Feature:
It's loaded with features and also translates guitar to MIDI with almost 0 ms latency. You have a lot of parameters you can adjust in order to make it respond to your playing style and guitar setup. The effect proccesor responds well and also the arpeggiator and harmonizer, although I think these last two limit you to presets and that may cause your arpeggios to sound like the guitarist of the previous band, but this is why it costs less than 600$, isn't it? It's a closed tool, which means programming is limited, but the preset programming gives a good value. Regarding the synth, it's not such a big deal, because I can easily plug any MIDI capable synth, but the arpeggiator and harmonizer aren't feature one could easily find in external machines. This is why it's only a 9.

Quality:
The product is made by Boss and I think that says it all, doesn't it? It's very plastic like and well designed with a thousand hands making sure it works properly before it ships, but it doesn't look like a machine that would last for decades.

Value:
All in all, I'd rather have a simpler guitar to MIDI converter with less features in a much lower price. I like using the extra features given by the GR-33, but I'd rather have

Desirability:
MIDI guitar is great when playing brass, no keyboard player can make them sound better. People don't know that until they hear my brass programming on my groovebox. This is why you'd want it. There are tools that simply sound better with a MIDI guitar. If you look into the MIDI, you'd find out why. No keyboard player can "bend" the sound so accurately.

Sound:
The synth has solid sound, but.... it's a synth built for keyboards, not for guitars, so it sometimes reacts in strange ways when tapping is used as a playing style. Don't expect your sound to be anything close to analog guitar with regard to the expression level. It takes some time to get used to playing with a synth for a guitarist - have that in mind.

Support:
I don't know, which means it didn't give me trouble so far.

Overall:
I bought it second hand for a very low price in a brand new condition and a few days earlier someone declined selling his Yamaha G50 to me, which made it the only choice at the time. I can't think of MIDI programming without a guitar2MIDI converter, which means I'd buy another if this one was lost, stolen, etc', but I think next time I'll be looking for something with less features and with a smaller size. This is, after all, a converter. I have to admit it though - I love some of its' sounds very much.

This unit is a must for those of us who don't want the overhead of learning the keyboard to produce sequences. The GR-33 tracks well enough to sequence and works beautifully in an ensemble situation. (My anal drummer is delighted at my upgrade from GR-09!!!) I will be making a recomendation to Roland have the pedals detachable so that while you're creating patches, you don't have to keep picking it up to tweak, and putting it down to play. I think this would perfect te usability of the GR-33.

The string sounds are much richer and complex than earlier versions (GR1 & GR30). Tracking is getting close to perfect on the solo instrument sounds, though still a bit delayed with some of the big, orchestral-type patches. This is by far the best guitar synth ever made. I do wish the expression pedal worked the wah-wah.

This thing is DA BOMB!! If you want to make Your guitar buds jealous get one of these. They can't play the horn, keyboard, orchestra, etc. sounds You'll be playing and loving. I personaly love the natural guitar sound mixed with a sax or other horn for solo's or actually duets. And horn sections give You the best fill a guitar never played. AAAA++++

I have always wanted to reproduce some of the instruments and patches in the gr-33 . It is much more practical in the studio and on stage than my korg triton . Leave the keys to the keyboard players and the guitar to me ...
or what ever instrument I want my guitar to sound like !!

This is one incredible guitar processor. The ONLY critisim I have is that the synth itself is made of plastic and it's very light, so I'm scared about its road worthines, that will need to be seen. That being said, The sound quality is fantastic. The ablility to alter parameters like assigning different sounds to different strings and the ability of the synth to change the effect\sound with just the force of hitting the strings blew me away! I can't wait to use it live and freak my fellow bandmates out!

The GR-33 is a great guitar synth and has opened up a whole new world of playing possibilities for me. And believe me, I use it to it's fullest extent. But some of my best patches are the ones that I have programmed myself. I think Roland can expand on the GR-33 and create a guitar synth that will blow the GR-33 away. That's what I'm waiting for. But they are on the right track.

It's sounds like Mr. "STAY AWAY!!!!!!" is one of those unbearable audio snobs who revels in his own opinions. He has only shown by his display that he has no ear for tone. I've played guitar all my life and have produced & engineered at least half of that... All I have to say is that for the money the sounds are great, and for the expressive freedom for guitar players to lay down midi (even if the you have to do a re-take here & there...) it far surpasses expectations, given the technology. Come on Mr. "STAY AWAY!!!!!!"... I bet you don't like the JV 1080 either... Get it together man. Why not run the midi through another module if you're that much of a snob... You probably over-tweaked your settings, which will only worsen any mistriggering... lol.



Signed,



Mr. "I'm buying one this week!!!!!"

I have been "researching" the midi guitfiddle realm for going on five years; ever since buying a kick-ass preamp/processor and realizing that I wanted to mix in entirely different sounds in addition to guitar tone control. Plus, I am a songwriter and want to arrange some of my conceptual pieces for recording and realtime performance. I also like to be the rhythm guitarist who can say "yeah, I can get that sound" to bandmates. This saves the time seeking and hiring the horn and keyboard players who you would insult anyway when asking them to skank or play four-note fills.
Axon was my obsession for the better part of those five years-the AX-100SB. I never actually got a chance to try one. I did get a free video in the mail and was blown away with the possibilities...it is the most powerful, and versatile, and expensive. Likewise, the internal sounds(SB), which cost extra, are by all accounts uninspiring. In order to get good sounds you would have to purchase other equally expensive sound modules. Not to mention that the company is in Germany, and the single U.S. rep is in New York. Sounds like shipping hell.
I have tried out the GR-33 and found it to be a fantastic machine when tweaked appropriately (especially hooked up to a good stereo P.A. or equivalent) and played with an intent of emulating the instruments in terms of playing style. Good tracking speed and open to the possibilities of controlling outside sound sources. It is not as continuous control-happy as the AXON but does have pedals that rectify this. I just happened to check out one unit under the consultation of a Product Manager who was visiting the local product carriers. He was a great guy who showed me ins and outs and was honest about limitations. The quality of the sounds was incredible! I would feel confident in using this live. Guitar sounds are not as good but I haven't lost my processor, and full out blending or AB-switching is easy. A great intro to midi...
I am sold.