Guitar Synthesis-Using a guitar instead of keys

[post.aux.fader]

Hey all. I'm more proficient at strummin' the old 6 stringed gangster of love than I am ticklin' the ivories. Would buying something like a guitar synth (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=effects/search/detail/base_pid/153308/)
and plugging my guitar into that weild some basic synth sounds? I'm not looking for a full MS2000 at my feet, and if needbe, could I plug my cheap Yamaha PRS 175 into it and use it like a tradtional synth?

Thanks for your input.

 

[prestomation]

That isn't really a "synth", it's more of a very specialized FX box. It takes the signal from your magnetic pickups and does some sort of processing to the actualy guitar signal. It doesn't synthesis new sounds like a traditional synth does. It doesn't do midi of any kind, you can't use it to control other modules, not can you play it with a controller keyboard.

What I think you're looking for is something like the Roland Gr-20.

It IS a traditional synth. You mount the special pickup on your guitar(permanetly or not) and it the signal is converted to MIDI in the pedalboard. You can plug a keyboard into it, and you can play other modules with it, using your guitar as a controller. I think the sounds in it is basically the JV-1010.
I played that model at a local GC just a few days ago, and am seriously thinking about picking one up. It's very impressive!

The downside is it is fairly pricey. You can buy the pickup and a midi converter thingy and use your guitar simplay as a controller, but it is almost as expensive.

 

[allrics]

Now if you want a real synth guitar setup, go with this:
http://www.godinguitars.com/godingman.htm

 

[Atterion]

or this http://www.brianmooreguitars.com/i2000/i2000Models.asp?guitar=iGuitar9.13
or any of the .13 models

 

[mikeh]

I used a GR09 for a while. Even though I'm a fairly decent keyboard player, I wanted to play a stringed instrument for sounds like steel guitar, banjo and violin.

While synths are great for reproducing almost any sound, the actually playing techniques and phrasing can be un-natural on a keyboard (as an example the steel guitar technique of bending only one note - or even banjo "rolls").

In my humble opinion, a guitar synth is cool for pulling off licks for things like steel, banjo, violin and even horn sounds (the slide can be more realistic than on keys). Certainly single line synth riffs can work well and even some pad sounds with basic chording can work well (such as a string pad blended with guitar chords on slow songs).

However, things like organ, piano or anything that really needs "keyboard technique" are best achieved on a keyboard.

So I guess thats a long winded way of saying a guitar synth is cool for some things, but for many things, learning somekeyboard chops is better!