Best known for its boxy effects pedals for guitar and bass, Boss also makes amplifiers, wireless systems, rhythm machines, and a bunch of accessories. And now the Roland-owned company has made its own guitar, which comes with a built-in synth and Bluetooth.
The Eurus GS-1 electronic guitar has an offset alder body in matte black with Eurus humbuckers at bridge and neck positions, a Gotoh tremolo bridge, a 5-way blade switch, and volume/tone knobs. Bolted on is a 25.5-inch-scale maple neck topped by a rosewood fingerboard that's home to 24 medium jumbo frets, and ends in Gotoh tuners at the head.
The body is also home to a toggle switch that engages the cooked-in polyphonic synth engine that leverages the company's 40-odd years of guitar synthesizer know-how for "a stunning range of analog-flavored sounds." Two of the chrome knobs on the body are used to scroll through the six available memory slots that already host synth sounds out of the box, and for overall control.
Boss says that all synth sounds have been designed to respond to normal guitar techniques without any latency or triggering issues spoiling the creative flow. More synth flavors and sonic options are available via a free iOS/Android app, with players able to load in tweaked creations before rocking out on stage. And a new wireless MIDI expression pedal is also being launched, which can be paired with the guitar over Bluetooth for hands-free, cable-free control of the synth engine.
As you might expect, the side of the guitar's body is a little different to other offsets. To the top are USB and DC power ports (the synth circuitry can be powered from a wall outlet via an optional AC adapter, or from four AA-sized batteries), and down below there's a standard instrument output jack plus a synth out (which allows for guitar and synth to be routed to separate destinations for processing flexibility).
The Eurus GS-1 will be available from October for US$2,199.99, which includes a gig bag, while the EV-1-WL Wireless MIDI Expression Pedal can be had as an optional extra for $149.99. The video below has more.
Product page: Eurus GS-1 Electronic Guitar
