Anyone use guitar modelers like Variax or guitar synth like Roland GR and VG series? Share your gear, and tips in this thread! Let's learn from each other.To start off, here's my Synth/Modeler Gear - A Roland GR-55, and an internal GK kit that I installed in my Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top PRO/FX (bought from Rmansh
), and an Ibanez RG with external GK-3 pickup. I found it really useful and have used it in several gigs, and at church as well. The functions that I have maximized so far: Acoustic/Electric Modeler with alternate tuning, synth, and the USB for backing track.
The GR-55 is amazing as it now offers guitar modeling like variax. The sound is not as good as the real thing but useful enough for live, and very convenient too - especially for alternate tunings (used in songs like Iris, Everlong, and some praise drop D songs), as well as 12-string (Dead or Alive with sitar
), and Michael Bolton's "To Love Somebody" (strat and keyboards).
The GR-55 also has amp and cab modelling, most of the effects that GT-10 has, though not as good and dynamic, but again for live use is great. If I only had one complain with this is that they should have put an expansion for additional CTL controls using Boss FS-6.
A couple of tips for GK users:
- You can use the GK-Guitar switch as modeler pickup switch to switch from bridge to neck pickup. I don't know if it is a bug but it just work that way.
- You can use the GK-volume to toggle strat 5-way or tele/les paul 3-way
- CTL can be used either to turn on distortion, chorus, or volume boost (or any parameter can be assigned like the GT-10). Then if one CTL is not enough, you can also assign an action to the EXPSW (depressing the foot controller like turning on a wah).
Here's the gear:
Here's my conversion of my floyd LP to a GK-guitar:
I converted one of the LPs to one volume and one tone, and I installed the GK volume and GK-guitar selector switch to the other holes.
GK pickup installed in reverse
Installed the S1/S2 switch near the pickup selector (para may butas na). I got this design from the vguitar forums.