Re: Roland GR55 - First Impressions

[William Walker <billwalker@baymoon.com>]

Hey Mark please tell us how you really feel!!!!! I appreciate your  
candor truly , i have stayed away from this topic because Roland's  
commitment to guitar synthesis has seemed in long steady decline and  
this latest addition continued the disappointment . i didn't want a  
modeling amp i wanted a new improved guitar synth with a "great" and  
varied synth engine that would please both vintage synth and  
electronica guys, as well as great orchestral sounds,  ethnic sounds  
etc.......with a real programable arpeggiator, not seen sense the  
GR-30, which i still have tucked in to a shelf in my studio room. But  
no,  what they delivered was part guitar synth, part modeling amp,  
part effects processor , part looper, and i don't think it does any of  
those things  well. As far as modeling amps go, it seems the only one  
worth having is the Axe-fx and when I look at spending  that kind of  
money I start thinking of  buying a new Laptop or how many cool  
affordable tube amps I could buy, like the chinese made vox 15, it may  
not be point to point wired like the old ones but it sounds amazing.  
but that's just me. One thing I have not been happy about the response  
of with modeling amps, in addition to the "something's missing" sound,  
is what happens when you put analog gain devices in front of it like  
stomp box distortions. it seems like the don't have the headroom to  
accomodate the gain and get even more harsh sounding.  I can't figure  
out who Roland's target audience is with this device but it ain't me  
babe, no no no it ain't me babe.  But its  also very possible someone  
will take it, design some cool sounds with it and make some  
interesting music with it.
Bill