Roland GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer  

I am very impressed with the GR-55.  Tracking, effects, modeling are all outstanding.  I've played the other Roland guitar synths before, for me the downfall was the lack of editing that could be done.  With the GR-55, the possibilities are endless, which is what I really needed in a synth.  One of the features that I use a lot is the acoustic guitar modeling, very organic sound and feel.  I am primarly a worship leader, so this comes in very useful to add synth/wave type sounds that pop in and out, you can get great celtic type sounds- flutes, violin, accordian, etc., strings, pads, the works.

Keep in mind it will take some time to get the hang of, there's a lot of stuff packed into this unit.  I use the Graph Tech Ghost system for my midi pickup, they work very well.  The Roland GK-2 pickups work great too, especially if you don't want to modify your guitar, I just prefer having everything internal.

Highly recomended.

Easy to edit, multi-variables, take the conventional key board work station to the lever guitar players can appreciate. With the visual tutorals on-line, makes a 50+years of playing guitar artist go where "no one has gone before" into the 21st century and beyound!!!

I just want to save those of you that are interested in using the GR-55 as a sound module the surprise I just had in finding out that it WILL NOT PLAY INCOMING MIDI.  It has a midi input, but it only works for patch or program changes. This means that if you want to use it with your DAW or any other sequencer you are able to record your performance data but you'll have to play it back through something else.

I contacted Roland and there is no plan to fix this. If you ask me, they have really dropped the ball on this feature. As a performance device the GR-55 is great, but how short sighted is this ridiculous limitation?!

asdfsaf

I had a problem with the patches that featured guitar and amp modeling  (not the pcm synth sounds-they are OK): there was noise, especially if I  moved my guitar or the GK's cable around-very bad noise, like a popping  or scraping sound (really terrible with high gain patches, like the  "Legato Solo" patch). I had owned a VG99 (which I actually sold, to be  able to afford the GR55), and it was very quiet. I actually thought  something was wrong with my guitar, till I tried the GR55 with a  different guitar (as well as a different cable), and the noise was still  there. So I returned it, thinking it was defective.

A Roland tech called, and told me there was nothing wrong with my unit. I  pressed him about it, and had him recheck the unit (with the "Legato  Solo" patch, which exhibited the noise problem the most). He WAS able to  recreate the problem this time. He tried the same patch with a NEW GR55  from their warehouse, and says it's doing it as well! So, he says,  there's nothing wrong with mine.

I posted my experience on the V-guitar forum, and the moderator said this:
"Its not a perfect world. And remember the GR-55 is an extremely  stripped down cost sensitive product, and NOT using the fastest DSPs  available.
As many have tried to inform here - in the COSM processing department,  the GR-55 will not perform at the same level as the VG-99 which costs  twice as much as a GR-55.
There is no free lunch, and many many performance compromises were made  on the GR-55, to maintain a profit margin and deliver a multi-function  unit at a specific target price, and not a penny more!  
To tame the noise, Roland has two separate user assignable "NS" Noise  Suppressors ( one in the GK PU area, and another in the final Output  stage ) in the GR-55 for a reason.”

I find this upsetting, as I was under the assumption the GR55  would have about the same QUALITY of sounds. I knew going in it didn’t  have all the effects, number of models, or dual paths of the VG99, but  didn't expect a noisy machine. I wish I had kept my VG99 at this point  (since the GR55 cost me about as much as I sold my VG99 for).
Once I get it back from Roland, I'll try the noise suppressors. But this  noise is so bad, I don't expect a noise gate to solve the problem.

For the synth sounds, it's very good. (Roland could stand to put some cutting edge synth tones in their guitar synths, though, they're kinda generic).

If you just want a synth, it's pretty good.

In these 'Do less with more' days, pro musicians need to find ways to bolster a flagging live music marketplace. Club and restaurant owners are loathe to spend money on live acts if they can't justify the expense with greater food and liquor sales. Using gear that allows a musician to be more things to more listeners is one proven way to help the club owner justify that expense. Roland seems to be aware that the bar keeps being raised for the little guys (like me), just as much as for the A-list touriing/recording stars. And to that end, Roland continues to work hard to develop products that aid the musician in making that next leap. With a broad, useable feature set, and quality construction, the GR-55 is the natural evolution of the guitar synth     from a quirky occasional-use tool to an all-in-one synth/effects pallet for the pro player. Please don't buy one if you live in northern New England. I have enough competition as it is.

I would be remiss in not confessing that I'm still learning the interface on this monster. But consider: A floor pedal that loops, stores and plays backing tracks, provides a large number of useable synth patches, offers COSM modeling for all manner of guitar and amp types, includes an expression pedal, and a large 20-character LCD display, that can be easily read while standing above it, even in broad daylight. Did I mention onboard tuner? Did I mention your choice of mono- or stereo-outs? Did I mention separate pickups-only out? Did I mention USB 2.0 capability? And... it will prepare Belgian waffles, give you a back rub, and patch up relationship issues with your spouse? (OK... sorry... couldn't resist...).

Really... Enough onboard features to serve as my 'go-to' box for recording and live work. I'm just grateful that Japan's recent calamities didn't prevent my being able to get one of these units. Utterly amazing...

So far - so good. Rugged, reliable Roland hardware. Steel casing. I would be surprised to have any issues with the build quality. Software/firmware appears bug-free. Tremendous attention to detail. The ONLY area in which I've ever faulted Roland is their user documentation. For whatever reason, the management at Roland seem convinced that because their products are so well conceived and built, that they can ignore the 3rd rate useability of their product manuals. The more feature-packed the product, the more work it takes to pry the critical 'how to' info from their manuals. Complex interfaces are, by definition, rarely intuitive. A good manual makes the task much easier, improving how well and how quickly a user can leverage the features provided by the product. Eventually Roland will have to figure this out. Trust me. I document complex tech products for a living...

The GR-55 is not an inexpensive product. Few Roland products are. However, unlike Bose, who chooses to ride the wave of inflated self-opinion, Roland works hard to earn its continuing reputation as a top-shelf manufacturer of pro gear for the working musician. At the moment, I own several pieces of Roland gear, and have owned many more over the years. I make it a point to try to keep up with their new product releases. The GR-55 is typical of the reason why I do. It improves my chances of capturing regional work as a gigging musician.