Guitar to use with Roland Synth

T

the edzell

New member
I’m not sure this is a guitar thread question or a keyboard threat question.

I’m looking into getting a Roland guitar synth unit. I talked to a sales associate and he said that most people use Telecasters with the synths.

Question is: are the Telecasters the preferred guitar to use with synths or does it even matter? Does the quality of guitar make much of a difference, and if so how much ? (outside the usual quality of playing issues.)

Thanks in advance
 
My experience is that it does not matter much. The biggest issue is to be sure there is a good place to mount the pickup. I have used Roland GK-1 and GK-2 pickups on Les Pauls, Gibson Lucelle, and a PRS Custom 24. All work well.

Ed
 
I think your sales guy was mistaken and meant Stratocasters. Probably because they have been making a version of the Strat with a built in Roland synth pickup for almost 10 years now. The Brian Moore guitars also have versions with the midi pickup built in.

H2H
 
One of the things that does matter is string spacing. The pickups have digital sensors for each string. If the string spacing is very different, less than good results can occur.

Ed
 
the edzell said:
I’m not sure this is a guitar thread question or a keyboard threat question.

I’m looking into getting a Roland guitar synth unit. I talked to a sales associate and he said that most people use Telecasters with the synths.

Question is: are the Telecasters the preferred guitar to use with synths or does it even matter? Does the quality of guitar make much of a difference, and if so how much ? (outside the usual quality of playing issues.)

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

I have a "like new" Roland GR-30 guitar synth with a "like new" Yamaha Pacifica PAC012 (Strat) with the Roland GK-2A Pickup permanently mounted on it. I'll sell the entire rig to you, including manual, 13-pin cable, etc. etc. for only $425 + shipping. The GR-30 has like 4 times as many patches (different available sounds) as that new GR-20 does. I'm kinda hurting for cash right now, so my pain is your gain. My Pacifica has been professionally set-up and plays perfectly. Think about it, cheap price and all the extra work is already done. Just plug in and play, with no worries about searching for a guitar that has the proper spacing for the GK pickup. :)

Price it all out seperately... you're gonna pay a whole lot more for a brand new guitar synth set-up, probably twice what I'm asking.

BTW, the sales associate is either full of beans or a complete idiot. Most people use Stratocasters or similarly-styled guitars for a guitar synth set-up, not Teles.

PM me if you're interested.
 
It does matter what guitar you mount a GK-2A on. Case in point, I could not get a GK2A to work with an SG.

Most people use Strats (or Strat copies), because the spacing and available space near the bridge works well.

When I had a Roland GR-09 I found a $200 Strat copy that had a good neck. I didn't care is I drilled holes into it - and the electronics really didn't matter since it was nothing more than a controller (I didn't even you the actual guitar sounds - I had other "real" guitars for that). As long as the neck played well.
 
I have never drilled a hole. Most come with sticky tape that usually works well, and leaves no mark after removal.

Ed
 
Ed Dixon said:
I have never drilled a hole. Most come with sticky tape that usually works well, and leaves no mark after removal.

Ed
Click to expand...

That might be fine for the studio, but I've gigged with my GR-30 and the tape does NOT hold under "gigging conditions" where the guitar is in and out of a case several times, exposed to the smokey and sometimes damp atmosphere of a bar, and especially the constant movement around stage while playing.

If you gig with a guitar synth, you gotta drill holes into a guitar, there's no way around it. It's either that or you'll have that skinny little pickup dangling beneath your strings as the rest of the band plays on. Been there, done that.
 
I play live every weekend. I haul my stuff in a car and guitar case. Never had a problem with the tape approach. Started doing this about 20 years ago when the first Roland units came out.

I have played in hot and cold areas, smoky and clean, indoors and outdoors. No problems. You DO NOT have to drill holes in your guitar.

Ed
 
I have used two different Roland pickups, the GK-1 and the GK-2A. Guitars involved include

Fender Stratocaster
Gibson Les Paul Custom
Gibson Lucelle
PRS Custom 24

I have use the double sided sticky tape for each. It worked fine for me in all cases.

I cannot speak for other brands of pickups or other guitars. Others many have experience for other combinations.

Ed
 
Ed Dixon said:
I play live every weekend. I haul my stuff in a car and guitar case. Never had a problem with the tape approach. Started doing this about 20 years ago when the first Roland units came out.

I have played in hot and cold areas, smoky and clean, indoors and outdoors. No problems. You DO NOT have to drill holes in your guitar.

Ed
Click to expand...

I guess you don't jump around on stage like I do. :)

I still got "moves" at 42. :D:D

Can't blame you though. A nice guitar like yours shouldn't be shaken up and swung around like a Strat copy. ;)
 
Sound is driver more by the connected sound source than the pickup/guitar style. Roland synths generally have poor guitar patches as do most other synth makers.

Based on what I have heard, the Variax has much better guitar based sounds. However if you want non-guitar sounds like keys, horns, etc (which is what I use), the the Roland approach may be better.

Ed
 
I bought a roland GR! and a G2 pickup(?) about three months ago, I havent used them yet? I got to get crakin. I have a mexican fat strat I have to put back together, I think I will put the pickup on that and see how it goes.
I have an ES335 and an american strat, but I ain't mountin no pickup on dem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top