Roland GR-700 Guitar Synth & 707 Guitar Controller

[setmedic]

I have one, looking to sell it. perfect condition... Not sure how much to sell it for. Anvil case for floor mod, silver guitar in perfect condition. How much did you sell yours for?

[drkam6]

it glitches too much!

[celticfrost78]

@3.45 all hail ming :P

[weedwhackerman]

4:08 sounds like the intro to Judas Priest's song Turbo

[kragle2008]

Hi, the guitar you are using has alot of knobs on it... is it needed to play with this synth? i mean do you need a special guitar to play with this guitar synth? --- its amazing and i want it! where on earth do you buy these things from? it looks really old too :-)

[MucusFelidae]

Looks like an electronic door stop,

sounds like an electronic doorstop.

[VerninTheRat]

Ever since I saw a photo of this thing in a guitar calander, I've always wanted to see her in action. And for some reason this morning it just popped into my head to search for it and now I am here. Very freaking cool. I'm looking for one immediately!

[dayuhanspace]

its so retro looking! the guitar itself looks awesome

[RobertB0402]

I remember when this rig was in Sam Ash on 48th St. in the early 80's (when Sam Ash was next door to Manny's - now Sam Ash IS Manny's!) Anyway, it was all set up in the back of the store, but I think it took some balls to ask the store guy to try it. I mean, unless you could really wail on the guitar it seemed like you were asking to embarass yourself. But I always wanted to mess with it. And the guitar is still cool looking. Back to the Future !!!

[Desmaad]

I'm in love! (No, not the song, I really am in love!)

[emiguitarhero]

dude...

i need this shit....

[RampinUp46]

How much did the G-707 cost?

[HolyKatana]

Seriously fat sounds. Especially the bass near the end.

[onlycheez]

love 2:08 - 2:20

sexy :-)

[audiotrax2000]

It's too bad the tracking was so bad, because the synth sounded fantastic.

[tneri8]

I've been looking for a guitar peripheral to exactly what this does for about a year now, thanks for posting!!

[jackstrikergraphics]

Cool sound

[Furiantsound]

I think I had all guitar synths ever made.. this was the worst one.

[OttoVonGoenne]

@Furiantsound what was wrong with it?

[virtualboy1995]

I found one of these at a pawn shop is it worth anything with out the GR 700?

[44eelz]

could i use a normal guitar with the GK-3

pickup and work this?

[ibanezgitarrero]

Very cool. Finally I get to hear the synth sounds. My first guitar as a teenager in the 90s was the G-707 controller (but without the synth) bought used. My friends laughed at me because of the fancy looks and the sustain bar. The vibrato was pretty much useless though. I always used the magnetic pickups only and it served me very well. Later I found out that theses were made in the Fujigen Gakki factory (main source of Japanese Ibanez guitars!). I sold it long ago but still keep the OHSC!

[guitgeo]

Very cool demo, pro all the way. I trying to decide if I want one of these things as they are expensive. At least now I can get SOME idea of what is going on at the foot module without some player trying to impress me with his chops. Do more shows for me...thanx.

[yermyahu]

Hmmmm...I'm not a guitar slinger...but this would make me wanna play it!

[LukeMadSkillz1984]

how does the guitar controller sound on it's own?

Also, does the cutoff frequency dial work when not connected to the synth unit?

[Analogger]

The guitar itself sounds alot like an SG. The cutoff frequency pot only works on the synth filter - it has no effect on the internal guitar tone.

[LukeMadSkillz1984]

Could I connect the filter and keep my standard guitar tone, just to use the cutoff?

[clongprong]

OMG!! My dad purchased a GR-700 from my cousin for me in 1994. I still have it along with the guitar (of course). The main volume control on the guitar froze, and something happened to the special cable (24-pin, I think) so it doesn't work but I don't want to get rid of it. (for sentimental reasons, belonged to my deceased cousin who taught me a little how to play) Any ideas on how to get it fixed? Do they even make parts for it anymore??

[TyLiermann]

@clongprong I had a custom cable made by a guy in his house who's just really good with cable. I think he bought a spool of grey shielded cable meant for printers. Works like new.

[uverdadeiro]

is it possible to change the pick ups like we do with regular guitars?

[TyLiermann]

@uverdadeiro Yes. The synth pickup is separate from the 2 humbuckers. It sits closest to the bridge.

[Whyrendog]

Sounds like some of Al Di Meola's electric stuff (that he would play over back in the day).

[androidito2394]

cool

[rdt78]

is very COOOOOOOOOOOL... i think that Adrian Smith from Iron maiden used it durin somewhere in time recording,,, i' d like to get it ... can i find in any music shop now??? PLEASE ANSWER ME...

[Analogger]

I have only seen these available on Ebay. That is where I purchased this one. They were manufactured in the mid 1980s and have long been out of production. For information about all the old Roland guitar synths check out the website from Wayne Scott Joness.

[Rondozza]

black sabbath at 4:00 :)

[bennyvx08]

I appreciate your co-operation. Thank you soo much.

[didiridou]

how f...in cool is that!! :D

[cdmdjd2007]

I had this guitar in the 80s. The synth sounds were amazing and as a straight guitar it was pretty good. However, I found the tracking between the notes played on the guitar and the synth sounds terrible. Only really good for pads I found. Plus the lack of a midi in meant that the sounds couldn't be controlled by another source (such as a sequencer). Overall I wish I still had this guitar. Thanks for posting.

[bennyvx08]

How old is this machine .. its sounds interesting to me.

[emarum]

heard of google?

[bennyvx08]

@emarum. Ever heard of being a pal and answer a normal question? Its so difficult to be kind once in a while...

[emarum]

sorry for being unpalish, then. the answer to your quiestion is 1984-1986. for this specific unit i would'nt know exactly when. cheers.

[GusBounas]

that's the pedal use adrian smith on the album somewhere in time and SSOSS?

[starionpatrol]

99% sure of it.. At least for SIT. By SSOASS, they mainly used keyboards for that stuff.

[UnchainTheNight1]

3:55 oh my god THIS is how they did turbo lover

[starionpatrol]

and the stuff around 0:37 is pure "out in the cold" intro-ish! But yeah, I'm 99% sure they used these on that album.

[UnchainTheNight1]

id say so

[pilotoatomico]

TELL ME THERES NO OTHER!

[UnchainTheNight1]

lol yeah

[pilotoatomico]

it would be cool if he edited it so the sound goes up faster you know?

[UnchainTheNight1]

yeah it really would

[NearlyAMusician]

which 24db analog filter are you using? i need to get one =D

[AnchoriteProductions]

Nice demo! Thanks for the vid. -Derek

[alexl1001]

I like how futuristic that guitar looks. Great sounds in this synth, too! It's great! I have the GR-20 and the synth sounds are great, but this thing is MASSIVE sounding! Roldand should bring back the GR-700 and 707 guitar!!!!

[NearlyAMusician]

i think you'll be able to get most of the sounds out of it aswell if you use a filter like he's doing

[squier06]

ok , now i've found how judas priest did the "out in the cold"'s introduction !!!

[ekalb2185]

awesome Guitar Synthesizer, how much did it cost for you when you got it? and maybe you could play some heavy metal with that pedal

[babarishka]

It's got cooler sounds than my GR33 - that sucks!!!!! Plus, the GR33 has no VCF and VCA adjustments. What the f$#k Roland - you're devolving!!!!!! At least my GR33 tracks reasonabley well for most sounds. I gotta get the Graph Tech Floyd Rose replacement when funds are available. I heard from one Graph Tech user that the tracking is significantly better than with the GK3.

[NearlyAMusician]

try the gr-1, they're pretty cheap and have cutoff and resonance unlike the newer models.

[babarishka]

Thanx dude. I actually had a GR1 in the late 90's. I remember it had those controls, but overall, I think the sound quality of the GR33 is better (the sequencer still sucks though - greatly attenuates the volume of anything sequenced). The string sounds are better and the synth sounds are more more Moog-like on the 33 IMO.

Also, the tracking wasn't that good on the GR1, but that mighta been cause my guitar wasn't the greatest either.

[NearlyAMusician]

i guess you're right, but i had the oppurtunatly to buy a gr-1 (it was like less than 200 bucks and came with cable) paid 300 in total or something, but i got a roland jv 880 with it aswell... tracking so far so good (slight problems with using the jv880 but i survived, sold it now though for a very good price) ,i'm using it with a Godin though...

after this summer i might go looking for a newer model though (axon probably)

[MaxRidgway]

It's a great instrument. It's got a unique sound. I find that you have to adjust your playing technique to accomodate it's peculiarities, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Thanks for posting this.

[C861986]

the preset 1-7 is beautiful

[oS2006DE]

Gotta love that GS-707 look.  I hear it was referred to as the "Dalek's Handbag". :D Cool sounds!

[geoffreyefloyd]

does this thing use samples or is it like the gr300?

[oS2006DE]

This is before sampling became affordable, so you're hearing an actual analog signal. Stronger sound, naturally.

[ahmedsamy]

how much is the GR-700???

[mormonmilitia]

how was the tracking with that thing?

[fitchley72]

I played with a red one of these for a while and what I didn't like about it was the tracking. It missed notes sometimes when playing fast runs. But for chords or doing what a synth does on a guitar, it was perfect.

[deathover]

let me know when you want to sell it

[Analogger]

I sold it awhile back on Ebay to get some other stuff. It is now residing in Canada.

[galarius]

A lot of sounds sound best when mixed with a guitar.....

[SpammerOvTheGods]

ahh, the Sunset Grill guitar synth...

#@!

[Sebass95]

So you can't use this with any ol' guitar?

[tekkentool]

i don't think so. unless you're guitar has a 24 pin connector inbuilt.

[fullmoonguitar2]

it doesnt seem to be able to sequence or really pulse, or arpeggiate and these things are impossible to integrate with one another, all though obviously alot of sounds, some just a huge fart..i woulnt buy it ..from only this example. i had a gr-300,

[spinnach]

1:14 photoshopped!

[noelio1974]

Doh! I just read that you sold it... Was going to ask you to notify me when you plan to auction it! Aww shizzle!

[noelio1974]

The one thing I DON'T miss is the centronics like printer cable! LOL!

& sometimes it would play an anomalous random note.

Mine was identical to the one you are playing there except it had gold hardware / knobs.

[noelio1974]

I soooooooooooooooooo regret selling mine when I did. I was extremely stupid and needed the money (high school). I like my vg-99 but the 700/707 combo had a HUGE sound.

[kronix420]

dude! which would be better, a gr-20 or a electro harmonix micro synthesizer? what would you prefer? does a gr-20 have that fat square wave analog sound? thanks so much!

[Analogger]

I would go with the gr-20. the ehx is very limited in what it does - although it sounds cool as hell. the gr-20 has tons more sounds including sampled square and sawtooth waves. the gr-20 is just plain more versatile. the micro synth is basically for single note leads. the gr-20 has gorgeous pad sounds as well.

i don't have an ehx micro synth but i plan on getting one someday just to have it. i just sold this gr-700 and guitar on ebay. it now resides somewhere in british columbia.

[Botdra]

Hehe, sweet, it's in my province! =D

[armenchik619]

go with the gr-20, thats what i got and i dont regret it at all

[blueredfred2]

how much did that cost you? my band is lacking a synth player but seeing as only a few of our songs actually need a synth i was thinking of getting one

[Analogger]

The GR-700 was discontinued in the 80s. Check out the new Roland GR-20...you can also get GR-20s used on Ebay. Good luck.

[Kurisublack]

I don't really understand that numeration, you mean that GR-700 is older than GR-20? What about GR-30, GR-33 and GR-300? I'm lost now :/

[Analogger]

i am not familiar with all those other models. i just have a couple of the vintage ones. i don't know the chronological history of the roland line. check out the roland site and choose the one that's right for you - and only you can determine which one is best for what you want. you might go to a local music store and ask someone in the guitar department. i bet there is a salesman just waiting to have his balls busted all day long!

[jamesvla]

powerful device, although nowadays you can pick up a pitch to midi interface or even a max msp patch based of fiddle/analyzer to play any synths in software or hardware (even native instruments stuf).. although this pure analogue hardware will not be 100% emulated in the near 10 years I guess (you can get close results with software but it's never the same thing)

[VUZOOKA]

this may be a bit of an irrelevant question, but about the gr-20, how well does it track other synthesizers through MIDI?

[eddievhfan1984]

How's it track in comparison to the GR-300? Could you shred on it?

[Analogger]

This does not track nearly as well as the GR-300. The 700 is great for synth pads, etc. You have to really get used to it...and then its okay. The best thing about the GR-700 is the fat synth pads, bass and "spacey" sounds you get from it - but the GR-300 blows it away in the tracking department. The 700 is a true collector's synth.

[maniacafrodisiac]

so you're playing guitar, but the synth matches the pitch perfectly.. this is amazing to me.

i have a question though, can you somehow split the signal somewhere, or something, so you can have your gtr sound, with any pedals (i'm thinking mostly dist) mixed in with the synth sound? I think that that would solve so many problems in my situation.. and probably many others. if only there was a way to do this with software.. and let a sampler take the place of the synth here.. hm.

[Analogger]

there is a direct output on the synth that is just your analog guitar signal which you can run thru a different amp or effects. Also, you can use the regular jack on your guitar since there is a special cable that interfaces the guitar and the synth. The roland GR-20 has a midi out that lets you trigger other synths including software synths in your computer. This way you can layer the GR-20 synth sound with your regular guitar and pedals as well as other synth modules or software.

[maniacafrodisiac]

wow! that's fuckin' sick dude! i gotta do this! thanks a lot! =)

[gutiarplyr411]

thats weird

[gtizzle101]

how many roland GRs are there? on the site they only have one, btw im interested in floor pedals. i see gr-20 33 and 700 but onlythe 20 is on the site and i cant find prices for the other ones

[Analogger]

The 700 and 300 are no longer made. The gr-20is nice. Also, look at possibly getting an older GR-1. It has more knobs to tweak the filter and efx. You can find the GR-1, 09, and others on Ebay. The 700s and 300s are really for collectors who know exactly what they are getting. You might be better off getting a GR-20, or, if you have the money, a VG-99. It is sweet and has many of the vintage sounds along with radical new textures.

[gtizzle101]

does the vg-99 have all the effects like the gr-20 does on top of the feautures it also has?

[Analogger]

It has more effects than the gr-20 but it doesn't have the samples of real orchestral strings, brass, drums and vocals. The 99 has incredible synth sounds but they are done thru physical modeling which give them a much more realistic analog character. the 99 also lets you combine and layer guitars, amps and pickups - including open tunings. The 99 is cooler but it comes with a higher price!

[hotlanta71]

sounds like shit

[Analogger]

but it smells like peach ice cream!

[Rockmasterbf94]

sweet, i want one

[prsjoe]

A friend bought one when they first came out and he paid $ 5000 . I witnessed a guy playing one in a band and his had updates done to it . He played all the parts to Peter Gabriel's " Sledgehammer " PERFECTLY !

[calixxgari]

$5000?!?! A perfect G-707 with the synth included is only worth around $900. (But personally, I would kill for that guitar)

[Analogger]

The 707 guitar has really fat sounding humbuckers. Recently I saw a guy using it just thru his pedals and Marshall. The kids at the club were freaking out over it. It looks like some sort of prop from Buckeroo Bonzai - but it sounds and plays really nice. Using it with the synth, though, is a whole 'nother challenge!

[richardhigonsby]

Heard the fripp in there :]

[asherius]

is that thing using for kindergarten playing tool?

[Analogger]

yes, you are a tool

[thehitman2001uksucks]

Hey-O!

[nzkobc]

its pretty neat. I like the synth sounds themselves, but I hate the reverb and delays. I'm hoping thats what was the presets and not your doing.

[6stringsteve]

you could do a really sick Jetson's theme song with 2-2, shame you didn't stay on it for more than a few seconds.

[Analogger]

next time!

[lokm03]

How much did it cost?

[minkofan]

I still play my GR 700, with the G 707'machine gun' guitar. I had the whammy bar removed and active EMG pickups installed. As for the GR 700, unfortunately it's becoming difficult to find spare parts, such as footswitches.

[noelio1974]

If you can't find switches, mod the old switch with a 1/2 inch hole, install radio shack generic momentary switches and solder the 2 wires from the old switch on. That way, you don't hurt the chasis but can still mod away.

you'll have to take out the springs of the old footswitch to make it a solid base for the new switches.

[plumisland1964]

i had a 700 and i could never get it to track right at all, but i got it with a 505 controler wich i still have and love it. i just use it as a straight guitar no synth, it reminds me of a g&l strat.......

[JonnySniper01]

i definatly hear some van halen sounds there

[Analogger]

Hi...Eddie did a lot of the cool synth stuff on the Oberheim OBXa keyboard. He had a knack for making that synth come alive. I'm sure Eddie has/had a GR-700. I wish I knew if he ever used it on a song. The main thing is..those old synths used analog filters which have a great "beefy" sound.

[JonnySniper01]

yeah it souds like their later stuff with sammy; listen to 'why cant this be love' u did the sound for that midway through your demo, the OBX was for jump and stff wasnt it?

[Analogger]

Yes.

[Kohntarkosz]

Eddie never used a guitar synth. He was asked this several times when being interviewed in the 80's, and he said he didn't like having to adjust his playing technique or having to play "their" guitar. He said something like "If I want to play a synthesizer, I just go to the keyboards". He had classical piano training as a kid (so did Alex) so I'm sure he can play anything he hears in his head on a keyboard just as well as guitar.

[noelio1974]

I used to play "why can't this be love" synth parts on my old one. Sounded quite close.

[antiemogod]

wtf that was a wierd looking guitar but it sounds realy kool

[grimdefeat92]

thats what Jimmy Page uses

[mistermidi]

You are absolutly right, The GR-700 was played and recorded by such prominent guitarists as Al Dimeola, Robert Fripp, Jimmy Page and Andy Summers. BTW, such ignorant who did demean you with a -1. I restore you now.

[kronix420]

nice arsenal man!! always wanted to have one of those..btw, what can you say bout the line 6 synth/filter modeler?

[Analogger]

thanks....the line 6 is okay - it doesn't blow me away, but the synth patches are cool for solo stuff on your guitar. it actually tracks pretty well. for the money, though, its not a bad deal. I've had one for awhile - and i'm getting kinda bored with it - and, like most of my stuff, I will sell it and get something else for awhile.

[s1pinup]

I have one of those myself. I love to play with it.  I was lucky enough to find one with the memory card so I can save my edited!

[ANuclearEra]

They have gotten these synths so much smaller, this one is quite large.

[PilferMusic]

These synths... well this is a GR-700 but, as Analogger noted it's the equivalent of a JX-3P keyboard (larger) as smaller version would be the MKS-30 in a rack mount unit(smaller).

[skaboosh]

Very nice video, thanks. Your demo influenced me to me "buy it now" on ebay - so next week I'll be receiving one myself. I have the Gr-300 and the Gr-100 and this looks like a good addition, nice sounds...hope mine sounds as good as yours.

Thank for such a great demo.

[Analogger]

Best of luck to you. Hopefully your GR-700 will rock. You'll have a blast with it. I recommend eventually getting the PG-200 programmer...however, you can edit all the parameters from the guitar in the "edit" mode. The manual will show you how.  Its the synth bass stuff I really like - it is huge! Just remember, the 700 does not track as well as the 300 - but its got some really killer sounds.

[ImOnTheTube]

Oh wow... If i had a guitar synth i don't think id ever put my guitar down. Ever. Are any good other good synths besides the gr 20?. I'm looking for a nice KC or John McLaughlin/fusion sound and am considering the gr 20 for now. Interesting playing I must say.

[kenrubes]

the 700 is my favorite synth. I also own a GR500 (with controller), PV355 and GR300. But the 700's programability makes it a standout unit. All Hail Roland. Great video, man.

[VUZOOKA]

seeing this video makes me really wanna buy the friggin synth, but then I have to remind myself that there's the gr-20 nowadays that has hundreds more sounds than this one, probably twice as many synth sounds for example. it's a cool video, and I dig your playing man!

[Analogger]

The GR-20 is way awesome. And it tracks really well. I went thru four different GR-700s until I found this one in mint condition. It took me four years of buying junk on Ebay. A perfectly working one is almost impossible to find. You have to have the guitar with a GR-1 pickup and 24-pin cable. I love this thing - but I've spent a fortune getting the right one! Get the GR-20 or VG-99.

[VUZOOKA]

I read you. I was thinking about sometime buying this synth, but reading your story and thinking about the fact that the gr-20 is a bit superior, I don't think I want to take the trouble and buy the same synth a couple of times over just to get one that works. especially when it would hurt my economy very well, and oh my economy is not exactly through the roof... so I'll rely on the gr-20 since it's easier to find in mint condition, and has what, like 10 times more patches, at least?

[skwalaman]

do you have too have that guitar to use the GR-700?

[noelio1974]

Nope... You need a 13 pin to 24 pin converter if you are using a modern 13 pin GK 2/3 or RMC / Godin or you can play this gr 700 via midi from another controller.

If I recall correctly it does pitch bend on MIDI IN but not on MIDI out?! Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[bentsynth]

Can Blend the synth and guitar so theres like guitar with strings behind it?

[bentsynth]

I just rewatched it and the answer is yes duh!

[TheDastardlyDildo]

i don't think it would be a very good idea for me to get one of these because if i did i would probably spend all of my time smoking weed and listening to myself make weird noises with my guitar

[Analogger]

Yeah...I hear ya...these things need to come with a "warning."

[bentsynth]

lol no doubt!

[HouseheadSeb]

fantastic sounds i wish i had one of these

[ShimmySystem]

I want a guitar synth so much

[tipetto]

sigue sigue sputnick sound! ;D

lol!

[gothicromance0]

hey mate...i hve a g707...bt i need ur help..where can i get this Synth?? and how much??

guys roland guitar perfect..

[bendrix7]

wow! that is a very cool demo, how much does it cost?

[Analogger]

I don't remember what they cost new...it was really expensive. Both the synth and guitar controller show up on Ebay once in awhile. I actually traded a bunch of stuff for the synth. It came from a dealer who was selling it as "new old stock."  It was still wrapped in a plastic covering. I left it that way for several years...and took the covering off for the first time to do this video. The unit is as close to new as you can get.

[Uffebas57]

Thanks for adding this.

I had the Roland Gr 300 and it was fantastic

look at Pat Meteny he uses gr-300 a lot.

If you would hear Gr-700 in use in a group live see and hear Mezzofortes guitarist Fridrik Karlsson.Mezzoforte live in Björneborg 1985.

[gattart]

Hey, excellent video, your control of this difficult synth is incredible! I've taken mine out of mothballs... Thanks!

[Analogger]

Due to character restrictions this will be Part-01, sorry! In 1986 I borrowed a GR-700 synth and G-707 guitar controller from Pat Travers. It really didn't track well at all. Somebody else lent me their controller and it worked much better...so it depends on the guitar controller you are using. I had an Akai 12 track recorder which sounded really good. My deal with Pat was that I could use his guitar synth in exchange for him coming over to work out demos on my 12-track.

[Analogger]

Part-02: In 2003 I found an old 1/4" reel to reel master that included a tune Pat and I did together. I used the GR-700 with a really fat sawtooth patch in 5ths. He later added a lead part with his Les Paul. Sort of a Genesis meets Jeff Beck texture. I started looking on Ebay for the synth and found one from a music store that was selling it as "new old stock." I took the plastic wrap off it for the first time to do this video. I also lucked out an found a controller that works really well.

[djoy2311]

Cool! It really sounds good! Oddly I remember not particularly liking it when it came out (my music collaborator at the time had either this or the 707 and I had the opportunity to try it out quite a bit). Does it have similar presets to a JX3P?

--Dan

[Analogger]

Very similar presets. Maybe more "string - pad" stuff. The problem with the GR-700 is that it didn't track as well as the GR-300 but had tons more sounds. With the 700 you have to adjust your playing to each patch! There is no way to play speed licks - but for other things its a unique and great sound tool. The low notes just sound bigger and fatter on the GR-700 than the JX-3P. I wish people could hear this video in a higher resolution and in stereo. That sound at about 5 min in is huge.

[djoy2311]

That's what I remember -- having to adjust your playing for each patch, that and a very annoying if tiny time-lag between plucking the string and getting a sound!?!? (My memory could be faulty.)

Even with YouTube mono and the modest external speakers I've plugged into my laptop's headphone out, that sound at 5:00 still comes across pretty huge! I've listened to/watched the clip several times by now. --Dan