Roland G505

Red metallic finish. Rosewood fretboard. Fender Tele-style bridge. Sperzel locking tuners. Neck is maple and thick. 1980-1985, Japan made. 21 frets. Solid top. Tone/volume/ aftermarket 3 switch pickup selectors (on/off/invert). Bartolini humbuckers. Passive electronics.

Unbelievable sound - I use a Music Man 130 and and a Parker (Marshall) 4x12 cabinet. Great for the blues / rock guitarist. Has a smooth sound. Some setting are a bit sharp sounding. When the single coil is hooked up right (mine is a bit off), the bass is extremely deep.

I don't know how it came from the factory - it is 20 years old. But the neck is extremely well made, the electronics all appear to be good quality.

This thing is tough. It seems that it will last through just about anything. The MIDI unit died, although the guitar still works great. From what I've heard, the MIDI technology is outdated anyway; the new aftermarket Roland units are much more accurate.

They sent me the schematics for a fee without any hassle. The company Roland is extremely helpful despite the fact the guitar is old.

Been playing 8 years. This is the best guitar for the money I have owned or played. It has a few updates (locking Sperzel tuners, Bartolini humbucker pickups, Fender bridge). The neck feels wonderful - just the right shape to make playing easy, especially if you do a lot of bends and bluesy music - I find that my hands don't get tired on this guitar. Very good quality, solid construction. The only other guitar I've played that feels of the same quality is a much more expensive Gibson 60's guitar. If you find one, try it out - you'll probably buy it.

Made in the early 80s? Made in Japan and to my knowledge these guitars were made by the same people that make Tokai which if true then it's not a wonder why this thing plays and sounds so amazing! 21 fret maple neck with rose wood fret board. The body appears to be a one piece solid alder or possibly ash. 5 way selector with a 5 way toggle. It is really hard to know what the pickups are but they sound amazing! Passive electronics with enough knobs and switches to confuse anyone if you don't have a manual. This guitar is very well made and I would compare it to any USA Fender or Gibson. In reading the other review he seems to think it is a Strat style but in the research I have done it is supposed to be a Telecaster style..? But considering it has three single coil pickups and a 5 way switch I would say as well that is resembles a Strat as well. It has a very unusual locking trem system on it which is a very sophisticated unit. Chromed and quite easy to string and set up. The tuners work very well but have no name written on them. I purchased it used but in very good condition with the Roland GR300 Polyphonic Guitar Synthesizer and cable to hook the guitar up to the Synth. It didn't come with a manual so I am not all to sure what all the knobs and switches do.

The guitar on it's own plays and sounds amazing. I 20 guitars and I don't buy junk. It compares to is just as good if not better than most every guitar I have in my collection. It is certainly in the top ten guitars I have ever played just as an Electric guitar. When you plug it into the Synth well you get some pretty psychodelic stuff..
I am not much of a Synth Guitar kind of guy so I won't make to many comments on the Synth aspects of this guitar but as I mentioned if I were to rate the tone of this guitar just as a regular guitar I would give it at least a 9 out of ten and I am very particular about sound. I am a sound engineer and this guitar sounds fantastic! Very clear and bright with lots of warmth as well. When you play with the Synth aspect of this guitar you can do some pretty far out sounds! Very cool guitar!

I purchased the guitar used and someone has shimmed up the neck with a thick peice of plastic which really srewed everything up. so I immdeiately removed it, put new .11 gauge strings on it and set up the guitar as per my tastes which is very low action and the neck has no buzzing across the whole fretboard.. I am very impressed with this guitar and I would believe that it mostlikely is made by Tokai..! Pickup selector was noisy but that is par for the course on any 20-25 year old guitar. Some contact cleaner took care of that in about 15 seconds..:)The finish if a beautiful sunburst with nice what appears to be nitro laquer finish. Very solid and looks great!

This guitar has been around for almost 25 years and it still looks and plays amazing! All hardware is still excellent! Very solid and well designed guitar! Strap buttons are solid as a rock! No serious musician gigs without a backup but if I had to I would trust this guitar all the way!

Have never dealt with Roland.. so I don't know. So I can't really say but the fact that this guitar is still in amazing condition for it's age I will have to give them at least 7 for making gear that doesn't need customer support..:)

I have been playing for at least 30 years.. since I was 12. I have 20 guitars, various keys, sound modules, percusions, amps, all kind of pedals and effects. If it were lost or stolen I would try to find another but they are quite rare and becoming quite collectable as they were the first guitars every made with the advanced synth system on board. Anyone thinking about buying one don't hestitate.. these are quality guitars! Even on their own without the Synth box.. they can be plugged in and used simply as a great sounding and playing guitar. I love the sound of this guitar more than anything and it looks very cool! If you try one you will be hooked..:O

This is a 1982 Strat style guitar.It has a metallic red finish to the body and a 21 fret maple neck. It is fitted with 3 single coils and also an early GK2 type pickup at the bridge which via a multi-pin socket connects to an external effects unit the GR100.The guitar also has a tremolo system which is heavy duty i.e. the whammy bar is 7mm thick. Other features include 5 way pickup selector,volume and tone controls and for the special pickup there is switching between guitar,guitar + effects,+ effects only. There are also controls for phase, modulation and depth.

The fact that the G505 looks like a strat is added to by the fact that it sounds almost as good,if it loses out it is at the top of the scale on treble. I use it through a Twin reverb and this of course helps anything with tone! The effect section is great if like me you play Rush ala "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" but the effects can be difficult to control unlike todays digital gear. However I love it and I could not over elaborate on how good the guitar sounds on its own it does stand up very well with my USA strat

This guitar was 15 years old when I bought it and a credit to its previous keeper.Everything was setup how I like it(like I'd notice the difference!)The only flaw it where it has been dropped on a mike stand and chipped off a chunk of paint.The action and playability are extremely good especially considering that it was made by a company who mainly manufactured synths and effects.

It has stood the test of time, now 18 years old and still very nice.If I didn't have backup which I do,I would still use it in a second,no hesitation.If you can find one of these then buy it,they are a very rare guitar and I would think now quite collectable.

I called Roland to try and get hold of a manual for the effects unit, with no joy whatsoever.I'm sure there great for synths and modern gear but it seemed to me that they have no interest in the older instruments.

I have played for 25 years and with some very enthusiastic and some very good musicians. I am in the enthusiastic camp and although a proud possessor of a Gibson Les Paul Std, Fender Std Strat and loads of other gear I tend to pick this Roland for most situations. That is enough said. Try and find one and give it a whirl you will be very suprised. I would replace it in a flash.