Roland VG-8

The Roland VG-8 Virtual Guitar is a guitar processor unit from 1995 (now discontinued), designed to emulate popular vintage guitar sounds. It made use of Roland's Composite Object Sound Modelling technology, where the user can virtually select the pickup type (as well as its place on the virtual guitar body) and different virtual amp/speaker/mic distance combinations to provide an accurate reproduction, in addition to on-board reverb, chorus & delay effects. Also includes polyphonic pitch shifting (for the effect of a 12-string) & synth-like filters. The VG-8 can be controlled from guitars with a Roland GK-2A pickup, which is input into the VG-8 and outputs separately.

Sting has been a longtime user of the Roland VG-8. He caught onto it during the late 1990s, which he used extensively during the writing and recording of Brand New Day in 1999 with a guitar. Co-producer Kipper also talked about Sting having the GK-2A pickup fitted to his bass as well, so he can play a couple of melodies of either that or a VG8-modified guitar. He's last used the VG-8 on the My Songs album (2019), for the first two songs.

Further information

 * Roland website
 * SOS review