Roland's VG-8 Goes Back into Production

Furthering the guitar revolution which it started in 1995, Roland has upgraded its amazing VG-8EX V-Guitar System to incorporate the striking VG8S-1 System Expansion features. These features include hollow-body and acoustic guitar models, additional amp and speaker models, expanded effects capabilities, and Patches utilizing these additional capabilities, including 32 newly-developed factory Patches. This upgrade represents a significant renewal of what many professional guitarists regard as the most amazing piece of guitar technology to be developed in the past 20 years.

For those unfamiliar with the VG-8EX, it is a truly unique guitar processing system which is neither an effects processor nor a guitar synthesizer, yet incorporates aspects of both. Based upon Roland's acclaimed Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM) technology, the VG-8EX translates the actual waveforms from a guitarists' playing and processes them using a number of sophisticated sound "models". These models include everything from amazing emulations of vintage and modern guitar bodies, pickups, microphones, speaker cabinets and amplifiers (Variable Guitar Modeling) to futuristic, synth-like tones (Harmonic Restructure Modeling), as well as superb studio-quality digital effects and EQ. And because the VG-8EX processes string waveforms in realtime, there is no tracking error or triggering delay--all the natural dynamics of a player's picking come through.

The newly upgraded VG-8EX now offers a total of 224 Patches, including stunning hollow-body, acoustic guitar and new pickup models. Using these newly upgraded sounds, guitarists can instantly access a world of electric, acoustic and hollow-body guitar sounds and much more--all using a standard steel-string guitar equipped with a Roland GK-2A Divided Pickup.

Hundreds of new combinations--like hollow-body guitars with custom pickups playing through classic British amps using off-axis condenser mics--can be completely customized at will. Sixty-four User Patches allow guitarists to store their own sounds, which can then be instantly accessed using the Bank/Group pedals of this unique, floor-based processor.

Of special note is the VG-8EX's Polyphonic Pitch Shifter. Using this effect and the many upgraded hollow-body and acoustic guitar models, user-defined and open tunings for acoustic slide guitar, banjo, dobro and more are now possible. Since the GK-2A pickup sends output for each string individually, this signal processing can be performed "per string." For example, pitch shifting can be applied individually to each string for instant open tunings, bass guitar or authentic 12-string sounds.

The newly upgraded VG-8EX offers users an extremely intuitive interface with helpful operational graphics and icons. This makes the VG-8EX highly customizable to meet an individual guitarist's needs. The VG-8EX is also compatible with optional VG8D-1 and 2 Patch Cards and M-512E memory cards for additional storage.

Roland is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of electronic musical instruments, professional audio equipment, multimedia products and music accessories.

Preliminary Specifications (May be subject to change.)