ShortScale.org

Been realizing lately that I like the concept of a synth, but having more of an adeptness with the fretboard than the keys...

Particularly, the Roland GR-20 interests me, as it seems to be the one I can afford (unless anyone points me in the correct direction).

And yeah, I'm a n00b.

-Does it work better with particular sorts of amps, settings etc.?
-Does the guitar you stick the pickup on even matter in terms of the sound?
-Apparently it plugs into a computer potentially... Do I have to have some sort of fancy soundcard/software to utilize this functionality?
-Any other general advice with these?

Attempted to demo one at Guitar Center, but it was non-functional

Jagermeister wrote:
-Does it work better with particular sorts of amps, settings etc.?
-Does the guitar you stick the pickup on even matter in terms of the sound?
-Apparently it plugs into a computer potentially... Do I have to have some sort of fancy soundcard/software to utilize this functionality?
-Any other general advice with these?

all it does is send midi information to a device based on the activity it detects from the strings. midi info is kind of universal, but you may need some kind of decoder to run the pickup through before it goes to just whatever midi device.

no reason that it couldnt work with software, but yeah youll need at least a midi box for it (just midi without a whole soundcard/audio interface isnt so expensive though. alesis and maudio make this kind of stuff, for two.)

the guitar shouldnt matter, except that youll want a guitar that frets cleanly and stays in tune. but the sound itself will be no different. technically, all you are sending from the guitar are instructions; the device recieving the midi doesnt know where the data is coming from, and doesnt care. could be a keyboard, sequencer, vdrums, guitarsynth... doesnt matter.

nick and timhulio both have or have had guitars with synth pickups, maybe they will have some more input.

if i were you, id get a rackmount ms2000, i think they arecalled ms2000r, if you are going with hardware. a rackmount synth makes sense: why pay for the keyboard, and lug it around, etc. if you arent going to use it?

also, the dave smith mopho is true analog and could sit amongst your effen pedals.

whoaooaoa, do that. that would be awesome.

edit-looks like for the price of a used MS2KR you could get a new mopho. those things really are the shit.



i wonder if you could get a 2 button footswitch for selecting patches?