The GM-800 elevates guitar synthesis into a new age of natural playability and boundless creative range. Driven by the newly developed Serial GK interface, the advanced ZEN-Core sound engine unlocks any sound imaginable—from acoustic instruments to classic and modern synths—while high-performance DSP delivers tracking stability and expressive scope never before possible. Freely combine and edit Tones with the intuitive Scene workflow, colour sounds with a huge selection of effects, and explore a universe of fresh content on Roland Cloud. Compact, streamlined, and ultra-versatile, the GM-800 infuses your guitar or bass with unlimited musical potential.

BOSS and its parent company Roland have been the worldwide leaders in guitar synthesizer innovation for nearly five decades, beginning with the revolutionary GR-500 system in 1977. The GM-800 continues our dedication to this category, providing guitar and bass players with powerful creative tools and access to sounds typically only available with keyboard-based instruments. Expanding and elevating the concepts behind many historic Roland GR products, the GM-800 merges our latest pitch and string tracking advancements with a versatile, cutting-edge sound engine.

The GM-800 is built around the expandable ZEN-Core Synthesis System, the sound source behind professional Roland products like the JUPITER-X and FANTOM keyboards, the ZENOLOGY software synthesizer, and many others. ZEN-Core is the most powerful synth engine in Roland’s long history, distilling decades of expertise into one sonically vast and deeply expressive creative instrument.The GM-800 packs the full effects range of the modern ZEN-Core system. With an immense variety of effect types available in each Scene, you can shape, enhance, and mangle sounds to your heart’s delight.

Harness an endless variety of sonic textures using the expressive playing characteristics of your guitar and bass. Optimize the performance with continuous pitch control or chromatic operation. Layer Tones to create rich, combined voices. Or assign them to individual strings, such as a bass sound on the low strings and a piano or sax sound on the high strings. You can even assign Tones to specific fret ranges, a powerful new feature made possible with the GM-800’s advanced pitch detection.

The GM-800 delivers accuracy, stability, and real-time playability standards that far exceed previous systems, realised through skilled BOSS engineering and a high-speed processor dedicated solely to tracking. Multiple velocity and feel parameters let you dial in the optimal response for every sound and style. For example, you can set a Scene with piano sounds to respond to every dynamic nuance—from soft to loud—while setting another Scene with vintage analog synth sounds to the fixed velocity response found in the original instruments.

The streamlined GM-800 flows smoothly from desktop operation to installation on an advanced pedalboard. The four footswitches default to Scene selection and two unique control settings, such as pedal hold, pitch bend, or Tone selection. But you can freely assign them to control a variety of functions via a powerful Assign matrix. Two external control jacks are also available, each supporting up to two footswitches or an expression pedal. And with five-pin MIDI I/O, you can interface with MIDI equipment from vintage to modern.

Along with standalone operation, the GM-800 merges seamlessly into a variety of expanded creative environments.

Features

• Next-generation guitar and bass synthesizer with the newly developed Serial GK interface
• Advanced ZEN-Core sound engine derived from flagship Roland synthesizers
• Natural playing feel and solid tracking stability, realised through high-performance DSP
• Powerful Scene workflow with four Tones plus Rhythm
• Vast onboard sound library with over 1200 Tones and 70 Rhythm sounds
• Explore Sound Packs, Wave Expansions, legendary Roland instruments, and more on Roland Cloud
• Deep editing tools for each Tone, including sound parameters, sensitivity settings, and more
• 150 user-configurable Scenes, including 100 Scenes with professional ready-to-play sounds
• Over 90 total effect types available in each Scene
• Space-saving design flows into every setup, from pedalboard to desktop
• Serial GK expansion jack for connecting to another BOSS guitar synthesizer product
• Two external control jacks, each with support for up to two footswitches or an expression pedal
• USB audio/MIDI connectivity and standard MIDI I/O
• Guitar to MIDI function for playing external MIDI instruments via USB or a MIDI cable
• Also functions as a standalone synthesizer sound module for MIDI keyboard use or DAW sound expansion
• Edit Scenes and organise sounds on your computer with BOSS Tone Studio