Roland’s new Guitar Modeling box: The VG-99

I’ve been reading the specs on the Roland VG-99: “With three powerful new processors at its core, plus expressive performance controls such as Ribbon Controller and D BEAM, this remarkable instrument raises the bar in guitar modeling and performance technology.” If guitar acquisition syndrome had any basis in rational thought, this box would cure it.

The VG-99 allows you to sound like any number of guitars played through any number of amps: “For example, one virtual guitar could be a Telecaster® in a vintage Tweed amp with full effects and the other a nylon-string guitar with just a hint of reverb.” You can switch instantly between two of these virtual instruments, or you can stack them two at a time. And you can split the guitars as well as stack them: put a 12-string on strings 1 – 4 and a bass on 5 & 6. Or you can sound like an acoustic guitar when you play softly and an electric when you hit it harder.

Tunings are virtual, too: “A virtual Les Paul®, for example, could be tuned down four or five steps for a heavy sound, while a nylon string could be tuned as a 12-string, and also tuned down four or five steps at the same time. Open and drop tunings are also supported as well as user-defined custom tunings and can be applied to any COSM® guitar, so the player can switch instantly between tuning setups without physically switching guitars or having to manually retune.” There’s also all the guitar-to-MIDI, USB and S/PDIF stuff. MSRP seems to be about $1,399.

I’ll take one!

[TJH]