BOSS has announced the new Serial GK system and the GM-800 Guitar Synthesizer, which they say “elevates guitar and bass synthesis into a new age of natural playability”.
Driven by their newly developed Serial GK digital interface, the ZEN-Core engine in the GM-800 can be used to create realistic acoustic sounds and original synth sounds. The company says that the system tracking stability and expressive scope never before possible.
The GM-800 is built around the expandable ZEN-Core Synthesis System, the sound engine of Roland’s Jupiter-X and Fantom keyboards and Zenology software synthesizer. ZEN-Core combines modern PCM synthesis and advanced modeling. With over 1200 Tones, GM-800 users can play everything from pianos, organs, and orchestral instruments to classic Roland synth sounds.
The GM-800 also supports a growing range of options through Roland Cloud, including ZEN-Core Sound Packs, Wave Expansions, and more.
In addition, BOSS has released a variety of complementary products for the GM-800 and Serial GK system, including GK-5 and GK-5B Divided Pickups for guitar and bass, BGK-15 and BGK-30 connection cables, and GKC-AD and GKC-DA GK Converters for interfacing with classic 13-pin GK products.
Pricing & Availability:
The BOSS GM-800 and GK system will be available in the U.S. beginning in August, with the following pricing:
- GM-800 $749.99
- GK-5 $249.99
- GK-5B $299.99
- GKC-AD $199.99
- GKC-DA $199.99
- BGK-15 $49.99
- BGK-30 $69.99.
Details are available at the BOSS site.
Sounds lovely
Absolutely brilliant new gutair synth from Boss, they never fail to make a statement when it comes to pedal technology, this is just another superb example of what can be achieved for guitar players ?
guitar synth players always look hilariously awkward. get a horse!
First, with the serial pickups, it would seem that the audio from the individual strings is converted to a multi-channel digital stream. That seems like a reasonable approach– as long as the converters have decent dynamic range & resolution. I’m not surprised that no such spec is published by Boss. (Seems like a Murphy’s Law: “What to know ONE specific detail about this product? Too bad.”
As for using this with existing GK gear, you then have to use an adapter that converts the digital back to analog, then the device itself (e.g., SY-1000, GP-10, etc.) will have to re-digitize it.
On the plus side, the little control module is much smaller– which allow mounting on some instruments easier than the original GK modules.
The GM-800 (from what I can see) seems to follow more of a keyboard type structure, where the guitar is the zone-capable controller. That will be great for many kinds of things. I did not see mention of the kinds of modeling that are available in the GP-10 & SY-1000. It would seem that with all the other synth, ROMpler options, that this wouldn’t be a focus for this product.
On a general note, I expect other Boss/GK users will be as relieved as I am that Boss continues to develop robust products of this type.
Roland is the best friend that synth guitar has. They’re been refining it more than anyone else for a long time. I have a friend who is still wild for his GR-55 and it shows. Once you commit, you can milk your setup for years. ZEN-Core can be a bear to navigate, but once its in place, kapow!
Yea, I was impressed with the GP-10 (with guitar) and even more impressed with the SY-1000 (guitar AND bass!) I don’t use or care about the synth sounds very much. For me, the other models/emulations are great; it is such a versatile beast!
Do you then also need such online activation subscription at Roland from time to time, to be able to use it?
IIRC, the ZEN-Core data stays in your hardware instrument without additional sign-ins unless you want to change something. A Cloud synth asks for a sign-in if you haven’t used it for 10 days or so. It’ll drop fuzz into the sound until you do so. Annoying, but not such a big deal to have a robust Jupiter-8 or etc. Correct me if you’re into it more deeply and I missed something.
I’m just bummed that it requires that irritating pickup, that’s a deal breaker for a lot of people. I was hoping that they would expand on the SY-300 concept. This GM-800 seems more like a rompler to me, easier to get pads and strings sounds, whereas the SY-300 is a bit wilder, less predictable, kind of look like how the old GR-300 was. Guess it’s a matter of preference.