Re: GEAR Question: Roland GR-700

[Paolo Valladolid <pvallado@waynesworld.ucsd.edu>]

> > From: Markus Reuter <mreuter@post.Uni-Bielefeld.DE>
> 
> > i just spotted a Roland GR-700 guitar synth (including the
> > guitar) in a turkish second hand store over here in germany.
> > 
> > is it worth getting it?
> > what's a reasonable price for a used GR-700 nowadays?
> 
> I've never played one, but the earlier GR-300 is supposed to track 
>better. 
> The GR-700 uses MIDI to trigger the sounds (hence the delay) and I seem 
>to
> remember that it didn't transmit pitch bend information (don't quote me 
>on
> that).

No, the GR700 does not use MIDI to trigger its internal sounds.  Like
the GR300, it is an analog synth.  Here's some useful information 
posted by Thomas Sullivan to Digital Guitar Digest #30:

Well, the GR700 also has an internal synth, so it tracks pretty closely
to the GR300.  If you use the MIDI out on the GR700, that is slow.
The GR300 drives analog circuitry for making the synth tones too, so
you don't have the microprocessor control you have the in the GR700 making
decisions, so it tracks a little faster because it doesn't have to wait
for more complex control info like the GR700 does.

> I remember that Andy Summers and Robert Fripp preferred the GR-300 
>because
> it "felt" better to play and had a more "organic" sound (it's basically 
>an
> analog synth).

I'm sure the fact that the GR300 allows the hex fuzz circuit in the GR303
guitar to be mixed with the synth sound has something to do with it too. :)

In summary:

The GR300 lets you mix the fuzz sound with the synth sound if you are using
a Roland GR303 guitar while the GR700 (a later model) does not.

The GR700 is programmable (with 64 presets) while the GR300 is not.

The GR300 has no MIDI ports.  The GR700 has one MIDI out port and only
transmits MIDI note and velocity, not pitchbend (arrgghh!).

Both are analog synths.  

Cheers,

Paolo Valladolid
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