PX Guitar Syn

PX Guitar Syn - A modern take on the original guitar synth:

• Inspired by the Japanese GS and GR-500.
• 217 layers deliver a wide range of inspiring sounds.
• Explore hundreds of custom presets and create your own.

Vintage Innovation

The GS-500 guitar and GR-500 synth engine were designed as the world's first true guitar synthesizer. More astonishing than its original release date of 1977 is the fact that this early guitar synth predates MIDI, functioning instead using an implementation of the CV and GATE signals common to modular synthesis. Another incredible feature was the built-in infinite sustainer system, utilizing grounded frets and a customized humbucker for incredible sustained notes and chords across all 6 strings.

A New Kind of Hybrid

The GS and GR-500 represented a completely new kind of hybrid instrument, fusing the sounds of guitar and synthesizer and allowing them to be controlled at the same time. Expensive and somewhat of a novelty at the time, we've grown quite partial to the feel of this combo. The innovative features, incredible playability, and natural responsiveness have transformed into a powerful, flexible, and fun library capable of everything from big fuzz guitar tones to sweet synth pads, and more.

Getting Back Into Action

Restoring these units into top condition was a challenge, requiring extensive maintenance and calibration. The guitar's bridge was designed using a number of plastic components used to keep the strings electronically isolated from the rest of the system - these did not age well, but thankfully we were able to sort replacements. The synth itself was in relatively good condition but still required extensive servicing.

Sound Design, Vintage Style

Delivering the raw sounds of this beautiful guitar and synth was indeed where this adventure began, but it didn't take long for us to find ways to add our own touch. Reaching for a number of our favorite stomp boxes and effects, from classic fuzz, drive, and DIY pedals to the S550 Tape Echo (used for the chorus section), we've added to the base tones with a number of unique combinations that extend the range and palette possibilities of the instrument well beyond the factory sound - all easy changeable by way of the Main page 'Mode' switch.

Inspirational Presets

Bass, Bells, Brass, FX, Keys, Leads, Organs, Pads, Pluck, Polysynth, Strings, Sweeps and more, in the end you get access to 300 presets, all lovingly hand-crafted by the sound design team at UVI. Assembled from a library of 30,409 hardware samples arranged into 217 layers, PX Guitar Syn sounds immediate and alive with a wide range of useful patches. The dual-layer architecture means you can create stacks with ease, and opens up the door to countless possibilities.

Deeply-Editable Architecture

PX Guitar Syn gives you a robust and capable toolset for creating and editing patches. From the dual-layer architecture with ADSR amp envelopes, multimode filters with envelope, poly or mono modes with glide, pitch shifting and advanced stereo modes, and handy modwheel mappings, to LFO and step modulators, two feature-rich arpeggiators, and a generous selection of high-quality effects including 3-band EQ with sweepable crossover, drive, Thorus, ensemble, Phasor, digital delay, and Sparkverb.

Inspired by the innovative design of GS and GR-500, PX Guitar Syn delivers a versatile and easily editable instrument that's part guitar, part synthesizer, and all fun.

PX PROTOTYPE SERIES

PX Guitar Syn is part of the PX line of instruments, exploring the world of unique, rare and sometimes unreleased electronic and acoustic instruments.