Members Spectrum Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 which is better? who has used them? as I know, GR-20 has function to control other keyboard synths. does GR-33 do the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeeMoore Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by Spectrum which is better? who has used them? as I know, GR-20 has function to control other keyboard synths. does GR-33 do the same? I have the 33, seems there is much more synth sound tweaking available on the 33, the 20, from what I understand, is kinda WYSIWYG. The 33 has Midi so it should be able to run other synths with no problem, also, you can run the 33 from a keyboard instead of guitar. Lots of effects options on the 33 also, asignable to either tone, or synth sound, within a patch. The sounds I'm getting are very good and I've yet to get into any deep editing of the presets. You'll love the Strings, some of the Brass, most of the Lead Synth sounds. I've heard the Nylon string guitar sound is very usable with some tweaking, but haven't tried it other than the preset itself, which to me, ain't that bad. The other guitar sounds are so so, to terrible.But, one is not buying a guitar synth for guitar sounds. The main thing to either the 33 or 20 is what you will be using to play it with, a guitar with synth pickup already installed or the GK2 pickup which you'd have to install yourself. Tracking is very good with my Brian Moore, and I tried a Strat with the GK2 pickup installed and it wasn't bad either, but proper installation of the GK2 is very important for good performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spectrum Posted March 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 what is WYSIWYG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Arjae Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by Spectrum what is WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 I currently own a GR33, after previously owning a GR30 and GR50. The GR33 is definitely the most evolved guitar synth Roland has produced. The GR20 is a more entry level, stripped down version. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's still an excellent piece of gear at a reasonable price. In answer to your question - yes, the GR33 can be midi'ed out to control another synth. However, in general, external synths don't track nearly as well as the GR's internal sounds. Also, as mentioned here by SeeMore, the GR can be controlled by a keyboard. It's interesting to hear how different some of the patches sound triggered from a keyboard. It's actually a great sounding module, being based on the industry-standard Roland JV 1080. I've done a lot of editing on it and have come up with some incredible sounds, especially lush pads, strings, synth flutes, and special fx that I use in ambient electronic music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spectrum Posted March 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 as I understand 33 is more advanced than 20 am I right? can I use GK-3 with it? what advantages this synths have comparing to each other? GR-20 is easier to use... others? I've heard that you can create sounds on 33 and that you don't have that function on GR-20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeeMoore Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by Karma1 I currently own a GR33, after previously owning a GR30 and GR50. The GR33 is definitely the most evolved guitar synth Roland has produced. The GR20 is a more entry level, stripped down version. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's still an excellent piece of gear at a reasonable price. In answer to your question - yes, the GR33 can be midi'ed out to control another synth. However, in general, external synths don't track nearly as well as the GR's internal sounds. Also, as mentioned here by SeeMore, the GR can be controlled by a keyboard. It's interesting to hear how different some of the patches sound triggered from a keyboard. It's actually a great sounding module, being based on the industry-standard Roland JV 1080. I've done a lot of editing on it and have come up with some incredible sounds, especially lush pads, strings, synth flutes, and special fx that I use in ambient electronic music. Do you use GrapeLight to edit the 33? I found some patches here that I'm gonna try. http://www.macminer.opoka.com.pl/gr33/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spectrum Posted March 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 by the way thanks for the link! after quick reviewing of it, I had a feeling, that you can add some sounds to your GR-33 from the PC. can you do the same with GR-20? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeeMoore Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by Spectrum as I understand 33 is more advanced than 20 am I right? can I use GK-3 with it? what advantages this synths have comparing to each other? GR-20 is easier to use... others? I've heard that you can create sounds on 33 and that you don't have that function on GR-20. Creating sounds on the 33 is a matter of mixing tones, adding effects, or using levels between two tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spectrum Posted March 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 can you also do it with GR-20? and can you add sounds from PC? does 33 have holding pedal to jam with your bad self? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeeMoore Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by Spectrum can you also do it with GR-20? and can you add sounds from PC? does 33 have holding pedal to jam with your bad self? The 20 has a pedal so I believe you can use a "hold" function. I don't think you can edit sounds on the 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StompboxMan Posted March 22, 2006 Members Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by Spectrum which is better? who has used them? as I know, GR-20 has function to control other keyboard synths. does GR-33 do the same? If you have never used a guitar synth get the GR-20 for it's ease of operation. The GR-20 has the latest Roland sounds from their Phantom synth. The GR-20 has 6 Midi Channels out. So it can trigger one or six different synths. The GR-33 also has 6 Midi Channels out. There is limited programing with a GR-20. It will not layer sounds you choose or change pitch on each string like a GR-33. You only have control over attack/release, cut off frequency, resonance and effects. It has a Hold and Glide feature. It has a Mix IN to add an external pedal or processor or CD player that will sound from the GR-20 outputs. The GR-20 has no arpeggiator; the GR-33 does. Keep in mind attaching the GK PU to your guitar needs to be carefully installed to achieve optimum performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spectrum Posted March 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 23, 2006 I can get 33 for 500$ and 20 for 700$. which is better to take? should I make 200$ economy or GR20 is worth of payment 200$ additionally comparing to GR33? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StompboxMan Posted March 23, 2006 Members Share Posted March 23, 2006 Originally posted by Spectrum I can get 33 for 500$ and 20 for 700$. which is better to take? should I make 200$ economy or GR20 is worth of payment 200$ additionally comparing to GR33? $700 for a GR-20 is high. There's a used GR-33 and GK-2 PU for $400 in the HC Classifed under effects. Look for a used GR-30 also for $250-$300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted March 23, 2006 Members Share Posted March 23, 2006 Really good info and responses here so far. I'm not that familiar with the GR20, so I don't know if it has a hold function - but I do know that the GR33 does. In answer to the question about editing, I don't use an editor, but do it from the front panel of the GR33. Although I have a lot of experience editing synths, the Roland GR guitar synths are really simple - partly because there are not as many editable parameters as most synths. But just by layering tones, adding effects, tweaking envelopes, you can do a lot. As far as price, $700 is a lot for a GR20. I'm sure you can find better. Also the suggestion to look for a used GR30 was a good one. It doesn't have a built-in expression pedal, but you can easily plug an external one in. But it's a great sounding guitar synth (Robert Fripp from King Crimson uses one). The GR33 is the model that came out after that and has a few upgraded features. Which model you go for depends on your needs, how much editability you want, etc. Read the user reviews here at Harmony Central for all the models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andersonology Posted March 23, 2006 Members Share Posted March 23, 2006 Yo!!! Stop this nonsensical Roland talk, and get with the program. If you want to play synth guitar, then you need the Axon AX-100 MKII. This things just absolutly KILLS Roland's crap. I've already posted about this, and the thread is here Watch the demo and learn grasshopper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted March 23, 2006 Members Share Posted March 23, 2006 I had a GR-30 years ago, sold it, but became interested in getting the GR-20. After messing with it, I bought a used GR-33. It is just much more versatile than the 20. GR's will eat you up and spit you out if you play sloppy though. Played carefully they are gems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spectrum Posted March 25, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 Oh my god!!! Axon just eats Roland with it's guts! I've seen promotional videos of Axon and it's definitely better in my opinion. bad thing is, that they have only rack type unit... thanks for telling me about Axon synth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jeverist Posted March 26, 2006 Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 I have a Godin LGX-SA with the built in pickups and a GR-33. and it tracks just as well as that Axon demo. However, it doesn't trigger software as well, going from the Roland to a MIDI->USB device into the computer. If I had to do it again, I'd strongly consider the Axon, but I'm very happy with the way the Godin tracks. From what I understand, a guitar with the 13 pin pickup built in(Godin or Brian Moore) will track better than one with the external pickup. The other advantage to using Roland would be better built in sounds - I wasn't that impressed with the tones that guy was getting. The Roland has a lot of really great synth sounds built in(more so on the GR-33 than on the GR-20) Then again, if you used software or other MIDI devices for sounds, it wouldn't matter that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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