Fender Gets Roland Ready

Fender and Roland Renew Guitar Synth Alliance with a New, Low-Cost Roland-Ready Stratocaster

January 29, 1998 -- 1997 marked the 20th anniversary of Roland's involvement in guitar synthesis-an unparalleled commitment that has given guitarists technologies and sound-creation abilities that they could only dream of a decade ago. In commemoration of this 20th anniversary, Roland Corporation introduced the popular GR-30 Guitar Synth in 1997. This compact, floor-based guitar synth represents 20 years of guitar synth research, and has been a strong seller worldwide thanks to its amazing sounds, flawless tracking and musician-friendly pricing.

Furthering this commitment to guitar synthesis, this year, Roland is announcing a renewed alliance with Fender Musical Instruments, Inc. resulting in the production of a new, low-cost Roland-Ready Stratocaster. The perfect complement to the affordable GR-30 Guitar Synth, the Roland-Ready Stratocaster is a Mexican-made Strat with a built-in 13-pin Roland pickup, three Fender pickups, a resonant alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and, of course, that legendary Fender tone. The GR-Ready Strat will ship in the second quarter of 1998 for a tentative suggested retail price of $599.

"It's great for Fender to be able to offer guitarists an affordable, Roland-compatible Strat," commented Paul Youngblood, Senior Product Manager for Roland Corporation U.S. "We've spent years refining the art of guitar synthesis, and Fender has certainly laid the cornerstones of electric guitar design."

With its 13-pin Roland pickup, the Roland-Ready Strat will track flawlessly with not only the GR-30, but with many late-model Roland guitar synths/processors, including the popular VG-8 V-Guitar System, the GR-1 Guitar Synth and GR-09 Guitar Synth. Via these units, a guitarist can draw upon an almost infinite palette of sonic possibilities.

For more information, contact Roland Corporation U.S., 7200 Dominion Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90040, 213.685.5141, www.rolandus.com.