Roland GR20 Guitar and Bass Synth

New sounds. Easy interface. Now works with GK-3 or GK-3B divided pickups.

Item: ROLGR20

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  • Pricing
    • $595.00
    • Installment Plan:4 payments of $148.75
    • List: $695.00
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what's new?

  • In Stock :: Will Ship Wednesday
  • Pricing
    • $495.00
    • Installment Plan:4 payments of $123.75
    • List: $649.00
    • SAVE 23%
  • Standard Shipping
    Ground
    free shipping
  • Expedited Shipping
    2 Day Shipping
    $13.99
     | Overnight
    $41.99

what's new?

  • In Stock :: Will Ship Wednesday

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customer reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

80 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 7 out of 10

9 People wrote reviews

* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Good synth... worth the money..."

Quality:
This product is great as far as make, but it IS made of PLASTIC! I'm worried about breaking the pickup while moving the instrument about, but I'm always careful and don't plan on letting anyone else handle it, so I figure that if I trust myself with it, then it'll be fine. I might take this on the road with me, but I would need people to be extremely careful.

Desirability:
It's ugly.... Plain, flat out ugly. Makes my mandolin look like a machine. BUT, it's very fancy-technical looking, so it'll make you look smart, considering that you'll be able to tell them that you installed it yourself! The GR 20 though is very subtle. It's not flashy, so you won't get ladies (or guys, I guess) with it, but if you make it work right on stage, then you shouldn't have any problems in that area after all. Besides, a musician isn't the appearance of his gear, but the quality of his musical performance.

Sound:
This product has great sounds, most of which are extremely versatile. As said in other reviews, the guitar sounds lack (some of the "guitar" sounds are actually rather sad). But otherwise, it's all good. I put this product through a Line 6 DL4 for looping, and it works perfectly. I've even managed to compose some simple songs at this point, and I've only had it for a few days now.

Ease of Use:
The GR 20 was a challenge to attach. It also doesn't help that I am using it on an electric (four string) mandolin, not guitar. So I had to spend more time making sure that the pickups lined up with the strings. The sounds are great, the surfing is ver intuitive (as long as you follow the patch lists in the manual, but that's a given). The manual(s) were very clear about installation of the pickup and making the machine function.

Submitted: 12/1/2007

Style of Music: Classical, Rock, Folk, Jazz, Blues,

* * * * * * * * * * 2 out of 10

"Yes... & NO!"

Feature:
least useful - setting up/installing the pickup on my Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow body electric guitar. This took the most time and I had to go to a local hardware store and buy additional double sided tape.

Quality:
Plastic main unit, not a 'hard rocker' stage pedal, but studio use should be ok but i wouldn't want to drop it...

Value:
Not until it tracks better, I use it as a substitute for a real bass on my own recordings (direct into the board) and even the slowest tempo playing whole notes, well, it would be nice to hear what I play 'when' I play it and not a half second later...

Desirability:
Fix the latency & pickup install problems...

Sound:
Lots of ideas can be had/inspired by the sounds a guitarist can now get.

Support:
it would be nice if Roland/Boss had a proper forum it's users could get info from. My one question about the terrible tracking problem was an answer along the lines of 'adjust my playing & attack to get rid of the latency..."

Overall:
See above, no I wouldn't buy a new one unless i could try it out (a new model/pickup) at the store. Great sounds that a non-key/synth player like me can definately use but again, see above, and tech support's weak answer to my question just drops my rating. It also makes me wonder how those new VG Strats play if i'm using the 'same' thing...

Submitted: 7/26/2007

Style of Music: a lot & varied

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About This Product!
Description
Docs, Multimedia
From Our Catalog
Plug and Play
Ever wanted to thicken up your guitar sound with a warm synth pad? Or how about a screaming lead sound that puts you in front? The GR-20 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 GR-20, it's easy to tap into the power of guitar synthesis.

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 GR-20 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 GR-20 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 GR-20. 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 GR-20's Patch Link function. This allows you to easily assign GR-20 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 GR-20 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.

Technical Info

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
Guitar synths have never been easier to use or more compact! Newest, latest sounds on board. Requires GK or other 13-pin pickup.

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