1978 Roland GS-500 Vintage Analog Guitar Synthesizer and Controller

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"1978 Roland GS-500 Guitar Synthesizer and Controller in collector-grade, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the hardshell case for guitar controller and the original manual. Exceedingly rare, with said rarity elevated further by the pristine condition and completeness of this example, the GS-500 was the world’s first guitar-controlled synthesizer. Introduced as a string-based alternative to keyboard-controlled synthesizers, this system gained popularity with musicians including Mike Rutherford of Genesis and Alex Lifeson of Rush.

Predating MIDI, the guitar operates in a remarkable way wherein the frets themselves are grounded, so fretting a string creates a feedback loop where the unique hexaphonic pickup captures and recreates the frequency of said fret and transmits that information to the external synthesizer through the tailpiece and Roland’s own proprietary 24-pin cable. While admittedly a bit less responsive than the controllers and synthesizers of today, the GS-500 still tracks well and was revolutionary for its introduction of “infinite sustain” technology and its massive array of possible sounds. This unit was built by the expert luthiers and technicians of the renowned Fujigen factory in Japan. Thanks to all the onboard tech, the guitar controller weighs 11lbs, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with easy-playing action and fresh 11-49 strings.

While tonewoods may have little impact on any synthesizer-heavy work, the body takes its cues from a late ‘70s Les Paul Standard, with “sandwich” mahogany construction, a maple top, and maple neck capped with a bound rosewood fingerboard, offering immediacy, warmth and excellent sustain. The neck has a chunky C-shape profile carve, measuring .880” deep at the 1st fret and 1.035” at the 12th. The rosewood fretboard features fret-edge binding, pearloid dot inlay and medium jumbo frets that are practically perfect. This GS-500 plays cleanly up the 24 3/4” scale with a straight neck and an optimally adjusted, responsive truss rod. The headstock features a 43mm (1 11/16”) bone nut as well as GR-branded, Rotomatic-style Gotoh tuners which turn smoothly and hold consistent pitch. The “Made in Japan” foil sticker is intact on the back of the headstock, with a B78-prefix serial number that translates to February of 1978.

The myriad knobs and switches on the guitar controller and the knobs and sliders on the synthesizer itself function exactly as intended, with the hexaphonic divided pickup capturing frequencies for synthesis. However, the GS-500 can also produce traditional electric guitar tones, thanks to the inclusion of a proprietary Roland humbucking pickup which can be engaged separately from the hexaphonic pickup or blended together to create wholly unique sounds.

Guitar controls include:

-Guitar Volume
-Guitar Tone
-Equalizer Mode Selector Switch, featuring three possible tones: 1: Normal, full-range sound, 2: Hard, low-cut sound, 3: Acoustic: slightly attenuated lows and highs

Synth controls include:

-Polyensemble Volume
-Bass Volume
-Solo Melody Volume
-External Synthesizer Volume
-Polyensemble Section On/Off Switch
-Bass Section On/Off Switch
-Solo Melody Section On/Off Switch
-External Synthesizer Section On/Off Switch
-Portamento Switch
-Remote Switch

The guitar also features a Guitar/Dual/Synthesizer Selector Switch and a Master Volume knob. On the external synth are the specific Voicing/Frequency/Envelope controls for each of the three sections (Bass, Polyensemble, and Solo Melody) as well as controls for Transposition and Portamento level.

On the guitar controller, the hardware and plastics are remarkably clean, and there is sparingly little wear on the gloss Sunburst body finish. The external synth has been similarly well-kept with nigh flawless graphics, clean aluminum-trimmed ends, and all slider tips intact.

This instrument comes with the original hardshell case for the guitar controller, as well as the original 24-pin connector cable, original user manual, and a pair of wrenches for tuner and truss rod adjustments."