The History of Guitar Synthesizers: Four Revolutions, No Clear Winner

[admin]

http://retrosynthads.blogspot.com/2012/08/roland-gr-500-guitar-synthesizer-each.html

[admin]

http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=4822

In 1996, I attended the NAB  show in Las Vegas, anf 360 Systems has a booth. I mentioned  I missed their old 360Systems Specter and Slave Driver Guitar Synthesizer modules - but the employee  working the booth was not aware 360 Systems ever offerred a Guitar product.

[chrish]

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/27332-monster-mutilators-vintage-guitar-synth-pedals

[admin]

https://en.audiofanzine.com/guitar/editorial/articles/a-synth-in-my-guitar.html

https://www.joness.com/gr300/namm_1985_midi_guitar_guitar_player_september_1985.htm

[admin]

I actually repaired one of these in the mid 1970's
1970 Hammond-Innovex Condor Guitar Synth with Divided hex PU
http://www.ovationtribute.com/Models%20Rares/Condor%20-%20hammond/Condor%20-%20Hammond.html

http://www.ovationtribute.com/Models%20Rares/Condor%20-%20hammond/Condor%20-%20Hammond.html














I love the transport case with integrated stand!

















http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4146192-planet-gear--javelin-on-the-hammond-innovex-condor-gsm-guitar-synthesizer

[Brak(E)man]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swede_Patch_2000

[Yann Seven]

[admin]

Important article on this topic by Paul White at Sound On Sound Mag (UK)

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/guitar-synthesizers

[aliensporebomb]

Paul White sounds like "one of us".  He should sign in here!

[aliensporebomb]

If nobody ever heard it, the Arp Avatar demo record is worth a listen.   

Performed by the late Ned Liben (who later gained fame with his guitar-synth-into-fairlight duo EBN-OZN):



Ned in EBN-OZN - much of the music was created on guitar with custom interface to Fairlight at his lamented Sundragon Studios.  This was all over MTV back in the day:

[adamlee011]

None of those systems "won"

I only saw Adrian Belew and Steve Stevens (Billie Idol) use a GR-700 live

But neither flew off the shelfs or back ordered and dealers with a waiting list ( that would be reserved. For the Yamaha DX-7 keyboard)   , most guitar synths  collected dust on the dealer shelves in the mid 1980s due to bad economy back then

I doubt they made more than 500 Roland GR-700's
See 1st post
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=11351.msg135919#msg135919

Cool! I read that Alex Lifeson used a Roland, I think the 500, on hemispheres. Possibly live at times to cover the synth while Lee played bass. Not sure that last bit is true but it would make sense. Seems he dropped the technology pretty quickly though.

[Elantric]

Roland SPV-355 -Synth with Guitar Input

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/roland-spv355

For Combat Rock/Rat Patrol recording, and then live from the Far East tour on, Mick added a Roland SPV-355 which is a pretty early guitar synth. It's the drone you hear on Atom Tan, and it's featured all over the record. Some good examples live is the Tokyo video, Charlie Don't Surf. That really low drone he does at the beginning is from the synth. Again, another thing i have purchased and figured out that that's what he had used

https://clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=12750

SVP-355 is low drone synth opening here

And SVP-355 with space Echo is high main string riff here - played on a guitar

https://www.joness.com/gr300/SPV-355.htm

[Bill Ruppert]

Roland SPV-355 -Synth with Guitar Input

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/roland-spv355
https://clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=12750

SVP-355 is low drone synth opening here

And SVP-355 with space Echo is high main string riff here - played on a guitar

I own one. Have had it for years.
I did an album with Chuck Mangione and put his flugelhorn through it.

[Elantric]

I own one. Have had it for years.
I did an album with Chuck Mangione and put his flugelhorn through it.

Thats great know
Im friends with Grant Geissman who played guitar on "Feels so good"

[Bill Ruppert]

Thats great know
Im friends with Grant Geissman who played guitar on "Feels so good"

Chuck was so nice and ask me to go on the road with him, but I was doing too well in the commercial studio work to even consider leaving it.
Morris White was involved and that was fantastic as I am a huge 'Earth Wind and Fire" fan.
At that time I built a sampler that was triggered by guitar.
I put horns on so much stuff, including TV shows and records.
It was when sampling was only done with a Fairlight.
I remember when YES came out with "Owner Of a Lonely Heart" they took the horn blasts from a "Kool & The Gang" record.
That year I did a TV spot with Kool & The gang and put the "Yes" horn blasts back in a Kool & The Gang track!:-)

[aliensporebomb]

Another early guitar synth was Don Mock's customized Moller doubleneck that included a hex pickup to a pitch-to-voltage converter that was connected to an Oberheim Expander module.

This was one heck of a quick tracking system because the upper neck I believe had contacts under each fret that enabled more or less instant connection:

Also, it was 6 high-e strings I believe.  He later sold this system or so I understand.

https://youtu.be/TR4CuXP7WFc?si=pPoW6GaQDrTc6Fkk

[aliensporebomb]

So here was my first exposure to the guitar synthesizer but I didn't see photos of it until years later:

John McLaughlin's 360 Systems Pitch to Voltage Converter to a bank of six mini moog modules from a hex pickup mounted on a Gibson L5-S Custom Guitar.

This was the setup in use on the "Inner Worlds" record by the Mahavishnu Orchestra.  From what I can tell, they tried to use this live by connecting each Mini-Moog to its own XLR jack to a set of full range speakers.  Madness!

https://imgur.com/a/lSJ1c93

[arkieboy]

John McLaughlin's 360 Systems Pitch to Voltage Converter to a bank of six mini moog modules from a hex pickup mounted on a Gibson L5-S Custom Guitar.

Sort of a bit like my MainStage project with its 6 Arturia minimoog plugins ...

Just not quite as expensive 

[kevorkian]

Another early guitar synth was Don Mock's customized Moller doubleneck that included a hex pickup to a pitch-to-voltage converter that was connected to an Oberheim Expander module.

This was one heck of a quick tracking system because the upper neck I believe had contacts under each fret that enabled more or less instant connection:

Also, it was 6 high-e strings I believe.   He later sold this system or so I understand.

https://youtu.be/TR4CuXP7WFc?si=pPoW6GaQDrTc6Fkk

Some additional info on this amazing guitar:

http://donmockguitar2.blogspot.com/2010/01/don-mocks-double-neck-synth.html

[Elantric]

The core of Don Mocks Guitar Synth was the Ampeg Patch 2000
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=26937.0

[aliensporebomb]

Someone on a facebook John Mclaughlin group posted a black and white picture of John's massive six mini-moog module guitar synth he used with a Gibson L5-S custom guitar and 360 systems pitch to voltage converter.  Look how big it all is!  I posted the other pics earlier in the thread but here you see it from a distance.  On the rack case it's as tall as he is!

[aliensporebomb]

One more bit regarding the above - I notice the L5-s bridge pickup's ring has been removed to allow for better placement of the hex pickup and the L5-S isn't using its standard output jack at all, it's just being used as a synthesizer controller.

[Elantric]

One more bit regarding the above - I notice the L5-s bridge pickup's ring has been removed to allow for better placement of the hex pickup and the L5-S isn't using its standard output jack at all, it's just being used as a synthesizer controller.

His Hex Pickup on Gibson L5-S appears to be a repurposed 1968 Hammond Innovex Condor hex pickup

[whippinpost91850]

What kind of hex pickup is that

[Elantric]

What kind of hex pickup is that

1968 Hammond Innovex Condor
http://www.ovationtribute.com/Models%20Rares/Condor%20-%20hammond/Condor%20-%20Hammond.html