Why should keyboard players have all the fun? A history of BOSS guitar synths

Boss GK-5 pickup
The state-of-the-art GK-5 pickup: the gateway to the complex sounds generated by the BOSS GM-800 Guitar And Bass Synthesizer (Image credit: Olly Curtis/Future)

The late 70s were all about progression, and a synergy between the production of more explorative gear and the experimental musicians using it made for expanded creative horizons. Guitarists were becoming increasingly more comfortable with complex rack-based effects in order to bring the sound of the studio to the stage. And so guitar-controlled synthesizers were the answer to the rhetorical question: why should keyboard players have all the fun?

BOSS’s parent company, Roland, recognised this early, and its first foray into the merging of guitars and synths came in 1977 with the GR-500. This powerhouse paired a full stand-mounted analogue synth with the GS-500 guitar controller to offer guitar players unprecedented sonic potential, and was the catalyst for placing Roland guitar synths in the hands of the likes of Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Andy Summers, Steve Hackett and more. 

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Stuart Williams

Stuart is a freelancer for Guitar World and heads up Total Guitar magazine's gear section. He formerly edited Total Guitar and Rhythm magazines in the UK and has been playing guitar and drums for over two decades (his arms are very tired). When he's not working on the site, he can be found gigging and depping in function bands and the odd original project.