Roland GR-300

The Roland GR-300 is an analog guitar synthesizer released in 1979. Boss's history of its guitar synths calls it "the legendary 1980s analog guitar synth used by some of the world's most influential guitarists," and notes that it "quickly followed the GR-500 and promptly raised the bar"¹².

What it does

The GR-300 tracked a guitarist's playing and turned it into synth-like tones. Paul White, in Boss's complete guide to guitar synthesizers, described what it offered:

Paul White, Boss Articles³

That ease of use and playability set it apart: rather than demanding keyboard-style technique, it worked with the way guitarists already play³.

Where it came from

Roland released the GR-300 in 1979 as the follow-up to the GR-500, its earlier guitar synth. Boss's history article, written with Jack, Global Digital Marketing Lead at BOSS, and Michael, former editor-in-chief of Guitar Player, records that the analog GR-300 "promptly raised the bar" over its predecessor¹.

The GR-300 sound today

The original unit is long out of production, but Roland and Boss have kept its sound available in modern hardware:

• The BOSS SY-1000, a guitar and bass synthesizer and modeling processor, includes a recreation of the GR-300, which Boss describes as "the legendary 1980s analog guitar synth used by some of the world's most influential guitarists"²⁵⁶
• The VG-800 includes what Boss calls "a spot-on emulation of Roland's GR-300 from the early '80s" among its synth tones⁴⁷⁸
• The GP-10, released in 2014, also modeled guitars, basses, and synths including the GR-300¹

For players interested in guitar synthesis more broadly, the GR-300 sits at the root of a line that runs through modern units like the Boss SY-300 Guitar Synth and the wider world of synth pedals.

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