SY-1000 Guitar Synthesizer Pedal Review

Some Problems, but Still FIVE STARS

Without going into what this can do again - you can see all the videos and articles for that - I'd rather relate my experiences with it. They SY-1000 is, by all means, a powerhouse of GREAT sounds. It is a subtractive synth (not with sampled sounds), which is cool because it is a much better approach to synthesis with a guitar. The idea of playing piano on guitar is stupid to me… read more anyway - if you want a good piano sound, learn to play piano or hire a keyboardist. The synth tones in the SY-1000 are meant to work with the guitar. That said, the "DYNAMIC" synth engine is what should be used for this. The "OSC" engine comes across as having multiple oscillators, but BOSS did a bad job that that engine. I rarely use it because it requires pitch to midi and it doesn't track as well as the "DYNAMIC" engine - not even close. I like to use the "DYNAMIC" in conjunction with the "NORMAL" guitar sound block. You can get some really useful and great tones that way. The GR-300 engine is very cool, but ONLY if you are using a magnetic Gk pickup. If you are using a Piezo hexaphonic GK pickup, it makes horrible farty sounds all over the place. I have a Godin with the Piezo (also have used a Brian Moore with Piezo) hexaphonic, and a Fender Roland-Ready standard strat with the built in GK (magnetic). The regular GK pickup works better, by far, on the SY-1000 than the Piezo. This is highly unfortunate. I have tried to get the Piezo hexaphonic's settings just right, but it is still not on par with the magnetic GK. The SY-1000 can be used, in limited capacity, without the GK pickup. However, to use the guitar models, Alt tunings, and many other great features, you'll want a guitar with a GK built in, or you'll want to buy the GK-3 pickup - SWEETWATER sells these as well. I have never liked the look of a midi pickup on a guitar, so I have opted to go with the built in. I have used the SY-1000 in multiple rehearsals and in a medium sized jazz club (through a FRFR speaker). Live, it sounds wonderful. The amp sims are great, the guitar sims are great. You will need to take some time to get your settings right, to how you play, ensuring the right pickup for the GK input is set. Who this is for - guitarists who want to explore sonic territory that they have never been able to before - the world of synthesis is not the guitarist's normal playground, so there is a massive learning curve - but it is a lot of fun to come up with new sounds - it's easy to get lost in it. However, you can EASIlY create good, usable sounds just like any other processor. Again, a very powerful tool. It is also for the guitarist (or bassist) who wants a lot of options at a gig without having to carry multiple instruments and amps. The idea of guitar modeling is not new, but the models in the SY-1000 are great. I will always prefer the sound of a real tele or jazz box, but in a pinch it's nice to have this and not worry about carrying around multiple guitars (or amps and effects). This is, apart from the synth, a great guitar processor and I found its interface intuitive. I spent about 2 hours figuring how to navigate and create some great sounds. I still recommend going through the manual, even if it's a cursory review (you'll be glad you did as it can do some very useful things). BOSS is great at userability - the SY-1000 lets you assign pretty much any function to any footswitch (and add expression pedals and more footswitches). I typically use two or three patches on a gig and have everything set up inside each patch (various footswitches) for the sounds I need. It becomes a simple, and easy to use, machine at that point. I do wish BOSS would stay more on top of their firmware updates with the SY-1000. There are some things that could probably be fixed (like the "OSC" engine, some warbles in pitch with PIEZO pickups on ALT tunings, but I know this machine pales in popularity compared to their more traditional processors. All in all, the SY-1000 is a great tool and worth having, even if you don't gig a lot. It is fun and useful. The tones are incredible and give you access to a universe of sounds and possibilities that other machines can only dream of - The SY-1000 lets you seek out strange new worlds and to go where no guitarist has gone before. . .

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Hidden Secret

I purchased this from sweetwater a while back. I have finally found time to program some presets and I got more familiar with this new product from Boss. This has got to be Boss's best-kept secret. It has the same amp models that are found in the Boss GT-1000 (AIRD) which is far better amp modeling than the Cosm amp models found in older products by Boss and Roland. It also has… read more upgraded guitar models which are slightly better than the ones you find in the Roland GR-55. You will need the GK pickup to use the amp models. You should get the GK pickup anyway to unlock the full potential of this device. Some of the new amp models are wide range, bright hum, and fretless guitar. you also get a new model that is a fretless bass. The guitar models sound a little closer to real guitars when compared with the guitar models on my Roland GR-55. The hidden secret is that each FX block contains a reverb unit. This allows you to stack reverb types and you can get some incredible sounds when you do this. You can stack up to 4 reverb units. The GT 1,000 is their flagship multi-effects processor and it only has one reverb unit. This alone is worth the cost of admission. In addition to this, you can stack guitar models. You can blend up to three guitar models in a preset and combine them together. Each model has its own amp. All the amps are the AIRD amps and you have an additional amp you can use on your regular pickups. I have made some amazing presets with this thing. You can also plug this unit into your computer and use it as a midi controller for your DAW. This means you can play all the software synths you download from the internet using this device. You must have the GK pickup for this too. The sy-1000 is also a great analog synth which is much different than the Roland GR-55. I have linked both units together using the Roland US-20. This allows me to use both units at once with one guitar. I take the guitar output from the Roland GR-55 and run that into my GT-1000. Now I have access to all three devices from a single guitar. What a setup! This unit has been full of surprises and I would by it all over again in a heartbeat.

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Awesome Guitar Synth

I have owned the GR33, GR55, SY-300, and now the SY1000. This synth is one of the most interesting and versatile units I have ever owned. It is not a wavetable synth, it is an oscillator synth. It also has the v-guitar engine, it has the gr300 sounds. You can get lost in this device. Personally I like the interface on the unit and the PC interface. You have so much control,… read more I was able to adjust many of the presets very easily to make sounds I wanted. You are able to also use a 1/4 inch jack as an input, however you are limited, and it is much like the SY300 at that point. I wish I could include a sound sample with this review, that would make you understand more of the features. I might do a youtube video, I feel it would help. As I said I have used many synths this one stands out and the tracking is ridiculous. I am able to get that classic Pat Metheny sound. Very happy with the purchase.

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Not Just for Synths, Not Just for Divided Pickups!

With a GK equipped guitar, the SY-1000 is a massively versatile modeler, synth, and effects device. Even with a normal (non-GK) guitar, you can access most of what this device has to offer. This is a HUGE upgrade from my GP-10. The inclusion of a complete bass guitar mode is fantastic. It is marketed as a guitar synth, and most of the presets and demos drive this point home. The… read more factory presets are synth-focused and over-the-top. However, the SY-1000 is not just for synths or insane FX. After reading the 2 manuals, I've been building my own presets more to my own tastes and needs (which are not synth focused). First, in system settings, I have set the range of selectable presets to only the user range (50 user banks of 4 patches each = 200 user patches). Next, I made several templates- A. patches that use the normal pickup, with a standard fx/amp/cab chain. B. patches with acoustic models with warm, realistic tone, and tasteful reverb, C. A basic synth template. Then I replaced all the annoying factory patches with my defaults so I could always start from my own preferred templates. Even with my normal (non-GK) pickups, I can access the polyphonic version of the Dynamic Synth, with a selection of oscillator shapes. I don't use those sounds much, but they are fun to mess with. And I can layer them into a normal sound for added texture. Of course, I also have access to the rest of the effect chain and all of the non-synth features. There is a 16-slot modulation matrix with a VERY complete parameter (target) list, with range and several other useful mod features per slot. In addition, a second "control function" list provides both patch & global level assignments for all physical controls. Boss have covered all the bases with modulation options. I like the size of the unit, but I occasionally miss having a built-in expression pedal. I don't love the reverbs, but they are an improvement over the reverb on previous models. I'm picky, even grumpy when it comes to multi-effects. But even if I didn't have a GK-equipped guitar, I would still have purchased the SY-1000. The models are really good and I'm looking forward to GK'ing my bass guitar next!

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The new beast

I've been using Roland and Boss processors for over 20 years now and for the last 13 years, I haven't seen anything on the market (including from Roland) that could compete with my VG-99 and VB-99. Although there have been several other units since that have made improvements in specific areas like modeling and processing, this is the first processor that has all the capabilities… read more I've been looking for to upgrade from the VG-99. It has all the routing options I would need, great tracking, improved synth and modeling sounds, and it's a very solid piece of gear. Plus, the editor which is a must for me is much more straight forward and quite powerful. Looking forward to using these bad boys for the next 10 years and glad to see that Roland/Boss are still supporting flagship processors for those of us that like to dig deep into sonic possibilities.

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