Roland GR-33

The reason I rate this a 7 is because to change banks or groups you have to hold the S1 button on the gk2 pickup and press the footswitch at the same time. After you get used to this flaw it becomes very easy to scroll through the factory preset patches. Editing is a breeze if you have any experience programming processors. I would suggest that you take the time to use the manual while you program becuse it can become confusing at first

I use the synth with a epiphone dot,a boss GT3 and a couple tube screamers going through a Sunn alpha 212 amp. When using this unit you have to understand that you will not like all of the tones that comes out. Some tones have very bad tracking under fast picking while others are extremely fast. The tones that you can use are amazing!!! I spent 20 hours in the first week programming because there is just and astounding amount of possibilities. The guitar effects on board are worthless(distortion,od and such) but thats not why you buy one of these toys.

I have never had any problems with reliability from any boss products that I have ever had so I expect that this unit will hold up. I would think that anyone that is buying one of these has a pretty good grasp of how to treat gear because this pedal isn't exactly childs play. It is made out of plastic though..........

Never had to deal with them

I have played for about 17 years. When I got this unit I kicked myself for not having one sooner!!!! I have been especially using the breathy sax,steel drum,marimba, pads,flutes and saw synths. It is great playing with the keyboard player and the people in the crowd can't tell where the sound is coming from. The look on their faces is priceless when my guitar IS the drum solo!!!! Just some advise though... if you are gonna shell out the scrilla for this you should also get the boss FS6 extension control pedal. It makes bank changes so much easier and it is the only way to take advantage of the tap tempo arpeggiator and delay functions

In terms of ease of use, the GR33 is fairly simple and once you understand the editing features its pretty easy to navigate through.

OK...here I go! There are great sounds on the GR33. I dont dispute that. And adding tones make some interesting hybrid patches that are very useable. HOWEVER...this unit will throw out a ghost note or some freakish hell note completely out of the blue on you and ANYONE who tells you it dosent is flat out a liar. I have had the GR33 for several years and I have YET to create a patch, play a preset without it happening eventually and totally from left field. I have participated in NUMEROUS discussions with ROLAND on this subject and I feel like at this point we should all be able to agree that it will blow a freak note at you at any moment. I sure would like to see some real bottom line discussion on this rather then the same old tripe like "its how you play the strings". Thats utter crap. You can play the strings in a gazillion different styles and ways and you will ALWAYS get a ghost note at some point. The best thing I can figure out to minimize it is to set your string sensitivity lower. I am now down to 2 or 3 on most all strings now...I have reduced its frequency but its no resolved entirely. I believe the issue has more to do with guitar synthesis technology...its just not there yet and is certainly not there with this unit.

Any rig that tosses out some hellish freakshow ghost note other then what your playing at very inconvienent moments is not reliable for live gigging.
Its a plastic unit. I think 600 dollars for a plastic unit that cant consistently produce its sound and effects is completely overpriced. I think producing a plastic unit that your heavy feet and boots has to work is well....whats a nice way to say it....how about flat out stupid.

Until SOMEONE, ANYONE from Roland's synth department can admit that unit PRODUCES GHOST NOTES and offer realtime on the ground recommendations on how to correct it rather then this "denial" thing or " we are completely bewildered and never heard that one before" then I have nothing more to say to Roland on this issue. Dont bother contacting them as they cant even admit there is an inherent problem in the first place which I find utterly insulting

I low rate it because of ghost notes with no one able to offer any viable explanation for this or suggestions as to how to eliminate it TOTALLY.
On my rig, I have a Roland XR fantom rack (no ghost notes with that), and also midi into a Korg keyboard (no ghost notes with that either).
If there is anyone out there, who can have an actual discussion on the issue of ghost notes and have suggestions FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME. If your going to send me an email stating you have never had that problem, I am not interested.

THis is a fairly easy to use processor. It follows mostly linear multi-effect editing protocol that has been around for years in roland/boss products

Samples are pretty good, JV series synth samples. Outdated as of now ('06) though. The gr-20 has updated samples.

I had it for about a year (3 gigs a wk) then.... IT FREAKED!! Sent it to the local dealer/repair tech. He said that they almost never come back (2 ever!). He looked over and over and was stumped. So back to Roland it goes........

Roland Gets this product and they call back the tech and say it is water damage (suprise). Thing is it was check over and over for water damage. The local guy is PISSED. He thinks Roland is trying to pull one over on us. He claims he likes to look for water damage, that he likes to find fault with the customer ( it usually is), but there wasn't any with this gr33. So now it is figured out that even though the warranty is still in place and all that goodness, but Roland has DISCONTINUED the gr33. Well that might mean that product support is scarce now for the product as well!! The war is waging with roland as of now and it is fierce!! I have spent alot of money on thier poducts (3000+) and this is first problem. I just want to say.. REMEMBER YOUR CUSTOMERS. YOU ARE A LARGE COMPANY HELP OUT THE CONSUMER

Great device with great sounds. When I had it working it was the ultimate accessory to the guitar and playing music with the guitar.

started getting good pad, string and individual wind instrument sounds right from the start. the brass benefit from a little tweaking but even those are up to roland standards.

almost exactly what i was expecting from a roland product. I can play the piano plink from Buju Banton's "murderer", the organ from Bob Marleys "no woman", and the horn riff from Teach de youth and sound believable.

on the east coast, many reggae and r&b bands are using 2 keyboard players instead of a guitar player. they sacrifice the "skank" but they increase their sound palette overall. with the GR-33, guitarist get back the edge... which translates into dollars.

been gigging with it for over 6 months with no backup.

also, the midi tracking is working well. the manual says that i can get better tracking by making the setting more sensitive, but i haven't needed it.

never had to, hope i never have to.

i play reggae, r&b, and go-go. the gr-33 works great for both thickening up the guitar with undergirding synth sounds, and as a secondary keyboard.

i even started using this in the studio connected to my roland xv-3080.

The only thing that would make this better is if it had a built in effects processor for the guitar itself.

every thing is easy to use to get the sound you want from the gr33 synth and editing is a doddle .it come with a manual but ive never bothered with it

i play my roland gr33 through my marshall ampstate amp the gr33 is not noisy on any setting at least not for me.the effects are as good as guitar effects.you can use the gr33 through any amp .you can get some famous atrists sounds but remember this is a guitar synth so it your looking for guitars sounds theres only one on the gr33 .the best thing about the gr33 is the sounds are 110% real the trumpets and saxophone and all the strings plus hundreds more sound like the real instruments .you know what a sax sounds like and a trumpet to when you play a note or a chord on the gr33 thats the sound you get. all i can say is roland are the kings of real instruments sound no one can beat them there the best if you dont have one of these guitar synths i recommed to anyone to buy one .if your into studio work like i am you need look no further all you need is the gr33 forget hireing a sax player or a trumpet player or ant other instruments if you want these sound added to your music you have it all here you do it all your self and the best thing is its all original played by you

very reliable .on stage you would allways need abit of back up

never delt with company never needed to never gone wrong on me

my style of music is a mixture of jazz/blues some of my music can sound abit like film theme soundtracks ive been playing for around 30 years now .i have a collection of 40 guitars mainly 60's 6 of them being acoustics and 12 string acoustics ive 4 amps and ten differant guitar multi effects units plue a couple of keyboards and other gear to just to many to list.if it got lost or stolen i'd try buy it again.what i love the most about the gr33 is that the sounds are so real.i dont hate nothing about it .my favorite feature are all the strings that the gr33 offers.never compared it to other products no need to this is the best by far.it helps to make music more intresting

editing is kindergarten. results are as u would expect with a 1080. manual is clear by roland standards. does vs 2 solve the problem with the wah pedal staying at its lowest value once engaged?

always go separate inputs for guitar and synth. No noise. Good effects.

i would use it without a b/up

they are v helpful down there in wales

ambient world jazz

30 years grief from the muse.

xv 5080, mpc 3000

way best guitar synth ever but doesn't track OTHER synths as well as the gi20. forget its midi out imho

cards and 5080 sounds

superb machine

anyone got any downloadable patches? links 4 such?

This unit is fairly easy to setup for good sounds! and the manual is well laid out.

The editing is quite good to, and all buttons and dials are easy to use to.

I think for the price the sounds are gr8! and most are very close to the sounds they copy.

I have tried thru a line 6 spider mono amp and the sounds were good even thru that! then i tried thru my vetta 2 and the sounds were fantastic, and i could here no noise at all.

Also the tracking was excellent too!!

Lets hope it is! i have only had a couple of weeks! i think could have been made a bit more robust like the vg-88 tho.

I have rang Roland uk with a few questions and they have allways been very helpful and knowledgable.

I think overall it is a gr8! little box and i can get loads of different sounds from it.

I would like it to be a bit bigger like the vg-88! and have a control on it to go thru all the pacthes so u do not have add one.

It suits my style of playing because i love to experiment with loads of different sound effects and i love that part of music.

Pros: Easier to use than the GR-30. Nice backlit alphanumeric display. Built in expression pedal.

Cons: No cutoff, resonance or velocity switching parameters. You cannot create your own arpeggiator patterns like on GR-30. No detectable improvement in tracking speed.

I've owned a GR-30 since the day it was released, and I dont see a huge difference in the GR-33's quality of sounds. In fact some sounds on the GR-30 are BETTER than the GR-33; in particular, the cello, flutes, choirs and organs. Saxes, horns, strings and pianos all sound like the same samples from the GR-30 to me. Of course this is only my opinion, but the way Roland's press hypes this thing, I was expecting a big difference in sound quality and I just dont hear it. The only place the GR-33 really excels is in electronic and techno synth sounds. Oh, and it has doo wop scat singing, which is good for a laugh but will you really ever use it?

The multi effects are a nice addition, but I dont use them that much.

Roland synths are very reliable.

I have never dealt with them. Their support website is lame.

I have been playing over 30 years and play everything from ambient\experimental to world beat, rock and blues.

I dont mean to knock the GR-33, its another quality Roland guitar synth. Then again, I am glad I didnt sell my GR-30, because there are sounds that I can get out of it that are better than what the GR-33 can do. Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp still use the GR-30 even though the GR-33 has been out for years. That says something, because those guys have been using guitar synths since pretty much day one.

If it were stolen or lost I would probably pick up another GR-30 instead. You can get one used for a couple hundred less than the GR-33. IMO, the GR-30 does realistic sounding instruments better. But if you are looking for wild, spaced out synthy sounds the GR-33 is probably more up your alley.

First off, I realize that the GR-33 is a designed primarily as a guitar-synth. I have used it that way with a Fender "Roland-ready" Stratocaster and a Fernandes "Sustainer" guitar w/ GK-2A pickup since it came out about 5 years ago. I submitted a review of it here on Harmony Central as guitar-synth (in the Effects review section) a few years ago. However, I've been using it lately as a synth module with a keyboard controller, so I decided to write a separate review of it based on that application.

Although a guitar controller accesses the GR-33 via a 13 pin connector, a synth or keyboard controller can use the GR-33's midi in and out ports, just as you would with any module. As far as "ease of use", it's quite user-friendly, especially compared to most keyboard synths or synth modules. That is partly because there are less editable parameters available. Although it is certainly programable to a degree, as I'll explain in more detail below. It's ease of use is also likely due to the fact that it's designed as a guitar-synth and Roland probably assumes that guitarists (in general) are not as technologically-oriented as keyboardists.

This is the third Roland guitar synth I've owned so my learning curve for this unit was insignificant. I've also owned and programmed a number of Roland synths over the years, so I'm pretty familiar with their architechture. This one is as easy as it gets. Editing sounds is a piece of cake, although, as I said, it's not as programable as many synths.

The manual is decent, considering Roland's reputation for complaints about their manuals. There is also a video owner's manual available which I bought and consider worthwhile having - although it is totally focused on it's use with a guitar, rather than a keyboard.

The sound engine of the GR-33 is taken from Roland's industry-standard JV-1080 rack synth module. So the GR-33 is basically a floor mounted version of the JV-1080, with some modifications. In fact, some of the the features that distinguish it as a guitar-synth, make for some interesting and useful features as a keyboard-controlled synth module. Having a built-in assignable expression pedal is something you don't see on most synth modules. There is also a bank of four foot switches that control such funtions as wah/filter, glide, hold, and arpeggiator/ harmonist.

Also, being a guitar-synth there are a number of selectable velocity curves that relate to how the guitar tracks. These are useful for touch sensitivity on the keyboard and add a dimension of expression to how the synth responds to your playing.

It's got 48 note polyphony, which is more than enough for guitar, but not quite as good for keyboard, although I find it adequate for my needs. One of the drawbacks of this unit is lack of expansion capabilities. There are no slots for ram card, expansion boards, etc. However, for my use as an additional tone module in a synth rig, there are plenty of sounds to choose from and expansion isn't as important as if it were my only synth. However, it can definitely stand alone as a sound source with just a midi keyboard controller.

While it doesn't have a sequencer, it does have an arpeggiator. However, the arpeggiator is not the high point of the GR-33. It's not the best, but can be of some use. Although if your controller synth or keyboard has a better arpeggiator, you can use it on the GR-33 sounds via midi. Another feature that the GR-33 has is a send/ return loop (mono send - stereo return). There's also a jack to plug in a pedal for bank shift.

As I mentioned, the GR-33 uses the synth engine from the JV-1080, so you know it is loaded with excellent and useable sounds of every category. There are 128 patches in rom and 128 user spaces. Each patch can have two different tones with separate effects for each. There are a total of 384 tones to choose from to make up a patch, so there is quite an extensive pallet to create from. It also has a fairly decent effects processor with 40 types of editable multi-fx. So while you can't alter most of the building block parameters of the tones, like waveform or LFO, basic things like envelope (attack, sustain, etc) can be tweaked. I understand there are software editors available, but I haven't tried any as it's really so easy to tweak from the panel.

There are some excellent presets, as well as some less inspiring ones. But getting in there and layering various tones and altering the effects and editable parameters can yield some interesting results.
The kind of music I use it for is ambient electronic/ New Age/ soundscape-type stuff. So the sounds I'm working with are mostly atmospheric pads and special effects. Also choirs, bells, flutes, and strings. There are some great sounds in these categories, but after some tweaking, I've come up with some incredible ambient pads that sound nice by themselves, but especially wonderful when layered with other synth sounds from my keyboard controller.

Although I don't use them as much there are also an abundance of "realistic" sounds like piano, bass, drums, brass, organ, ethnic instruments, etc. I'm probably not the best judge of these, but I own and have owned many synths of various kinds, and in my humble opinion, the sounds in the GR-33 compare favorably to what's out there.It's definitely an upgrade from the last Roland guitar-synth which was based on the Sound Canvas. I'm not saying that the piano or orchestral sounds are on the level of say a Kurzweil K2600, but I'd venture to say that they are quite good. Given the overwhelming popularity of the JV-1080, I assume many people would agree. This is a general purpose module that could be used for almost any kind of music - although it doesn't have as much of the type of dance or techno sounds that are found on many contemporary synths.

One interesting thing is how the GR-33 responds to a keyboard as compared to a guitar. With guitar-synth controllers, tracking has always been an issue. Some sounds track inherently better than others, although it usually quite easy to "glitch" or mis-trigger a note from the guitar. However with a keyboard controller, it's a non-issue. It triggers like any synth module - perfect every time. I've also noticed that some of the patches that don't sound great with the guitar have a whole different feeling triggered from the keyboard and work much better.

I've had mine for almost 5 years and it's been totally dependable - no trouble with it whatsoever. Generally, I try to gig with backup equipment whenever possible. I don't have another guitar-synth, but I have other synth modules if I was using it with keyboard controller. However, the GR-33 feels relatively low risk for having trouble with, so I wouldn't be as worried as I would with some equipment if I had to play a gig without backup.

I haven't had to deal very much with the company, but some of the interchanges I've had with tech support have been useful once I actually got a hold of them. Plus, a Roland rep I met recently at a trade show in northern California was extremely helpful and went the extra mile to be of service. So, I know that Roland is not necessarily known as the tops in customer service, my experiences have been ok.

I've been playing electric guitar for over 30 years and synths for about 15. Before the GR-33 I had a GR-30, and before that a GR-50. Pretty much, whenever Roland makes a significant up-grade, it's time for a trade-in. The GR-33 is the best guitar-synth Roland has produced yet. There's not much on the market that compares, especially at that price. Unless there was something better that came out at the time, I would definitely buy this again.

Using the GR-33, a guitar-synth, with a keyboard controller is obviously not the most common application for it, but it's a great option. It's relatively small, compact, and easy to travel with. Also, having the unit on the floor under the keyboard, allows some good real-time control with the expression pedal and 4 foot switches, especially when using it layered with other synths. Playing it with a keyboard after using it for a long time with guitar, opened up a whole new collection of sounds because of the difference in the way they sound played by guitar and keyboard. Also, I'm editing some patches differently for keyboard use.

This is one of many synths in my rig, including Korg Karma, Triton Rack, Wavestation SR, Kurzweil K2000R, Roland JD-800 & JD-990, Kawai K5000R, and others. But I find that I'm starting to use this a lot as a secondary tone layer with keyboards, especially for live playing. What's especially cool is that in a live setup, I can have the GR-33 ready to be triggered by both guitar and keyboard since they have separate inputs. The GR-33 triggered by guitar can also send a midi out back to the keyboard which opens up a whole other combination of sounds.

So, all in all, it's a pretty versatile module, especially if you think outside the box a bit beyond it's intended usage. I highly recommended it in my previous review for guitarists. Now I would just as highly recommend it for keyboardists as well, especially for it's studio-standard sounds, real-time control options and expression abilities in an integrated, portable package. It's definitely become an essential part of my rig first as a guitarist and now as a synthesist. I don't give out 10's a lot, but for me, this one deserves it.

The Gr33 is not as easy to use as the GR20, but then again you will tire of the GR20's sounds and not have much of a chance to change anything. With the GR33's dep editing capabilities, you have way more tonal combinations available, but you'll have to put a little work into it.

Generally speaking, the unit is easy to edit until you get down into the many sub-parameters and tryig to divine how they affect tone.

The manual is decent and complete.

Overall, the GR33 is not noisy. i am using it with a P90-equipped Gibson archtop (ES-137P) into a Gibson Goldtone GA15-RV guitar amp (or sometimes a Fender Acoustasonic Jr acoustic amp).

The effects in this case are the 384 tone bank choices - sax, sax ensemble, flutes, ethinc instruments, brass, synths, guitar sounds, percussion, bass guitars, strings, organs, and more.

The guitar tones aren't all that great to my ears, but I do like the basses, organs, keys, horns, and strings.

Now, don't take this the wrong way, but I am of the mind that with this $600 synth, coupled with the $200 GK pup, and your $1,500 guitar, you can about equal the tone from a $129 Wal-mart keyboard.

That's not necessarily a bad thing since those $129 keyboards have lots of good sounds nowadays. I guess what I'm saying is that you won't equal a $2,000 keyboard synth with the GR33.

When you think that the GR33 is about the only affordable game in town for us 6-stringers, it's not a bad deal.

So far, so good. Seems dependable to me.

I play pop-rock covers in a band and dabble in jazz and hard rock on the side. I've been playing for mroe than 10 years and own several Fender tube amps and Gibson archtops.

I bought the GR33 after owning the Gr20. I don't use a guitar synth a whole lot in my music, but outgrew the lack of customization of the GR20 pretty quickly and wanted the deep editing that the GR33 affords. Ha and now that I've got it, I don't have much time to tweak it... go figure.

The GR33 does hlep me make music by forcing me to appraoch tunes differently when not playing straight guitar sounds.

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.

Not too bad really. Once you understand the basic concepts, fairly easy to get a good sound. Reading the manual is a must to get the GK pickups etc. set up right.

Using it with a Godin Multiac Steel SA. Using a Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus for a nice effect on the raw guitar sound. Play through a Peavey Ecoustic 112 at home, and a Peavy 6 channel mixer/amp at church. Playing more accurately is an absolute must, as well as playing the instrument in a different style to get the sound of an organ etc. As has been mentioned by others, many of the patches are WAAAAAY "over the top." However, the soft pads and strings patches are just perfect for our contemporary parise/traditional hymnns worship service!

I'm happy with the quality. Granted, it doesn't have the solid feel of the Cool Cat "tank" pedal, but treated carefully it should last for a good many years.

Haven't had to deal with them. Hope I never do.

Since we are very small, I am forced to be a "one man worship team" and was looking for a way to get a fuller sound than just my Larrivee acoustic guitar. The reaction of the congreagation was amazing when cranked up the Cathedral Organ for our opening hymnn! As we flowed into contemporary praise, the soft pads filled out the sound wonderfully. Our congregation is older/retired folks and I wasn't sure how they'd take to all this "electronic gadgetry." However, The response was overwhelmingly positive. I searched high and low for a cheaper way to get the job done, but this box has been the only thing I've tried that really give me the "whole magilla." Would be nice if they replaced some of the really "spacey" patches with something usable. I just can't seem to come up with a appropriate place for Molten Lava in the service!

You need to read the manual . I use to have a GR-1 which was more complex to use and not as intuitive. Once you know your way around, piece of cake with a Gr-33. Manual is far more easy to understand then the mediaval and obscure gr-1's.

The piano, voice pads, some accoustic guitars and a couple of bass are pretty good and usable. Sax is ok if you stay in a tight range , as a sax should be. Organ ...nahh. Electric piano mmm... all right , I have heard better from Yamaha. Of course Roland kept a price point when they built the GR-33. The future looks bright, especially with the price of computer memory going down. No jazz guitar, strange choice.. I would build a module with very strong basic sounds (piano, organ, Rhodes, guitars , sax , reeds and brass etc) and forget about volcano, human percussion and all that silly stuff. A gr-33 is intended to replace a keyboard player and I never heard them play kaboom and volcano.

Very very reliable. By the way if you get a hum using guitar out jack, use a 3 sprong/2 sprong adaptor to remove the ground from the guitar amplifier.

Very helpfull.

To use a Gr-33 , you need a perfectly set-up guitar. Mine is a Gr-ready Mexican Strat. I had to replace the synth Pick-up with a gk2a kit because the white plastic cover that contains the pick-up keeps it too far from the string, which causes a weaker signal. It works, but not enough Dynamics. I tried everything to close the gap but this is a poor design. The replacement is the same brand (Roland Gk2a internal kit) with a better design, closer to the string. The tracking is almost perfect, less ghost notes than the Gr-1, but narrower range of dynamics. Of course, you can adjust it to your liking. I use this unit to replace a Keyboard and double my guitar parts. It works flawlessly, but I have a very precise technique , since I studied the guitar many years. Sloppy strummers will be sorry and Pearl Jam type of guitar player would be better off with an accoustic guitar.

This thing is a fucking pain in the ass to get sounds out of. Expect many clunks especially with subtle parts. Editing patches is easy. Manual is cool. Unit has not been upgraded. Overall its VERY frustrating.

Sounds kicks ass WHEN ITS NOT CLUNKING OUT. Its not noisy. For this unit, I'm going direct to disc so no amp needed. The clunks wreck the entire thing and REALLY piss me off.

I cant depend on it. How can I when I hardly get it to do what its supposed to do and its not like I'm new to this stuff. I'd never use it at a gig.

Customer support sucks ass. I say that cause I tried to get some repairs done on a fucked up unit and didnt get a phone call or an email back. So now I'm sitting around with a $600 piece of worthless gear that even if it did work, wouldnt work properly. I'm giving this department a 1. I'm giving them one point for picking up the phone and negating the other 9 for not doing anything when I expressed the problem.

The patches sound great if you can get them to trigger without getting fucked up. For the most basic passages, plan on doing several takes because the sensitivity is all over the place. Bottom line is I'm not happy with this thing, I'd be better off hiring a keyboard player and getting the music tracked properly.

I have an XV-3080 and an MC-505,and compared to programming patches on those two, this one is child's play. If you're used to Roland's patch programming paradigms, then you won't even have to refer to the manual. I think Roland did this because they figured guitarists would much rather play then program synths.

However, I did go through the manual, and I found it adequate.

Anyhow, once you've figured out how tones merge together to form patches and how you can stick fx on top of it, editing and creating patches is a breeze.

It's got great sounds out of the box, and they're a good example of the power of the box. However, if you couldn't program your own sounds and it ONLY came with the presets, I wouldn't have bought it. Fortunately, it's programmable :)
This is not to say that the presets are bad; rather, they're not my cup of tea. One man's good sound is another man's industrial (heh). So, as opposed to saying it sounds good, I'd reather say, yeah, you can get the kind of sounds YOU want if you bother dwelling deeper into the unit and playing around with the 384 tones. There is definitely enough raw material to work with.
Some of the patches are noisy, I think, especially the Grand Piano and the flute although not unbearably so.
I play directly into a mixer and use the unit mostly for composition and studio work. It's great for this purpose. The effects are good, but I prefer to effect the sound through my recording gear and use mostly the weirder in-built stuff, like the leslie and the hexa-chorus.
I don't really try to sound like my favorite artists so I can't really tell how good this unit is for emulation (ie if you're a cover band), but for getting your own stuff down, its awesome.

It's been pretty sturdy so far, but it's plastic and I wouldn't trust it to continue working if you were to drop it heavily or have something fall on it. I have the ZOOM GT pedal which is made of metal or alluminium and you could kill someone with that thing. So, if I were to take it to a gig, I'd probably take a back up (if I could afford it)

I haven't dealt with them.

To summarize, I mostly compose my own stuff, so far that I have found it brilliant. I create ambient music, sometimes heavymetal ( although I use the POD for the crushing tones). THis is perfect for newage & synth based stuff. If you play metal or rock, you'd be better off with an amp or a Line 6 POD.
I've been playing for over 8 years now, and I've found a whole new aural soundscape opened up because of this unit.
If it were stolen, I'd buy another one, unless Roland comes out with a newer model. They keep improving their stuff (except for the MC-505, MC-909 fiasco ;) ) so I'd guess that the next in series would have the XV engine plus better tracking.
For the price I paid for it, I think it's brill and it's definitely a great addition to my studio.
If you're a guitarist and have ever wished to have a larger repetoire of sounds, then this unit is for you.

easy to get sound, yes because i had a gr50 before this product so, i'm incredibly surprised , and as i usualy use effect, so not difficult to understand/progrm

wow, really impressed,the piano, wow,the strings ;wow, great job roland !

WHY roland did put a hold pedal , that you have to stay on it with your foot to keep the sound sustained !!!! i start a song, want to hold some strings, and my feet have to stay in the hold pedal, and i have to jump with the other to touch volume or wathever,roland ???

awfull

good box, i use it with a vg88 , but as i did a gr300 patch with my vg88(www.herbuel.fr.st), the gr300 patch makes me laugh (lol), but for piano, tromper/brass, strings, and bass, wow, great machine!!!!

Out of the box it is very difficult to get a set up of useable patches. I spent many hours adjusting tone banks, pickup hieght,e tc. to get the kind of response and sound I wanted. After using this product for 6 months I found the Grape Light editor. This program is not easy to use either, but you can edit patches much easier and quicker. I have many grape light patches and complete patch sets stored on my computer for easy changes.

I use this direct to a Mackie 56 sound board. Excellent sound quality. The patches are of high Roland Quality. The only problem can be if the pick up is not set correctly.

Never had any issues with this systems reliability. I use it weekly without a backup.

I have actually talked with a Roland representitive about this product and have stated "I can show you how to set up a patch, but that is it."

Overall Very nice. I use it also to drive a Roland XV 5050. Combination of sound phenominal. It is also great to have a set up where I can record my guitar licks into a computer MIDI file. If somehthing happened to my GR-33 I would replace it right away!

I have used Roland products for quite a while and so their configuration menus are quite intutive for me. Editing is so much easier than my earlier GR-09. The manual is more refined compared to the previous manuals Roland had for their products. The firmware is stock from the factory.

I use the GR 33 with a Godin Nylon SA, EJ46C strings and a SWR California blonde and many systems around Singapore. The unit is is not noisy at all, nor hte effects if you really spend time tweaking it. However in the few months that I have used it, I find the sound source not as warm as my expanded GR09. I have read other reviews saying the GR 33 has a gourmet of sound palatte however I have yet to find my quest for the Organ, Fantasia and Strings patch. I feel it is too thinny for my taste,

I have used Roland products for over 20 years and I do trust their reliability. Will go for gigs without a backup.

Obviously the manual does it all and nothing like experience to teach you.

I play more acompaniment style relying on bass patch for the top two strings and organ or strings patch for the other the higher strings. I have played for over 30 years. I like the cosmetics of the unit but have yet to discover the sounds that will suit my needs. The expression/volume pedal and other uses makes it more flashy than my old GR09. Like the previous revious, I think we need to install the new card slots so we can exchange patches easily and add sounds from existing synths. I have not tried the free grapelight software but will do so as I need to find my holy grail of patches with this unit.

I've found the GR-33 very easy to use and program. Although I've had experience programming and tweaking Roland synths (JD-800 & D-50), this seems much easier by comparison, but partly because there are less programable parameters. I would have liked a more informative manual, but it is adequate. There is also a video owners manual now available.

I am using the GR-33 with a Fender "Roland-ready" Strat. upgraded with Lace Sensor pickups, locking tuners, and graphite bridge saddles. I go from the guitar out jack on the GR-33 to a Mesa Boogie V-Twin tube pre-amp into a DigiTech RP-10 multi FX, out in stereo, back to the guitar returns on the GR-33 and out to two 60watt Marshall Valvestate amps. However, sometimes I run the GR-33 directly into the PA and the guitar and effects through the amps separately. Having a stereo FX return is a major improvement over the GR-30 which was mono return. Which brings me to another point: having owned the GR-30, I am very surprised to hear people saying that they feel the GR-30 is superior to the GR-33. Of course, it's all very subjective, and there's no right or wrong, but to me the sound and features of the GR-33 are a huge improvement over the GR-30. The sound engine of the GR-30 is based on the Roland Sound Canvas and is very meat and potatoes compared to the more gourmet sounds of the JV-1080-based GR-33.
Ultimately, it depends on what your needs are, but for my usage on more ambient, electronic, atmospheric music there is no comparison. Also, for this kind of soundscape music, tracking is not as much of an issue as for fast leads and intricate chording. However it does track very well, provided that your fingering is accurate, as many other reviewers have pointed out. Another improvement over the GR-30 is the larger screen and the all the extra information you have available while playing or programming. Also, having the built in expression pedal is a nice plus.
All in all, I think the sound quality is excellent. And, although I don't use a majority of the 'realistic" sounds (pianos, organs, brass, etc), they sound good and are probably useful to other players. Incidentally, I've tried triggering the GR-33 with a midi keyboard and some of the sounds that I did't like with the guitar sounded great as a synth module. As noted before, in general, the internal GR-33 sounds track better than using the guitar to trigger an external synth - although, the combinations can be awesome.

The GR-33 is sturdy, well made, and seems reliable. I've gigged with it without worrying about it.

I haven't had to deal with them for this product, but have found them helpful in the past for questions and info.

As a 53 year old player, I've been playing guitar since the late 60's, and have had 3 Roland guitar synths. This is by far the best one, with Roland making many of the sound and feature upgrades I wanted after the GR-30. The only other thing I can think of that I would like to see is slot for Ram cards to be able to add other sounds. I would definitely buy it again - at least until Roland comes out with the next model.

Well, it's easy to get a bunch of sounds right out of the box, but when you decide to start tweaking around it is a little more difficult. But not really painful, especially if you have some prior keyboard experience. The manual, although not really great, is much better than Roland is usually known for.

The sound quality is actually pretty good on a few of the preset tones and or patches. Roland calls a tone a basic building block of a patch. A patch is a combination of two tones and whatewver effects used. The most natural sounding voices are some of the organs, a couple of basses, some string ensembles, some brass ensambles, a couple of saxes, one or two flutes, a harmonica and an accordian. There are also some pretty decent non-natural sounds in the pads, a few synths and synth basses, and sound effects category.

It seems pretty sturdy. But anything can be trashed if abused. If you're a knucklehead you can break a ball bearing.

Never had to contact them.

Overall, this unit is pretty good, but it has it's bad points too.

Although the sounds are pretty good, they grow old. After a while you'll start to notice for example, that the BreathySax you loved to play always seems to respond attack-wise in almost the same way. Sure, you can change the volume and tone depending on how hard you hit the string, but there is a definite narrow limitation. Better forget about fingerstyle unless you use those steel claws and a thumbpick. And it's the same for all the sounds. You give up a lot in dynamics. On the other hand, this mostly shows up only when you play alone. It's a lot less noticeable when you are jamming with your buddies or a CD, when being heard is more important than having a wide dynamic range.

As far as tracking is concerned, you'd better clean up your act if you want to play with this synthesizer. A lot of the voices track pretty well but a good many track poorly. Don't get me wrong, if you play with perfect execution it WILL keep up with you, no doubt. But there are many things a guitarist does that is not perfect, and purposely so. Do we want to play every note with precision all the the time? God, would that be boring! There are also many things a guitarist does naturally that the synth won't pick up, or changes into something altogether different, even awful. Like percussive strumming or raking on dampened strings. This can sound really bad or not sound at all depending on the voice. And where the damping is done (like anywhere over the harmonics area).

On another point, in terms of really changing the basic characteristics of the tones themselves, forget about it. Oh, you can put an effect or two on a voice and change it that way, but you can't change much about the actual voice itself. You have only a few parmeters to adjust, and on most voices they do little or nothing.

Now you might think "Why would I want one of these lifeless GR-33s? I'm a guitar player and that thing will never capture my playing!". To answer that, I say "You want one because you ARE a guitar player, and right now guitar is the ONLY thing you play". Even with all of the negatives, this unit gives you more versatlity than any effect you have ever owned. No other piece of gear will change your sound as much as a synth can. And you will get used to the tracking, believe me you will. In fact you will become a more accurate guitarist because of it. Just remember that this is not a guitar. It's a guitar synthesizer. There WILL be a learning curve, just like any new thing. But it's worth it. Definitely.

This is not a simple system to use. So you want to be Pat Metheny?? You will need to invest alot of time in learning the nuances of different settings and patch mix. Once you learn some of it, you will be amazed at what you can produce. It's almost like - don't try this ay home. If you think you know it inside out, you're fooling yourself. The manual is ok - I got more from a 5 minute phone call to Roland Customer Service than I got from the manual.

I use it exclusively with a Yamaha guitar with the GK 2A top mounted by the bridge and play a handful of jazz/Pat Metheny stuff. You will really need to adjust the patch drive (loudness) settings to match your amp, and you can adjust the picking dynamics to match the level of response and how hard you play. It's not noisy, but it does `chirp' once in awhile if your left or right hand release is not absolutely perfect. Digital is unforgiving. If you use the touchiest settings for picking dynamics ( I do) you are more likely to get a chirp. PS the distortion and chorus effects on this thing are horrible. Get a zoom 505II and carry a second guitar.( I always have four with me. )

Don't know. I gig with it every week. Backup?? I can hardly afford one!!!!!

Company rep was very helpful when I was trying to figure this thing out. Maybe I just got a good one (rep). I learned more from him than the manual.

I play jazz, been playing for almost 30 years - this is used mostly for my band to do Pat Metheny stuff. I'm still learning on it, but we will expand to make wider use in the future. You won't outgrow this thing quickly. Some patches are more `real' than others. You really have to play with the patch programming to get the best use for you.

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 :)

Very easy to get a great sound from the GR-33.
Easy to edit patches. 384 built in instruments. Synths, strings, organs, pianos, wind instruments and many many more.
Manual is pretty useful.
Firmware I believe is still original since it's release in 2000

I'm using a 1996 Fender Mexican Strat and an Aria Gibson Les Paul Gold Top Replica both equipped with the GK-2A Synth pickups
I plug my guitar directly into a 2001 Line 6 Flextone 2 300watt Head.
I plug the GR-33 Synth sound directly into an 1997 SWR Workingmans 15" Bass Amp.
Not noisy at all, just extremely great quality sounds.
Certain instruments sounds sound different from their real counterpart, but tweaking resolves most differences.
The Effects Quality of the GR-33 are excellent for the GR-33 only. As far as I can tell you cannot use the built in effects for your guitar sounds. The distortions and overdrives are a bit thin and fake, but all the other 38 out of 40 effects are of extreme quality.

Pretty reliable. The casing is mostly plastic, but it has been rock solid. Get a protective carry gig bag for it to lug around.
I would be up shits creek without a paddle if the GR-33 blew up on stage. You would have to own 2 GR-33's if you needed a backup, or ask your keyboard player to grow another arm.

N/A I know for fact that Roland does not have a toll free Tech Support help line, but I know people that have dealt with them and have helped them solve their issues as best a possible

My stage name is Alterboy "Straight from the Vatican" and I play in an all original Rock/Pop/Alternative band called RYNGS out of R.I. I play mostly rock, blues, jazz, lot's of other styles on my own time.
I've been playing for over 27 years.
If stolen, hmmm, I would just have to find a used one.
I love the quality of the instrument sounds and using it for effect in band only. Not taking away from being a guitarist.
Nothing on the market that is all in one. Great expression pedal and foot controlled effect control. Would be nice if Roland combined the VG-88 and GR-33 together calling it the VR-121.
I compared the GR-33 to the AXIS midi synth. The GR-33 is a better value.
The GR-33 helps in the creativity of being able to play non-guitar instrument sounds using guitar, blending sounds and nice effects.
Try one out 1st.

Just to add a few of my own comments to what has already been said here, this unit is easy to use. The preset patches are OK, but the best sounds are in the 384 tones that are available. Play with the attack/release settings for better tracking and customised sounds. I've owned most of Rolands guitar synths, this is the easiest for editing I have seen, anyone remember the GR50 ?
The manual is a big improvement on previous user guides.

The sounds on this unit are good, organs, atmospheric synths, didgeridoo, in particular. The sax, violin and horn sounds needed a bit of editing to get them usable. Sound quality is high, used through my home studio monitors and mixer, very little noise levels.
The effects are average, if Roland had allowed the effects to be applied to the guitar sound as well, this would have been more useful.
I love the arpeggiator, great fun when used with a Line 6 delay/looper. I play all sorts of music and can get pretty close to most sounds on CD, but the best sounds are the ones that can be edited from the internal patches. Midi out works well, I use a Cort steinberger copy, which I installed the GK2a kit into, took some adjusting and setting up, but the tracking is definitely faster and more reliable than any other guitar synth I have used.

Seems fairly sturdy, would use without a backup, but always have a spare 13 pin connecting cable.

The GK2a kit does not come supplied with all parts necessary, I mentioned this to Roland, they replied promptly with a reasonable explanation, and also sent me some brochures and a free CD. They have been helpful on previous occasions.

This unit beats anything that came before it, I have sold my other guitar synths as I am more than happy that this can do what I require. Might also get a VG8ex, to experiment with both.
It is a good creative tool, I recorded a load of new material just from playing with the different sounds and finding something ineteresting that inspired me.
You still have to play cleanly, it doesnt like sloppy playing, but the rewards are worth the effort. www.millside1.freeserve.co.uk

Very easy to use across the board. Much intuitive user interface than the Roland GR30. Good manual as far as Roland manuals go.

I use a Fender Roland-Ready Strat to drive the GR33. Preset patches suck, internal ROM sounds are excellent, tracking is faster than the GR30, very quiet unit, effects are very good, great features not found in earlier Roland guitar synths.

Seems pretty flimsy for a floor pedal. Seems reliable enough though.

Never dealt with them.

I'm impressed with the GR33. It works better with the Roland-Ready Strat by Fender. Don't believe anyone who tells you that the GR30 is better- it's NOT. However, I do miss some of the patches not carried over into the GR33.

The Gr-33 was the first synth I have ever purchased so the learning curve was steep. Now that I have spent some time with it, i can create patches and alter current ones easily. I still refer to the manual occasionally for the more obscure "how to" but not very. often.

One drawback to the use is that the programming controls are on the floor. I have to bend down to change properties of a patch. True, I can change the patches with 'footwork'.

Another drawback for me is the location of the "HOLD" pedal, probably the only one I use other than the expresstion pedal. When seated and playing fingerstyle, it is very difficult to hold the guitar in a comfortable position and still reach the exp pedal and the hold pedal at the same time. My solution has been to use a guitar strap instead of resting it on my leg.

Sound quality is good for a synth. I use a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. and get satisfactory results.

Reliability has been good. Ive owned it for a year without any problems.

Customer support was not much help, although they were friendly and tried to be helpful, to a point.

I still have issues with the mis-fired notes when I use a Godin Multiac with the LR Baggs picups.

I was dissapointed in the tracking with the Godin Multiac Nylon and almost returned the synth to roland. I decided to keep it and have been moderately pleased.
Tracking bites!

The basics are easy enough to use, but once you get into the hardcore stuff it becomes a little more tricky. This thing is the ultimate in tweaking though, you can change almost anything you can think of (and some things you won't think of). As for actual use its dead simple. Plug in, select patch, and play. The manual is not very impresive (it's a Roland manual after all), it's very complex like its a legal document or something. I topped reading the thing half way through.

All in all it's pretty easy to use overall, just got a complex manual.

The sound quality on the GR-33 is above average. It sounds like an upmarket keyboard. Some sounds are good, and others are not so good. There no particular great sounds, but there are some pretty cool sound effects. What I hate is the built in effects. The distortion and overdrive are awful. That's alright though cause who wants a distorted trumpet, sax, etc. Of course there is the odd tracking error, but this is rare if you play carefully.

Basically it's very keyboard sounding. It's not expresive like a real instrument, but will do for little trumpet solo's and stuff in the middle of pop songs. I've used this thing in musicals for little solo things and it's quite adequte. Overall, you become a keyboard player, which is very cool.

It's a Roland, need I say more. It's very reliable, no backup required. Built very solid and I don't expect it to break down before Roland make the next model in the series (if they make another model). It should last much longer than that.

Absolutely horrible, at least in Australia. I tried to get another internal gk-2a pickup and it took roland 3+ months to get one into Australia. Plus there U.S. website is almost useless.

Pretty good synth. It doesn't work in Jazz, Blues, etc, cause it's just hasn't got natural expresion but for pop songs maxed out with drum beats and a cranked guitar it works fine. I use it in a rock/pop band and use it to and in parts for instruments we don't have. It works fine in this situation.

This unit has many hidden depths to it; it's not really intuitive. Haing said that, I do find that there's a flow of editing parameters that I can rely on to keep things simple...I start by twaeking all the Common stuff, like pan, level, pedal function, and such. Then I select a patch and tweak that. Then I go to effects, and tweak those (which is a little tricky sometimes). The manual, as I remember it, is mediocre. The descriptions given for the various effects are funny, as they are completely deadpan and technophile. But I wasn't overwhelmed at any stage of the game.

The presets...ah, they are presets. Sweep them clean and start fresh to get the best sounds out of this unit. It was a substantial amount of time before I found the 384 tones at my disposal; I thought the preset patches were it, at first. Silly me! Anyway, I go straight into the P.A. with this, using the send/return for guitar effects...and let me tell you, the cabinet simulator in the GR-33 is highly impressive! I don't even know if it's accurate in simulating a cab, but it just makes my guitar sound better through the speakers, which are full-range JBL's. Onto the synth aspects: the selection of tones is quite expansive, with an emphasis on synth leads. I was hoping for more woodwind stuff, but what's there isn't too bad. Basically, I purchased this in the middle of my total awe of Robert Fripp; up until that point, my favorite guitarist was Lindsey Buckingham, or something. This synth is awesome for looping, which I use a Line6 DL-4 for...the warbling and mistracking on some patches can be overcome with a little restraint, as previous reviewers have mentioned. You can't strum wildly and scrape your pick across the strings and expect to trigger anything satisfying.

For realism in its portrayal of instruments, I give this unit accolades and praise. But nothing compares to the GR-300's analog sound and playability. I have never owned (or even seen) one, but 80's Fripp and Metheny has exposed in me a love for the shrill, saw-like sound used in many of their solos. I have approximated it in one of my patches (ignore the factory patch called "GR-300 LEAD," it doesn't even come close), but it's not even the sound that I long to be better...it's the fact that on an analog, non-MIDI guitar synth such as the 300, one could do hammer-on and pull-off runs, get a nice natural sustain, and bend to one's heart's content...digital programmability detracts from this in the GR-33. Trills end too quickly, pull-offs CANNOT BE PERFORMED EVER, and if you're not careful when you remove your left hand, the pitch might drop a half-step. Yes, my GK-2A is mounted properly.

The effects are there because the tones available are nothing stellar, and they do a fine job of beefing up things a bit. But only one effect at a time? Some are offered in groups of two, but they aren't the useful ones...and I'd like to be able to customize it more. I have no use for a limiter or spectral expander, period. This is a synth...do Kurzweils have limiters built in?? The quality of the effects is pretty cold and mechanical, but somehow not lacking in any department, to my usage of the unit. My patches are mostly either improvements on the factory ones that I'm disappointed with (choir voices and strings, namely), and just plain WEIRD ones that aren't useful in any kind of band environment, but come alive when I'm looping and making ambient noise. Speaking of noise, it doesn't make much when you're not playing it.

In my basement, it's damp and chilly most of the time, nice in summer, frigid in winter. Well, there's a pebble in the Value knob that's been there for about eight months, I'm so lazy. The pedals are cheap, and they almost seem sunken-in; there's not much difference in height, physically, between pressed and released. I would take this anywhere, simply because I'm a mild performer. I don't break anything I own because I'm too rough with it. The expression pedal is too small for my size 13 foot, which has been spoiled by Ernie Ball. (c:

An effects processor can be a musical instrument. It makes no sound of its own, but has its own limits, its own timbre, its own playing style, and other adaptations that need to be considered. This does have sounds of its own, but they aren't static...stick two of them together, pan them across from each other, put a phaser on one, bend the pitch, use the "wah," and it's now your instrument. My GR-33 gives me a great amount of inspiration.

I'm 18. I have been playing music for pretty much all my life, but not guitar until a year ago. However, before that I played bass. Not like it really matters...! I would have liked this unit more if it had the type of tracking that the VG-88 had, which was on-the-fly and derived from string sound. But then you wouldn't have all those nifty arpeggios...wait, those are pretty lame...well, maybe a balance could have been struck. I plan on getting the VG sometime, and using the US-20 splitter thingy. Recent Fripp is easy to replicate with that combination, so I'll be satisfied for a while. This box gets an "8" down the line.

It is fairly simple to plug and play as a rule. The sounds right out of the box are very easy to access. I am just learning to edit patches right now. The manual, as with most Roland Products, has all of the clarity of James'Joyce's Finnegans Wake. It is so eliptical, that you often need to guess what is going on. It is not a tool terribly friendly to the guitarist's plug-in-and-rock mentality.

Gibson Explorer played through a Yamaha T-100 tube comboe. It is super quiet with the exception of the occassional Mariachi station coming through. That could be the amplifier or the effect loop as well. I have not really tweeked the effects since I am using my outboard gear, a Digitech RP-12 and a Line 6 Delay Modeler.

So far, I've only used it on one gig in a Church Ensemble. I am guessing that it is pretty solid like other Boss/Roland goods. Everything else that I have ever owned by them has been practically indestructible. Knock Wood.

Roland USA. Where is the 800 number in the manual? Just wondering.

Play in a Church Worship ensemble where alot of the musical parameters are pretty free. I also play in a Pop/Celtic band as a hobby. I have done some session work and had sideman gigs on guitar, accordian, mandolin, keyboards and bouzouki. This should help to simplify alot of the carrying when I go on a sideman gig. I would definitely replace it if it were stolen. It is becoming an increasing part of my voice as an arranger and composer.

Plug 'n play will get you far enough to audition all the patches, which is what most of us do initially. Further discovery finds that it's pretty easy to set, tweak and save patches and global parameters. Some of the more detailed uses of the unit are covered in the excellent Roland manual. Yes, I did say excellent Roland manual! VERY clear , concise ,well laid out..I was stunned because alot of people know Roland has/had a reputation for 'clear-as-mud manuals', or very skimpy on info. But not this one. Just about any setup or application questions I had were answered in the manual. Bravo.

The sound quality is top notch. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the patches themselves are top notch , just that every single instrument is very well sampled/synthesized/recorded etc. The patches range in quality from great to so-so to not so great. I didn't care for the stock grand piano sound , nor the saxophone patches. The decay of the piano sounded a little too synthesized for me and the saxophones were rather weak, ie- not enough fat brassiness, although the breathy sax timbre was fun. I would think that some creative editing could bring these and a few others around though. Those aside, I really liked just about everything else. Great fretless bass, leslie organs, lead synths, brass and woodwinds in general very good...I didn't here a good solo violin preset that I liked alot ,but really nice ensemble and synth strings. I loved the pads and sci-fi like fx sounds, very cool.
I've heard alot of debate about whether the gr-33 is better or worse than it's predecessor the gr-30. A friend owns a gr-30 so I have auditioned it a few times. IMO, they are pretty much on equal footing in terms of patches I liked. The gr-30 had a better stock piano, while the gr-33 has better lead guitar and pads.
I get the feeling that the longer I own this , and the more familiar I get with editing, that I can improve on alot of the factory presets that I didn't care for as much. And there weren't too many of those. It really has some great , idea launching sounds. I only wish it was mult-timbral to get several tracks of those great sounds going at once. I don't use it live, but bet the pedal is a nice bonus. I do use it to trigger the wah on my Line 6 Pod. Very handy.
I got my gr-33 bundled with the clunky gk-2a pickup which bolted snuggly onto my guitar strap button. Took a little tweaking to get the saddles on my strat style guitar set low enough to get a good signal
to the hex pickup. The tracking for the most part was pretty good, although the grand piano had alot of missed and/or doubled notes. It was easy enough though to readjust each strings sensitivity to compensate on that particular patch. I really like all the different sensitivity tracking and play feel options you have. The effects are pretty decent and numerous , more than I would ever mess with if for no other reason than bending down to tweak stuff really sucks lol.
Harmonizer and arpeggiator's are alot of fun to play with, though if I had to nitpick, I'd like to be able to make my own arpeggio's and save them and have intelligent harmonies and have both going on at the same time which you can't do. Overall, unless your a synth god with tons of Kurzweils and other high end synths to compare to, the gr-33 has GREAT sounds with mostly great patches.

Have had it about 4 months..no problems, though I would hate the idea of taking it on a gig...any device you can step on is asking for trouble when the guts of it are down there too. How 'bout a rack mount version for the next gr synth?

N/A

Overall, these are fun little boxes. Alot of musical firepower. So many possible uses in nearly every possible style.

The GR-33 is very easy to use. But is very limited in some way. I have a GM-70 and this was extremely versatile. Tracking was a little poor. Roland really missed it with the GR-33 in the controller area. The pedals are not latchable. The sw1 & sw2 are not really assignable either. I'm use to having and using an octave up by 12 switch. This is very handy in gig situations. I now have to config two patched one normal the next set an octave higher. I've used guitar synth since the introduction of the GM-70. If Roland would make a software change to allow the control pedals to latch I would be very happy.

The unit is easy to get around and set patches.

Sound is very good. Strings are very useful. I use the Sax sounds a lot in gigs. Organs are good also. Piano patches are very good. Tick for users set the EAD string one -12 oct. on one piano sound. Set the 2nd piano sound normal. You will get a left/right hand feel if you finger pick. Rolands sound are very accurate. I have a SC88 pro also. I prefer Korg for thick sounds.

So far so good. I don't like the plastic housing and there is too much clear plastic on the top. I'm very carful with my equipment and there are scratches in the windows already. They should have taken a lesson from the GT-3 group. I have the Gt-3 and love it. I wish the housing was the same built like a tank and laid out nicely.

I've not called them

My system came with the GK2 pickup also. I use it on my Ovation. The GK2 pickup geometry doesn't match my Ovation string layout and spacing great so I have a little problems with the d & g strings. I use two Godins a SGX/SA and a Classical/SA And so far very happy.

I just wish Roland would allow more versatility in the assigns of controller function to the pedals.

Fair, not a whole lot different than the gr-30 as I'm used to it having it for a couple of years now. I also have many other Roland and Boss products so it wasn't hard to figure out. I didn't find a good balance on the string sensitivity. And, did not run into that problem with the gr-30.

Just brought it home tonight hooked it up to 1 of my 2 RR Strats. I used headphones as it was late when I got to try it. I must say, compared to the gr-30, there is no significant improvement. The gr-30 sounds better and offers 30 + more instrument sounds. Tracking on the gr-30 is much better. Organ and piano, no comparison, again the gr-30 sounds and tracks much better. The 33 has a couple of new sounds and patches I liked; the romantic strings and the derigidoo. Effects seemed week. But it isn't the effects that I was interested in as much as the instruments.

It's a Roland/Boss creation. I'm sure it will last someone for many years- just not me. I wouldn't use this on a gig or to record with.

With all the products I have of theirs I'm surprised how few times I've had to call. Always treated good. Returned calls when they said. Customer support is good as long as you speak to someone familiar with the specific product you're calling about.

This is very hard for me as I love this company and as I stated earlier, own a few of their products. I have only returned 1 other Boss/Roland product- their new Jamstation. You don't want to get me started on that one. Anyway, I have an EM2000 keyboard/arranger, an ME-30, a BR-8, a VG-8 and the GR-30. I have 2 RR Strats and an Ovation with the GK2-A pickup mounted at the factory. I have a lot invested in music equipment and would say about 1/3 is or goes with my Roland and Boss stuff. I've been playing for too many years to count, but playing seriously for about 15 years. If you want a guitar synth, go with the gr-30. It is great, much more worthwhile and worth the $500 to $600 price tag. For someone who has not had the benefit of playing the GR-30 this would seem to be more worthwhile than it is. Sorry Roland. I will sing your praises when they are worth singing. This one hits a sour note. If my GR-30 was stolen I would get a new one this one I will be returning it this weekend.

Double sided tape and presto, pickup is attached.
Basic patches are OK, but I will trash all and put in my own.
I find that it sends MIDI reasonably well so I will use another synth or brain to fatten up the sounds. Manual is OK. The tuner is nice but it has some funny outcomes. The sensitivity would be nice if you could set it for every patch rather than globally. Also the people at Roland thought that you could control the leslie speed via the expression pedal rather than the footpedals. Cripes, apparently no one there EVER was a B or a C player, this is A SERIOUS omission. Hopefully they correct this in the future with software revisions.

Fender strat. Reverb is really one dimensional, but hey check out the price. Receives MIDI just fine also, so it can be used as an additional unit to a keyboard controller if you choose. The effects are good especially the EQ program, if you want to bring out areas of certain patches.

Don't drop it.

I emailed Roland about the leslie on / off and hopefully they correct.

Tracks pretty good. You have to watch your picking, but generally this has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. I play keys also, so putting new sounds in this puppy is a breeze. Triggering other synths and setting up remote patch changes is fairly painless. Moving from patch to patch is cumbersome with your feet, especially if you are changing banks. Also on patch changes the volume pedal can get a litle funny, ie it can start to play even if you have the pedal off when you change patches. Patch changes are a little slow and mucky compared to other synths and brains I have used. Sounds very good thru a baord or high quality sound system, but pretty awful thru guitar amps, so I would suggest a keyboard amp or rack to put it thru.

If you're someone who strives for instant gratification, you'll be okay with this unit. However, if you like to really create and modify sounds, you will also love this unit. I find it very simple to use, especially for Roland. I wouldn't give it a 10 though because setting the pick up at the right height on some guitars can be a problem.....I hear they offer professional installation?

For the price, this thing sounds incredible. My friend compared the Grand Piano sound to Roland RD-600 digital stage piano (flagship model) and we both thought the gr-33 was just as good, if not better!!! Of course, factory presets are normally weak compared to your own, but I really like the string sounds on this (i.e. Romantic Pad). If you split the signal and run the synth sounds into something like a Roland KC-300 amp, it sounds absolutely incredible!!! It sounds better than the gr-30, definitely. And the tracking is the fastest out there, with the exception to that one that costs way too much, that one pickup that you can use a Roland synth with, forgot the name. Anyway, the tracking is awesome!!!

It's Roland, it's reliable. As long as you're not stupid with it, it should be fine. I'd like to see it in the same type of casing as the GT-3 though.

So far, I really haven't dealt w/Roland before. I had to get my VS-880EX looked at once, but it seems that the service all depends upon where you take it. Go to reputable Roland service place if you need help, they'll take care of you.

I love it, I play everything. I'm not going to go into what I play and what my gear is because that's boring. If you haven't read anything about it, READ THIS.....I didn't need anyone to sell this to me, it sold itself. I played the GR-30 many times, but never felt like spending the money.......HOWEVER, the first time I played the GR-33, I bought it. I really enjoy this unit, and it's definitely a fair price.

Well, I owned a GR30 for over a year- so some of the stuff came naturally. If I was new to guitar synthesis, I would think that it's fairly easy- once you get used to it.

I'm using three guitars onstage curerently- a Godin Multiac acoustic, a Godin ACS classical and a Parker Fly- All with syth-access. I generally play through a rack system- Mackie mixer- piped straight to the board. This unit sound like complete crap through a typical guitar amp. Even with the new settings. The effects are so-so.

Pretty dependable. I wish it was a durable as my metal-case GT-3 though. Plastic has to go away some day!

Roland ranks at the bottom of the chart for customer service and support. Lean on email groups and other users for help!

Ive been playing for 35 years- 12 years professionally. The GR33 is always on when I play- sometimes slightly in the background- sometimes it's 100% of the sound. Once you get used to using it- it's a tough "jones" to break!

4, ok it's Fairly easy to use ....once you install the hex pickup , sorry guys but it's NOT easy to use if you need to modify your guitar to use it then it's not easy
patch set up is FAIRLY intuitive but the manual is written for people with a clue about synths (ie not me )
but I have 3 or 4 GOOD patches already

wahhh this is where it excells the sounds are Full lush and usefull (ok the basic patches have a couple of REAL doinks in them but )
with a touch of work i became the organist and horn section I always wanted to be
I'm running it to give me tonal options on and off stage so far it's done that for me

who knows, there are some patches my guitar doesn't like to trackI can work around them

where is the info on this thing ?

nice tool but only as good as the mind behind it, I get what i need and more out of it I have read nightmares about nearly every other synthn and contrary to comment the expression pedal is worth it as well as the extra banks and improved tones, the acoustic stringed instrument sounds are weak but think about it we are guitarists we can do that ourselves

Roland has finally entered the median price point for a great unit. The patches are a good start to show the potential of this unit and are fun to play with. The patches are easy to edit, but there is many parameters to work with in this unit. The manual can be confusing like most Roland manuals, but its their to use when you get lost exploring the unit. I dont beleive in reading the manual front to back, you should learn the unit hands on, and read the warnings and set-up instruction so you get the best possible sound when exploring the unit. I hope they come out with an upgrade for this unit to expand on its sounds. I remeber the original GR-1 and this thing is like making toast compared to that monster.

I am currently using a Fernandes Native Elite with the sustainer pickup, and you can do some crazy things with this guitar and the synth because, the strings hold the synth sound. Its great for layering guitar and sound effects. The unit is completly quiet and sounds good out of a standard guitar amp. I am definatley going to purchase a Roland KC-500 to make the patches stand out in my rig. There are some glitches in the unit. It does occassionally let out some blips and bleeps. Tracking is definatley improved, but the synth sometimes cannot compensate for fast leads, so you have to work with the unit. Some patches track better than others and work fantastic and some patches are not meant for fast picking. I tried the banjo present and its a joke, they should stay away from stringed instrument sounds, and leave that up to the VG-88 that is a completley diffrent beast. They should focus on the GR-33 to bring out vintage analog synth sounds and old leslie, and hammond and B-3's and quality horn sections. This way you could do back up with the band for Allmond Brothers, James Brown, Steely Dan,Doobies,etc... Those sounds are in there but they need to be tweaked a little. It would be nice if they could get some korg m-20 sounds, and old Cure and Joy Division sound sets. This would become an analog beast for guitar players. I am currently using an ols Kustom lead 1/2 stack and it sound good, but a keyboard amp would brighten up the mix. The effects are quality in this unit, but dont think of them as guitar effects, they are synth effects so they mimic a guitar so they effect is digital and synthetic but quality.

Built like Bootsy Collins spandex tight as hell!!!!!

NO, but Roland makes a quality products so the support should be good.

I am an old funk machine, but I love bands like Underworld, Radiohead, Stereolab, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and old seventies rock. I have been playing for almost 21 years and I am always intrigued by new gear that sets new standards. My friend still uses his GR-1 on stage religously and I was always amazed what you can do with that machine. Beleive it or not it still works good. This box is a great resource for breaking into new boundries during live performances. Roland set a new standard for synth tracking in this price range. You shouldnt purchase this piece of gear to get rid of your keyboard player, this is specifically made to enhance the sound of your music and to create new atmospheres on stage.

Absolutely user friendly

Yamaha SE 350. I like the Tabla + Sitar combination,

Yes

Thanks to my friend George of Swee Lee Co., Singapore who had recommended this excellent product of Roland to me. Swee Lee are so friendly and helpful at all times.

Classical, Traditional, Fusion, Jazz and Pop

I'm a first time guitar-synth user and this was really just plug in and play. The only tweeking I have done so far is balancing out patch volumes to my regular set up and pick up sensitivity levels. I have been reading the manual and will begin foolin' with the patches to get exactly what I want. I hate reading manuals... however, I looked at the manual and the instructions are step-by-step and easy to follow. For example, setting up pick-up sensitivity and patch volumes, nothing to it. I quess it's onward to bigger and more compicated things. So far so good.

I have a Warmoth strat( hum/single/single), Carvin Quad-x pre-amp, two processors, and all this through 2 - 2x12 cabs. The GR-33 sounds big. I'm a wannabe violin, sax and flute player, so I mostly use these patches and they sound authentic. All I have to do is add the breathing for the woodwind players. I probably won't use the effects in the GR33 because I'm going through two great sounding processors already; a Digitech TRS-24 and a Lexicon MPX-1. It's already overkill. I noticed a little bit of noise when I added the GR-33 to my rig, but that was in a very quiet studio. There's no problem in a live situation.

I've only had it for about 3 months. I have boss guitar pedals that are about 15 years old still going strong. Fellow musicians speak highly of
Roland products so I'm confident that I can depend on it.

N/A

I compose and perform Rock fusion (Rock/Classical/new age/jazz).It's easier for me to do all the parts in my studio and then find someone to play it live.So the GR-33 is a Goddess sent. I don't like the acoustic guitar patches at all. The feel is all wrong and they don't sound real. I would rather use real acoustic guitars. The pianos seem to stutter. Maybe that's because I'm a novice guitar-synth user. Overall, I like the idea of perfecting my guitar-synth chops as opposed to learning all the other instruments that I really love. Audio alchemist will love experimenting and mixing up new sounds.

As an owner of the last three generations of Roland guitar synths, I'd have to say that the GR-33 is probably the easiest to program of all of them. Unfortunately, it is harder to use onstage after it is set up. The addition of the expression pedal is nice, although I am used to setting my EV-5 in a different spot on stage than what is allowed with the attached pedal. This is a minor point, however. One dissapointment is that in order to use the Leslie effect, you have to give up volume control- definitely a major point, as there is no external controller output to hookup an additional pedal. Why this isn't allowed to be controlled by the control pedal instead is beyond me. Another major point is that effects can only be programmed "on", then you have to go to the pedal menu to bypass them. This means more button and pedal fumbling in the middle of a performance or when setting up a patch before a tune that you want to add an effect to- something you could specify on the GR-09 and GR-30. Also, the hype from Roland brags about all the effects- but you can't use them simultaeously, except for chorus and reverb. Also, the tuner is definitely a step backward- very hard to see under stage lighting, and even after hours of tweaking the string sensitivity, I could only tune the low E and A strings using harmonics- the display would jump all over, with sensitivity ratings tried from 1 through 8. I use a Godin LGX-SA, and run the acoustic piezo output through the guitar synth outs. The output is definitely lower through the GR-33, forcing me to cut patch levels back and amp levels up to compensate. I tried all the combinations of Line, Guitar, and Amp simulation, but the out put was still much weaker. Maybe this is on purpose, I don't know.

After waiting since January for this unit (it arrived in October), I was most disappointed in the sounds of the unit. I use a lot of acoustic type simulations (banjo, fiddle, harp, saxophone, etc.) and to me the GR-30 does a better job. Maybe the GR-33 excels at techno or electronic sounds- I wouldn't know. Tracking speed is a major point of the advertising hype for this unit, but on plucked type sounds- banjo, harp, guitar, the tracking is definitely inferior. On a few patches like organs, it does track a tiny bit faster, but also glitches more- little beeps and bomps that I never heard on the Gr-1, 09 or 30. It seems to track slow passages worse than fast ones- go figure.

I am giving this a ten rating based on my past excellent experiences with Roland and Boss gear. I can't see any reason this unit wouldn't be the same. I only kept this unit for a month before returning it to Long and McQuade music, and it didn't break.

No experience with Roland Customer Support, as I haven't had to deal with them- sort of like the "Maytag Man".

I have been playing guitar for thirty years, professionaly for 25, in all styles of music. I have been using guitar synths since 1993 as an integral part of my stage set up- so I know a little of what I speak. I have a Fender Strat with a GK-2a installed, and a Godin LGX-SA (read my review of this in the harmony central guitar section). As stated earlier, I returned this unit after a month. Why?- price wasn't a concern (I have a day gig as a high school teacher)Unfamiliarity?- not really, as I am quite familiar with using a guitar synth. No, the major reason was that after extensive A/B comparisons on stage and in my project studio, the Gr-30 proved to be the superior unit, with better tracking on the majority of patches, and far more musical sounds. The velocity sensitive sax on the R-30 sounds much better than the GR-33 equivalent, as well as the "Moog" sawtooth simulations. Flute as well (India flute?)- I could go on and on.I use outboard effects and an EV-5 anyway, so the effects and built in exression pedal weren't that important to me. Newer isn't always better- ask a vintage guitar or amp owner. I went through the same thing with my Boss ME-10 multi effector- trying all the newer units( GT-5, etc.) and not finding one that sounded as warm or musical.(I'm trying to find another one on Ebay for backup)Take my advice, if you own a GR-30, be happy with it, and don't get rid of it for the pittance they are offering on trade just to have the latest toy. I glad I was only offered $200.00 for mine, and didn't trade it in. Or if your looking to get into guitar synthesis, the Gr-30's are going cheap right now- at least until other people figure out what I did. Pass on the GR-33.

It's the ultimate Idiot's guide to Midi Guitar. I used my old Gk2a mounted on a Fender Telecaster and immediately started scanning through all the features. It's pretty easy to use... I've had previous experience with the GR30, so it was a breeze.

I use it in my studio for original scores and also for the Soul Band that I'm presently in.

Want to Jam? blas.moya@intel.com

Basic sound quality of Roland products.. They're great but the generic patches that are loaded need to be tweeked.

I'm rating it a 10 on my previous GR30...I'm hoping that it's solid. Most Roland products that I've purchased have had no problems.

The style that I play is usually R&B/Soul and it's definitely a good match for me. This is a cool gadget and everyone should purchase one.. "you know how hard it is to find a keyboard player?" You won't need one with this baby.

I won't repeat the specs of this unit as others have covered this below but I'll just give my impressions after having it for a couple of days. I also have the GR-30 and the GR-33 is a BIG improvement! It's *far* easier to use and program than the GR-30 and has much better sounds and much better - and far more - effects. I've hardly needed the manual for anything - and the manual is one of the good ones.

Sound quality is excellent but many of the 128 patches are pretty lame but there are 384 JV1080 sounds that you can use as a starting point and layer and edit - attack, release, brightness, transposition, effects, player feel etc. etc. very easily and quickly and create some much better patches. It's very clean sounding (no noise). The effects are very good indeed. I'm using it straight into my mixing board (Yamaha 01V) and it sounds great. One reviewer below said that the tracking was improved but not much - well, in my setup, there's a *big* tracking improvement. I use it with a couple of Carvin guitars and it's when I use the pitch-to-MIDI converters of the GR-33 to drive my XP-60 0r any other synth that I can really see/hear the tracking improvement. I now have access to the sounds of all my synths and they track beautifully - even on the lower strings so I can now play bass parts and sounds on my guitar. It's opened up a whole new world for guitar players. It's kind of what Roland has been promising for about 20 years and have now finally delivered.

I've never had any trouble with Roland gear.

I dealt with Roland in regard to my VS-1680 and they were very helpful - but they have never fixed the inept channel EQ in the VS-1680 so I can't give them a 10 here.

I've been playing about 30 years and I love this thing. I can't keep away from it! Every time I go into the studio and start playing with it I end up programming a great new patch in the first few minutes. Someone better make a patch librarian soon! If it were lost or stolen I would do whatever was necessary to get another one as fast as possible. My favorite feature? The new level of access to all the sounds from my synths with my own expression as a guitar player.

This thing is easy to use, but be warned - there is a LOT of power behind this thing, it has a lot of parameters that can be set to get a good sound, and you can quite easily get lost, tweaking here and there. The patches that are provided are superb, but it's when you actually get into the editing of the patches that the real power is seen. I have this unit a month, been using it every spare moment that I can, and each day I have made new discoveries. In fact, I am itching to get to use it again, this evening. The manual isn't the best, but in a few months there's going to be a raft of websites devoted to this unit. For now - go to www.gr-30.com.
I have no idea what version of firmware is loaded, and I have no idea how to find out. I'm giving this section a 10, it really is that easy to use.

Fender Deluxe Plus Strat, Tech 21 Trademark 60. It's not a noisy unit. The sounds are not weak at all, very good presence.
Sound quality is good in the majority of the patches (about 350 of the 384 built in tones, I would guess), I found the tracking a bit "wobbly" on a few of the Piano Patches when playing chords as opposed to single or double notes. And the Acoustic guitar sims are nowhere near as good as the ones on the VG-8. The tracking can be set by using a "Play Feel" category that adapts to your style of playing, be it finger picking, hard or soft strumming, etc. Each patch has dedicated chorus and reverb plus one of 40 effects that can be applied to either or both of the voices that are used to make up a patch. You can also set a Harmonist on each patch or an Arpeggiator on each patch. You can set the hamony key, and the intervals, and there are 14 different types of arpeggio that you can apply. I'm not sure if a particular arpeggio can be programmed in by the user, but i'll keep y'all posted.
Basically this means that a tone can have Chorus, Reverb, maybe a touch of Flanger, and a harmony. This gives a filling sound, which is exactly what my band wants. It gets a nine 'cos I can't get the Piano tracking 100% and the Ac. Guitar sim is a little "fake".

Don't know if I can depend on it - it's got a battery in it that could go at any minute, so I better get those patches MIDI'd out to a PC. And i'd better write a little patch editor to allow me to do that, 'cos I haven't found one yet! It's not exactly built like a tank, but I love this thing so much that I am going to take good care of it anyway - starting with a flight case.
I would not bring it to a gig without backup, as I haven't even gigged it yet, and I'm not gigging it until I get the thing programmed for the sounds that I need.

Roland - what can I say. I haven't had to deal with them yet.

Overall, this is going to change the "sound" of my band. We are a 4 piece showband (Bass, Guitar, Vox, Drums) doing all the cabaret tunes, and this will expand our musical horizons. (This is our new direction.....we hope you like it). You know, Brass for Cracklin' Rosie and La Vida Loca, Keys for Hey Jude and Let it Be, Ac. Guitar for Wonderwall.......
Haven't compared it to other products. If it were stolen, get one in a minute, it's that good. It's a very inspiring piece of equipment, and now my band are going to revisit all of the tracks we jettisoned because we didn't have the correct instrumentation.

I think Roland did a much better job of making this more user
friendly than its past guitar synth line. Everything is laid
out with just a touch of a button.

It carries 48 voice polyphony which is 20 more than the GR30. The
sounds are more rich and detailed. The majority of the tones derive from the JV 1080. The added bonus of the 25 effects and expression pedal adds extra creativity to the mix especially towards industrial, techno, soundtracks, and progressive rock music. Some of the preset patches blew my mind away. The tracking speed has improved but I would not say a massive amount.

Only have had it for 1 week. But it looks better built than past guitar synths from Roland.

Roland does not have a 1-800 number for tech support but atleast they have finally updated their website. I would not expect much from them considering its Aug 2000 and this product was supposed to be released in April 2000.

Looks like a winner all the way. Any one who has past guitar synths from Roland and is looking for advancement in imagination should look no further than the Gr33.