through on the GR-20, and editing was easy

The sound quality was good, the tracking was awful (because of the pickup), and the variety of sounds wasn't there. For the money I thought it lacked versitility. There were a couple of good patches out of each group, but after that it seemed like the same thing over and over again. I mean how many tabla sounding patches do you really need?

Again for the money this was a cheap plastic pickup and a cheap plastic pedal that was not worth it. I was disapointed to say the least

Didn't bother with the manufactor and the retailer Sweetwater jipped me out of $80 in restocking fees.

I have since returned this item but I am staying open to Roland for future purchases. If I had a midi equipped guitar with a good tracking piezo bridge, I would have kept the unit. I thought the hold and slide functions were really cool, and the expression pedal was very useful. If Roland gets more experimental and adds on to some of the cool basic sounds this thing already has and puts it in a metal chassis it would be a winner. If you already have a Brian Moore or a Godin or any other midi triggering guitar, I would reccomend this unit. It has some very useful sounds that will make recording a lot of fun. If you plan on using the provided GK3 pickup I would say forget it.