What's He Playing?

[2-5Guy]

What is Pat playing here?
Ibanez?

[mr. beaumont]

Actual guitar Roland made for a while, to control synth.

[John A.]

It's a Roland guitar synth controller (googling around, I believe the model is G-303).

[Vihar]

Roland G303

Vintage Roland G303 Rare 1980 model Guitar Synthesizer | Reverb

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I think it's a Roland 303 synth guitar from the '80s.

EDIT: Wow - great minds think alike, and I'm honored to emulate them. I was interested in these when they first came out, but they cost a lot of $ and the synthesizer modules they drove (e.g. the GR100) didn't really do much. FWIW, they're not very useful today - they used a 24 pin cable and connectors and are not compatible with the current generation of 13 pin Roland synthesizers.

[2-5Guy]

Is it more of a midi controller?

[Vihar]

Is it more of a midi controller?

No, that system doesn't use MIDI: Roland GR-300 Vintage Analog Guitar Synthesizer - Pat Metheny - King Crimson

Roland's new offerings are sort of a modern take on that (the SY series).

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Is it more of a midi controller?

MIDI wasn't introduced until 1983. The Roland 303 is a controller, but it uses a proprietary interface and processing system - there was no MIDI when these came out. The actual "synthesizer" module was in a separate box and was functionally a glorified digital effects device. Why anyone would buy one of these today is a complete mystery to me, but sellers are asking ridiculous prices for them on the usual platforms.

[2-5Guy]

Was this an analog synth or digital?

[Vihar]

Was this an analog synth or digital?

It's an analog synth, with two oscillators for each guitar string.

[John A.]

I think Metheny now just uses it for the "trumpet" and infinite sustain fuzz sounds he likes. ISTR that he didn't like any of the emulations of those sounds in the later generations of Roland guitar synthery. For a while he was using the Synclavier, and he had a guitar/controller that controlled both via what looked like a G303 with a Synclavier gizmo grafted onto it. IIRC, he kept using that even after Synclavier died out. I could have the details of that wrong, but for sure, he had a synth guitar that had an extra gizmo on it.

[Cunamara]

Why anyone would buy one of these today is a complete mystery to me, but sellers are asking ridiculous prices for them on the usual platforms.

Because "It Was Better In The Old Days," before entropy and everything went to Hell In A Handbasket. Or enough people think so that they're willing to pay those prices for "Vintage" gear, and therefore it's worth listing things like that at aspirational pricing.

[Vihar]

It's got very low, non-perceptible latency and no digital artifacts in the sound. If it could do more than shades of synthesized trumpet, it would be unbeatable.

[vernon]

I think Metheny now just uses it for the "trumpet" and infinite sustain fuzz sounds he likes. ISTR that he didn't like any of the emulations of those sounds in the later generations of Roland guitar synthery. For a while he was using the Synclavier, and he had a guitar/controller that controlled both via what looked like a G303 with a Synclavier gizmo grafted onto it. IIRC, he kept using that even after Synclavier died out. I could have the details of that wrong, but for sure, he had a synth guitar that had an extra gizmo on it.

The Synclavier reference is correct. The producer I worked with back in the 80’s used a Synclavier and Pat called to borrow it when his crapped out before a concert one time.

[jim777]

Those are lovely playing guitars, made in FujiGen Gakki; similar shaped guitars were labeled as Ibanez and Greco without the Roland electronics.