Low tech use of GR55 with keyboard. No Guitar

Started by Chuckonn, September 27, 2017, 08:36:06 AM

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Chuckonn

I am a new member to this forum and have already looked around to see if this exact question had been asked. Although I saw several similar questions, this is a little different... so here goes. I am a guitar player and keyboardist. I have a GR55 on loan and have been testing it out on a guitar where the GK pickup is installed. It works and sounds great. I would like to see whether it could be used with a keyboard. There are some questions already asked about MIDI connections, but I want to know if anyone has used it via the pickup installation and 1/4" cable connection from a keyboard (non-MIDI). By that, I mean does this pickup work attached to a keyboard or amp to capture the vibrations like a transducer?

47Flyer

I'm no expert on the GR-55 but the 55 does not have a 1/4 inch input for any device.  Also the GK3 pickup is a series of 6 small magnetic pickups which have no way of working directly with a keyboard or amplifier.  I hope that I have answered your question correctly.

Chuckonn

Thanks for your reply... Good to know about the pickup. I will be testing this unit with a few different keyboards and post the results.

admin

#3
Quote from: Chuckonn on September 27, 2017, 08:36:06 AM
I am a new member to this forum and have already looked around to see if this exact question had been asked. Although I saw several similar questions, this is a little different... so here goes. I am a guitar player and keyboardist. I have a GR55 on loan and have been testing it out on a guitar where the GK pickup is installed. It works and sounds great. I would like to see whether it could be used with a keyboard. There are some questions already asked about MIDI connections, but I want to know if anyone has used it via the pickup installation and 1/4" cable connection from a keyboard (non-MIDI). By that, I mean does this pickup work attached to a keyboard or amp to capture the vibrations like a transducer?

The GR-55 does not work as a MIDI Tone module - older models ( GR-20, GR-33, GR-30) do work with keyboards via 5 pin MIDI 
Get a spare GK pickup ( GK-2A or GK0-3 and plug the keyboard into the Guitar Input on the GK-3 - but you will only have access to the GR-55 Guitar Modeling tones, but no access to the GR-55 PCM synth tones  -

If you want to access the GR-55 PCM Synth tones - a DIY 1/4" to GK 13 pin cable is required

details

Build a 1/4" Guitar Input > GK 13 pin out adapter cable?
   https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5252.0


https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=downloads;sa=downfile&id=80

gumtown

If your keyboard has 6 audio outputs, you might be able to wire those into the hex inputs of a GK plug (attenuation required too).

You might be best looking at a Boss SY-300 instead, it takes 1/4" jack input and does synth from audio input.

I don't see any advantages of using the GR-55 really, that a good keyboard can already produce better.   
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

Chuckonn

Great info, thanks. The sound I primarily wanted to test was a modification I made to the stock "Rich Strings" sound. I have it pretty close to a Mellotron string sound, and if I can play it with a keyboard instead of the guitar, it would be a really useful patch. Opinions on whether that might be possible...?
Unless I spring for the EHX Mel9 pedal, a really expensive Nord keyboard or a rare mellotron, this may be my best bet to get that special sound.