Suzuki XG-1M Unisynth

I own a Unisynth xg-1m, and I am willing to sell it if anyone is interested, it plays perfectly and is in perfect shape. You can email at joemotif@gmail.com, or if you want to see a video of this type unisynthxg in youtube and you will find my video.

The simplicity of this unit is what makes it so great.

If you have a nice keyboard, you can access all the features that the keyboard has with the suzuki unisynth xg-1m.

My unisynth is like new because it rarely has ever been played

Well, topcats, til today I'd never used midi before in my life... strictly real instruments, augmented by FL for drums (okay, that's probably midi (?) but it's all done with a mouse).
Anyhoo, a mate gave me his old XG-1M so I bought a midi cable and plugged it into the midi interface on my Terratec DMX 6Fire. And it was that simple.
It just works... no fuss, no horrible pc messages about drivers or the lack of, no hours of head-scratching, just pick a sound and play.
I've been using DataBecker Music Studio Live to record, which is what I used to test the XG, but I'm moving on up to Cubase SX for future projects.

Pretty much featureless, barring what the previous reviews have already stated (volume, sustain, tremelo etc). And, to further reitterate, it's shaped like a geetar, which is an enormous plus for me, seeing as I play keyboards like Les Dawson !!

Well, it's 2007 and it's been laying around in a shed since 19canteen, and it worked perfectly first time. What more can I say ?!!

Can't comment, but I will be in touch about a manual, should there be one.

Who cares if it's an ugly looking little 80s throwback, finally, I can use all those flash looking virtual instruments with confidence !!
Argentinian bum flute, here I come !!

Once we fiured out that you have to plug it into a MIDI device to get any noise it was quite easy: Punch in the number of the voice, press Enter and start playing! It's a lot more particular than a normal guitar, since it's easy to accidentally trigger a string and get some unexpected noise. I have a pretty sloppy style, so it's probably a GOOD thing for my playing to have be a little more precise than normal. I didn't get a manual with it.

As mentioned elsewhere, there are little pressure thingies under the "fretboard" that tell it what note you are playing. A couple of them are fussy, but it's nothing worth complaining about given the price we paid. It's got no features to speak of, other than the ability to choose the voice you want to use.

The sounds are completely governed by the device it's plugged into. If you have good voices, it has good voices. I've been having a great time playing space music, folk music and general rock stuff.

I've no idea of the reliability, but if I was playing in a band I'd take it along to add some horns and strings and stuff, especially if I was playing in a band with two guitars and no keyboard player. I would make sure that I had a regular guitar along, just in case it decided to give up the ghost.

There's very little available,other than what you can Google about it. I'd really like to find a pdf of the manual, just to see if I've overlooked some compelling feature.

I was yard sale-ing with my 7 year old grandson and we found the Unisynth in a pile of stuff for a BUCK! We decided to gamble on it and took it home to fool around with. At first we thought it was broken because it didn't make any sound, but then we realized that it's not SUPPOSED to make any sound, as it's a MIDI controller. Once we plugged it into an old Yamaha keyboard it worked great! We've been making all sorts of cool sounds with it. If I could find a dozen of these things for a buck each I'd buy 'em all!

Ease of use is dead easy, even for guitar players! As per the previous review, all it does is transmit MIDI information (pitch, velocity, program changes, etc.) on channel 1 to any MIDI device. Mine came with an adequate manual, but there is not a lot of information that can be provided, it's that simple.

- As polyphonic as the MIDI device you send it to. I have tried it with a Yamaha DX-7, Korg Poly-800 and Yamaha TG-55 and it works to the limits of each of these devices.
- Works well with programs like Acid (soft synths) and Reason.
- No built-in effects. Simple controls for:
- Volume
- Sustain
- Sensitivity
- Note off
- Pitch bend with tremolo bar
- Program changes.

While it may not sound too exciting, this little unit has a great touch sensitive feature, seemingly activated by springs where the strings attach to the "bridge". Besides not being able to slide, hammer-on or pull-off, compare this to other offerings at the time (ca. 1987) or even some of the Roland stuff available today and it's pretty impressive.

Though it has "limited" features, what else is a MIDI controller played like a guitar supposed to have? For the fact that it does what it is meant to do, I'm giving this pup a 9.

Once again, no built-in sounds means it sounds like whatever you connect it to. As far as expressiveness goes, it's touch sensitive and allows you to cut or sustain notes. The sustain feature is a bit wonky, but works well for pads. It also lets you sustain instruments like piano (without the use of an outboard sustainer), or percussion, which is pretty neat.

How reliable is any cheezy electronic device from the 80s? I've had no problems with it since I got it (Feb. 2001), other than some "de-gluing" on the fretboard, that has been defined as a reaction of the glues used to the elements (e.g. air, ozone, life, etc.). Probably wouldn't stake my life on it, or make a gig depend on it. Besides, my friends would kick my butt if I showed up on stage with such a weener instrument (sorry baby!). Would be fun to try, though. If I could find a backup I would consider it. That being said, I have not had a single problem with it over the last 3 years of use.

I hear that you can still order accessories, but beyond that, I have never had reason to call support.

As a guitar player who doesn't really want to fork over the dough for a real guitar synth, or have the patience to learn to effectively play keyboards (beyond my one-handed Oxygen 8 attempts), this thing is phenomenal! Besides lacking the afore-mentioned slides, hammers and pull-offs, you can simply plug it in and start playing piano, vibes, Rhodes, whatever your MIDI devices can support. I have mine permanently plugged into a MIDI tone generator, output to an Audiophile card in my PC and can use it to play the kick-butt soft synths, samplers, whatever, in Reason. Actually, I really don't think I have recorded anything in the last few years that didn't involve using it in some capacity. Holy s***!! I had better find a backup for that guy before it conks out on me!

If you are a guitar player who would like to get into the world of synths (but don't want to feel like Elton John), and don't want to break the bank buying a real guitar-synth, pick one of these puppies up, pick up a MIDI synth or tone generator, or just jack it into software and start playing right away. Actually, on second thought, since they are so hard to find, don't buy one until I find the backup I need for mine. :-)

Suzuki made a companion to this (XG-1), that has no MIDI and about 8 built-in sounds (really only the vibes are any good), some bass and drum patterns, a built-in speaker, etc. I have one of these as well, and while fun to play (you can play it at the cottage, the next time somebody asks for some Beethoven piano concertos around the campfire), is not as versatile as the MIDI version.

Overall, a curiousity that is far more versatile and valuable than it seems. I love it!

Well, it's pretty striaght-forward. It's got some number keys to select the midi voice you want, four controls for volume, sustain, tremolo sensitivity, and presence. It's got a tremolo bar that can bend the pitch up or down. All in all, it's a wicked cool controller. The MIDI event is triggered by little strings attached to controllers, and the "fretboard" has pressure-sensitive pads beneath each string, so it essentially plays like a guitar.

It's just a midi controller, so it's not outstanding... but it's a MIDI guitar, so to me, that's outstanding. It has no on-board sequencer or anything, just a funky looking MIDI controller.

As a MIDI controller, it'll sound like... well, whatever you want it to. It's not limited by itself (which is good because, at almost 20 years old, this thing blew by obsolence around 15 years ago), just whatever module you use to give it a voice. I use software synths on this, and it reacts to it well.

It's cheap plastic.

Don't really think they'd support a product that's almost an antique.

This thing is awesome. I like it a lot, and if it was lost, well, tough shit, because these things are next-to-impossible to come by.