Feature:
Programmability is both terrific and aggravating. The sysex MIDI controls were poop last time I checked (maybe there are some new editors out there), and this does mean that you have to go through menu after menu to make your own programs. Not a deal-breaker, but certainly a pain in the tukas. The upside is that the programmability is mighty thorough. There are plenty of sounds you can make from straight out driving guitar to totally wacked noise stuff to realistic Moog synth basses to decent acoustic guitar sounds. Oh, and you can program a wild-sounding electric violin. Pretty slick.

Quality:
It's a Roland product, so the quality is the closest to perfect in the electronic instrument world. I use it nearly every day for hours, switching programs, using the pedals, etc., and not yet have I had a problem with it. It's been dropped, punted, and pulled around by the guitar cable. I'm tempted to go drive over it to see if it's as indestructible as a MemoryMoog....

Value:
Another Roland trademark: Great product for a reasonable price. They're like Toyota in many ways. Sometimes the stuff can be a bit bland, but they do everything you need.

Desirability:
It's totally cool.

Sound:
A terrific sounding guitar synth. Since the problems with it are most notable, I'll mention those, though. It's fairly difficult to tweak it to make a warm, natural guitar tone. The acoustic guitar sounds are great when mixed with other instruments, but on their own they sound a bit dull and lifeless. On the other hand, there is no way you can direct-in a guitar through effects and get as great a tone unless you shell out more cash for the VG-8. But the greatest asset is having a ton of tones in one box. It seems to excel most at bluesy, driving guitar sounds, crunchy sounds, and backup rhythm guitar. In general, this is the main stuff you need for rock, and being able to switch from convincing tone to tone without doing anything but tapping a pedal is excellent. Ironically, it does a completely unconvincing job of emulating a GR-300. Go figure.

Support:
I've not needed support for this unit, but I've had to deal with Roland many times in the past. They're just okay. The manuals, of course, stink. And they're not up online. And their website is a navigational nightmare. And getting warranty work can be a bit trying. But, in general, you usually don't need much of that stuff with a Roland. In other words, they don't have the personal service of a company like E-Mu, but they're also about a bajillion times larger.

Overall:
Yeah, there are some gripes. Sure. But here's the most important thing: I use the crap out of it. Recording, playing live, improvising, whatever. I haven't touched another one of my guitars in a long time because I can generally get a better tone out of this. In fact, I'm probably going to go out and get another Hex-converter to attach to my former main guitar so that I can finally retire my nearly 20-year old Roland GR. So, if you play guitar and are constantly switching guitars for the right tone for a song, or if you jam a lot and feel that sometimes you brought the wrong instrument, or whatever, the VG-88 is a great choice. Yeah, the VG-8 is better. But it's much more expensive.

First off, the sounds are awesome! Second, theres the variety - awesome! I can now record direct at a perfect level. No more mic & preamp ( & no more background noise)! I just got it, but I'm considering just playing out with the VG88 into the PA. No more lugging all the guitar amps & cabs around - just the axe & the lightweight 88!! And it sounds great just playing through headphones (you can hear how bad units really are when you throw the headphones on too - this one shines). This thing is unreal & I'm in love! Note to classical players: the single note sounds are great, but if you're a serious classical player looking to get this thing to record direct and replace mic'ing your classical guitar for serious classical guitar music you can forget it.