Woodinblack

FTAs don't cover VAT, they cover duty, the duty on a product, so you would still have to pay VAT on anything because that is a UK sales tax, but it could be duty free, so you don't pay the 3-4% or whatever on guitars etc, 10% on cars etc.

Good job we managed to keep that one yes. Not sure what the rules of origins are on that as only one of my ibanezes was made in japan, and I am sure only the older effects were.

Yes, so if you look at the editor, all the fun stuff is up the top of the chain, with just the analogue guitar signal going through effects at the bottom. It would be a shame to waste that processing by not using a GK pickup.

Who are they, I have seen a couple but they are pretty expensive. My friend spent a while taking them apart, because he likes doing that, and has a tray of them, but he got bored of that now, as he does. Really all you need to do is put the coils closer together: http://chriskingblog.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

No, but that was the same before so it hasn't changed. US bass pedal? I don't think I have any US equipment. Well, I have a gibson guitar, and a fender bass (although that is japanese). Yep, there isn't much of any interest made in america. Which - we have a free trade deal (which could be possible), or we get cheaper bass kit? I mean, we already lost the second one, so that seems unlikely. A flea Jazz is £1099, it was £882 when it was introduced. It is $1225 in the states, and hasn't changed price. So you are thinking that after all the dust has settled and we have this magical deal, the fender flea is going to be less than £1099? This is my newly developed, fender flea index

Well, why so long then, we have been able to make trade deals for a year, we seem to have replaced 19 so far. Got quite a long way to go. I will take that wager. But if we do it is because we can accept less from it than the EU will. True. If our money can afford them, and we get that deal. Umm.. I am not a fisherman, how in any way of anything is that relevant? Fishing is a tiny industry in the UK and the fish that we fish we have to sell to other people as we don't eat it. What is the point putting up trade barriers to people we sell the fish to. Still, its a shame when we were in the EU, we didn't have anyone who was prepared to support british industry as MEPs.

On the plus side, you get the opportunity to appreciate the things you have, learn new skills, and bring back old ones like sock darning, picking vegetables and candlemaking!

Japanese and US, are the same yes, but not Indonesia, they have a free trade deal with the EU which we lose.

If he doesn't want it I would!

This indeed does *for the synth generated waveforms from the 13 pin interface*, but you won't get those from the SY part, so you won't gain that. Or at least I don't see how. This is two parallel paths. The SY path is the same as all other SY paths. The waveform comes in and is used as the oscilator base for further processing. The Synth section converts the pitch of each string to a 'voltage' (this is an analogue of the process, it almost certainly is never a voltage, it is a number to a DCO, but its easier to think of it this way), then that makes an oscilator make a waveform of your choice at a frequency relating to that value. Althought maybe it is smarter than that and now every input from the GK goes through its own SY process, although from the comments above, that doesn't seem likely how it works. No, what it is is up to 6 C4s, one on each note with a shared back end. But without the GK interface, it is an SY and an multi effects pedal.

No, you went down the synth pedal rabbit hole. This is the synth rabbit hole - it is much more expensive! Effectively it would be more like the SY1 and GT1000, as most of the functionality of the 300 is duplicated in the 1000. And you already have a SY1. I guess you get the convenience of it in one box, but I can't see it is going to give you more than just buying a GT1000 would considering. I haven't seen any demos of the SY1000 used without the 13 pin system. Maybe it would add something, but seems a bit of a waste.

Without the pitch to midi parts, this won't offer anything over the SY300.

So roland have made the tracking worse than the system they used 12 years ago? Really? that is a bit unforgivable. Although I thought the VB99 only did pitch to midi for output, and the processing was just individual string processing (which would obviously not have any tracking requirements)

Well, that depends if you want to go down the synth rabbit hole! I did enjoy playing with the synths, even though I find that on bass they are a lot slower to react then on guitars obviously. However, with the SY stuff in there, maybe they have cracked that.

This is the new GR with the SY bits thrown in which will help correct issues with the GR range concerning latency etc and add more features. So it is logically a replacement for the GR55 (which is a bit old now). As such, the 13 pin GK interface is vital for its use. If you have no plans to use the 13 pin interface (which you can actually do on this, unlike previous ones) then this isn't a box that is worth your time or money, it would just be like an SY-1/300 with a bigger footprint. This is a synthesiser, not a 'synth pedal' as such, as such it produces midi, can be chained to other synthesizers, and I suspect contains the latest itteration of whatever rolands mainstream synth engine is. The 24 pin interface you are talking about up there is dead tech that was abandoned by Roland a long time ago. If people want to fiddle around with the old guitars they have to change the interface between what they have and the 13 pin, it is nothing that Roland will ever deal with again. Agreed, once you have slapped a GK3b on (or used your GK capable bass if you have one), you are good to go, and it probably won't get better than this for a good while yet. No, had the same problem with my Stick, Stick enterprises provide a GK pickup at a slight markup of £OMFG or the other option is making it yourself, both which aren't totally apealing. Actually easy enough to make yourself complexity wise, just the time it takes to do it I know I would never get round to it (and I klnow this as I have a GK3 pickup just there -> waiting for me to do it which I got last year)

Like this thread? Its not a synth pedal, it is a synth. Its the update of the GR (10/20/33) range combined with the SY-1/300 technology, so it does both the 13 pin GR stuff (needing a GK pickup) as well as the SY-1 stuff. As such it is pretty impressive, and if I had the room / bass with the gk3 still on / money, I would have one right now! Not sure what you mean about 24 to 13 pin converter? This is a standard 13 pin GK interface isn't it?

Yes, I mean the spectradrive! I haven't had a chance to really play with the drive. it didn't seem inspiring by default (I dont' know what the default is).

TBH: any time I have been in a hospital waiting room I would have welcomed the diversion!

Was it you or someone else that said about noise on the B1-four? Got the spectracomp today, plugged it in, thought 'god thats loud noisy', then bypassed, and it sounded teh same, so put the lead round the back instead and it still was. I guess I had turned the level up somehow! With levels where they should be, its fine, just got to find some drive toneprint that I like

Thats what I had from bax, they lost the bass. And once advised of a refund, that took a while too. Would expect a bit better of bass direct, but then I have never exactly had good service from them either.

Althought that isn't to knock some of their other lyrics, such as "The flowers in your kitchen, they weep for you"

And me

Ok, so are there a lot of people ready to switch from the helix because it hasn't got enough effects?

Agreed.

Just bought a SpectraDrive today