I've been using Roland guitar synth gear for going on35 yrs. While not perfect I play in aa cover band and can cover quite a few string, piano, harmonica and horn parts on probably 15 songs a night. I have a FTP but have not started using it yet.
I've been in numerous bands where I used the Roland gear, too. It works really well for many sounds, especially when playing live. I think the OP is suggesting a "next generation" product, that goes beyond Roland/Line 6/Fishman.
I was using Roland synths for years and finally switched over to the FTP with a Yamaha Motif XS rack.
IMO it will not get any better than this for a while, I can do nearly anything with this combo.
Klemperer and Yamahain a rack, Remote and Fishman FC-1 controller on the floor and I am set.
Yeah I got a Fender FTP guitar. I bought to gut and build a Lefty.
Even fooling around with it with my iPad it tracks really well
vablows How are the saxes on the Motif? I have to try one for myself
I used the Roland-Synth technic in the 90s. For some tones on set in lead it was ok. But in use as rythm-guitar nearly useless for my experiences.
But perhaps I am not suitable for it.
you are a source of strange information my friend ... pianos from a virtual analog synthesizer? are you kidding me?
no, pianos are not the strength of a virtual analog synth and "synthesizer" is an generic word for, well, a synth ...
the virus delivers fine strings because substractive synthesis, which it utilises, was designed with that type of sound in mind.
Sorry, my synth terminology is decidedly off. I've heard some interesting "piano" sounds on the Kemper, though it's not like like a real grand piano, as you stated, maybe more like one of those toy pianos (though I may be wrong, not a real synth head).
Fine strings sounds interesting to me, I'll do a little more digging.
No, for my it was a surprise what it is possible with the Kemper.
For me too, but regarding that special topic - this was not my reason to choose the Kemper.
I'm am impressed, that Kemper can do some similar but for me concerning the sound the results are not so stunning.
That does not mean that some can not have a good common result by using his creativity 
I used the Roland-Synth technic in the 90s. For some tones on set in lead it was ok. But in use as rythm-guitar nearly useless for my experiences.
But perhaps I am not suitable for it.
I used it also.
Not so for soli more to create a sound carpet or slow arpeggios with non percussive sounds.
It's the application I still use the Fishman TriplePlay now.
Synthi-Sounds Kemper I:
Every lead is Kemper. What's the problem folks?
I like the clean funky sound in the back
Synthi-Sounds Kemper I:
Every lead is Kemper. What's the problem folks?
This is a killer track, I liked it a lot! But not very synthy at all, imo. I think synths have a very different sound.
Whippingpost, the saxes are great.
Overall everything is a big step up from the GR-55 I used for 4 years.
But I have programmed everything myself, as I am never content with factory sounds.
Sorry, my synth terminology is decidedly off. I've heard some interesting "piano" sounds on the Kemper, though it's not like like a real grand piano, as you stated, maybe more like one of those toy pianos (though I may be wrong, not a real synth head).
Fine strings sounds interesting to me, I'll do a little more digging.
FWIMBW to you, AJ, I knew what you meant by that statement.
It's par for the course for analogue synths to offer pseudo pianos (of the electric varieties) in their sound sets. You'll see Wurli, Rhodes and clavinet "approximations" in practically any decent-sized library. They may not be named thusly, but they tend to fall within those three general categories tonally-speaking. The clavs are the most-obvious due to their amp-envelope characteristics, and the other two achieve their distinct tonal signatures by way of strategically-placed, slightly-resonant filter-cutoff points and distortion (more so for the Wurli-type tones IMHO).
To sum up:
Acoustic pianos cannot be emulated; at best they'll sound like EP's, whereas EP's can be "emulated", albeit rather-pathetically.
For interest's sake, many acoustic instruments are "emulated", and have been going way back. Nylon guitar can be quite pleasing (very mellow as there are no string "models"). Flute and trumpet have been emulated since the '70s on monosynths. Square-wave oscillators are used for flute (IIRC), and saw waves with bitey filter and amp-envelope attacks and steep drop offs shortly thereafter for trumpet, to give just two examples.
Obviously strings have been approximated since the '70s too. Saw waves with slow amp-envelope attacks and filter swells are your friends here.
Good ideas, Nicky. I am a bit hard-pressed to figure out how VA synthesis works to create specific tones, at best I can just experiment.
Easy, peasy AJ:
Try listening to the various oscillators on offer, with the filter/s turned off or with, say, a low-pass one cranked all the way up as far as it'll go in order to allow everything through.
Be sure to disable EQ and effects, especially any distortion or overdrive.
The raw sounds of these oscillators are your bread-and-butter starting points; filter to taste, and finally add effects.
All other considerations such as envelope times, mono / poly behaviour, portamento, pitch-bend ranges and so on are secondary to the tone itself, and, understandably, amount to a cloud that easily confuses synth noobs. It's all about revealing and exploring the basics; the fancy stuff follows easily-and-logically from this.
Thanks vablows, I'm gonna have to get a Motif and give it a try
