Roland GR-33

I've been playing guitar for forty years, synths for twenty ... this is the unit (combined with a Godin Multiac nylon string guitar) I dreamed of in the early seventies.

Some sounds are great. Some I will never use. I miss a number of sounds from the GR-30. I love doing sound design ... and the GR-33 allows for a lot of exploration and expression. I am primarily an electronic musician (who loves the sound and feel of classical guitar).

I've never had a problem with the GR-33 ... be careful about stomping on pedals to hard ... sometimes digital noise is generated. This did not happen with the GR-30.

WARNING: I was house-sitting for some people who had three pug dogs. One of the bastards peed on my GR-33, while it was on, and fried the circuitry. I had to replace the unit, losing all my patches. Unfortunately, the dog was not electrocuted.

haven't used it, but I have always loved Roland stuff.

As I said before, this is a dream machine for me when combined with the Godin nylon string guitar. I have created lovely string pads with the harmonizer that just float beautifully behind my chords ... I can do screaming lead guitar sounds with a nylon string guitar ... with my backing tracks on my iBook (mostly done in reason) I can go out and do any kind of music I want ... folk, pop, jazz ... all with the tonal shading and colors and expression available in the GR-33 ...

So, to the competition out there ... I recommend you get cubase for windows xp & forget guitar synths ... :)

After having used the tedious editing method on the GR30 for several years, changing to the GR33 was a breeze - I changed for two reasons; for the patch dial (why would Roland not put this device on all there Guitar synths? Can you imagine not having one on their keyboards?), and for the expression pedal, to get volume and 'leslie' effect control on the organ tones which I use all the time. Editing is very easy with this unit; complex editing like assigning one tone say to strings 5 & 6, and the other tone to strings 1 to 4, is very simple and logical with this unit. Manual is good.

Guitars: Custom made Berketta with GK2A built in, and a Brian Moore as a backup guitar. Put the synth through a Peavy KB/A 100 keyboard amp...never through a guitar amp. and never mixed in with an analogue signal. Unit is quite to use. The effects are good and I been able to find all that I need but much of this has required some design/redseign of the patches from the tone menue - thats OK but just take a lot of time and experimentation to get it right. It's glitchy where harmonics are concerned; you need to play very clean or else...drop you head with embarrasment.

Here is the problem: I use this unit live, once it starts screwing up, you cant risk using it in a performance. The GR30 13pin sockets were good - the cable that came with it was made with a crimped ground line at each end (not soldered), I used to have to WD40 spray the jacks before every performance to dissolve the oxidization on the copper wires to stop crackle every time I moved the cable. It worked but irritating. The GR33 however has become more problematic - it is about to be checked out for an unpredictable jack/socket pin failure at both the synth end and the guitar end - the unit is at present too unreliable to be used for a gig. These 13 pin connectors are flimsy as best and let down the whole package - its a foolish cost-saving exercise by Roland - as a friend said to me: if they could have supplied it with the worlds cheapest 'D' connector as used on computers at least it would be a possitive rigid connection, and we could upgrade the quality later. So, I am looking into replacing the whole connection system with a 'D' plug system...as everyone knows they are locked into position by two screws, they have long pins so that contact is assured, and they just arent going to move around.

Customer support in Australia is Phase Engineering in Sydney and they have always been helpful, fast, and creative in there assistance.

There isnt much alternative gear in the market that one can use easily live. This unit should have been made in metal...METAL. Plastic units the size of this wont last the distance - even a child can accidently step onto this and crack it. If I break it, I wont replace it - I'll go back to 80's analogue dinasours like the GR300 and the GR700 and wait for Roland to one day wake up.

This is my first guitar synth. I've had this unit for about a month now, and I'm finally learning how to use it and get what I want out of it..I woulden't say its hard to use, the manual explains everything, and its pretty straight forward.

I'm using a Roland GK3 mounted on an Ibanez MMM Baritone guitar.
I find this guitar to be a good choice for a synth host, since the extended neck scale and string through body aids with string tenstion, with helps with the tracking.

Sound wise its very clean, so there is no feedback and white noise.
Provided you use decent cables.

Now we come to the important part the sounds..
I must say that I was impressed and I still am with this unit, but at the same time, slightly disapointed since it doesn't do as much I was expecting sound wise.

There are around 384 sounds, but a lot of them are not very musical or not my style and would never use (Such as brass sounds)
Alot of the tones, sound cool and interesting, but they are not musical in the sense, that they are just walls of computerized space sound (Maybe thats your thing !!) like toy ray gun sounds.

I use it mostly for the string orcestra sounds, which sound awesome when set right.

I was kind of disapointed too with the fact that you can only combine two tones together to make a patch (Although, I'm not sure about this, but I'm 90 % sure its true).

At the moment I'm running this unit with my KRK V8 Studio monitors.

Its made of plastic, so as long as you have use a little TLC with it, I'm sure it will be fine.

Never used or called them.

I play a blend of Hard rock/Industrial with a melodic touch.
I like bands like APC and the Vast or use alot of strings in their music. I've been playing for around 8 years now.

I use the GR-33 with a Brian Moore i2.13. It was pretty much plug and play. I set the sensitivity down a bit on the pickups and got a really playable set up. The manual is fine IF you have alot of background in synthesis and MIDI, but for alot of guitarist it leaves alot to be desired. Needs some coverage basic MIDI concepts. Editing patches is good, and is made even better by some utilities off the net. The GR-33 is alot less complicated than my GT-6, which is a incredibly deep product.

The GR-33 sounds like a good, not great synth. I have a Roland XP (JV) workstation that I think sounds better, but I'm still in the tweaking stage of getting the GR running. I like the sound of the XP better than Fantoms and Korgs so to me it is a high standard. The GR is quiet. The effects section (for synth sounds only) are good.
In my mind there are two modes to play a GR synth in. There is a fill mode where you pretty much play rhythm guitar with the synth layered at a lower volume than the guitar signal and the synth follows you and provides fill and depth of tone. The GR works great in that mode, and doesn't require much in the way of playing adjustment. The HOLD function works very well in this mode, but is not as necessary as you may think.
The other mode is to feature the synth, IE, turn off the guitar signal and play the synth alone. The GR works well here too and with the Brian Moore is a pretty solid setup. The GR will reward sloppy technique with sloppy tracking, but if you play well, it nails the tracking.
I can get pretty much all the sounds out of it I want. I like the nylon string guitar (which does not sound like a real nylon string guitar, but like a recorded one, if you catch my drift) Breathy Sax is cool. I'm still working on getting a cool flute sound out of it, but am getting close. The pads and strings (which is what I bought it for really) are really good.

I've owned Roland Gr products before and they are reliable and can be trusted.

I've only talked to Roland once and they were OK.

I play at home in a home studio and in a church worship team. I've played for many many years. I would replace the GR unit in a heartbeat.
This is my second attempt into guitar synthesis, my first being with GK unit attached to a US Strat going to a GR-30 synth. That setup was OK, but I had alot of rogue signals popping up that embarrased me. Now with the Brian Moore i2.13 (reviewed seperately) and the GR-33 those issues are fixed. My main goal is to do something to thicken out my tone a bit in a way that is substantial but does not smack the audience in the face that there is a synth running. I like the sound of faint or distant pads. I think this is the most useful mode of the guitar synths. I may get into more elaborate setups (like string to string manipulation) that made me choose the GR-33 over the GR-20. I'm delighted and surprised that the guitar emulations have higher potential than I thought, specifically the nylon string sound and bass guitar.
One thing that I hope to get around that I had hit before was coming up to a juicy solo and having people say, don't play guitar, play sax or something! I'd do anything for the sake of making a song work, but I hate doing something just for the novelty of it.
Eventually I will be using the GR as an input device for my sequencer which I have tested and it works well.

Setting up the hexaphonic pickup is little bit tricky. But using and editing patches is easy. Once you install the pickup it will only take minutes to generate great Synth sounds. Manual looks quite good.

The sounds are awesome and truly exceeded my expectations. I am genuinely excited about the possibilities with this thing and it will open many new doors for me soundwise (Who needs keyboard players!). I have the unit directly connected to my digital recording workstation and the sounds from my monitors are fine.

The tracking is excellent but I found clearly picking each note rather than trying to pull off or hammer on works best. I play quite a lot of fast alternate picking type sequences in my playing so this placed little difficulty for me.

Can't really say at the moment.

Haven't used it yet.

I play hard rock music and this unit will help to provide contrast to my recordings. I have fitted the GK2A pickup to my deluxe fender strat. Only downside is that the pickup controller looks ghastly on my guitar. Might get a professional installation later on. Every guitarist should get one it is so good for expanding the sound possibilities on offer.

Fairly easy to use but it has so many features and things you can do that it takes some time to play and experiment in order to find the right sound that fits your taste and style. The LCD display is very nice

Playing synth guitar will definitely change the way you play.
Tracking can be a problem if you play sloppy. The GK-2A pickup and GR-33 tracks very well but you will hear pops and weird notes if you don't refine your playing with some extent of accuracy. Some sounds track better than others. Sound quality is excellent on the GR-33. I use mostly the sax, nylon guitar, organs, and other wind instrument sounds. It's just awesome to play these sounds from a guitar.

Top notch as with all Roland and Boss products.

Never needed them

It's just amazing to be able to play and combine synth sounds from a guitar with a flip of the switch. People will just be amazed at where the sounds are coming from. No other pedal board or sound effects can give you the wide range of tones and instrument sounds as a synthesizer.

Getting around the GR-33 becomes much easier in a fairly short time.
The menus and their functions are laid out well. After a little while, you won't need to have the manual handy to do things. Personally, I have gone back to the manual when building more complex harmonic parts, but day to day I can zip right thru to get a patch running during a performance.

The sound quality is equal to a Roland keyboard, duh! It is a Roland keyboard. I would strongly suggest using a PA, keyboard amp or combination of guitar and bass amps to get a fuller sound. Your guitar amp alone does more harm than good to the sound quality.

I've had my unit for better than a year, traveling to performances a few times a month. Like any other electronic gear, plugging into unknown ac sources and plugging in live cables are the best ways to zap any gear. Avoid it. Get a spare 13 -pin cable if you plan to move it around alot.

Haven't had a need to talk to Roland. The manual is very complete, but it can't answer every question.

Overall this unit is a must have for any guitar player who likes to record, or expand the types of music he is playing. Since you can get every sound available, the possibilities are endless.
Performance wise, you can't compete with a piano player who's playing notes with ten fingers, but he can't compete with you using a guitar to play strings, horns, woodwinds and the like, since you can do much better pitch bends than a keyboardist with a wheel!

I would buy this unit again in a second. I tried the newest incarnation, this unit is still better. Go out and get one. And after a while, you'll be shopping for Brian Moore and Godin guitars!

"Simply Amazing". I have been interested in getting a Guitar Synth for over twenty years, and this unit does not fall short. Alot of people might not have the advantage of having the proper gear to run this thing. First: a RMC equipped guitar is necessary ie: Brian Moore i2.13, or similiar Godin. Second: Run the synth sound and your regular guitar sound into a mixer separatley, live or recording. The manual is comprehensive, and the firmware or upgrade is not important to me at this time

I am using a Brian Moore i2.13 with this unit. There is absolutely no noise. Very easy to program and control. I do not like to use alot of effects so I simply try to use the basic synth programs when editing. I really don't know who uses these things besides Pat Metheny and Al DiMeola, and I dont want to imitate them anyway.

Alot of people complain that it is made of plastic, I have bought a large "CORE" pedalboard and I use two BOSS FS-5U pedals via insert cable to control the the UP and DOWN patch Bank Shift. If I ever use it live, I doubt anything would drop on it, "You Never Know Though"! I would use it without a backup.

I contacted Roland at their California number off their website, about the cord I needed to use for the FS-5U pedals. The guy was really nice and told me to simply use a insert cable, and that there was no need for the PCS-31 cable specified in there manual.

I love this thing,"and I don't work for Roland". I think the Guitar "The Brian Moore" has alot to do with it. I play harmonic rock/jazz/you name it. One complaint: I wish it had RAM cards to add sounds. I will have to buy a XV-5050 I guess. Oh well!

Reviewer "Anonymous" of 8/26/03 would have no problems if he'd learn to play. It's probably his picking technique that is causing his "clunks". I have been using this unit for a year and have learned that some patch voices require more precision than others. The GR-33 does look daunting right out of the box, but the manual does get you going in short order and you will be editing patches within a half hour.

The piano sounds are excellent and the strings are very good. The organ sounds are not bad, but require careful editing. I also sporadicly use some of the horns, which are very convincing if you use the proper phrasing. With attentive editing I was able to duplicate the synth sound Toto used in "Africa"

I do gig with this unit but, as other reviewers have commented, am concerned about the plastic case. I have rack mounted mine (by securing it to a sliding rack shelf) and control it with a Behringer FCB1010.

I'd give it an 8, downgrading it only for the case. I would like to see a rack mountable version of this unit.

Great synthesizer!!!

After reading the manual from front to back I was able to make my own sounds and fix the factory sounds I liked. The manual actually sucks, because it's over the place. But it's all there once you start to play with it. Would be much easier if they had a tutorial in the manual. I got the grapelight editor which is mentioned in other reviews and can be dowloaded at www.ludgerhesse.com. I also updated the os to version 2.0 at the roland site. If you take the time and edit the sounds you will find that this thing really rocks.

Ok, I run this through a 1986 strat and a les paul sustom. Got the new GK3 pickup for the Les paul and it sounds great. I hook up to my Fostex 450 mixer and then into two rotel mono amps amps and a pair of Klipsch heresey speakers at home studio, and to my guitar rack live.( into the PA ) The GR 33 should really be used in stereo, great sounds and you can adjust the panning on each patch for great stereo location. It sounds average through a dedicated guitar amp. The Gr 33 is never noisy, and has many great patches ( once I fixed many of them). I have made many of my own sounds and down loaded many patches from the web. One of the main reasons I bought this unit though is so I could use my EMU proteus 2500 with it. It works great with perfect tracking and allows me into a world of over 4000 new patches so far! I run this into a piaa tube head which warms up the digital sound, then into a BBE 882. Finally into a alesis mq 230 EQ. The on board effects are very good except for the guitar effects ( over drive , distortion) They should leave these effects to boss and boutique pedals. Yea I can get almost any sound from it, but I can also hook into almost any other synth and play their patches also. The quality is great and I can out synth our keyboard player. We play a kind of techno pink floyd with more drums and harmony.

They could learn from their sister company Boss. This thing should have a diecast aluminum body. The plastic is strong but if a roadie jumps on it you are Screwed. I have another for back up.

Don't bother with Roland, the support is terrible. It's like you owe them for even buying their stuff.

LIke I said this thing is great. You can use the sounds that come with it, or hook up to your favorite synth and use those sounds. It is easy to make good sounds, READ the manual. Stereo mix in is great. I have owned the gr 1, gr 9, gr 30, and now this. Anyone who thinks the gr 30 sounded better needs new ears. You got to be nuts. This is the best tracking GR ever. I still have my GR 1 because it has some sounds and features ( built in sequencer ) I love. But the GR 1 tracks awfull, and can't really be used with another synth ( too slow ). I wish it was made of metal, had a more solid expression pedal, knobs for decay and release like the gr1 and the new gr20, a built in sequencer, and a second gk input for another guitar. But this thing has really nice sounds which can be made much better. The ability to use any midi synth for more sounds, without buy a gi-20, it is noise free, not that expensive, and is fun to use. Oh yea, you can now replace the whole band.