BOSS GM-800 Compact, Streamlined, and Ultra-Versatile Guitar Synthesizer

I've been enjoying the GM800 for some months now and it's a real treat to be able to play freely, without having to be so very careful all the time. I'm able to strum and even spank chords without worry though I'm still mindful of playing a midi controller. Fast runs and arpeggios are far easier now and come out clean with far more forgiveness than I'm used to. The unit is very solid and about as small as I think they could make it. I managed to fit in with my rig (see pic) and it makes for a fairly compact floor setup. The GKC-AD Converter (that I needed) is a tiny bit of gear that I never need to see, so it's tucked away under a little riser that my modeler sits on. The quality of the synth/sound module is outstanding! It's got the same ZEN-Core engine that my Roland Fantom Keyboard has. So many HiDef, super high quality sounds that can be assigned to as many as 4 Parts (each with it's own sound) and each Part has a string assignment menu where I choose which strings (any or all) I want to hear within that Part. For each Part there are lots of EFX (filters, harmonizer, chorus, delay, reverb, overdrives, etc.). I think there 's like 80 to choose from. I've owned many pitch-to-glitch devices (aka- MIDI Guitar Controllers) of the years. Guitar MIDI controllers have made me a better player by forcing me to comp w/palm muting, finger pick and just play cleanly. I use my GK3 equipped guitars and also a Godin Multiac Classical [also 13pin] with the GM800, though I should deduct a star cuz Roland/Boss forced me to spend 220 bucks on a GKC-AD Converter to support my older GK3 divided pickups, something that's likely an easy add for them. I'm sure they want sell the GK5 divided pickup these days, which cool and it does use a common 1/4 inch stereo cable. BTW- the performance between them is the same and the GK3 is on the GM800's config menu... just no 13pin jack on the unit itself, hence the converter that has a 13pin input and provides that stereo cable output to the GM800. IMO the GK3 is really better since it has Program UP/DW buttons and a Volume Control that the GK5 doesn't. I find those GK3 controls essential for playing live. The cons for GK3 is 13pin cables are harder (not impossible) to find and they're slightly stiffer. All in all I find the GM800 to be huge improvement over midi controllers of the past. As always YMMV.

I purchased this unit based on YouTube videos that portrayed the unit as having perfect tracking and sounds. The sounds are in fact second to none, being that they are Zen Core technology. But the tracking is truly abysmal. I wrestled with all pointers given to mimimize ghost notes (GK-5 signal levels, low velocity cutoff, dynamics etc), but they’re always there in sufficient numbers to eliminate the possibility of actually playing music. Boss did a real disservice here releasing a product that only produces frustration and disappointment. My recommendation - get some some ambient patches going on your guitar, or simply get a keyboard, and slowly learn to play. It doesn’t take much to add little flourishes to guitar-based tracks.

I disagree with the other reviews here, and believe Boss needs to do a better job with messaging around this incredible little device. We need more clarity around what it is, how to use it, and what to use it with. Getting the tracking pickup installed correctly is absolutely key. I purchased this synth along with the GK5-KIT-G6 internal pickup kit. I installed the pickup into a project guitar (I'm not handy, and this part was not trivial, taking about a week). I have now had the chance to spend some time with it and this synth. The accuracy is just mind-blowing. The sounds are some of the richest synth sounds I've ever heard out of the box. I'm going to keep exploring, but my initial impression is this device doesn't deserve getting dragged in the Amazon reviews, and it's worthy of five stars from me. One weird thing is it doesn't have an off switch. The manual just says to pull the plug if you want to turn it off. Interesting design decision, but okay!

Did not realize that it did not ship with the pickup Had to order the same after.Good product Glad to have something with instrument tomes Would be nice to have a sampler version but could always trigger by MIDI

I can't get it to produce a sound and I have followed the manual and instructions