Roland Boss GP-10 they say is low cost and high in features but is it really any good?
Roland Boss GP-10 Guitar Synthesiser and Effects Unit Inside and Out Review
Click for larger view of the GP-10
I did review the Roland GR-55 a while ago and found that unit to be quite useful although there were some caveat's to the overall design that limited the unit in a few ways. But along came Roland Boss again and they decided to release the GP-10 so I thought I might take another look at what's on offer.
Firstly, the GP-10 costs less than the GR-55 so I was immediately on guard as to what exactly Roland have eliminated/disabled/or completely removed from the GP-10. Let's face it, Roland are no fools and they would not release a product that impacts on another product they make (at least while it's in production).
The Roland GK-3 pickup is used on the GP-10 which is a good or a bad thing, depending on whether it fits your guitar (it can be hard to fit on some guitars but I found on a PRS Custom 24 it slotted right in). And the GP-10 should come in two versions, with or without the GK-3 pickup... which if you already have a GK-3 would be a bit of a waste really. However, to date I have only seen the GP-10 WITH the GK-3 available. Let's see if the one without the pickup ever gets released.
These type of synthesizers and effects units are always interesting to see, and the days of 'bad tracking' are almost behind us; that is, if you set the GK-3 up correctly and not if you don't. There's a lot on offer in this unit and this should be a very revealing review (which having used the unit for a while it is) for those who are unfamiliar with the GP-10.
As always this is an inside and out review so you get to see the quality of the product you are buying along with a complete overview and playing too.
First impressions of the GP-10
Ah the GP-10... at first I thought that this might be some sort of enhanced GR-55 without those little extras such as memory stick ports and that sort of stuff. But I was wrong... very wrong. Well never mind, but the GP-10 is really all about the fine print (to coin a phrase as a descriptor). When I first checked out this little unit I was surprised to see that it was around half the size of the GR-55 (which is effectively the next unit up in the range from Roland Boss) which did not particularly seem a good idea for the stage with a very critical unit if you are going to use on to make music.
And the only unit I could buy was the one with the Gk-3 Roland pickup as a kit... which jacked up the price - something I did not want because I already owned a GK-3. But Roland Boss (UK) decided this was what I was getting, so I paid the money and smiled. I did like the bright yellow colour that Roland chose for this unit.. it makes a change from those boring old greys out there (no not the ones with flying saucers).
Actually this unit is built very well and is extremely robust (unlike the GT-001 which was an abomination) so it will bode well being thrown around as its made from metal. On board there's not really much to see, a couple of ctrl pedals and a 'wah' type pedal that can be used for a multitude of control functions. The screen on the unit is very small and I would have liked better for this sort of money, still, its those sounds that matter, right? Being built on the 'COSM' technology of earlier units like the GR-55 and the VG-99 I was really looking forward to getting this unit up and running.
The first problem for most guys is in the box: the GK-3 Pickup
That's right it is! and its called a GK-3. Now the GK-3 is Roland's answer to a pickup but not as we know it.
The GK-3 pickup installed on a PRS custom 24 guitar
Now if you use a Fender Stratocaster, or a Les Paul, or an Ibanez guitar then you might brace yourself at this point. It's not going to be a simple matter to fit the GK-3 to any of those guitars and probably many other brands either. Sure enough the GK-3 comes with loads of instructions that mainly don't work for you (?) or you have a guitar that the GK-3 simply does not fit well under the bridge... a Stratocaster is a good example and Ibanez is just as much fun.... NOT!
I went through about six or seven guitars just to find one that could remotely fit the GK-3 pickup - and I say would fit the pickup (not the other way around) because you really have to be selective if you don't want to damage (or butcher) your guitar. Now if its a piece of firewood you play then just fit the GK-3, but if you have scrimped or saved for years to get the guitar of your dreams then slow down to one mile an hour or you could end up with a mess.
Here's a video of how I fitted the GK-3 to a PRS Custom 24 and all the sort of problems, and how exactly I did it.
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A Video of Fitting the GK-3
As you can see from that video its not quite as easy as just slapping the GK-3 on your guitar and away we go! In fact, get this installation wrong and you will have a GP-10 that miss-tracks (let's call it that), misbehaves and generally you will want to throw in the bin or at least eBay it! So get this bit right or you might just be on a loser from the start.
Inside the unit
The truth is, when I opened up this unit I was surprised at how little was in sight except for a PCB covering the bottom half of the space inside with a 'cheap' looking variable controller at one side of the space and a 'control board' for the switches and knobs on top of the unit.
Click for larger view
As usual there's not much to look at... so much so that this time I have not made a larger copy of the inside - its hardly worth the effort. But the one thing that does stand out is that Roland Boss quality of manufacture... the PCB at the bottom of the image is second to no one on reality. The board itself has the usual custom processor from Roland, some memory, I/O, that 'cheap' looking variable controller on the right of the image but more importantly a separate PCB for the switches at the top... well at least if something drastic happens with the switches its just a daughterboard and not the main board to repair/change.
I also like the solid case which, when assembled is a credit to Roland Boss; they always get that spot on.
Controls and I/O
The I/O is really what we have come to expect from Roland these days, its a comprehensive section that covers most of the requirements of this type of pedal in a gigging scenario.
Click for larger view
So looking at the image of the back above we have the following connectors:
- The GK-3 pickup input. I suppose we could call that the Roland pickup I/O - I'm not entirely sure if there is output as well as input but there could be.
- Guitar In/Out. Here's where you plug in the regular guitar feed from the guitar on the left of these two... and the right connector is the guitar output that you might want to use say in another amp or maybe some other feed. Its a bit peculiar when you first check one of these type of units out (the GR-55 was very similar) and at first you wonder where your guitar sound went!
- GP-10 Output Left and Right. Here are the main outputs and of course you can use left only if you work in mono, but in stereo this sounds a much nicer device.
- Headphones out. Yes the GP-10 has a regular headphones out, its one of those 3.5mm jack plugs (you know the ones... they bend when you pull at them) but at least there is one here and that can be very useful when you're setting up sounds later.
- Aux in. Ha Roland... they put the aux in for your little MP3 player so you can jam along :) - well maybe that's the best use of the aux in but you could use it for many other things too. At least there's one included just in case you ever need one. I don't.
- Expression 2 OR controller 3 and 4. There is limited control on the GP-10 (as we shall see later) but you can have a secondary expression pedal that you fit here... OR two more control pedals (Roland of course) but NOT both the expression and the ctrl pedals at the same time. Roland Boss make a cable and pedals.
- USB Port. With this unit this port is essential. Not only for setting up what for now we will call presets (its too good a word for this really as you will see later) but for audio I/O.
- On/Off and Power in. Yes its the usual Roland stuff here, a regular on or off switch and a plug for the wall wart style of power supply. The power supply IS 100-240 Volts too.
Its all a pretty comprehensive I/O as you can see so its unlikely there will be too many surprises from a list like that, suffice that 'guitar out' jack that you can run to another amp.
Top view of the GP-10: click for a larger view
The control panel on the top of the unit remains quite sparse (bearing in mind what the unit can do) but it does hide some really quirky aspects of the GP-10 that you might not fully realise until you have bought one and its sitting there so you can use it like a 'regular' floor pedal. Sure enough it looks right, but in reality there are issues (more on that later) but for now here's the general control layout.
- Output Level. This has an obvious use.
- Display.
- Write Button. Used for when you want to commit changes to the memory.
- Left and Right buttons. Mainly for skipping around the menus.
- Patch Value Knob. Used for changing parameters inside the patches.
- Exit Button. Obvious.
- System Button. Control most sys aspects of the unit from here in to a menu.
- Effects Button. Pretty obvious - a way to get to the effects section.
- Modeling and Alternate Tuning Button. Press to get to the modeling or when used with other settings the custom tuning ability.
- CTRL up or down. These change the current stored sound.
- Expression Pedal. Obvious, but if you are not familiar with expression pedals you can 'attach' a parameter to the pedal and control it.
Using the GP-10 Guitar Synthesiser
Make no mistake about it, this is no GR-55. The GP-10 (as can the GR-55) uses a computer interface to do most of the setting up and sound programming within the unit ready for a gig. But what is obvious within about an hour of using the GP-10 is that (wait for it) there are no 'banks' of sounds that you can go through - with bank pedals etc. This is one of the most major disadvantages of the GP-10 and to use this unit at a gig is not too easy because of that. Usually, you might set up a number of banks and 'presets' for different tunes or sets etc. as is often the case with floor units... but there are no 'banks' to change to. It's all very weird indeed.
Basically you have the ability to set up the 'sounds' from 1 to 99 (if I remember correctly) and 1 to 90 are factory sounds you can overwrite and the rest are user presets. So effectively you have 99 sounds which some will call patches. But you have NO BANKS anywhere. Well what is going to happen if I need another bank (so to speak) - simply you have to load the software (its called the Boss Tone Studio) and change out the sounds that you need changing - and that cannot happen in a live situation while you're playing. There's more agro too!
Those 99 sounds (or presets) sound a good idea right? well they are, but there really is not as many as you might think even though 99 sounds good. Let me expand on this.
The Problem with Control
Those 99 sounds (or presets) become a problem. Think this way, imagine having a 10 tune set (its short for starters!) and each tune needs four sounds... ok so far? so 10 sounds (or presets) per tune. Now let's think about that tune.
The tune consists of two verses, two chorus parts and ending (funny tune huh but bear with me on this). each verse needs three sounds (or presets) and each chorus needs just one sound or preset. The start and end need one sound.
The total is: verse x 2 = 6 (three sounds per verse), chorus x 2 = 2 (one sound per chorus), start x1 = 1 and ending x 1 = 1
So the total number of 'sounds' or presets is 10.... for ONE song.
Worse is to follow, because you can only go up or down one sound at a time... which means that those 10 sounds you need have to be entered individually one after the other in sequence (it seems) for that song - making the 10 preset sound entries just for that simple tune. If the song is more complex (as they often are) then you WILL run out of 'sounds' or presets for the 10 songs. Roland describe these storage areas of memory as 'Live Sets' and each live set has up to 99 sounds. You can only store (it seems) one live set in the unit although at the early stage of the review I could be wrong about that.
The only option therefore would be to either set up less songs or reduce the sounds/presets in the 'Live set' accordingly. This is a major piece of agro that does not exist with a GR-55 or VG-99. You notice there is no MIDI port as we know it, so there's no controlling anything that way either. Basically this pedal is cut back to save sales of the GR-55!
So for the agro factor the GP-10 is right up there. The only way to really use this GP-10 Synth live is to either shorten each set (maybe have two breaks) ensuring you take your computer so you can load the banks up for the second set, then again for the third set, or reduce the sounds to 99 in the order that you save them and then play them.
The Boss Live Sets View: click for a larger view
But what about the other features of this device
Using the Boss Tone Studio is a revelation... its great software that can act as a editor for any given sound or a librarian for controlling those pesky sounds or presets (really the best way to do anything on the GP-10 is using this software) and life becomes easier. As well as the regular editing and librarian functions of the software, you can set up the GP-10 without touching a single button on the unit. Things like setting up the GK-3 heights is made simple because you have a physical reference to the output right on the screen.
Tone Control
From within the Boss Tone Studio, it is possible to click on what Roland call the 'Tone Control'. This takes you to the internet where there are literally hundreds (maybe thousands by the time you read this) of sounds or presets that you can simply download at the touch of a button. These sounds are shown on screen by genre of music (e.g.. jazz, rock, pop, etc.) and under each section there are loads of these presets that you can listen to and download at your leisure... there are some really good sounds on there too.
For example at the time of writing there were FOUR 'packs' of synthesizers to download, and each 'pack' had at lest ten presets in the pack to use right away. There are so many you find yourself spending a long time trying them out looking for 'good ones' but in reality most of these sounds can be used as downloaded. That's a refreshing change to some of the rubbish we see these days that call themselves presets from other manufacturers.
In fact the Tone Control section (and the editor/librarian software) is some of the best and nicest software to control any pedal I have seen in a while. Recommended.
The Sounds
Its not too easy to describe sounds on a unit like this as it does so much. But the sounds RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX are all really good. Downloading more with the Tone Control software makes this unit almost a must have. The sounds are great. At the end of this review is my YouTube video that shows the unit being played from about the last third of the video so you can get an idea of the sounds yourself... they are only a quick sample really and I only scratch the surface of the GP-10 but the video will also show you all the software and hardware involved too... including that all important inside view. Check it out.
Summing Up and Conclusions
I could have so easily talked about this unit for hours on end and you would undoubtedly get bored so I have kept this review relatively (for me) short and highlighted the good, the bad, and absolutely the ugly (no not me). So after these conclusions I do have the YouTube video that I developed that goes in to far more depth on this unit than I can write down in words... the review would be massive.
But in many ways that's a good thing because it shows you the massive amount of stuff that is included in this box we call the GP-10 and the software could be a two hour subject by itself. FOR THE PRICE this unit rocks, and if you don't particularly have any issues with the 'no banks' thing described above then this unit could work well... and in the studio it can be extremely useful if there's no keyboard guy. But the GP-10 is far more than a simple keyboard simulator. There are custom tuning modes, amplifier tones, guitar tones you name it... its all in this little yellow box.
The GK-3 can be a real pain so bear it in mind if you decide to buy one.
Here's what I liked:
- Really well made unit
- Simple to use
- Awesome software for editing, librarian
- Awesome 'Tone Control' for downloading synthesized sounds or presets
- Very high quality PCB and components in general
- 100-240 volt power supply
- Colour of the unit
- Awkward fit of the GK-3
And what I did not like:
- No Banks! making this a limited product for a number of potential buyers
- Low cost Power Supply
- Original manual was not to the usual standard, but corrected later
- At the time only the GP-10 AND the GK-3 were sold as a package
So overall there are far more good things than bad in the GP-10 package. Overall score originally was a 10 out of 10 but I later downgraded the unit to an 8 or 9 because of those awful 'Live Sets' issue.
If only Roland Boss had included MIDI on this unit and there were proper banks rather than some half a**ed excuse then this unit would be near enough perfect. But then again Roland in that situation would be the loser as I'm sure it would affect sales higher up the chain... so they are not about top do that any time soon... but the VG-99 is a little long in the tooth, maybe just maybe they will be updating that some time soon.
Here's the video review I developed for my YouTube channel