The GM-800 elevates guitar synthesis into a new era of natural playability and limitless creative scope. The advanced ZEN-Core sound engine is powered by the newly developed Serial GK interface and unlocks every imaginable sound—from acoustic instruments to classic and modern synthesizers—while high-performance DSP delivers tracking stability and expressiveness never before possible. Freely combine and edit Tones with the intuitive Scene workflow, color sounds with a wide range of effects, and explore a universe of new content in Roland Cloud. Compact, streamlined, and extremely versatile, the GM-800 brings unlimited musical potential to your guitar or bass.
Standard features
- Next generation guitar and bass synthesizer with the newly developed Serial GK interface
- Advanced ZEN-Core sound engine derived from Roland's flagship synthesizers
- Natural playing feel and solid tracking stability, realized through high-performance DSP
- Powerful Scene workflow with four notes plus rhythm
- Large built-in 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 note, including audio parameters, sensitivity settings, and more
- 150 user-configurable scenes, including 100 scenes with professional sounds ready for playback
- Over 90 effect types in total available in each scene
- Space-saving design fits into any setup, from pedalboard to desk
- GK serial expansion connector for connecting to another BOSS guitar synthesizer product
- Two external control jacks, each supporting 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 keyboards or DAW sound expansion
- Edit scenes and organize the sounds on your computer with BOSS Tone Studio
- Download and share GM-800 Livesets on BOSS Tone Exchange *.
*For sharing on BOSS Tone Exchange, scenes in Livesets must be created using the internal GM-800 sounds.
For optimal performance, keep up to date with the latest GM-800 system software and BOSS Tone Studio.
Download "BOSS TONE STUDIO for GM-800" for Windows/macOS.
The latest milestone in guitar synth innovation
BOSS and its parent company Roland have been the world 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, giving guitar and bass players powerful creative tools and access to sounds typically only available with keyboard-based instruments. The GM-800 expands and elevates the concepts behind many historic Roland GR products, combining our latest advances in pitch and string tracking with a versatile, groundbreaking sound engine.
ZEN-Core Inside
The GM-800 is built around the expandable ZEN-Core Synthesis System, the sound engine behind Roland professional 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 a sonically vast and deeply expressive creative instrument.
Over 1200 sounds at your fingertips
The ZEN-Core engine combines modern PCM synthesis and advanced modeling to give you an endless playground for sonic exploration. Play acoustic pianos, EPs, organs, and orchestral instruments. Get a taste of classic Roland synths like the JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, and many more. And combine them all to build sounds never heard before.
Learn more about the ZEN-Core system
Four notes plus rhythm
The GM-800 features four Tone parts plus a Rhythm part filled with acoustic and electronic percussion sounds. Select a part with the dedicated panel buttons, then explore a wide range of synth parameters, pitch settings, alternate tunings and string assignments to shape sounds to perfection.
Intuitive scene workflow
The ZEN-Core workflow is based on Scenes, which are “superpatches” that contain all the elements of a sound: tone selections, parameter adjustments, sensitivity and other playback settings, effects, and more. And thanks to the powerful DSP, you can carry over the sound of the current scene when you select a new one, for seamless musical transitions. There are 150 user-configurable scenes, and 100 come with professional sounds ready to play right out of the box.
Roland Cloud extension
The GM-800 supports an ever-expanding range of creative possibilities through Roland Cloud. Get inspired with ZEN-Core Sound Packs and Wave Expansions. And play the ZENOLOGY synthesizer and legendary Roland instruments in your DAW from your guitar or bass. You can start using Roland Cloud right away with a free Roland account and access additional content through three paid membership levels. All plans start with a free 30-day Ultimate trial, where you can experience everything Roland Cloud has to offer.
Learn more about Roland Cloud
Massive effects.
The GM-800 features the full range of effects from the modern ZEN-Core system. With a huge range of effect types available in each scene, you can shape, enhance and mangle sounds to your heart's content.
Dedicated MFX for each Part
In addition to their sound shaping parameters, each Tone and Rhythm part has a dedicated MFX processor. Each offers over 90 effect types, including distortions, filters, mod effects, delays, and more. Many choices include two effect types for additional sound shaping control.
Stage and system effects
Each scene also features two additional effects for processing the combined sound, plus high-quality chorus/delay and reverb effects with independent send levels from each part. And with Master Comp and EQ, you can shape the GM-800's sound output for any recording or performance setup.
Unlimited guitar expression
The GM-800 lets you harness an infinite range of sound textures using the expressive playing capabilities of your guitar and bass. Optimize your playing with continuous pitch control or chromatic operation. Layer notes to create rich, combined voices. Or assign them to individual strings, such as a bass sound on the low strings and a piano or saxophone sound on the high strings. You can even assign notes to specific fret ranges, a powerful new feature made possible by the GM-800's advanced pitch detection.
Next generation of playability
The GM-800 delivers accuracy, stability, and real-time playback standards that far surpass previous systems, realized through skilled BOSS engineering and a high-speed processor dedicated solely to tracking. Multiple velocity and feel parameters let you set the optimal response for any sound and style. For example, you can set a scene of piano sounds to respond to every dynamic nuance—from soft to loud—while setting another scene of vintage analog synth sounds to the fixed velocity response found in the original instruments.
Compact performer
The streamlined GM-800 flows seamlessly from desktop use to installation on a high-end pedalboard. The four footswitches are set to scene selection and two unique control settings by default, 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. There are also two external control jacks available, each supporting up to two footswitches or an expression pedal. And with five-pin MIDI I/O, you can interface with MIDI gear from vintage to modern.
Expand your creative world
The GM-800 can not only be used on its own, but can also be seamlessly integrated into a variety of expanded creative environments.
Edit sounds with BOSS Tone Studio
Create detailed scenes from your computer using BOSS Tone Studio software for the GM-800. Set tones, string assignments, sensitivity, and more from a large, friendly interface. Then use the Librarian feature to organize your scenes for different songs and performances.
Audio/MIDI interface
With a single USB cable, you can record GM-800 sounds as audio tracks in a DAW and "re-synthesize" sounds in a similar way to the re-amp technique used with standard guitar tones. A Guitar to MIDI function is also available, allowing you to play virtual instruments over USB and trigger hardware sound modules via the MIDI output.
MIDI sound module
The versatile GM-800 can do double duty as a compact MIDI sound module that can be used anywhere. Connect a keyboard or other MIDI controller to the five-pin MIDI input to play sounds live. Or use the ZEN-Core engine as a premium USB audio source in your music production workflow.
Multifaceted connection
The GM-800 features the newly developed Serial GK digital interface, which supports guitar/bass input from a BOSS GK-5 or GK-5B Divided Pickup and easy linking of multiple GM-800 units. GKC-AD and GKC-DA converter boxes are also available for classic 13-pin GK units, allowing you to drive the GM-800 with a Roland GK-3 or GK-3B pickup and use serial GK units with the BOSS SY-1000 and GP-10.
