Roland GR20 Guitar and Bass Synth

zZounds' Take on Roland GR20

The Roland GR20 synth is the final frontier for your guitar. For years, guitarists have been doing everything in their power to make their guitars sound like anything but. With stompboxes, rack effects, and post-processing doing their part in the war on staid guitar tones, guitarists with a penchant for tonal exploration continue to ask for more. Enter the world of MIDI guitar synthesis, and the ubiquitous Roland GR20 Synth unit.

Roland GR20: Have Guitar, Will Play (Anything)

Combined with the easily installable GK3 pickup and any steel string guitar, the Roland GR20 is capable of transforming your Plain Jane electric guitar or bass into a fully synthesized tonal maven. After you've got the pickup installed (which requires absolutely zero permanent modification to your beloved ax) it's as simple as turning the GR20's Bank Knob due west, the Expression Pedal to your desired sound set, and then tweaking the Number/Value knob to your heart's content. Feel like augmenting your already killer guitar tone with a swirling, textured cloud of synth pad? The Roland GR20 can do it --just dial in a balanced amount of your dry guitar signal with your synthesized tone. Did the horn section not show up to your session, yet again? Hammer out their parts and let the GR20's onboard brass and wind sounds earn you a couple extra points on your next paycheck. Plus, with the included drum loops and percussion pack on the Roland GR20, you can even be your own rhythm section! Clearly, the options afforded by the combination of a GK3 and GR20 are only as limited as your imagination (and chops).

Roland GR20: The Brains of the Operation

Looking at the actual GR20 unit, one might be fooled into thinking this was just another multi-effects box. That is for a reason. Roland designed the GR20 as a synthesizer for a guitarist, meaning they wanted it to be as easily accessible and customizable as any old effects pedal. With knobs for Attack, Release, Chorus, and Delay/Reverb, you'll feel right at home twisting and turning the sturdy knobs until you hone in on the sweet spot you're looking for. The digital pitch detection on the Roland GR20 means that tracking the included Strings/Orchestral, Wind, Brass, Bass/Guitar, Organ/Keyboard, Piano, Synth/Lead, Voice/Pad, Ethnic, and Rhythm/Percussion is as lighting quick and latency-free as playing through a magnetic pickup. The brain of the GR20 is the very same sound engine found in high end Roland synths, offering up to 48 voices of polyphony! With 99 User presets and over 450 from the factory, you're sure to be tweaking for days, weeks, and months to come. The 7-segment, 2-character LED display on the Roland GR20 makes it easy to keep track of those presets, and everything stays powered up via the included 14v AC adapter.

Roland GR20: Options A'Plenty

Already have a Roland divided MIDI pickup? That's cool - the Roland GR20 is available either with or without a divided GK3 pickup, allowing you to maximize your purchasing power. Using the included Patch Link cable, you can hook your synth guitar to any MIDI-capable effect or multi-effects device, such as the Boss GT-series pedals.

Manufacturer's Description for Roland GR20 Guitar and Bass Synth

Ever wanted to thicken your guitar sound with a warm synth pad? How about a screaming lead tone that puts you up front? The Roland GR20 Guitar Synthesizer makes playing high-quality synthesizer and instrument sounds from your guitar as simple as 1-2-3. First, attach the GK-3 Divided Pickup to your steel-stringed electric (no drilling necessary). Second, select the type of sound you want using the Bank knob. Third, choose a sound variation using the Number/Value dial and start playing. With the GR20, it's easy to tap into the power of guitar synthesis.

Roland GR20 Features:

Affordable guitar synthesizer with new sounds, easy interface.

Available with or without GK-3 divided pickup

Easy to use: select a sound category (Strings, Organ, Synth, etc.) and play!

Quick editing via Attack, Release, Chorus, and Delay/Reverb knobs

Digital pitch detection for lightning-fast tracking

Includes Roland's latest sounds like sax, strings, flute, brass, bass and percussion loops

GK-3 mounts easily on any steel-stringed electric without damage to guitar

GK-3 features an adjustable curve design and pickup cable length, plus an attachment plate for Les Paul-type guitars

Patch Link enables easy connection with MIDI-capable multi-effects like GT-6

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Guitar Synth, or Compact Pedal
With the GR20 it feels like both. Simply attach the GK-3 Divided Pickup to your guitar and you can be playing high-quality Roland sounds in seconds. Selecting a sound is like choosing an effect. First, select a sound category using the Bank knob. Categories include Strings/Orchestral, Wind, Brass, Bass/Guitar, Organ/Keyboard, Piano, Synth/Lead, Voice/Pad, Ethnic, and Rhythm/Percussion. Now you can select individual sounds using the Number/Value dial. It's easy!

Roland's Finest Sounds with Exceptional Tracking
At the heart of the GR20 is an advanced sound engine based on Roland's professional synthesizers. Sounds can be played with up to 48-voice polyphony for full, rich-sounding Patches. And the sounds are equally impressive. From expressive string ensembles to spiritual tabla loops coupled with sitar -- all with adjustable attack and release -- there's no limit to what you can do. Sophisticated DSP makes the GR-20's pitch detection ultra-reliable, so you can strum with confidence.

Take Your Guitar Playing Further
Want to create a sound that's all your own? Try blending the natural sound of your guitar pickups with the GR20. Thankfully, the GK-3 Divided Pickup makes this easy via a larger and smoother GK knob. Imagine playing chords and then slowly fading in a swirling, breathy pad to create intensity. Or how about playing a distorted lead on your guitar with a thick synth lead sound? Now take this a step further with the GR20's Patch Link function. This allows you to easily assign GR20 Patches to match effect Patches in MIDI-capable processors like the BOSS GT-6. It's the ultimate system for serious guitarists.

The New GK-3 Divided Pickup
When you buy a GR20 with GK-3, you get a GK-3 Divided Pickup and GK cable in the box. In other words, everything you need to start playing synth sounds is included! The GK-3 is 30 percent thinner than its predecessor, and it now uses a 1/4 in. jack for normal guitar input. The pickup includes an adjustable curve design to keep an even distance between the strings for better response (the pickup cable length is also adjustable). Owners of Les Paul-type guitars can install the GK-3 safely without drilling using a special attachment plate included in the box. zZounds is an authorized dealer of Roland products.

Sound Generator: 1 part
Maximum Polyphony: 48 voices
Patches:
* User: 99
* Preset: Over 450
Display: 7 segments, 2 characters (LED)
Effects: MULTI-FX (40 types: included in the patches), Chorus, Delay/Reverb
Connectors/Jacks: GK IN, GUITAR OUT, MIX IN L, MIX IN R (MONO), OUTPUT L (PHONES), OUTPUT R (MONO), MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, AC IN
Power Supply: AC 14 V (AC Adaptor)
Current Draw: 600 mA
Dimensions: 313.8 (W) x 244.9 (D) x 63.1 (H) mm / 12-3/8 (W) x 9-11/16 (D) x 2-1/2 (H) inches, Maximum height: 313.8 (W) x 244.9 (D) x 97.5 (H) mm / 12-3/8 (W) x 9-11/16 (D) x 3-7/8 (H) inches
Weight: 1.7 kg / 3 lbs 12 oz (excluding the AC Adaptor)
Accessories: Owner's Manual, AC Adaptor BRC series, GK Cable (5 m)
Options: Divided Pickup (GK-3), GK Cable: GKC-3 (3 m), GKC-5 (5 m), GKC-10 (10 m), Unit Selector: US-20, GK Parallel Box: GKP-4

Sound Samples

•   Demo 1
•   Demo 10
•   Demo 12
•   Demo 13
•   Demo 14
•   Demo 15
•   Demo 2
•   Demo 3
•   Demo 4
•   Demo 5
•   Demo 6
•   Demo 7
•   Demo 8
•   Demo 9
•   Demo 11