GR-55 - Abandoned GR-55 Users

Started by jreff, August 03, 2017, 07:14:22 AM

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jreff

I wonder if other GR-55 owners feel abandoned and frustrated by Roland the way that I do. They have made no firmware updates since 2012. They have offered no enhancements since 1.5. The USB port is nearly worthless since you cannot really load anything through it. They ditched several really good effects that were resident in the GR-33 (arpeggiation being one). The latency delay between patches makes REALLY difficult to use in live situations unless you plan to have gaps between patch changes. I have sent correspondence to them in the past only to receive the boiler plate canned responses that they are "continually" developing improvements to all of the Roland products. Don't get me wrong. The GR-55 is probably the most powerful guitar synth on the market, but it could sure use some improvements. Of course, I am just venting and expect a lot of blowback from satisfied users. I rely on my GR-55 heavily. I just wish Roland would be responsive to improvement suggestions the way Line 6 has been with the Helix.

Elantric

Get used to it

Now you understand how VG-99 owners feel and why we created VGuitarforums - to provide therapy to the neglected GK 13 pin adopters

bassman4d521


aliensporebomb

Face it - it is a five year old product.  How many five year old computer based products continue to be developed?  Easier to develop something new.

Some say the GP-10 has better tracking than the 55 but honestly, I wouldn't mind picking up a 55 just because it's an interesting product and I've heard it do great things.

But I share your frustration: as an argent VG-99 user I feel like for the money paid they sure did a couple of bugfixes and never anything else after that. 

They did come out with updated USB drivers for new MacOS and Windows operating systems but they could have done so much more with it.  They should have worked with Ruppert at least stateside. 


My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Lynyrd

#4
I've been gigging with my GR55 for around 3 years, and it's been great. Sure, it's not perfect, but in my case, that I play every single time into mixer boards without amps its been amazing, zero noise and absolute control over my volume, hundreds of differents sounds because I play many genres in the gigs.
Right now, I really wish we could customize the guitar models and pickups like in the VG99, because the Classic stratocaster is too twangy for what I do.
Roland should keep updating and listening to us, the customers!
Edit: The wah really needs to be fixed. The change in tone with distorted tones is too abrupt, it's almost useless with lead sounds

gumtown

Been gigging my GR-55 for nearly 8 years, and the EXP pedal is almost buggered/worn out.

I anxiously wait for a new replacement model, because I don't really want to invest in a new old GR-55 if I don't have to.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

admin

#6
The potentiometer eventually wears out - resulting in dead  / jumpy spots midway in pedal travel 

Also I would hardly call the gr-55 abandoned

it's still in production sells in high numbers and has continued USB driver development each year and all service parts are available


bulk of all the members here are GR-55 users because it remains an effective tool


gumtown

#7
EXP potentiometer on mine, not a big deal to replace it, just finding a replacement part/number.

Mine had an unfortunate accident some years back, when a speaker stack fell on it, bent the case,
I straightened it out, but the case top near the EXP pedal still flexes in a bit if a bit foot heavy, and I have to pull the EXP pedal up to bend the case back out, and get the last 15% of pedal travel back.
An internal support between the top and bottom of the case will fix that, and it is certainly not a manufacturing issue, just a hard life.

Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

lespauled

I dont feel abandoned.   I think there's plenty of goodness in this unit for years to come.

Elantric

#9
Quote from: gumtown on December 21, 2018, 01:24:20 PM
EXP potentiometer on mine, not a big deal to replace it, just finding a replacement part/number.

Mine had an unfortunate accident some years back, when a speaker stack fell on it, bent the case,
I straightened it out, but the case top near the EXP pedal still flexes in a bit if a bit foot heavy, and I have to pull the EXP pedal up to bend the case back out, and get the last 15% of pedal travel back.
An internal support between the top and bottom of the case will fix that, and it is certainly not a manufacturing issue, just a hard life.

Quote from: GraemeC on August 31, 2018, 11:00:20 AM
Well, I finally got some info back from Roland Japan about the little board with the expression pedal pot on it, via an official repair shop...

"Roland got back to us, saying that the board you require is a part of the panel board assembly which costs £87."

Because of a worn potentiometer...probably priced at under £1?

Hmmmm....
GR55 volume problems
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=24173.msg175957#msg175957

https://www.joness.com/gr300/service/GR-55_SERVICE_NOTES.pdf

GR-55 Expression Pedal pot = VR501 =
Roland P/N: 01016167 = 11 mm ROTARY POTENTIOMETER (10K Linear) = ALPS#  RK11K1140AFG 10KX1
https://www.alps.com/prod/info/E/HTML/Potentiometer/RotaryPotentiometers/RK11K11/RK11K11_list.html
https://www.alps.com/prod/info/E/PDF/Potentiometer/InsulatedShaft/RK11K.pdf

https://www.alps.com/prod/info/E/HTML/Potentiometer/RotaryPotentiometers/RK11K11/RK11K1140A23.html



--

Order Roland P/N: 01016167


Roland Corporation U.S.
5100 S. Eastern Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90040-2938
Customer Service Tel: (323) 890-3700


Roland & BOSS U.S. Service Center
2530 E Lindsay Privado Unit A
Ontario, CA 91761
(323) 890-3771

Roland Canada
parts  604-270-6626, ext. 108 ---
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM PST 
RCM.parts@roland.com

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PRODUCT SUPPORT / CUSTOMER SERVICE
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: +61 (0) 2 9982 8266
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: au.boss.info


ALPS data sheet

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=24173.0;attach=18561

Lynyrd

I wonder if someone could hack the GR55 so that we can edit the pickups and bodies of the guitars, like in the Variax Editor ;D

sixeight

Quote from: Lynyrd on December 27, 2018, 08:17:57 PM
I wonder if someone could hack the GR55 so that we can edit the pickups and bodies of the guitars, like in the Variax Editor ;D

This kind of hacking is not possible. Even if someone would have the source code of both devices - which only Roland and Line6 do, both devices use different processors, which are already maxed out.

But you can put a GK pickup on a Variax and have the best of both worlds.


Lynyrd

Quote from: sixeight on December 28, 2018, 12:46:15 AM
This kind of hacking is not possible. Even if someone would have the source code of both devices - which only Roland and Line6 do, both devices use different processors, which are already maxed out.

But you can put a GK pickup on a Variax and have the best of both worlds.

I already have the GK pickup on a Variax, but I only use the GR55 effects and guitars, because the PODHD500 is too big and heavy for my gigs.
My point was, if someone could hack the GR55 and expand the GR55 editor that we already have. Like you said, the source code would be required, or an incredible good hacker, whom we could support through Patreon or Gofundme, given the abandonment we've had from Roland.
Anyway, just a dream. I really like the GR55, I just wish I could edit some of the guitars

gumbo

I think the key words from sixeight's post were:

"..processors, which are ALREADY MAXED OUT"...

Could be the major stumbling block in this idea.

Peter
Read slower!!!   ....I'm typing as fast as I can...

chrish

When I bought into the vg8 concept,  I naively thought there was going to be an endless stream of upgrades and it would be the last modeling processor I would have to buy.

I was looking forward to all the new Innovations that I could feed into my special VG 8 upgrade slot. :D

I came to that conclusion after reading Roland's advertising hype. Look it has an upgrade slot. Yeah they upgraded it once and moved on to new products vg-88 and vg-99.

gumbo

Quote from: chrish on December 28, 2018, 09:16:08 AM
When I bought into the vg8 concept,  I naively thought there was going to be an endless stream of upgrades and it would be the last modeling processor I would have to buy.

I was looking forward to all the new Innovations that I could feed into my special VG 8 upgrade slot. :D

I came to that conclusion after reading Roland's advertising hype. Look it has an upgrade slot. Yeah they upgraded it once and moved on to new products vg-88 and vg-99.

Guess that proves that slots are cheap.....don't have to put anything in them....   ;)
Read slower!!!   ....I'm typing as fast as I can...

chrish

Quote from: gumbo on December 28, 2018, 03:17:12 PM
Guess that proves that slots are cheap.....don't have to put anything in them....   ;)
too funny.  ;D

yea, but people eventually caught on and you don't see those slots anymore on Roland gear.

Now they have USB ports to except upgrades  that never will exist. What's next? 8)