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Introduction to the GR-300 and G-808 Guitar:
The Roland GR-300 and G-808 guitar combination was the original flagship of the early 1980s Roland guitar synthesizers. It was this combination most prominently featured in advertising promoting the breakthrough Roland guitar technology. While more people are familiar with the G-303 guitar, thanks to Pat Metheny, the G-808 was the premium guitar, with complete through-neck construction, gold hardware and more. The G-808 was simply one of the best guitars available at the time, and sold with the GR-300, the finest and fastest guitar synthesizer ever built.
In many ways, the original GR-300 and G-808 combination was a continuation of the earlier GS-500 and GR-500 guitar and synthesizer combination. These two systems used the same 24-pin cable, but the GR-300 was in many ways a simpler system than the earlier GS-500/GR-500. However, the GR-300 and G-808 offered a level of playability that had been promised since the introduction of the guitar synthesizers. When players picked up a GR-300 and G-808, they did not have to adjust their style to play this expressive system. And with the G-808, players did not have to compromise of their choice of guitar. The G-808, with its high end hardware, through-neck construction, and ebony fret board, was as good as any mass-produced guitar on the market.
The initial success of this system lead Roland to introduce a variety of controllers, ending in the mount-on GK-1. And the GK-1 was followed by the GK-2 and the new Roland 13-pin standard. The overall trend in the last twenty-five years of Roland guitar synth design has been to reduce the profile and features of the controller, and add more features to the synthesizer itself. The new VG-99 continues this trend, with ribbon and d-beam controllers on the unit itself, and the FC-300 extensive foot controller. In fact, it is a lasting tribute to the GR-300 that one of the key features of the new VG-99 is a complete emulation of the original GR-300! But for fans of analog, vintage synthesizers, there is nothing like the original GR-300 and G-808.
Additional Information on the GR-300 on this Website:
| How the GR-300 Works: A short tutorial on the workings of the GR-300. |
| GR-300 Footswitch Options: Using the footswitch features of the GR-300. |
| GR-300 -24 dB Filter Pedal: Controlling the dramatic analog filter in the GR-300 with a footpad. |
| GR-300 Remote Control Pedal: Designs for building a remote control pedal for the GR-300. |
| Original 1980 Fact Sheet: Initial GR-300 product information from Roland. |
| 1980 Brochure: Detailed Brochure from Roland on the GR Series. |
| Guitar Electronics: Comparisons and information on the internal guitar electronics. |
| Repair Tips: Suggested repairs for common GR synth failures. |
| Roland BC-13: Roland converter designed for using the G-808 with modern 13 pin synths. |
| BX-13: Details on the BX-13, updated version of the original BC-13. |
Roland GR-300 "The World’s Fastest Guitar Synthesizer":
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Features of the GR-300:
- 6-voice polyphony
- 2 oscillators per voice
- VCOs are directly harmonically locked to each string, but can be tuned separately
- VCF with variable length sweep up and down
- Low Frequency Oscillator, for Vibrato Effects
- Built-in foot switch controls the VCO mode (single/dual)
- Built-in foot switches control the VCO harmonize pitch (detuning of the VCO's)
- Built-in foot switch controls the VCF mode (on, bypass, or inverted)
- Pedal control input for the VCF
- The GR-300 can output either the guitar, the synth, or a mix of the two
- Synchronized, flashing LED status indicators
- Heavy-Duty Construction with Quality Components
- All-Analog Construction
Roland G-808 Through-Neck Guitar Synthesizer Controller:
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Finish: Acrylic, natural Neck: Maple and Mahogany, thru neck construction Fingerboard: Select Ebony Frets: 22 Bridge: Adjustable Nut: Polycarbonate Tuning Machines: Gotoh Pickups: Two Roland humbuckers Scale: 24 3/4” Truss Rod: Single, adjustable Neck Width: 1 11/16 ” Body Width: 13 ” Body Depth: 1 3/4 ” Overall Length: 38 3/4 ” |
The Roland G-808 is simply the finest guitar synthesizer controller ever built. The G-808 was built around a modification of the Greco GO 1000 Guitar, a top-of-the-line guitar sold exclusively in Japan, and never imported into the United States.
The G-808 was designed for the cutting-edge player ready to pay top dollar for the very finest guitar that could be built. The G-808 is often described as a reverse Les Paul, with a mahogany over maple body. The fingerboard is ebony, which gives the guitar the strength and stability for accurate pitch tracking. Even today, Godin Guitars make a point of using an ebony fingerboard to provide stability for synth tracking. Also, like a Les Paul, the G-808 has a beautiful carved top that makes the guitar a joy to hold and play.
Details: Front of G-808
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Details: Back of G-808
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Video Demos of the G-808 and GR-300:
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| In this video you can hear the dry, direct output of the G-808, with no effects. By itself, this is a sensational, versatile guitar. Later in the video, you can hear some hex fuzz samples and the G-808 used with the GR-300 with a classic Pat Metheny type tone. Brad Rabuchin plays guitar. | |
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| First you hear VG-88 modeled acoustic guitar (panned left) with a saxophone patch from the Roland XV-5080, triggered by a Roland GM-70. Next is a MIDI guitar (XV-5080) again triggered by the GM-70. The older GM-70 still offers fast, accurate spot-on pitch-to-MIDI conversion. Brad Rabuchin plays guitar. | |
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| This final video clip is just all about the G-808 and GR-300. Nothing sounds or plays like the G-808 and GR-300. Fast, responsive, natural, this is a guitar synth for guitar players. Brad Rabuchin plays guitar. |
I would like to thank my friend Brad Rabuchin for helping me out with these demos. I was a bit weary of hearing myself play the same tired pentatonic riffs, and Brand kindly stepped in to liven things up! Also, if you notice some slight clipping in the demos, this was my fault as I was inadvertently overdriving the input to my Canopus ADVC-100 video capture unit.
GR-300 Case, Plastic Cover and Shipping Box:
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GR-300 Block Diagram:
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GR-300 and GR-300 Alternatives:
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| The VG-99 does an outstanding simulation of the classic Roland GR-300. CV#1 controls volume, and CV#2 controls filter cutoff. The mode switch works just like the GR-300 mode switch! Up for synth, down for hex guitar, and middle for hex plus synth guitar. | |
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| This demo shows a Warmoth Strat with internal GK-3 hardware. The modified S1/S2 toggle switch works just like the GR-300 mode switch! Up for synth, down for hex guitar, and middle for hex plus synth guitar. | |
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| While Pat Metheny always plays a Roland G-303 controller, the distinctive sound of Pat’s guitar synthesizer can be generated with any Roland vintage G-series controller and a GR-300 synthesizer. This is a sample of a G-707 driving a GR-300, recorded through a Yamaha 01V mixer with delay and reverb added. | |
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Guitar Controller: MIDI Keyboard Size: 400K Notes: Scott Summers developed this convincing GR-300 patch by sampling his own GR-300. Quite simply, it sounds great. I played these parts on a keyboard, and added delay and reverb with Digital Performer. My inspiration was "Offramp." |
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Guitar Controller: Ibanez X-ING IMG2010 Size: 283K Notes: First you will hear the GR-300 on the left, then the VG-88 on the right, then both together. Both the VG-88 and the GR-300 were recorded with the SBC+ at the same time through a Yamaha 01V console, with reverb and delay added by the 01V. |
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| With the Roland VG-99, a very accurate simulation of the GR-300 is built-in the software. However, I was surprised that there was no "Pat Metheny" lead patch. Pat sets the filter on his GR-300 fairly wide open, with a little resonance, and some delay and chorus. You can download my version of this sound, in the Roland VG-99 editor format below. These are the settings I used for the demos above. Filter is on the F1 front panel knob, and Resonance is on the F2 front panel knob. Control Switch 1 transposes the sound up one octave, and Control Switch 2 engages the Filter Modulation. I also have the compressor activated on the GR-300, and well as some Poly Compression to recreate the smoother envelope found in the original GR-300. My VG-99 has version 1.04 software, and the VG-99 Editor was the Macintosh version, 1.01. |
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| With Version 2.0 software, the VG-88 has a new algorithm, Wave Synth, which works very much like the original GR-300. Working side-by-side with my GR-300, I created the VG-88 patch heard above that is very close to the original GR-300 sound, and tracks equally well. The SBC+ was used so I could play the GR-300 and VG-88 at the same time. Save the file linked below, "GR300.SYX", and open it with the program VEditor. In addition patch number 1-1, "Pat G300," you will find patch number 1-2, "Slo G100," a square wave type GR-100 patch. Also, check out patch 1-4, "L/R-AG+." This is the patch I used to create simultaneous stereo acoustic and distortion guitar tones with the VG-88 in the demo files. |
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When Roland introduced the SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth card, they included many waveforms from classic analog synthesizers, plus two distinctive sawtooth waveforms sampled from the Roland GR-300. Roland programmer and vintage GR player Scott Summers created an outstanding patch called "Pats GR-300" that does an amazing job of capturing the sound of a Pat Metheny solo.
When Roland created the new Roland SRX-07 Ultimate Keys they included all the original waveforms from the SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth card, but reprogrammed the Pat Metheny lead as "The Real Pat." I think the original "Pats GR-300" is closer to Pat’s sound. Owners of the Roland SRX-07 Ultimate Keys card can use the included CD-ROM to re-load the original patch into their synthesizer module. I added delay and reverb from Digital Performer to try to capture the sound of Pat’s soaring solo on the title track "Offramp." It should be noted that the patch "Pats GR-300" is monophonic, and it makes very effective use of portamento and programmed pitch slides to simulate Pat’s solo phrasing. If you want to play the demo heard above on your own synth, you can download the Standard MIDI File using the link below. |
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GR-300 and G-808 Short Audio Demos:
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Origin of the Roland G-808 Guitar:
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It is often reported that the Roland guitars and the Ibanez IMG2010 guitar were built by the Japanese guitar builder Fuji Gen Gakki. The name "Fuji" comes from Japanese icon, Mount Fuji. "Gen" means stringed, and "Gakki" means musical instrument. Fuji Gen Gakki built a lot of guitars, for a lot of people, including Greco Guitars. Greco Guitars were sold almost exclusively in Japan. Fuji Gen Gakki also built guitars for Ibanez, Fender, Fender/Squire, Yamaha, and of course Roland.
Contractors could provide their own designs to Fuji Gen Gakki, but often they would consult with the Fuji Gen Gakki engineers, and make modifications of existing designs. This explains the similar designs and features of Roland and Ibanez guitars of the same era. The 1981 Greco Catalogue shows every Roland guitar synth product in production at that time. The Roland G-808 is a modified version of the Greco GO1000. These Greco guitars are excellent, top-of-the-line instruments. In case you are wondering, it has been suggested that the "GR" at the top of every Roland guitar actually stands for Greco-Roland. |
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| Download the Roland GR-300 Manual | Download the Roland G-808 Manual |
