Roland&’s GR-1 Guitar Synthesizer Is a Nostalgia Factory
It’s the video nobody asked for, and winded up being much longer than ZI had anticipated. Here’s my Roland GR-1 with GK-2 pickup.
Latest and Greatest Boss Guitar Synth here:
https://www.zzounds.com/a–3981088/item–BOSGM800
(don’t forget the GK-5 Pickup!)
https://www.zzounds.com/a–3981088/item–BOSGK5
Chapters:
0:00 – Demo Jam
1:24 – The Breakdown
3:07 – The GK-2 Pickup
5:28 – Preset Montage
7:03 – Patches
9:26 – Banks and Groups
10:25 – Manipulating Sounds
11:04 – Splitting Strings
12:24 – Problems? Solutions!
14:51 – Effects
15:57 – Performance Mode
17:39 – Actual Guitar
19:29 – vs the SY-1
20:46 – Older Guitar Synths
23:08 – MIDI
25:06 – Wrapup
#Roland39s #GR1 #Guitar #Synthesizer #Nostalgia #Factory
Originally posted by UCTbHTZXA06vS6jYe8p3ynzw at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgvflhkoLFI
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i remember when it came out.
it was in the "General Midi" era ,
(compatible with generic synth patch list for PC Games)
i did like the "Ocean Pad" special FX patch;
but it was otherwise just a guitar-to-midi converter with bland Synth.
Do you think the gk3 pick up will work well with this? I can’t find much information about it online
Hi,love your presentation,can you please tell me how I get a sound like Kevin Peek,the guitarist from sky?
Bon pour les musiciens peu exigeant moi personnellement je ne supporte pas les latences et portamento incontrolés, ca m'arrache mrs tympans de musiciens
Coolest thing I've seen you demo and theres a lot ! This takes the cake. I also own and play a few synths, love the keys, but all that magic on a guitar. Hate my EHX mono synth now haha. BRTH HRNNN!!!!
I AM MAKING MY GR1 VIDEO TODAY FELLAS!!! going to showcase some real creative sounds with it!!! stay tuned people
I found one untested for 30€ . No cable or pickup. ????
WOW! I had no idea Sal Mineo was also a wicked Tuber! LOL Thanks for the up bro 😉 Informative.
The best demonstration of this model I’ve seen.
Question: can you turn off the pitch bend? EDIT: I saw the “Chromatic” section. The Gr1 was very clean and accurate partly because it tracked slower, and Roland made it a priority of clean MIDI notes over speed. One way I’ve found to get around that while sequencing my playing, is to listen to the sound of the actual guitar strings and have them much louder than the triggered synth sounds.
SUBSCRIBED ????
Try changing the attack time on just the strings on the guitar and strings patch if you turn the attack time down the strings will start sounding the same time as the guitar
Its breath horn bro lol. Nice video. The gr1 was the last true roland guitar floor unit with actual tweakable knobs. One of my personal favs. If ya wanna see total oveekill guitar synth stuff, check my youtube to see how insane it can get. Based on venerable gr300 and 700 analogs.. its sick. The gtr synth from hell..
That Vibes sound at 5:56 has blown me away, I'm listening on headphones now and its panning between both, is that the usual effect on there or is there a stereo pan effect being added, I gotta know! ????
Dude you couldn't stop smiling.. haha love it!
I have been mixing the GR1 and a VG8 with the dry sound from the guitar into three amps since the early 1990's. Makes some wonderful tones.
I have used one live at gigs since the 90s but i have learned a few things from you that i never knew. thanks for demoing this for me
I have gigged with one of these since the 90s. I use the piano, fiddle, banjo, organ, and more and it works great
That was excellent! I bought mine new, and fully expanded it. I'm an animator and musician. I used this to create music for Cartoon Network bumpers I animated. After many years of overworking in animation studios, I'm going back to being an artist. I just got this back out, dusted it off, and will be my orchestra for my personal films. This was a great refresher for it's return.
Thanks for this nice bit of time traveling – I‘ve still got mine in excellent working condition!If you want to see where guitar synths are at today, take a look at my series about the BOSS GM-800: https://youtu.be/gx_mA5C-Lak?si=23PXM0pwiEQZDjgv
As the current owner of sy1000 and gm800
The sound is kinda still the same ????
thanks for this video !
Have been using Roland 1 for over twenty yrs purchased from impatient coworker has been a real head turner when using with my acoustic Takamine, vocalizer, drum machine leading mens worship venues especially with piano! Your road device recommendation Boss,Roland,zoom need piano voicing for sure?
recommendation using uke baritone
I've got a couple of GR-1's I could part with. Both tested and working fine. I use a GR-20 and don't need them.
Love guitar synth.
I'm rocking a Casio MG510 and a ZOIA as my synth these days.
What you're missing is a pedal chain at the output, as that's when you turn those cheeseball 80's Beverly Hills Cop sounds into distorted, fuzz filled, face melting dali-esque soundscapes.
10:13: BRTH HRN is "breath(y) horn". Thanks for this great vid. Had a GR/GK2 since they first came out. There's so little info online for the GR-1, I was surprised to find this–I think the "Sound on Sound" web site pointed me to your video.
The funky smell is the capacitors leaking. I just got one and it also is being funky. Opening up and cleaning the board should solve the smell. However. The leaking caps is probably not good for long term…
Just found one on local CL for low cost????. Gonna grab it asap
Thank you for this video. It may prove to be just the encouragement I needed, to persuade me to retrieve my GR-1 from storage in the loft and see if it has a place in my current recording set up. Lots that I did not like about the performance of the device, when I purchased it Christmas 1992. And the external PSU; whereas the VG-8 released 3 years later connected direct to the mains supply. But I remember there being some interesting sounds among the two hundred “Original Tone”s. And how I did like there being knobs to adjust the ADSR and VCF characteristics and the array of control buttons, to avoid a layer of menus. And now I have more experience of (Guitar) Synthesiser programming I hope to find those 224 pages of Owner’s Manual to be stimulating rather than intimidating.
Tank you Jeef tengo el GR 1 desde hace 30 años también el GR 50 que es un truño de aparato, el GR 20 que es el más versátil y efectivo y el GR55 TIENE 15 O 20 Presets Buenos el resto no me convencen,,, el Sinte de Guitarra bien usado es muy útil, un abrazo Amigo y Gracias ❤❤❤❤????☕✨✨✨✨
Impressive, wow. Thank you for sharing the process of working with one of these beauties
Bought a well loved Aria Cardinal CS400 that came with the GK hex pickup on it – I've bought a few boxes to plug it into but haven't played with it yet, thanks for going through this and posting it up for us.
Now there's nothing to stop you from composing the spiritual successor to Michael Jackson's opus, the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 End Credits aka "Stranger in Moscow"
BRTH HRN ????
4:53 FEELIN the rhythm! Dale senorito!
Next up the G707? i played one once in the mid 80s (literally once!), i remember the "Yes 5ths" patch was fun
Having to mutilate a guitar is why I avoided guitar synths in the early days. Thankfully, they've come out with polysynths that don't require any attachments. I currently have a Boss SY-200, EHX Synth 9 and EHX Micro Synth. Certainly not as versatile as what you demoed but I've never had a guitar that I'm willing to sacrifice at the Synth Altar.
I ran a GR-33 and VG-88 when I was rocking in the orchestra pit in the early 2000’s. I love the roland guitar synth stuff.
I was sure you were about to transition into a Hello Fresh ad there for a moment!
This is so cheesy, I love it!
In the '80s, our lead guitarists had a Roland GR-300 /G505. It didn't make it to the stage much, but it was novel and fun. The trick is working with the latency, and if you're trying to emulate an instrument, think like the musician who's plays that instrument. Thanks again for another blast from the past!
I've gone down this rabbit hole before. You should check out the Ghost pickup/saddle system and (I can't find it online right now…or remember the name of the manufacturer) this weird box that outputs an analog signal of each string, to apply effects to each string separately. In college, a friend had borrowed his brother's GR-300. Those are insane and definitely something to keep an eye out for. ps:: I keep wondering if I'll run into you at Tubby's.
Wasn't "pegging" what kids did to their jeans back in the 80s? Anyway, a most excellent video! So much fun. For its age, the GR-1's tones still sound relevant and quite usable. I know it took some time for you to dig through 224 pages in order to understand and use the unit, so thanks for investing that time and research for our benefit. I really enjoyed this one (with its technical nerdiness and semi-sophomoric humor). Cheers!
I have a weird feeling stuff like this and old "obsolete" rack gear (think Yamaha FX500) are going to be the next vintage gear bubble.
When you played that Mario 64 menu sound I bursted out laughing so hard lmfao, it sounded exactly the same!!! Great video, very fun and informative
The first "modern", 13 pin Roland guitar synth was the GR-50, and I wanna say it came out in 1988? It was rackmounted and had the linear arithmetic synth engine like the D-50. I used to have one, it was pretty cool. It had much faster tracking than the GR-1, for whatever reason, and better sounds IMO. I have a GR-33 now, that uses the same engine as the JV-1080 which I like even better.
One awesome hex pickup friendly toy is the GR-D pedal that does the hex fuzz thing. Distortion that's one voice per string sounds amazing. You can play the most complex, knuckle-buster chords you know and it keeps all its definition and sounds like Queen. There are a few guitar synths that do hex fuzz as well, but the GR-D is the cheapest way in, usually.
Loved this and your previous Digitech PDS review. Hope you’ll keep doing some 90s gear reviews.
I’ve used guitar synths for about 20yrs. They can be cool. Excellent video.
Amazed that it sounds so good and usable. I did try a Roland guitar synth back in about 2009, not sure of the model though. It did sound fantastic but could justify the expense when in reality it would only be used for some pads and strings, so got a Casio keyboard instead. Excellent video once again. Great touch too. TWSS