Boss releases the heir to the Roland VG-8 and VG-99 V-Guitar Processor / Instrument Modeller series - with its super smart VG-800 Edition

I believe the the ’V’ in V-Guitar stands for for ’Virtual’ (i.e. ’Virtual Guitar Modelling’)- where the VG-800 empowers you to model near enough every significant format / variety of Guitar or Bass.

I was initially a little confused as to where this sat in Boss’s ’Synthesizer’ range - and what its relationship was to the flagship SY-1000 and GM-800 devices. Where my lane within all of this is more the SY-1 and SY-200 editions. I like the idea of the SY-1000 - but don’t really have the real estate to properly accommodate that model within my setup!

My good friend and Boss’s very own Matt Knight put me firmly in the picture with the following overview, and I will probably do a more expansive article at a later date - featuring all of Boss’s ’Synth Pedals’ - and probably the Roland GR-55 too which is directly related to and derived originally from Roland’s original GR Series.

BOSS SY SERIES

The SY-1 and SY-200 are polyphonic synth pedals designed for guitar players who want to add synth sounds without extra gear or complex setups. They work with a standard guitar cable — where no special wiring is needed.

A flagship pedalboard synthesizer that combines multiple synth technologies with GT-1000 effects. It lets you mix guitar and synth sounds, and includes 3 types of guitar synth modelling, 12 guitars, 9 acoustics, 3 basses, and amps/effects. Huge amount of routing and assign options with its own inbuilt sequencer. Allows you to do stuff like this :

It connects to a GK-3 pickup via the 13-pin cable (analogue pickup system.) The SY-1000 is Best for : Deep-dive synth players and experimental musicians. Think of this like a multi-effect, but it’s an all-in-one solution for serious synth exploration.

BOSS GM SERIES

I fairly recently covered the GM-800 - which now features a more convenient 1/4" Serial GK Cable system and has 2 different adapters to help you get the most out of the GR-300 platform. 

The GM-800 is a Synth module controlled via guitar, using the new Serial GK system (Digital using TRS cable instead of the 13-pin cable). Powered by the ZenCORE synth engine, this unit is perfect for producers and musicians who want to create sounds with a guitar but then transfer them to other instruments (e.g., keyboards). It’s a future-forward synth that can be updated with new sounds via the Roland Cloud. Its sounds / sound packs are unique to the GM-800 only and does not sound like any other Roland / BOSS Guitar Synth. It has four Synth ’Tones’ and one Drum ’Tone’ with which you can do some really nuts stuff. As a reference we have Hans from the Boss Team’s GM-800

The GM-800 is Best for :  Producers, songwriters, and music directors who need a versatile, GK or MIDI-controllable synth module. For example, a keyboard player could have this in their setup and play it via a keyboard (no guitar required).

BOSS VG SERIES

The VG-800 is a cutting-edge V-Guitar processor, designed for guitarists who want to model different guitars and basses with incredible accuracy. It includes dual guitar functionality, alt-tuning, string bending, and now uses the GK-5 serial pickup system, making it more accessible for new players. The VG-800 also features a standard guitar input, allowing you to process one signal with onboard amps while modelling a completely different guitar via the GK pickup. Check the web text for some core examples. Of course VG-800 is more ’pedalboard-friendly’ and designed to perhaps become part of a pedalboard where something like a SY-1000 would be a bit too cumbersome.

The V-800 is Best for : Guitarists seeking to model multiple instruments and experiment with new guitar sounds, both for live performance and home recording. The VG-800 also pairs beautifully with the GM-800 for even more creative possibilities visa the serial cable.