Roland GR-500

The Roland GR-500 is a polyphonic guitar-controlled synthesizer unit from 1977. It the first commercially successful guitar synth to be released to the market, designed to be controlled from a specially made GS-500 guitar via CV/Gate - this was before the introduction of MIDI 5 years later. The synthesizer itself is contained in a box with a control panel on top, designed to be manually adjusted within arm's reach during performances (using the stand at least). Later Roland GR models would have foot-operated controls.

The synthesizer has four sections (different synthesizer circuits): "brass", "polyensemble", "solo" and "bass", each of which can be turned/off and have the volume adjusted using the control panels on the GS-500 guitar. All four sections could be combined to produce an orchestral wall of sound. The "polyensemble" section in particular is the only polyphonic section, utilising the hexaphonic pickup on the guitar and processing the output signal via waveshaping to produce a synthesizer-like waveform.

Both Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett have worked with GR-500's.

Mike Rutherford's Roland GR-500
The Roland GR-500 played a significant role in Mike's sound during the late 1970s and early 1980s, alongside the ARP Avatar. Mike Rutherford once tried the Roland but showed little interest as "[he didn't] think [Roland had] really got it together". He eventually purchased one around the time of the ...And Then There Were Three... album in 1977 to expand his sonic palette: he plays it on the ending to "Ballad Of Big", for example. It remained a staple of his sound both live and in the studio until the Invisible Touch era in 1985.

Besides being a live & studio instrument, the GR-500 was also useful to Mike as part of his compositional process, so he fleshed out keyboard lines and various parts on guitar. And this gave him more control over developing the final arrangements of songs for his solo output. In places on Smallcreep's Day, for example, there is a blend of guitar synthesizer and Anthony Phillips' keyboards, the guitar synth offering a different textural quality to the overall sound.

Interestingly, 1978 live photos show Mike's GR-500 setup to include a Roland System 100 model 102 Synthesizer Expander (serial no. 470572) unit linked to the GR-500. This included a VCF, ring modulation effects, VCA with ADSR and other features. The 102 Synth Expander was sold with Mike's GR-500 (serial no. 640413) at The Farm in 2001.

Steve Hackett's Roland GR-500
Steve Hackett was amongst the early adopters of the GR-500. He bought one in November 1977, shortly before recording his solo album Please Don't Touch. He dabbled in an EMS Synthi Hi-Fli (which he still used for odd effect), but wasn't a proper guitar synthesizer like the Roland. He found the Roland GR system offered him countless possibilities, including the infinite sustain. Despite that, he felt that meticulous planning and effort is needed to fathom out a unique sound on the synth, including finding the right chords to go with the right sound, which many players often don't have time for.

He used the guitar synth very extensively on Please Don't Touch and a few other subsequent albums. For example, on "Land of a Thousand Autumns" the GR-500 is combined with a 12-string, using the Polyensemble section to control the tonality and voicings of the notes. On "Icarus Ascending", Steve achieves a trombone-like effect on the GR-500 via toying with the VCF and controlling the top end of the stock brass sound. On "How Can I", there's a harmonium-type sound and a bass section, both produced by the GR-500.

Further information

 * Roland GR-500 w/ extremely RARE FC-50 foot controller & System-100 Model 102