For those of you lucky enough to drive a VG-88 with your fretless guitar, here are a few
patches to try. We used the program VG-88 PRO Librarian.
The VG88 does tend to give quite different results with different guitars.
We found that most patches can be dramatically improved with just a few tweaks to the original
patch.
We will be featuring similar support for Roland's VG99 when it is released.
(The VG-99 was launched at NAMM 2007)
All these patches were constructed using the Godin Multiac Fretless Nylon guitar,
strung with wound nylon strings. The VG-88 was running V.2 software.
OUD - Basically sounds a pair of strings, slightly detuned to
resonate nicely. We have also made the 6th string a pair, normally it is run as a single string conventionally
due to pairing being a physical problem at low frequencies.
DROPBASS - Fretless Bass, as close to Pastorias as we could
get it, smooth and mellow.
SUPABASS - Fretless bass with extra 2 octave drop blended
in on the higher strings to fill out the bottom end of the mix. (Mind your speakers).
SITAR - Enhancement on the V.2 Sitar patch,
more sizz than the original and an unfretted favourite. You can view and listen to a demo of this patch
on our Video Clips page.
BIGFRET - Big sound with a following echo, phrase it right
and you should get a twin guitar sound.
NORTHUM - Our attempt to emulate Northumbrian pipes,
still needs work to remove string / pick noise.
HOZALL - Cross between a trombone and a theramin,
at least you should be able to sound like this with the correct phrasing.
Pedal Pitch Patches (PPP's)
Pedal Pitch Patches give you the ability to change your guitar's tuning on the fly using
the VG-88's pedal to control the pitch of certain strings. Similar to the way a pedal
steel guitarist can flatten or sharpen srings with foot pedals.
In the case of the VG-88 we are limited to choosing which strings are flattened or sharpened
and then by how many semitones. Interestingly enough if we specify a shift of one semitone,
when the pedal is half way depressed, we have a quartertone. So with these patches you don't need
a fretless guitar to go microtonal!
All the patches pass the standard guitar's tuning unchanged with the pedal in its
lowest (volume wise) position. As the pedal is moved to the highest position the strings will
glide to their new tuning point. The name of the patch indicates which strings are in use
then a plus or minus to indicate sharpened or flattened followed by a number of semitones.
432+2 - This patch sharpens the second, third and fourth strings
by two semitones when the pedal is fully depressed. If you tune standard,
E A D G B E this will retune the guitar to E A E A C# E a chord of A major.
52+2 - This patch sharpens the second and fifth strings
by two semitones when the pedal is fully depressed.
2+3 - This patch sharpens just the second string
by three semitones when the pedal is fully depressed.
1234-3 - This patch flattens the first four strings
by three semitones when the pedal is fully depressed.
3-2 - We had to add this patch, just for a bit of a lark.
It flattens the third string by two semitones. If you play the G major chord at the third fret
(whoops, where the third fret used to be) and rapidly dip and release the pedal, you'll get
that good 'ol country telecaster twang.
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