Boss SY-1 GUITAR SYNTHESIZER

This works just as I expected. Unfortunately, many "bass synth" pedals are glorified octave pedals that can give you a synth-ish sound, but aren't terribly versatile. These pedals track fast, but they are limited to... well, glorified octave effects. This one is a true bass synth with multiple settings for lots of different sounds. A word of warning: because of the nature of this type of effect, you absolutely must separate the notes you're playing. If you can play staccato, this will suit you very well. I'm not holding that against this pedal because that's about par for the course for pedal synths that aren't designed to be used with synth-specialized pickup systems (like the Roland pickup and synths).

It’s good n good Value for money...

Sul suono non c'è nulla da dire, è semplicemente incredibile. Quello che invece bisogna capire prima di acquistarlo visto il prezzo, è il contesto dove impiegarlo. Un pedale che se usato con parsimonia puo fare la differenza. Come sempre consegna puntuale.

Firstly, what everybody says about the tracking is correct. I tried out guitar synths back in the 80s: so much latency they were pretty much unplayable; but Boss have evidently put some serious work into this gizmo and the tracking is spot on, great note separation too (although on some settings, big complex chords will just sound mushy. But you can't have everything). It doesn't take long to dial in some very cool sounds. I've had this for about a week, used it tonight in an online session with an electronic/experimental band, and got some nice compliments. I've barely scratched the surface - the fun part about this thing is you can just keep going with different settings. Pairing it with other pedals ... the variations are endless. Currently I have it in a chain: Digitech Freqout, Boss Waza Blues Driver, Synth, Boss DD-500 delay, and ... wow! Can't wait to see how it handles modulation pedals. Maybe at some point I'll start to think that this could be even better if it were fully programmable rather than relying on presets, but at the moment, and especially at this price point, it's a very cool piece of kit.

Reading reviews, I see that others have covered the pluses and minuses of the SY-1 pedal well. Yet, there are a few points that bear mentioning. While I admire the pedal's conception, implementation, and performance, it falls short in the one category that really matters: usability, relative to my muted-attack guitar (and synth) playing style. The SY-1 is an incredible piece of technology in a small form factor - one with which Boss fans are familiar. I have several Boss pedals that implement this dual-knob design; and once you get used to making tiny adjustments, it's a piece of cake. Whole lotta functionality in a small foot print. Good job, Roland/Boss. The guitar tracking is great. I compare it my previous experience with a guitar synth, an ancient Roland GR-20, and there is no comparison. For fun, I like to test different types of input to see how each translates to tracking and sound. Some improvements can be made, based on input, but generally speaking, about any input will work in triggering notes. On the SY-1, there may be *some* equivalent to velocity sensitivity on a keyboard, but any transition in timbre between slow/soft attack and fast/hard attack is almost instaneous and imperceptible. As another reviewer has said, the "resulting sound has a built-in attack that cannot be modified." On the GR-20 guitar synth, by contrast, there are attack and release controls, which add immensely to the item's usability. The SY-1's value would be enhanced if those two controls were added, plus the ability to control for the effect of varying attack on timbre. But that's asking a lot for a synth pedal at this price point. The best way to play most SY-1 sounds is full-on. Generally and preferably, add the original guitar with some sort of distortion, and mix the two timbres together. Subtlety is not supported, at least without extra equipment. Next test will be with an envelope generator, which won't affect timbre relative to velocity, but which may result... in a slower envelope. While I like to rock with the best of them, my guitar and keyboard style is generally more subtle - muted or slow attack. This style does not translate well on the SY-1. So it is an adjustment to use the pedal, in an unnatural style that typically results in less than optimal output. Still, I have had fun using the SY-1, followed by the Boss Slicer SL-2; but honestly, results work as well with regular guitar in the first position. As is, the SY-1 is (thus far) a great pedal without obvious application. Synths are superior in both sound output and control, whereas guitar output is typically better sounding... with guitars + other effects. A project in progress. I know there are indispensable sounds in the small SY-1 pedal (e.g. fast leads with synth output, possible only on a guitar). I just need to work harder to find them.