Roland GR55GK Owner’s Manual

Amazing sound at your fingertips! Express your originality

Guitar Synthesizer Global
Official Page

and imagination with the new generation of

New Sound Possibilities

Infinite possibilities from
two types of synth tones + COSM guitar modeling

Loaded with sounds that respond to every turn of your imagination,
including never-experienced heavy and thick tones, astral sounds, and the
ultimate in clear tone. The GR-55 blends two types of synth sounds and
with COSM guitar modeling to reproduce a broad range of guitar tones
and expressive effects.

COSM Amp Models
and Effects

Perfection in creating authentic
guitar tones

The GR-55 features a world-class lineup
of COSM models that replicate vintage
masterpiece guitar amps, plus effects equal
to BOSS's flagship GT class.

GR.

Options (sold separately)

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GR-55 Bass mode delivers
amazing tone and
expressiveness to bassists.

Attach the GK-3B divided pickup
to your bass, and you can play
superb synth sounds with COSM
bass-guitar and -amp modeling.

USB Flash Memory

M-UF2G

2 GB USB memory key

*GK-3 divided pickup (for guitar) also sold separately; purchase extra GK-3 pickups to install on the guitars of your choice.

Unit Selector

US-20

Allows a single guitar
to control two
GK-compatible units

Divided Pickup for Bass

GK-3B

Simple to install with included holder

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Accommodates a variety of bass-guitar

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types, as it can be attached to "float"
above the bridge

The GK-3B can adjust to specific string

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positions, supporting both 5- and 6-string
basses

GK Cable

GKC-5 (5 m/196-7/8 inch)

GK Cable

GKC-10 (10 m/393-3/4 inch)

Superior Playability

With exceptional sound response, the GR-55
delivers playability that is second to none

Experience the GR-55's amazing
high-speed tracking based on
the latest pitch-detection
technology. In addition to
latency-free guitar modeling,
it offers infallible response for
playing fast phrases!

Easy to Use

Use powerful presets for sounds you can use
right away

Use the LEAD button for sounds suited for solo performances,
or RHYTHM for rhythm guitar playing. It comes with a Sound
Style function that lets you easily select sounds that you can use
right away for specific styles of music such as rock and pop.

It also expresses the tonal nuances that are
unique to guitars

All picking nuances — such as mild finger-plucks, sharply
picked tones, and harsher tones played close to the bridge —
are reflected in the
synth engine, exploiting
the subtle expressions
that are unique to
guitars.

True ease, EZ Edit lets you intuitively craft
the sound you want

Simply move the cursor to edit the tone to your preference.
No complex parameter adjustments needed. Listen to the
changing tones as you move the cursor to create your best
sound.

Guitar Synthesizer Global
Official Page

Experience the most advanced technology for guitars.

Tap into a creative universe for guitar and bass — Guitar Synthesizer, V-Guitar, and
V-Bass — with the Roland GK pickup. Hear from star artists and enjoy dynamic
demo performances!

Once a musical instrument generates sound vibrations, it reaches the human ear through various mediating objects, each of which significantly affects the sound. The material and configuration of the instrument, the
electric/magnetic amplifying system, the air and the reverberation of the room all affect the final sound. Sound modeling, an advanced DSP technology, "virtually" reconstructs these objects. Roland's breakthrough
Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM ) uses the advantages of multiple modeling methods and succeeds in accurately emulating existing sounds, as well as producing sounds that have never before been created.

Using V-LINK, musicians can “play” video from their electronic instrument — or even control a live video camera — when used with Roland/EDIROL video products. With V-LINK, musicians have a powerful
interface for realtime audio and video integration.

www.roland.com/GK/

Visit us online at www.Roland.com

All specifications and appearances are subject to change without notice.

Roland, BOSS, COSM are either registered trademarks or trademarks of

All trademarks used in this catalog are the property of their respective companies.

Roland Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Printed in Japan JAN. 2011 RAM-4665 GR-GEN-SS AE3

A New Era of Sound, Power,

& Performance

Advanced synth sounds and authentic guitar tones

come together in this amazing instrument.

The new GR has arrived!

For rock! For pop! For any style of music you play! If you're looking for crowd-captivating,

Guitar Revolution

GR-55 is a colorful new universe of tone and creativity

cool, and powerful guitar sounds, the GR-55 is your dream machine. It provides exceptional
expression and diverse sound from its guitar synth + COSM guitar-modeling engine that
instantly recreates the sounds of different guitar types and irregular tunings.
You can also access the sounds of masterpiece vintage guitar amps as well as world-famous
BOSS GT-series guitar effects. This unit covers all known bases, and beyond.
GR is the epicenter of a new guitar revolution!

Listen to the dramatic sounds of

the GR-55 on the web!

www.roland.com/GK/

Over 900 types of synth tones
onboard

The PCM guitar-synth tones built-into the GR-55
cover a broad range, including piano, organ,
strings, horns, woodwinds, ethnic instruments,
synth textures, and synth leads, as well as
rhythm, voices, and sound effects. To select
a tone, all you have to do is select a category
and variation.

COSM guitar modeling deliver
superior expression

The GR-55 houses COSM models of masterpiece
electric and acoustic guitars. You can also
instantly access irregular tunings and 12-string
guitar tones.

Wide variety of amp sounds and
effects onboard

The GR-55 comes with BOSS GT-class effects
and COSM amps. You can freely choose sounds
from an extensive range of amps that are
considered to be vintage masterpieces, and add
distortion effects including overdrive as well as
high-quality spatial effects. You can also use the
effects for synth tones as well.

Large, easy-to-view display

The GR-55's large display is easy to view even
when you're on stage. With graphical images of
effects algorithms and other information, the
display makes it very convenient to confirm and
edit your settings at a glance.

Works great with your PC for recording
and guitar-to-MIDI conversion

With the GR-55's USB audio and MIDI support,
you can record directly to your PC, or send your
guitar-performance data to your PC as MIDI
information. Tap into the power and flexibility of a GR
and PC combination workstation.

Built-in expression pedal

In addition to controlling volume, this pedal can
be used to control the balance between synth
tones and distorted guitar tones in real time,
as well as to control effects parameters.

Intuitive sound creation
with EZ Edit

Wet or dry? Warm or bright? Simply move
your cursor across this 4-directional grid to
easily create the sound you're looking for.

Guitar Revolution

GR-55 is a colorful new universe of tone and creativity

The Power of GK

This advanced pickup enables you to precisely
create tones for each independent string.

Unlike traditional pickups, the GK pickup detects

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individual signals from each guitar string

Create amazing sounds by processing tones

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and pitch any way your imagination leads you

Regular guitar

1st string to 6th string

Regular pickups

Processes signals from

all strings together

Guitar with GK

1st string to 6th string

Divided pickup

Processes signals from
each independent string

Divided pickup for Guitar

GK-3

You can attach the GK pickup to

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the end pins of your favorite guitar.

This product is available in two versions.

GR-55GK

GR-55 GK-3 Divided pickup GK cable

The GR-55GK comes with a GK-3
pickup and GK cables.

GR-55S

The GR-55S does not come
with a GK-3 or GK cables.

GR-55

(5m)

USB memory port

Use USB memory device for
playing back audio files or to
back up your data.
The port is protected with a
flap to keep dust out.

Sync video to your performance

The GR-55 supports V-LINK, which lets you sync
video functions to your performance to create
dramatic multimedia stage performances.

Sound Style helps you find the
perfect sound fast

Choose from 270 types of sounds in guitar
mode and 90 types in bass mode. You'll find
solo patches in LEAD, backing tones in
RHYTHM, and special-effects patches in OTHER
that are unique to the GR-55. These let you
quickly choose the best sound for your needs.

Tuner function onboard

Instantly activate the built-in tuner mode with
the press of a pedal. The tuner automatically
displays the tuning of all six strings individually,
helping you tune quickly.

Create multi-layered loops in real time

The GR-55 comes with a Phrase Loop
function that lets you record phrases on
top of another to create dramatic loop
performances.

Bass-guitar modeling

The GR-55 is the most powerful tool in a
bassist's arsenal. Simply by switching to Bass
mode, you can instantly access the library of
preset tones as well as access the COSM bass
engine. You can essentially convert the GR-55
to a dedicated bass unit equipped with COSM
bass amps.

Create one-person band performances with audio playback

The Audio Play function lets you play audio files directly from a USB memory
device. This is a great feature for creating one-person band performances
where you play your guitar along with backing and rhythm tracks, or for
play-along practice sessions.