Conference napalm::commusic_v1

1456.0. "Yamaha G10 Guitar Synth Controller" by MAMIE::SCHOFIELD () Tue Jun 14 1988 16:40

    Just was looking through the latest edition of Electronic Musician
    last night and trying to decide whether to renew my sub, when I
    came across a three page add for Yamaha's latest entry in the Toys-
    For-Big-Boys game:  The G10 MIDI Guitar System.  It consists of
    the G10 (a slick, black, slim-line guitar with 23 frets) and the
    G10C (a rack mountable data conversion package to generate the MIDI
    data.  
    
    The G10 uses the new generation of ultrasonic pitch detection coupled
    with optical string bend detection.  This allows for 'virtually
    no tracking delay' during the pitch detect phase as well as opening
    the hammer-on/pull-off/string bend/slide world of expressions to
    the MIDI guitarist for the first time.  There are two function wheels
    on the underside-edge of the body near the front which can be mapped
    to any MIDI function.  Ditto for the whammy bar.  An electro-magnetic
    pickup is used for triggering and for velocity data.
    
    I didn't pay as much attention to the G10C except that it has on
    board memory for 64 performance patches, lets you assign a single
    channel to each string, etc.
    
    Yamaha had the usual flexi-disc (soundpage?) in the ad so I pulled
    it out and cued 'er up.  There were two bands, one recorded with
    a TX802 and the second with the TX81Z.  The patches were nifty enough
    but the neatest thing about the sound was that, due in part to using
    analog pickups for velocity, a definite plucked-string sound is
    maintained on most of the patches.  In fact, I thought Yamaha were
    going out of their way to show guitarists that the G10 will make
    them sound like guitarists.  Yamaha went so far as to have a fat,
    fuzzy patch that sounded an awful lot like a rock guitar.  It seemed
    a bit of a waste to lay all that bread out for a synth that imitates
    the guitar you already own.  I would rather have heard more patches
    that made sounds which guitars can't - pipe organ, harmonica
    bend-notes, bluesy sax with lots of soulful note bends, you get
    the idea.
    
    The only thing that I don't see on this axe that I would really
    want is that funky 6 key-trigger setup found on the synth-axe. 
    That sort of triggering is crucial if you're playing a patch which
    calls for infinite sustain (like some of the old Rick Wakeman backups
    for Yes).  If this technology (ultrasonic pitch detect) could be
    put on a guitar which retained it's analog pickups for output as
    well as triggering, and had triggering keys too, Nirvana would be
    at hand.
    
    I immmediately renewed my sub for 3 years and started trying to
    sell my wife on the G10 and a suitable rack-mount synth.  I got
    her to promise that if I could raise 1/2 of the money, she would
    spring for the balance!  So any ideas on other guitar synths and
    rackmounts would be appreciated.  Also any reviews of the G10 (Daddy's
    here in Nashua hasn't got any yet) can go here.
    
    					Rick Schofield
    					CSS Network Systems Group
    					Support and Sustaining Engineer
    					DTN 264-2271
    					Guitarist-turned-nonkeyboard-synthesist
                                        
    

    see 1755