Introduced in 1977, five years before MIDI even existed, this system kicked off Roland's pioneering run in guitar synthesizers with a bold mix of a custom GS-500 guitar controller and GR-500 analog module, paving the way for everything that followed like the GR-300.
The GS-500 guitar, shaped like a Les Paul and built by Ibanez for Roland, swaps the neck pickup for large magnets that create infinite sustain via magnetic feedback, paired with a special hexaphonic pickup and plastic saddle bridge for string isolation; it connects to the synth via a 24-pin cable carrying CV/Gate signals, with onboard knobs mainly adjusting volumes for guitar, polyensemble, bass, solo, and external sections, plus tone and balance controls. The desktop synth module, about 24 by 6 by 12 inches and sipping just 19 watts, divides into five parts: a Guitar section with EQ, Polyensemble for lush symphonic strings/brass/reeds (tracking-free distortion-based), Bass with percussion voicings and string selection, Solo Melody offering pulse/saw waves, VCF/VCA/LFO sliders, pulse width mod, and envelope generators across sections, plus External for transpose/portamento— all fully analog with no patch memory, so it's pure hands-on tweaking.
Players have long cherished it as a collector's gem and slice of synth history, with Tangerine Dream, Genesis's Mike Rutherford, and Rush's Alex Lifeson putting it on record; tracking can feel quirky by modern standards, but the polyensemble's rich pads and that endless guitar sustain deliver magical '70s vibes worth chasing.
