BrunoBass Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I see The Bass Gallery have a Roland G77 for sale: https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass-new-arrival/products/roland-g-77 The ultimate ‘marmite’ bass, I think they look amazing and would love one to gig, if just for it’s looks. It’s too much money for me at the moment, and as I’m not interested in the synth element it’d be a waste of money. But if ever one became available as the bass alone I’d be keen. But how does it stand up purely as a bass? Sounds, feel etc? I believe they were built by Ibanez so I assume the build quality was decent. Was it merely a controller for the synth or was it a good bass in it’s own right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I really lusted after one of these when they came put in the 80s - I think the technology has surpassed these now so they may be a bit dated - but still very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 @G-77 one for you mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-77 Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Yes I saw these come up on their FB page today, the Fretless is very rare! I think the price is for the Bass only and the GR77B is being sold separately for £395 . The Bass is solid, good passive tone , well made , I was told it was Ibanez built. The synth side of it was fantastic at the time , but to be honest the tracking was not brilliant at the low end and a bit of lag. I think Midi Guitar app on the iphone tracks better. But it was always fun to have a big Roland Bass pad blasting out. It was a pain to gig , I only took it out to gig a couple of times and the floor unit quite big and you need a second amp for the synth. I used to run the bass through a GT6 so got some crazy sound out of that combination. I always wanted a G707 guitar to go with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-77 Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I also found it comfortable to play, the sort of reverse explorer shape worked well for me, and they also included a lower "horn" stump so you could play it sitting down with out it sliding off your leg, something the Guitar version lacked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 I’ve had two of these. Great basses! I sold one to Phil Oakey of the Human League fame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Riva Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 1 hour ago, Burns-bass said: I sold one to Phil Oakey of the Human League fame. Hard Times?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Haha, he wanted it for a tour. Lovely bloke, very talkative. Was in about 2003 I think, can’t remember. I’ve had all sorts of gear in and out of my place. The bass was lovely but the tracking on the synth unit a piece of crap. Would have liked to have kept it but it was all flight cased too, so massive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Riva Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 2 hours ago, Burns-bass said: Haha, he wanted it for a tour. Lovely bloke, very talkative. Was in about 2003 I think, can’t remember. I’ve had all sorts of gear in and out of my place. The bass was lovely but the tracking on the synth unit a piece of crap. Would have liked to have kept it but it was all flight cased too, so massive! Always liked Phil Oakley, just seemed really genuine in interviews back then/now. His band weren’t bad either. Re. the Roland bass. I seem to recall Art of Noise using one on a TV prog (the Tube?) in the 80s. For their version of Peter Gunn...?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 As far as I know, they were made by Fujigen Gakki, the factory which built Ibanez in the 70s & 80s. Not 100% sure but I have an idea Roland guitar controllers were a collaboration with Kanda Shokai, which is the company that owns Greco - I seem to remember seeing pics of Greco-branded Roland controllers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansmith Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 Confession time. I managed to pick up the white fretted G77 from Bass Gallery. I have to say I'm really chuffed with it. Sadly the GR77b synth had already sold with the rarer black fretless model. Nonetheless I subsequently picked up a GM70 midi converter on Reverb. Having played with it for a bit triggering soft synths I decided the delay on the lower notes was a show stopper. I subsequently did a bit of searching online and found a brand new boxed VB99 in a shop in Greece. The combination of modelled tones (No delay) layered onto midi triggered soft synth is the business. I can see why the VB99 and G77 are so sought after. Incidentally I also have the peavey midi bass and variax basses, but neither compare with this set up. The midi bass whilst great in terms of midi triggering is a delicate bit of kit that needs constant care and maintenance. The variax, which I also love, just doesn't cover such a broad range of sounds and obviously is for modelling only. Anyway...I could go on (but won't). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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