Boss SY-1000 Guitar Synthesizer Pedal Reviews

I have had the GP-10 for years and this is a huge improvement. Its basically 4x the GP10, you can use your normal gtr plu 3 synth engines. The synths are elec gtr, acoustic guitars, synths and more. This is NOT a PCM synth with sax and pianos etc. This is def a guitar centered item but you can do some otherworldly stuff. Easy to control and setup and love the Boss Tone Studio editor, makes is super easy to build and craft patches. I love that I can separate strings so I can use a bass on the low two strings and guitar on the top 4, or even add a synth pad on the middle two strings. The normal guitar side has a ton if not most of the stuff in the Boss Gt1000 so it has towns of amps and can do way more FX at one time than the GP-10. Great unit that I am only starting to tap into. The SY-1000 is the heart of my updated loop rig.

The SY 1000 is a lot of fun. The sounds produced work very well for me. No latency. Still learning all of the options. Compared to other synthesizers I have tried this is the best.

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 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. . .

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 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.

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, 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.

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 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!

First off I have owned the GR-55 for about 4 years now. It is a wonderful guitar synth with PCM sounds and some pretty decent guitar / amp models that are very usable. Then I received the SY-1000....Wow!! I know it has been said before, but this unit can truly create any sound you can imagine. The GR-55 seems like a toy in comparison especially when you compare the guitar,effects, and amp model sounds. The tracking from the GK hex pickup interface is very similar to the GR-55...in fact i would say it is the exact same interface. The tracking accuracy and latency on the SY-1000 and GR-55 are about the same as far as i can tell, which is really good. Many have complained about the tracking accuracy of the GR-55. That is bad information...the problem is that many people do not take the time to dial in the the pickup mounting, GK PU / bridge saddle distance measurement, and pickup sensitivity settings to get the tracking just right. You will have the same problem with the SY-1000 if you neglect the importance of these settings. Once you do, it sounds great! It is important to realize that these are instruments, not effects pedals....there will be a very small amount of latency associated with signal processing. I could go on about the high quality of the instrument sounds but there are lot's of Youtube videos for that now. My only complaint is that the SY-1000 does not have a built in volume/expression pedal like the GR-55....i use that a lot! In addition i like the SY-1000 amp model tones better than most of my Helix Rack amp tones...really disappointed with the Helix but that is a different story. Enjoy the SY-1000 for years to come!

The SY-1000 is the first device I seriously feel like is under-advertised, or maybe Boss marketing doesn't understand what their engineers made, IDK. What I do know is that it lets me have one guitar that can be the very best acoustic guitar I have ever owned and with just one click, be the best Les Paul I have ever owned and still be the best synth I've ever heard. I use the Godin xtsa with it, but you can use any GK-3/13-pin pickup setup you want.

It is way more than a synthesizer, it has 4 possible simultaneous out paths. That means you can create a wall of guitars or a mix of guitars and other instruments or just use the synth (or three). I have a patch that is a mix of an acoustic with a nylon classical with a little synth pad in the background which makes every chord sound full and amazing. The tonal possibilities are mind blowing.

It doesn't stop there. Do you hate constantly re-tuning for different songs? Do you want to go from 1/2 down to DADGAD with a click of button? You can do that too. Do you want to just turn a string off? Yep, you can do that too. How about your natural guitar, plus another guitar tuned up +12 steps but only for the high B and E string and then a bass synth for the low E and A string. Yes, you can do that too or create a whole new sound that no one has ever heard before. I can experiment with sounds for hours on end. It is unreal.

You can map the buttons to do all sorts of things that make changing setup between songs easy. If that isn't enough, you can use a MIDI controller and do even more. I will usually just make multiple patches for different effects, even if the guitar sims and amps are the same. I find it easier to hit the switch on my guitar to move to a patch than it is for me to find the right buttons to press on the floor. I use one button to turn on an off my natural guitar, then one button to turn off all synth and simulations, another to change from standard to an alternate tuning and one for a tuner. I might use the others for specific song changes, but mostly use those four.

It has 48k 32-bit resolution so the sound from my studio monitors is clean and clear. It has amazingly good effects pedals in it. If you really work for it, you can make it sound like the amp is in the room with you, feedback and all. I can't perceive any latency and I grew up on tube amps. Whatever witchcraft they are using in there really works.

I'm just a bedroom guitar player. I have great guitars and I have great effects pedals, but I don't even touch them anymore. There is no need. With many hours (no lie, it takes time) of setup in each patch, using every bit of knowledge I have about music production to create a whole bands worth of sound with every strum and note, I finally found the best device for what I want to do. Paired with an Aero Looper and a Beatbuddy drum machine, I am the band now and it is great.

tldr; It isn't just a guitar synthesizer, I use it to simulate multiple guitars with optional synth accents and change tuning so playing guitar is stays fun no matter what song you play.

I had a chance to play the SY-1000 at Winter NAMM 2020. Before I knew it, 30 minutes had gone by in a blink and I suddenly realized others were being very patient waiting for me to finish as Boss only had 6 of these to demo (5 with guitars & 1 bass). It's the only product I saw at NAMM that I actually purchased.

This thing simply gets the creative juices flowing and just one patch can have you creating music that was simply not achievable before. Why? Because it's so authentic sounding, and it truly lacks any perceptible latency. It can be used in multiple applications, let alone customized to create your own patches.

I have an American Fender Roland Ready Strat, yet the SY-1000 can make it sound like an Bluesy ES-335, a 12 String Acoustic, or just like you're Thomas Dolby playing synth on "Blinded You With Science". It does alternate tunings (like DADGAD) or percussion sounds to Strings. Whether you play in a Cover Band, Original Band, write songs or have a studio, the SY-1000 is an essential tool to expand your Roland Ready guitar into tonal regions that will make you want to play.

This is one of those game-changing products in the realm of guitar synthesis. It is a VERY deep product and requires some time to learn. It also requires that you spend some time setting up your hex pickup system in order to get the best response and tracking from it. This is not a wave table synthesizer, but a subtractive synth; you're not going to get a grand piano or saxophone sound. But, it is capable of infinite combinations of searing, soaring, lush patches.

As an added bonus, it can also do guitar and amp modeling similar to (and even better than) prior generations of Roland VG units...acoustics, electrics, basses.

There's also a bass mode, which - when coupled with a GK equipped bass guitar - basically gives you a completely separate processor.

You can, of course, plug your normal guitar straight into it and get something approaching the Boss SY-300 with the ability to do amp and effects modeling as well.

This is a home run from Roland, in my opinion!

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 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.

I sold both my GR-55 and SY-300 in anticipation of the release of the SY-1000 and after a few hours setting it up and incorporating it into Ableton Live 10 I can say I'm glad did.

I'm already noticing better note definition when triggering MIDI instruments and improved latency from the GR-55 and it appears everything the SY-300 had that I liked are all here in the SY-1000 as promised. I don't really miss the virtual models of the GR-55 because honestly working through a DAW (in my case Ableton 10) is just so much more versatile than what the GR-55 could offer.

Thank you Jimmy Hart for the top notch customer service and for just being awesome in general!

Highlights : Excellent tracking from a GK-3 pickup, compact unit, well made (solid construction).
If you are expecting usable presets out of the box then you may be disappointed - estimated 30% usable, however the power of this unit is the highly flexible editing/processing/routing to create new presets. This will entail some serious study and trial and error. The web page v guitar forum is a useful resource to help here. If you are looking for banks of pre-made presets to add synth textures then buy the GR-55. If I am able to update this review in a few months then I will report back as to the learning curve !

Lets start out Right, The Boss SY-1000 is Great. But Very few of the Preset Patches are useful for me, however the SY-1000 has lots of flexibility so that you can move any Effect ANY-Where you want them even between Normal Guitar chain and GK chains or after they are all mixed together as far as I have seen, even The AMP effect.

Midi Tracking to an external synth or sound module (non-USB) is no better than my old Roland GR-30 though. :-(
Yes and I have Multi-Timbrel sound modules I have tried this on. Some external patches do well while some don't. Go figure.

This unit works well with E-Guitar Inst or Acoustic Inst types to duplicate various guitars you do not physically have.
I want to use it with my Bass too, but have to make a backup of all my created patches before switching to Bass mode to ensure all my programming work is not lost.

Thanks,
SteveC

As the title says, there's some weird sounds and programs preloaded into this guitar synth. I was a bit disappointed to find that there are only about a dozen presets that can be used with just a 1/4" input without more programming. Also a little disappointed in the lack of more realistic sounds such as piano, sax, etc.

The sounds are super nice and responsive when a GK pickup is added, and some of them are downright cool, I just found that most of them are not the most practical. I'm returning this and going back to the Roland platform for some more usable presets.

recently boss released firmware version 1.07 for the sy-1000.

the primary issue which 1.07 appears to have addressed is improving the performance of the dynamic synth. my initial test definitely shows enhanced responsiveness/playability with one of the dynamic synth patches.

some longstanding problems remain unresolved. these include:
guitar to midi is very unreliable, with latency beyond the ability of most to compensate (~30ms).
alt-tuned acoustic guitars exhibit 'warbling' artifacts, probably not noticeable onstage but definitely an issue when recording.
the osc synth latency is very high, probably unacceptably so for most users when playing lead lines.

there are also some minor issues:
one cannot place a wah/compressor/drive pedal between the guitar and the amp in an instrument block.
some of the more desirable gt-1000 options are not included (reverb ir's, tera echo).
pitch bend is unreliable when controlled via midi cc.
sound hold (either via instruments or efx) exhibits undesirable artifacts.
the boss tone studio software suffers from extremely slow load times as you change patches (and it shouldn't be left running in the background, as this will degrade the sy-1000's performance).

all in all:
it's probably best to think of this unit as an updated gp-10. the modeled guitars are excellent. the dynamic synth may prove to be an amazing asset, but unfortunately the factory presets don't demonstrate its strengths.

in terms of reaching its full potential, my take is that the sy-1000 is about 70% of the way there. hopefully the next firmware release will push it up into the eighties.

After spending some time with the unit, I'm not as eager to recommend it as I was at first. There is some glitching in the dynamic synths as well as with the 12 string altered tunings that makes it difficult to get great results from it consistently. This occurs with both GK-3 and GK-3B (bass) input sources. I'm pretty hopeful that this will be resolved in a future firmware update, but think potential buyers should be aware of this (current firmware level as of this writing is 1.05).

Unfortunately this only works well with a divided pick up and anybody who wants to play really nice guitars doesn't want to use a divided pick up. I am shocked that they decided to limit the use of this machine so dramatically. I got it in the mail and returned it because of this. They should fix this so it is truly useful for a bright array of different musicians.I have never before written a bad review of a product but I guess there's a first time for everything.

Buyer Beware !
I love my Roland Products! I own 2 - GR-09 Guitar Synths, 2 - Cube Street EX's, some pedals , etc !
But this is NOT a 'Synth' in Rolands own syntax ; in that , it has NO Orchestral Instruments !!! I ordered it, in thinking everyone loves it, so why not me :-) And the 48 mo payout makes it affordable :-) Well, I should have looked up the List of Sounds FIRST! :-( It has virtually no Orchestral Instruments :-((((((( The 55 does! WHY the omission ? Is it because the 'youth of today' don't play band/orchestra instruments?! ??? To say I'm NOT HAPPY , is a gross understatement!
Please pass this on to Roland's management! If Roland wants to 'do right' , make an update to the 55 with THE BEST Orchestral synth/samples available !! Anddd make it clear that this thing, is not in the evolution in the Synth Line !
Even the 55 didn't do justice to the Trumpets , Flutes and Violins, etc . So for now,,,,,,,,I'm sticking with my 24 year old GR 09's ! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr