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The guy presenting the video is a bit annoying... but this is quite interesting. Hank used one of these live in 1978 and, I suspect, on the b-side of Love De Luxe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceXOSSlf6XY

Too much yap - over six minutes before he actually plays it

What a load of cr*p....

I once tried a later Roland guitar synth which was I suppose more logical to use and could reproduce the sounds of specific instruments other than guitar..for example, it produced some quite good trumpet, piano, organ and other sounds..although it seemed to me that to make such sounds work and sound convincing, you needed to play the guitar controller in a manner resembling the way an actual trumpeter or pianist plays the actual instrument..and recognise the limitations of other instruments (e.g. monophonic ones like brass, wind etc) and play the parts accordingly..

That earlier model setup in the video sounded a bit cheesy to me..sorry!

Live in 1978, Hank used the GS-500 / GR-500 on Love De Luxe, Honourable Puff Puff and, possibly, The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt. There was also an 'amusing' bit where he and Cliff Hall talked to each other (using the guitar synth and one of Cliff's keyboard synths) in a manner similar to RD-D2 from Star Wars. Bruce asks the audience if they've seen the film yet, in 1978 it was still very much THE film and was probably still doing the rounds late in the year. There is some black and white footage from the Royal Albert Hall and a bootleg recording of the Shads playing Love De Luxe live on that tour. To be honest, the sound isn't too good and it's hard to hear Hank. I know he still had the GS-500 in the mid 80s, as there was a photo of him surrounded by all his guitars and the guitar synth was among them. I can't imagine that he's used it much, if at all, since '78. Like Brian's syndrums, it seems to have been a gimmick. Kevin Peek used one in Sky in 1979.

cockroach wrote:I once tried a later Roland guitar synth which was I suppose more logical to use and could reproduce the sounds of specific instruments other than guitar..for example, it produced some quite good trumpet, piano, organ and other sounds..although it seemed to me that to make such sounds work and sound convincing, you needed to play the guitar controller in a manner resembling the way an actual trumpeter or pianist plays the actual instrument..and recognise the limitations of other instruments (e.g. monophonic ones like brass, wind etc) and play the parts accordingly..

That earlier model setup in the video sounded a bit cheesy to me..sorry!

One of my friends has got the later one - the GS-700 - but I don't think he's got the synth unit to go with it!

I've had about three guitar synths over the years- you have to adapt your playing style to suit the sound. I found them very useful if doing what we used to call 'multimedia' presentations. I never had problems with tracking delay. Roland Boss is normally a reliable manufacturer, but the last GR500 I ordered had a fault with one of the pickup sensors so I sent it back and never bothered to replace it- I was a bit dismayed at finding a fault in a Boss product, something I've never previously experienced.

drakula63 wrote:Live in 1978, Hank used the GS-500 / GR-500 on Love De Luxe, Honourable Puff Puff and, possibly, The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt.

I saw the 1978 UK tour at Southport and definitely remember Hank using the Roland synth for Love Deluxe, but I don't recall Honourable Puff Puff being played. It might, of course, have been the drum solo feature, but if so, Hank just used the then-black Stratocaster.

I am certain that Hank used the Fender for The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt.

JimN wrote:

drakula63 wrote:Live in 1978, Hank used the GS-500 / GR-500 on Love De Luxe, Honourable Puff Puff and, possibly, The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt.

I saw the 1978 UK tour at Southport and definitely remember Hank using the Roland synth for Love Deluxe, but I don't recall Honourable Puff Puff being played. It might, of course, have been the drum solo feature, but if so, Hank just used the then-black Stratocaster.

I am certain that Hank used the Fender for The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt.

Going by the live recordings that I have from '78... I'd say that Honourable Puff-Puff is the guitar synth. I haven't listened to these for quite a while though. I suspect that Hank would not have bothered to take the GR500/GS500 on tour just to use it on one song. I'll have to listen to the recordings again, but I am pretty certain it's used on LDL and HPP. And of course the funny 'robot talking' bit which does sound like a two-way conversation between the synth and the guitar synth.

I had a listen to the live bootleg CD last night - recorded in Bournemouth - and, apart from Love De Luxe, Hank definitely uses the guitar synth in the second half of the show on Honourable Puff Puff. This is preceded by the aforementioned bit of messing about between himself and Cliff Hall and Bruce's little bit of chat about Star Wars. Hon. Puff Puff is done as a full length drum solo, with Brian using the syndrums quite extensively. It's always possible that Brian didn't do a drum solo at every gig as indeed I remember him abstaining in 1980 due to an injury.