Very Good Ensembled Tools

I use Guitar Synthes for almost three decades, but this is the firs time I feel really comfortable using one alive. This unit is plenty of resources, but essentialy it's very musical and well thought. The V-Guitar part really shines and is very usefull with onboard effects or external ones.

The tracking on the PCM side is a lot better, but even best performance I got when I start to use the FenderRoland CG-1, a very good Stratocaster with built in GK, as a controller. I just put some better pickups and stuff and the guitar became "first class"!

The only thing I think it could be worked out perhaps through some sort of new firmware version (although Roland seems to be closed to this possibility...) is making its USB MIDI connection a Class Compliant one, so we could use it directly with iPad and others iOS devices...

Very surprising engine for guitar players unlimited posibilities, amps and cabs mix of synth and guitar simulation; Greatest sound machine ever seen in my life

All the sounds are very nice, this is a very powerful work station, a lot of possibilities with midi technology which can be used with others (old) synths and drums machines .............. you can play hours and hours and record same tracks with different settings and keep only parts and recreate another track that you can think it's the same but not the case , you can change some parameters and ............... it's magic ! I created more than 10.000 patches and all playable with other pedalboard like Line6 HD500X and Boss GT-100, it's a pleasure when you plug all this machines in stereo into a mixer, textures you got are completely MAD, you'll need a MIDI Foot Controller because of all machines that have got MIDI interface integrated, in the case where you would want to use all in the same time (MAPPING,Changing Fx on different machines at the same time and in real time, it's important, MIDI is Powerfull, it does not take a lot of place nor time) with different sounds amps and cabinets, progress is great indeed, I 'm a simple engineer and always surprised by the new , and sometimes I'm unable to understand very simple things. This GR-55 is the greatest sound machine ever seen in my life, indeed .... you 'll find Mike Oldfield's, King Crimson's, Robert Fripp's, Trevor Rabin's sounds, if you have time to spend to program the machine of 920 PCM sounds !!!!!! Completly MAD !!!!! Just try to adjust the Attack param of flute patch, and you can try to play "Bourée" of J.S Bach that played it 300 years before, imagine your can play 5 different instruments on 6 strings !!!!!! with 6 assigns for the sounds

Works great live

I have been using the Gr-55 live since i came out, and am very satisfied with it. I have been using Rolands VG-8 and Vg-88 before this unit. The possibilities are almost endless. IF you want to go deep into the programming of this unit you can really set up the most complex combinations. For me the combination of the real guitar sounds and the different COSM models works wonders. I can switch to a very convincing 12 string electric og a nylon string guitar with the push of a button. Only thing that is a bit strange is that Roland has not provided a computer based editor for this board. Luckily there is a very good shareware editor available. That Roland hasn't bought this from the guy that developed it is a complete mystery.

Guitarsynth and modelling proessor

I love this guitarsynth, two PCM synths and original pickup and one modelling tone. Supergood synth sounds and supergood amp, effect and guitar modelling.

for fx and other needs

Great device for fx and special fx ;-) If you are used to playing wireless than you need a cable anyway ;-( I made a patch for Sledgehammer wich sounds really great.

To the next level!

One of the best guitar and bass effect (in my opinion) so far. Bring guitar to the next level!