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Guys, he already has the V-Guitar! Ridiculously more capable and dangerously more complex than either of these two boxes. Also, it's very unlikely Richard is going to sell his favorite thing ever, to try something else.

Richard,

I guess the only advice I would have would be to pick 3 or 4 signature/classic tones and fully develop your understanding of the V-guitar simulation for those tones - experiment, experiment, experiment. Then branch off.

Have fun with the V-guitar - just remember to get some practice in as well. To me, I shy away from it because I could see myself getting lost (in a fun way) in the technology and possibilities.



That's quite a testimonial to Kris the drummer. The drummer I work with has the Rolie V-Drums, and the keyboard/wind player (who plays flute and Yammie WX-5(?)) has the V-Synth GT; collectively, some serious firepower. We all appreciate to some degree what we have our hands on. Controlling it is another matter.

I've had my hands on the Pod Farm for both guitar and bass. It's easy to use--the best graphic interface I have seen anywhere--and the sounds are great. So I understand its owners' enthusiasm. Wish the VG had an interface remotely similar; oddly, Roland never developed one at all. The third-party program I have looks good, but crashes whenever I try to send a patch change.

My ambition was curbed somewhat when I discovered after the fact that the -88 did not have a pitch-to-MIDI converter built in. That's probably a good thing, as I would still be fooling around with using my guitar to control Reason.* Instead, I have concentrated on my lead playing. I'm fairly pleased with the sounds and chops** I've gotten so far (and will share when available), but know that I'm missing a lot because of my inexperience with actual guitars and amps. OTOH, there's a lot to be said for serendipity. I want a unique tone. Maybe I'll be more successful in achieving that than I might have been otherwise.

The first patch I conjured up was a recreation of my first serious rig--a Gretsch Country Gentleman through a Fender Twin. So far I've only played that clean. Need to fool around with some crunch. But I've spent a lot of time with the Strat lead, and with an original patch I call "Hyperstrat," an ultraclean sound based on a combination of surf guitar and whatever Mark Knopfler's playing at the moment.

I have a lot of fun with the factory acoustic patches, too--twelve strings, arch tops, nylon strings, and so on. I don't consider myself a jazzer, but after all, I did go to music school in New Orleans. Still got those Mickey Baker books around somewhere . . .

Thanks for all your thoughtful remarks. I may bump this once in a while when I have more specific questions.

R.

*But when I can afford a Terratec Axon 100 Mk II . . . built-in synth, PTM converter, fretboard zoning . . . *drool* *slobber* *snarf*

**Perhaps oddly, I got the thng for the sounds. In fact, the chops became the purpose of the exercise when I discovered that the VG allowed me to play things I had only imagined before, but couldn't get with the gear I had. Imagine my surprise when my playing was completely transformed. I guess the last and most important thought is that the VG has allowed me to become the guitarist I had always dreamed of being--and I've only scratched the surface.

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."