GR55 - Should I have bought an Axon AX100 MKII instead?

Started by molul, July 25, 2013, 03:51:38 AM

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molul

I've just seen this demo of the Axon AX100 MKII and I'm amazed at how fast he plays with the piano sound (skip to 0:15):



That's what I expected from GR55 but I'm not even close. When I pick a little fast, a lot of notes are lost. In that demo, even the lower strings seem perfectly tracked! O_O

aliensporebomb

That's darned fast allright (it's closer to 40 seconds into that video you posted).

Here was my VG-99 tracking test (the fast part is at the 42 second mark of the 1 minute track - an ascending flatpicked line):


As far as the Axon - it's out of production and won't get any more software updates.

The Fishman Triple Play is the spiritual inheritor of the Axon technology and in fact the same demonstrator (Burr Johnson) has been demoing it at NAMM.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

montyrivers

Also, Burr has some monstrously clean and precise guitar technique that outshines the marginal differences in the roland, axon and ftp tracking.  All three products are really good.  Just gotta practice and make sure your hex pickup is set up properly.

melodymann

I have a GR-55, an Axon and Tripleplay and to me the difference is not marginal. The Tripleplay tracks the best hands down. The 55 is a powerful all in one tool but you will never get the bottom two strings to track well (a full 1/3rd of your
instrument and the root of most of your chords!). For what it's worth I find hammering on/pulling off more reliable than
alternate picking for faster lines on the lower strings, but generally I just avoid it or cover it with massive amounts of mag/cosm guitar.

Just my 2 cents

Elantric

QuoteThe Tripleplay tracks the best hands down.

Matches my own experience too

QuoteI have a GR-55, an Axon and Tripleplay and to me the difference is not marginal. The Tripleplay tracks the best hands down. The 55 is a powerful all in one tool but you will never get the bottom two strings to track well (a full 1/3rd of your
instrument and the root of most of your chords!). For what it's worth I find hammering on/pulling off more reliable than
alternate picking for faster lines on the lower strings, but generally I just avoid it or cover it with massive amounts of mag/cosm guitar.

Just my 2 cents

Watch Burr Johnson with FTP here ( I shot this footage at 2012 Winter NAMM)

arkieboy

Depends.


I have a VG99 and an Axon.  If I were to take a midi guitar synth out live again for anything other than medium to slow attack pads I would use the Axon.  For studio work, the 99 is plumbed in and more convenient even when I have to clean up the parts.  So if you want a convenient pad source with some guitar modellers and effects then the GR55 will be fine.  If you wanted any hope of virtuosity over midi then up until the last couple of months it was an Axon with a piezo pickup guitar or nothing.


I haven't heard the triple play myself - although I have no doubts it is better than the axon - but one thing I noticed is that the only maple necked godin synthaccess guitar is the triple play inside model they are about to release.  Conventional wisdom is that pitch to midi + maple fretboard doesn't work, so the tripleplay sure must be good...


Steve
Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

mbenigni

QuoteConventional wisdom is that pitch to midi + maple fretboard doesn't work

I've never heard that before.  Is this because the brightness of the maple fingerboard imparts more in the way of high-frequency overtones?

Too bad I went with maple on my GC-1...

arkieboy

That's what was said on the AxonForum.  I have only ever had one maple fretboard guitar and I sold that to offset the cost of my GR700/G707 so I can't speak from experience.  However, most 'roland ready' guitars - including all in the Brian Moore and Godin stock model ranges - have ebony or rosewood fretboards.  The G707 and the Ibanez Xing controller were both rosewood/ebony too.  The earlier roland guitars didn't do pitch to midi ...


I don't know for sure ... hence 'conventional wisdom'


Steve
Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

aliensporebomb

Odd!

My old Roland G-202 had a maple fingerboard:


But I never had a GR-300 to test it with, just the GR-100 hex module.  I've never heard that theory but that G-202 was not a "fast feeling " guitar in my memory. 

I found the VG-99 via USB into my Corei7 iMac was surprisingly fast and reasonably accurate but not-so via the MIDI jacks.  I would love to try a TriplePlay to see how it measures up.  I bet it will be stellar.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

arkieboy

Not odd at all.  As I said in my previous post, that guitar predates the GR700 which was the first Roland guitar synthesiser to do digital sampling of the guitar string to guess the frequency - SOS says the GR300 used analog waveshaping. 


(No doubt Wayne Joness will be along to confirm or deny that) 


Problems with deadspots and high end harmonics on regular guitars resulted in the G707 which had that stabiliser to make it a more stable pitch source.  I had two and they were dead guitars - no excitement to the normal guitar sound at all.  Nick from AxonForum converted his G707 to 13 pin and swore it was a better controller for the Axon than a Godin, which I wouldn't find surprising.
Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

sunbambino

I'm chiming in here long after coz I'm using the Axon in preference to the Tripleplay for live but having problems getting the unit to produce a proper range of velocity in Logic X. Anyone else had this issue? Know the fix?

And is there still an Axon forum anywheres?

Elantric

Quote
And is there still an Axon forum anywheres?

Most of the old Axon Forum gurus are here:

VGuitar Forums > Axon Guitar to MIDI > Axon Guitar to MIDI General Discussion
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=152.0

VGuitar Forums > Axon Guitar to MIDI > Axon Guitar to MIDI Top things to know
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=153.0