Just thought I'd point out that if you have a 13 pin output on a guitar or whatnot, you can still pick up the Roland 'mini' VG pedals for about $100 a piece. There are two, one is the distortion and synthesis side of the VG system and the other are the modulations. They're duel pedal Boss designs that apparently didn't work out too well (list $400 a pop) but at $100 its a decent way to get some of those guitar synth sounds without much hassle (programming is obviously far more limited but still acceptable for some nice tones.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GRDhttp://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GRS
