OK, so with the CC turned on, a max distance of 20mm is allowed from the apex of the bridge saddle to the back edge of the pickup. On my 'Ovation 1984 Collectors Series, the closest I could get is between 20mm on the treble side and 24mm on the base side - owing to the compensated saddle. This does not appear to have much effect on tracking. Compared to my GR-1 and GK-2 rig from the mid '90's, the tracking is unreal! Would it have killed Boss to include some graphics on the video or the manuals to aid in installation? The ambiguity has been well worth it so far. The synth engine is absolutely amazing and the guitar as an expressive synth controller has finally come into its own. I can't wait to see what it does with all of the VST's in my DAW!
l always wondered if you took a 3/4 scale guitar and tuned it up one octave with ultra light gauge strings and then detuned the synth module one octave down if the GK series wouldnt track better?
Are the😮 Bgk cables Boss sells the only ones that work? I can’t find anyone who has them in stock. I did notice that a TSR AES/EBU cable is available on Amazon.
The Boss Serial GK cable has normal 1/4” TRS phone connectors, but the cable itself is “twisted pair” instead of concentric, and they warn never to use anything but their “special” twisted pair cable.
But it is still a just cable without any DSP or whatever! I don't think that it will be some danage if you use typical balanced cable instead (Maybe a bit shorter than usual), and maybe they have something like crossgrade of hot and cold pins. It's should be something like MIDI cabels which you can use from any matherials
Not working for me cause I play in classical position and that system rub on the leg....is there some other versions or diffrent assembly instructions?
The video shows the height adjustment as 1mm. Is this for all 6 strings? More importantly, the video shows a dimension line from the apex of the saddle to the back edge of the pickup, but no value is given. What distance is required???
I have the same question, but apparently Boss/Roland doesn’t care enough to respond to one of their few comments and help out. These “tutorials” leave a lot to be desired.
I emailed Boss/Roland about this and they replied, I thought I would share what they had to say: “Thanks for reaching out and contacting Roland BOSS USA Operational Product Support about the GM-800. Correct, within 1mm gap as close as you can be to the highest pickup point and pickup yolk. Usually the center yolk will be the closest. In our experience it's best to get the gap around 1mm, then play test your strings don't contact or hit the GK-5 divided pickup yolks. Then raise or lower accordingly, usually if within 1mm, you'll probably have to lower the pickup a little bit. You don't want the strings to bottom out at all on the pickup while playing. These are individual electromagnetic pickups, just like your standard guitar pickups, however one pickup for each string. So even if a larger gap than 1mm, the string vibration will still be picked up by the electromagnetic pickup. You can also adjust the individual string sensitivity in the GK SETTINGS of the GM-800 to compensate and balance all string sensitivity. Also in our experiences, there have been some guitars that we preferred low action, and didn't fit the GK-5 pickup without raising the action of the bridge saddles. So choose wisely which guitar you install the GK-5 divided pickup on, not all guitars are the best choice or ideal for the GK-5 divided pickup, based on action, pickup or bridge location, pick guard thickness, etc. Kind regards”
I think Roland could do a better job of making it easier to get the pickups within a mm of the string. There are various problems, one being how hard it is on a Strat to get enough clearance under the strings which some people cut the pickguard to resolve.
Not directly, you need a GKC-DA GK Converter, to go from the GK-5 pickup with it's TRS connectors and serialized digital signal, to the 13-pin cable with hexaphonic analog input the GR-55 wants.
I bought the gM800 installed it like in the vide. Really cool sounds and a lot of things to do with the machine, but I'm experiencing some annoying latency issue. Anyone having the same thing ? Are there some tricks to avoid this latency, GK pickup position, or strings settings or else... ? Thanks for helping !
Am I having the same problem with latency? I noticed that the delay between the moment you play and the moment the sound comes out is a little annoying. Did you notice this too or is it resolved by the distance between the string and the pickup?
You can mount it 'up-side-down' with cable exiting in the bottom, then change the orientation setting in the synth unit. But I agree, as much as this isi genius, I'd like to meet a person who thought default mount position - cable up - is a good idea. That person NEVER played guitar.
Clear enough, thanks!
OK, so with the CC turned on, a max distance of 20mm is allowed from the apex of the bridge saddle to the back edge of the pickup. On my 'Ovation 1984 Collectors Series, the closest I could get is between 20mm on the treble side and 24mm on the base side - owing to the compensated saddle. This does not appear to have much effect on tracking. Compared to my GR-1 and GK-2 rig from the mid '90's, the tracking is unreal! Would it have killed Boss to include some graphics on the video or the manuals to aid in installation? The ambiguity has been well worth it so far. The synth engine is absolutely amazing and the guitar as an expressive synth controller has finally come into its own. I can't wait to see what it does with all of the VST's in my DAW!
Thanks for the video.Wondering how good a fit it would be on Ibanez guitars like the JS models, with Floyd Rose systems.
is there a way to mount it so you can hide that hideous box on the strap instead of on the guitar?
l always wondered if you took a 3/4 scale guitar and tuned it up one octave with ultra light gauge strings and then detuned the synth module one octave down if the GK series wouldnt track better?
Are the😮 Bgk cables Boss sells the only ones that work? I can’t find anyone who has them in stock. I did notice that a TSR AES/EBU cable is available on Amazon.
looks like it is a typical Balanced TRS cable.
The Boss Serial GK cable has normal 1/4” TRS phone connectors, but the cable itself is “twisted pair” instead of concentric, and they warn never to use anything but their “special” twisted pair cable.
But it is still a just cable without any DSP or whatever! I don't think that it will be some danage if you use typical balanced cable instead (Maybe a bit shorter than usual), and maybe they have something like crossgrade of hot and cold pins. It's should be something like MIDI cabels which you can use from any matherials
Not working for me cause I play in classical position and that system rub on the leg....is there some other versions or diffrent assembly instructions?
No.
The video shows the height adjustment as 1mm. Is this for all 6 strings? More importantly, the video shows a dimension line from the apex of the saddle to the back edge of the pickup, but no value is given. What distance is required???
I have the same question, but apparently Boss/Roland doesn’t care enough to respond to one of their few comments and help out. These “tutorials” leave a lot to be desired.
I emailed Boss/Roland about this and they replied, I thought I would share what they had to say:
“Thanks for reaching out and contacting Roland BOSS USA Operational Product Support about the GM-800.
Correct, within 1mm gap as close as you can be to the highest pickup point and pickup yolk.
Usually the center yolk will be the closest.
In our experience it's best to get the gap around 1mm, then play test your strings don't contact or hit the GK-5 divided pickup yolks.
Then raise or lower accordingly, usually if within 1mm, you'll probably have to lower the pickup a little bit.
You don't want the strings to bottom out at all on the pickup while playing.
These are individual electromagnetic pickups, just like your standard guitar pickups, however one pickup for each string.
So even if a larger gap than 1mm, the string vibration will still be picked up by the electromagnetic pickup.
You can also adjust the individual string sensitivity in the GK SETTINGS of the GM-800 to compensate and balance all string sensitivity.
Also in our experiences, there have been some guitars that we preferred low action, and didn't fit the GK-5 pickup without raising the action of the bridge saddles.
So choose wisely which guitar you install the GK-5 divided pickup on, not all guitars are the best choice or ideal for the GK-5 divided pickup, based on action, pickup or bridge location, pick guard thickness, etc.
Kind regards”
I think Roland could do a better job of making it easier to get the pickups within a mm of the string. There are various problems, one being how hard it is on a Strat to get enough clearance under the strings which some people cut the pickguard to resolve.
What about volume and switches? Where are they?
It’s a digital pickup, not a ‘normal’pickup
Can the GK 5 be used with the Gr 55 synth?
I suspect not as the -55 wants a 13-pin cable, not a TRS.
Not directly, you need a GKC-DA GK Converter, to go from the GK-5 pickup with it's TRS connectors and serialized digital signal, to the 13-pin cable with hexaphonic analog input the GR-55 wants.
I bought the gM800 installed it like in the vide. Really cool sounds and a lot of things to do with the machine, but I'm experiencing some annoying latency issue. Anyone having the same thing ? Are there some tricks to avoid this latency, GK pickup position, or strings settings or else... ? Thanks for helping !
Have you tweaked the string sensitivity in the unit itself..?
Am I having the same problem with latency? I noticed that the delay between the moment you play and the moment the sound comes out is a little annoying. Did you notice this too or is it resolved by the distance between the string and the pickup?
😄 *promosm*
cable should have been made to exit the bottom, not the top....cmon Roland
You can mount it 'up-side-down' with cable exiting in the bottom, then change the orientation setting in the synth unit. But I agree, as much as this isi genius, I'd like to meet a person who thought default mount position - cable up - is a good idea. That person NEVER played guitar.