Roland GR-33

Very easy to use. I'm still a little unsure about the panning/stereo signal and how that affects mixing sounds inside patches.
Manual's pretty good for teaching how to use it, but little on troubleshooting your pickup and guitar relationship

I believe Roland boasts that these sounds are comparable to the JV-1080.
They're not fabulous sounds, but they're good if your looking for a realistic sound set - not all of them sound so real though. I mainly bought this for live use with my funky band, and as a contoller in studio

Yes I would be glad to take it to a gig, except I still haven't set it up 100% so notes glitch more than regular.
At the time being I can't depend on it too well- but I'm sure it would sound great live

I haven't had the chance to nail Roland yet about my problems so my rating can't be too fair. It's kind of difficult because I want a one-on-one face-2-face help with my setup, because I think it's hard to customize this thing to work great for me over the phone.
I kind of hold my music store more responsible with this type of service

It's horrible as a midi controller for me.
I wanted to get it to do vsti instrument stuff which is a very high expectation and I should have spent my life savings on getting an Axion. If you don't know what Axion is I would suggest taking a very good look before you buy the Gr-33. I think the internal sounds of the gr are a little too weak for my tastes. The Axion has an option where you can buy it with no sounds(similar to the Gi-10). Also look at the Parker Midi Fly.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have waited the extra few years that it would take me to save for those more costly midi guitar tools
If I had a Proteus style emu module or an access virus synth to play with this thing it would be more fun and I'm sure it could track okay with hardware synths - but the technology isn't quite there yet for doing software synths with your guitar
if you don't want it for software synths then by all means get it cause it's cheap for what it does. Let my review be a warning to all those who are daring(or stupid) enough to do what I do.

The GR-33 is pretty easy to use, reading the manual would be really smart. The basics are simple to understand and figure out, but if you want to get more in depth with this synth I suggest looking to the manual for help.

I'm playing this with a Fernandes Monterey Pro out of a Marshall amp and it sounds very good, but the sounds on it are pretty boring. If you're looking for an all-round synth this would be it because it doesn't focus on any one genre. If you just want this to use midi it has great tracking. I would just use this as a controller for external sound sources, but the some sounds on this are really good, it just all depends on what you're looking for.

It's reliable, but since it's plastic, I'd be careful with it, just incase. I'm sure this synth can hold it's ground, so I doubt there's a need for a backup, maybe an extra cable though. The display also scratches too easy.

Never had to deal with Roland

I play Industrial/Metal and about 1/4 of the sounds are usable and sorting through them can be such a pain, so I'm just going to control an external synth. If it was stolen I'd probably just buy a gr-10, the midi tracking is faster than the 33, but the internal tracking is too slow. I'd suggest this for any guitar player. It has a wide range of features, but I don't need them.

quite easy to use, there's a lot to editing the patches, so it takes a while to get used to. i've been using the gr-33 for about 8 months now and pretty much have it mastered.

IT did take me a while to catch on to the string selection, but like anything else, it was just practicing to get it right. manual is usual roland bs. but it does cover about everything

as i run it through a lot of equipment, when i turn the unit down all the way from the gk2Ah, i get a little bleed over , otherwise it's great. the effects are decent, but it would be nice if you could apply those to your guitar too...

very reliable. plastic chasis, but it's still pretty good. i 've seen some pretty trashed ones. one complaint, the GK2AH cables are about $80! and when you move around as much as i do, wires can break. haven't had a problem yet though

roland has great support

works great for my drum and bass music.

visit my web site - http://www.specsystem.org

or my label's site - http://www.soundwarfare.net

This gear is really very easy to use, at least for the beginning when you create your sound patches intuitively without any deep knowledge of the sound creation theory. I used to have GR-09 before and that chaotic turning the knobs was boring. Now, when the new GRAPE LIGHT editor is available on www.ludgerhesse.com, work with GR-33 is more sophisticated. I do expect the GR-33 users now begin to exchange their patches or start to concetrate them on a single web page.

Quality of sounds vary. Some instruments (organs, basses, winds) are real, some not (guitars, some synth sounds). In my opinion in depends on the musical feelings of individual users what kinds of sound they'll like and use. For me the factory setting doesn't suit my music ideas and it will take a lot of time to change most of the patches. The possibilities are incredible - especially arpeggio setting gives you quite new horizons.

As I have it for only two weeks, it's impossible to respond

As above

I try to play a "Mike Oldfield or Vangelis style" and GR-33 is something I really needed. Old GR-09 was nothing like that

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to edit the patches. Only had it a short while, but have been able to get the sounds I want. Manual is pretty good. Sadly, there are no patch editors on the market compatible with the GR-33 (I looked). That's why I was so pleased with the ease of editing from the panel.

I'm running this through a Mackie 1202 mixer, Carvin stereo amp and JBL Control 2 speakers. Overall, a nice balanced sound. Not too harsh with horns and stuff like that. Effects are good, although I use only a few.

Strings are lush. Grand piano quite good. Nice selection of basses!

Well, I've seen one little weirdness with this so far - which may have been my fault. I took the GR to a friend's house who had a mono PA. I plugged in the left output for mono - which is how most equipment is set up. In the case of the GR, the right output is mono and the left is headphone. Anyway, the unit just plain stopped putting out sound. I discovered my error when I got home, but that won't be a problem as I run in stereo.

We shall see...

Called Roland to find out about patch editors and they were of little help.

I play old standards, light jazz, ballads, stuff like that. Seems like a good match for my style(s). Been playing over 30 years. Playing the GR via a Godin LGX-SA. Had to turn the GR's sensitivity all the way down. Overall the tracking is pretty good although I occasionally get odd notes played at full midi volume. I have a few kinks to work out yet, I guess.

I don't like the small buttons for switching between tune mode and play mode. Not accessible with feet.

I was playing this at Sam Ash music for 1 hour. It took me a couple of minutes to completely figure it out but I got it. It is a totally amazing guitar effects board. Saving is easy and this is just a great unit.

The set up Sam Ash had was a Godin Singlecut MIDI guitar into the Roland unit into a Roland Amp. This thing is no where near noisy. I was playing a practically full volume and it souinded like pure bliss. All they effects were great. I particularlly LOVED the Sitar, Grand Piano, strings/orchestra and a flute thing. It all sounded just like the real instrumewnt. It also has saxaphones and slap basses and 12 string guitars and anything imaginable. You can get any sound from Chinese music to Middle Eastern sounds to anything! You can create you own sound. The disortion sound pretty good and just about everything. I really liked the Sitar and Grand piano. There is a Gothic Organ and I was playing Beethoven's 5th Symphony and it sounded VERY good. I was also playing some other classical pieces on the Grand Piano and they just sounded so, so, so, so, SOO good. I was also thinking you could record you very own piano or strings arrangments and it would sound EXACTly like the real thing. Even though you don't know how to play it.

I'm not shure . . .

The peeps at Sam Ash arer really good. I've worked with them before.

I play Hard rock, classical, Spanish styles, and this is such an amazing thing. I can now venture into more styles like REAL classical or Middle Eastern stuff. I've been playing for 1 1/2 years. I own a Epiphone Les Paul Standard with EMG 81(Bridge) and 85 (neck) pickups and a Peavey 5150 Head with Mesa Bogie 4 x 12 cab (Recto) I am looking for the perfect tone and I think that setup is near perfect. Now with this pedal board unit it WILL be the ultimate set up. I'll need to get another guitar with MIDI though. I love evrything sbout this amazing effects board.

Having owned a GR-30 for a few years, I found the GR-33 very easy to use. The pre-sets do leave a bit to be desired, but they were good starting points for creating patches that sound the way I want them to. Definitely easier to edit than the GR-30 was.

Regarding tracking, I said it in my GR-30 review and I'll say it again here: These things will NOT tolerate sloppy playing, so don't blame the unit for misfired notes, unless perhaps your GK-2A isn't installed properly. Play clean and you can play as fast as you want to; the unit will keep up with you.

I use a MiM Roland GR-Ready Strat. Took a long time to find one that felt as good as my old American Standard GR-Ready but this one does. I run the mono synth signal out to an EbTech Hum Eliminator and then directly into the effects return jack of a Tech 21 Trademark 60, and the guitar signal out to one channel of a Whirlwind A/B switch. I use the A/B box to route two guitar signals to one processor, a Boss GT-5, because I don't use the GR-33 all night. Take off the Strat, pick up the PRS, step on a button and I can change guitars in the middle of a tune if I want. The GT-5 also runs into a EbTech Hum Eliminator and then to the effects return jack of a second Tech 21 Trademark 60.

Unless I've accidentally used a bad cord, I have no extraneous noise in this rig. I use the amps mostly for stage volume, because the signals run directly to the board and so mains do the work. The patches sound great and I enjoy seeing the surprised expression on people's faces when they look up and don't see a sax player or keyboards of any type on stage.

I used my GR-30 for almost five years without a back up and have complete confidence in this unit, too. I built a custom pedal board and transport everything in a foam lined SKB case. I don't intend to buy a back up, because I don't see the need for one.

I've never had to take any of my Roland pieces in for service so can't really comment here.

I have your standard classic rock quartet, two guitars, bass and drums. We had a keyboard player for a little while and I bought my GR-30 after he quit. Best move I ever made! I've got horn, string and organ parts covered without paying an extra guy and I'm talking tunes like Shotgun and Smoke on the Water. This is a perfect fit for the small combo that wants to sound bigger.

Yes, I've been playing a long time, and yes, I have a lot of other gear, but if this piece was stolen (How would I lose it?) I would run right out and buy another the next day.

What's not to love? It's easy to use and sounds great!

I think it would be neat if Roland added a guitar processor section, say a mini version of the GT-3, or built a rack mount version with an expandable midi foot controller that would let you control both the synth and a rackmount guitar processor. That would be interesting.

Very Easy. Tracking? You gotta fine tune any guitar you want a hex pu on. Hexpu's don't like extra harmonics. I run mine on an ES-165. Made brass plates (annealed and blackened). The one under bridge for hexpu has two threaded holes for the springs/adj screws. Wedge up a little square of Sorbathane and place under middle of hexpu. This made a MAJOR improvement in tracking and getting rid of wild notes. Sorbathane is a rubber/asphalt vibration damping material. Its like a rubber that will take a pinch mark from your fingernail. Try oily modeling clay if you have to wait for Sorbathane to arrive .... order on net somewhere. (a sq yrd of this stuff can be had from McMaster Carr for about what you pay at hi end audio place for a sq ft, wont have trade name, get softest grade)

Great sounds can be made. Don't use factory sounds. They are good starting points though. In a word the sound quality is AWESOME. You won't hear it with the factory sounds, I promise. Tons more sound bites in there which are NOT used in factory sounds. Its reeeel easy to tweeek. Plenty of room for "your" sounds.

Box on stage with METAL plugs going into mostly PLASTIC box ..... Yeeeks.
Seems disas-waiting. Be wairy of placement and loaded customers..... It just wont' mix.

Who knows, or how-long-can-U-wait-on-hold.
As with most Roland stuff, the need to call should never arrise.

I play "philly" jazz, blues bassed, non-fakebook stuff. Once the head of tune is gone, we're gone, and quite likely this axe gets blended in. Been playing jazz or blues since early 60's. Gone through the "moving van need for gig phase", sold the crap and frills, simplest works for me. Replacment would depend on where it's lifestage was, at end of? I'd look at the newest. The stage-worthiness issue is only big hanging ?mark. Anyway, enjoy it, play it, this thing is FUN.
Larry

Very Easy

WOnderfull

Very reliable. After reading the reviews, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of you guitarists out there are pretty sloppy. One of these reviews said that hammer-ons, pull-offs, and things like this were hard or impossible. THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE. The gr33 can be just as expressive as a regular guitar. This of course depends on not only the patch, but the patch settings. Just about ANYTHING is possible if you actually use your imagination (I know its hard for SOME of you.)

SLower tracking speeds on the Low E and A strings can be helped by transposing the entire tone down a good deal of steps. By doing this, you can play the same thing on the treble end of the guitar (the strings that track quickly) but really be playing bass notes, because the whole thing was transposed down.

ROland is great in this category

Great! Very very very very very very good instrument.

Getting several good sounds is as easy as walking through the presets and playing around with them. I didn't have much experience w synth programming, but it's definitely MUCH easier than C++ :) Choose your sounds, adjust some parameters, et voila! The manual is pretty fool proof i'd say. It's crammed w links to the relevant sections for just about any problem you might encounter. But you'll need it only to get started! I guess this unit is as easy as it gets.

Sound: Only tested the thing mono. I'm pretty sure it sounds even better in stereo. Some great sounds in there, and ofcourse you have the midi out as well if you want more.

Tracking: At the shop I used a Godin LGX, at home my old framus with GK2a. Evidently the godin did a better job at triggering, but my old Framus holds up pretty well too. Most sounds track pretty cleanly. The piano doesn't, which is a slight pity. Also, with some of the string sounds, it has a tendency to drop a half note if you dont stop the note VERY CAREFULLY. This is especially nasty when playing some nice chord progressions with more difficult fingerings. But then again, my guitar isn't set up too well for synth tracking, so...

This thing EXCELS at fast triggering. I don't know about the axon, but I can play some REALLY fast staccato stuff on this, and it almost overtakes me hehe!

Well, I got that Jan Hammer moog sound nailed pretty well now. And you can make a nifty ensemble with the solo violin + cello, very Prince like string sounds. And there's many others... The expressiveness of many sounds depends highly on the play feel parameter. And ofcourse you have to adapt your playing to each sound to get the bestfrom it. For what this box is meant for ( all in one guit synth box ) it is very well equipped.

I WILL depend on it. I WON'T play with a backup, cause I've run out of money :) But I won't take this to wild jam sessions anyways, just gonna use it with the latin/tango ensemble or solo in the pub.

Did you know ALL roland equipment is HAND MADE? Did you know they actually check EACH PART before assembly?

For the past 20 years I've played any styles of music. Lately mainly acoustic/jazz types of things, but also electric fusion ( think Al Di, McLaughlin, Holdsworth ). I NEVER want to do pop for a living nomore!! :) !!!!! and i mean it !!! :))

This is the ONLY all-in-one guitar synth box (apart from earlier roland models). It's PERFECT for light travelers like me, who don't want to carry a bunch of heavy shit to each performance. It has all you need to spice up your live playing, and then some. And in the studio, well... in the studio you can do anything, right? For me, right now it's a tremendous creativity booster. If you're a hard working musician and play solo/small ensembles, BUY IT! You won't regret it.

The ONLY thing I regret: I gonna have to save buck$ for a Godin or some other expensive GR ready guitar, to boost the performance even more :)