Conference napalm::guitar

I hosed up the first note.  I'll try again..

First, there's really more to it than just the midi pickup.
This as you probably know,  sorta listens to the string vibrate, and 
based on the virbation, it decides which 'note' to send off to the sound
controller.    from there, of course, it's all midi-business-as-usual.
but there's a lot left unsaid,,

what you claim you  want to do as an option is to install a Midi 
Conversion unit on your IBANEZ. It's doable.  It's not cheap.  Plus, it does 
mean a considerable about of hacking up on your main axe.  Besides the pickup,
there's another piece (I kinda think of it as the control deck) that
has to be installed too. 

I think the Roland conversion kit was called the??? (short term memory failure)
GS1 (???)  and price wise,, believe it or not, the GS1 wasn't *much* cheaper
the the MG510.  

       
       
       
       
       There was also a deal on the Pitchrider interface floating around
       the Usenet. I bought one of these and reviewed it somewhere in
       this conference.  Maybe if you look at one of the other MIDI
       guitar notes it'll pop out at you.  I no longer have the data at
       my finger tips...
       
       
       
       
       

    I looked at the other notes on MIDI.. So how much are we talking about?
    

    I looked at the other notes on MIDI.. So how much are we talking about?
    
		I think I paid $100 to $150 for my setup.  There's a
		factory rom upgrade ($100) that requires sending the
		whole mess back, but gives you better tracking.  I haven't
		done it, yet.  I still need a good way to mount the
		MIDI pickup on my Les Paul...

The Roland guitar synth systems consist of two pieces:

1) the GK-2, which is the controller pickup/pitch-to-MIDI converter 
you attach to your guitar (about $150)

2) the GR-50, which is basically a modified D-110 synthesizer that 
stores all of your sounds (this is the expensive piece, about $900).

I've got two guitars with GK-2 pickups and a GR-50. I'm really happy 
with the setup. The tracking is excellent, and it really fills out the 
sound of my guitar playing (I play in a MIDI trio).

It is really expensive though. If I wasn't gigging regularly, I never 
would have been able to afford it. But, now I get to write it 
off...(where's that note on income taxes?)

-Dan

    I've got the D110, and was interested in what the GR-50 was all about,,
    
    Care to comment Dan ?
    
    

As far as I know, the GR-50 uses all the D-110 sounds, but has 
modified the outside so that it can accept the special cable that 
comes from the guitar (16 pins, I believe).

It is multi-timbral, so you can use it as an SGU if you want to, but 
it can only play four (?) parts simultaneously. You can even play your 
guitar synth at the same time that a sequencer could be generating 
sounds out of the unit. However, if it runs out of voices, your guitar 
takes priority over external MIDI messages.

I don't think you could get away with just buying the GK-2 guitar 
controller and hooking it up to a D-110. The special jack required 
would prevent this.

So far, I'm really happy with it. I do have to admit that I haven't 
had as much time to experiment with all of the possibilities as I 
would have liked. But, I shouldn't complain, because it means I'm 
gigging pretty steadily!

-Dan

RE: 7 (Dan)

Thanks, I was curious..  the reason I picked up the D110, along with
the MG510 guitar was for - A: Simplicity in hookup, and B: the editability
of the D110.  The D110 gives you a lot of control over your timbres, 
and your patches, plus, it can run 8 voices at a time, as well
as being a capaple drum machine (add a sequencer)

It coulda ment mega bucks for my bugdet, if the 'Band hadn't purchased it
up front first,,,,  (I just bought everyone out when we quit)
but it's a set up that would be hard for me  to outgrow in the maner 
in which I use it.

I too, am quite happy with the stuff I have.  

/r

    How come the GK-2 cant be used by itself? I already have a keyboard.. I
    dont want to get a $900 synth...why isnt the pitch-to-MIDI pickup al I
    need? Why cant it be that simple? WHY!?!?
    

>    How come the GK-2 cant be used by itself? I already have a keyboard.. I
>    dont want to get a $900 synth...why isnt the pitch-to-MIDI pickup al I
>    need? Why cant it be that simple? WHY!?!?

Because Roland wouldn't make any profit! ;-)

Also, because you can't use a standard MIDI cable with the GK-2 
controller. It's a 16-pin cable of some sort, and of course it only 
interfaces with the GR-50 controller.

-Dan    

    So you are saying somebody can make alot of money if they make MIDI
    pickups compatible with any synth? Too bad they dont have a $5 adapter
    or something.. It will keep me VY|}away from MIDI guitar until I can
    get it under $250
    

I was intrigued by the writeup in Sweetwater's newsletter ("Sweetnotes") on the
new Godin "Multiac" MIDI/electric/acoustic guitar?

I know someone who recently got another Godin model, and the sound as an
acoustic-electric is superb. When I read about the Multiac, it definitely
caught my eye.

So, anyone tried or heard one?

Bob

    What is the state of Midi guitar?
    
    	I know Roland have released a new midi guitar douvarr, but as usaul
    Roland just price it in the clouds. Its model numver is GI-10. Anyone
    tried one.
    
    	Did anyone ever build something usable and cheap and non
    destrutive that you can attach to any guitar?
    
    
    P.K.