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BOSS SY-1 Synthesizer Pedal
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Your Price: $239.99 CDN
or from $36 CDN/mo
Journey to New Sonic Frontiers
With the SY-1, it's never been easier to infuse your creative arsenal with BOSS's legendary guitar synth technology. This amazingly expressive tool is filled with 121 ultra-responsive sounds, all distilled down into a BOSS compact pedal that slides easily into any setup. Best of all, it's as simple to use as a standard stompbox, so you don't need any background in synth programming to bring a new world of sonic textures to your music.SY-1 Sound Types
• LEAD 1/2: A wide range of sounds suitable for single-note soloing.
• PAD: Full tones that work great with chords, from layered pads to synth brass and more.
• BASS: Fat synth bass sounds, including filtered and sub-octave tones.
• STR: Classic analog-style strings, including layered voices and sweeping textures.
• ORGAN: A large selection of organ sounds, including many with rotary-style modulation.
• BELLPercussive synth sounds with metallic resonance.
• SFX 1/2: A variety of synth sound effects, including explosive one-shot sounds, animated pitch/filter voices, and more.
• SEQ 1/2: Pulsating sounds with rhythmic pitch or filter changes.
Expressive Synth Sounds, No Programming Needed
The SY-1 transforms any guitar or bass into a versatile synthesizer that's fun, inspiring, and ready to play. Backed by advanced tech first developed for the SY-300, this super-cool pedal delivers a huge selection of analog-style synth sounds while occupying minimal space on your board. What's more, all the sounds are polyphonic, allowing you to play both single notes and chords.
Plug-and-Play and Latency-Free
The SY-1 can be used with any guitar or bass via a standard 1/4-inch cable, providing an easy, plug-and-play experience. Thanks to custom DSP and the latest BOSS innovations, the SY-1 offers latency-free performance that's a natural extension of your instrument, letting you to play freely and organically without altering your normal technique in any way.
Enhance Performances with Real-Time Control
The SY-1 offers a numbers of ways to make your synth performances even more dynamic and expressive. Pressing and holding the pedal switch sustains the last-played synth sound, allowing you to jam with regular guitar over the top. You can also connect an external footswitch for tap tempo and octave-shift effects, or plug in an expression pedal for continuous Tone/Rate control.
Specifications
Nominal Input Level: INPUT, RETURN: -20 dBu
Input Impedance: INPUT, RETURN: 2.2 M ohms
Nominal Output Level: OUTPUT, SEND: -20 dBu
Output Impedance: OUTPUT, SEND: 1 k ohms
Recommended Load Impedance: 10 k ohms or greater
Bypass: Buffered bypass
Indicator: CHECK indicator (Serves also as battery check indicator)
Power Supply: Alkaline battery (9 V, 6LR61), AC adaptor (PSA series: sold separately)
Current Draw: 85 mA
Expected battery life under continuous use: Alkaline: Approx. 3 hours
Controls
• Pedal switch
• GUITAR/BASS switch
• TYPE knob
• VARIATION knob
• TONE knob
• DEPTH knob
• EFFECT knob
• DIRECT knob
Connectors
• INPUT jack: 1/4-inch phone type
• OUTPUT jack: 1/4-inch phone type
• SEND jack: 1/4-inch phone type
• RETURN jack: 1/4-inch phone type
• EXP/CTL jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
• DC IN jack
Accessories
• Owner's manual
• Leaflet ("USING THE UNIT SAFELY," "IMPORTANT NOTES," and "Information")
• Alkaline battery (9 V, 6LR61)
Size/Weight
Dimensions: 5-1/8" x 2-7/8" x 2-3/8" / 129mm x 73mm x 59mm
Weight (including battery): 1 lb / 450 g
Media
Youtube video product demo
Q & A
There are currently no questions for this product.
Reviews
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Experimental or dedicated 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Guelph, Ontario
I love this pedal! I have had it for over two years through guitar application and it has pulled me to some create levels. It’s nowhere near as versatile as an sy-1000 but it is very cool for someone looking to get into some ambient experimental stuff or even someone who is looking to play in church and add a little organ or keyboards into the mix. Most commonly I find one of the 121 presets (mostly ends up at the bass sub octaves surprisingly) and mix it 1/4 while playing along a reverb and delay. Really cool pedal and I notice the price keeps going up.
Posted by Brent Garland on Nov 12, 2023
Immaculate Tracking 2 of 2 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Calgary Chinook, Alberta
The Boss SY-1 represents the democratization of the oscillator. No longer the sole property of snooty keyboardist, now we humble bassists and guitarists can sing in the voice of a PWM or square wave lead. Truly, Boss has tipped the scales of Heaven with this pedal.
The SY-1 tracks my signal better than any other pitch/modulation pedal I've used, even when switching between playing techniques (pick/fingerstyle to slap, for example). Performance is enhanced by putting a compressor ahead of it in the signal chain.
There's a Bass/Guitar switch on the back of the pedal. I primarily use this pedal with my bass but I always keep it on the Guitar setting. It just has a tighter, faster response to my ears.
My only two complaints are 1.) that the functions of the concentric Tone/Rate/Depth pot differ from voice to voice (sometimes functioning as a simple tone control, other times controlling the envelope speed), and 2.) there's no way to control the attack speed of the voices. This would be useful for the Pad and Strings voices.
Overall, highly recommended. Play one immediately.
Posted by Harvey on Jan 8, 2021
Boss SY-1 synth pedal 0 of 2 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Edmonton Mayfield, Alberta
I've been a Roland GR-series guitar synths 'user' since the 80s...GR-100.300.700,..24 pin and GR-20, 33, 55 and GP-10...13 pin...If you are not into Roland synths or guitar synths in general, this is not for you.You have to have that 'SYNTH-MIND' and think appropriately,..this is more than just a stomp box I do own the Boss SY-300 also, so I am in familiar territory. I run my regular guitar sounds into my (Traynor YCS-50), and the SY-1 into a smaller Yorkville keyboard amp with a foot volume pedal attached. Before you go 'live' pre-plan the 'patches', for each song on your 'song list'. and roll with it. Blend to taste and have fun. This is nice and versatile pedal in the right hands....Cheers.
Posted by Simon K on Mar 30, 2020
A Toy 0 of 10 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
Only about half the sounds are usable.
The "Bell" "Type" is really harsh and unusable.
The sustain is lacking.
Posted by anonymous on Dec 28, 2019
Good but not practical live. 2 of 6 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Vancouver, British Columbia
I had a very good late night jam with the new Boss SY-1 Synthesizer Pedal last night. Definitely warming up to it. Inspiring for new original song ideas. Some great sounds to be had in the studio and probably on stage, if you can find them in 15 seconds between songs, in the dark or with glaring stage lights? With so many positions on the two control knobs that control effect type (13) and variation (11), you would really have to know your stuff from just knob positions, the old clock position thing. You may even need a small flashlight, reading glasses, then when you finally stand up, a couple of strums on your guitar to make sure you have the right sound? By this time I’m thinking you’re 30 seconds or more in and your drummer has stick counted the next song in 4 times already, and the rest of your bandmates are ready to throw you off the stage!
This is where Boss has dropped the ball on this pedal. It is a premium quality, very pricy ($320 cdn tax in) effects pedal. Why not go the extra mile and put in a small slim LED display that runs the length of the pedal where the ‘send and return’ printed markings now sit on the front face? Do that and now you have a ‘home run’ live useable pedal. LED displays as simple as, O-9 ( Organ variation 9) SQ-7 ( Sequencer variation 7) P-5 ( Pad- Variations 5) etc. Just a simple abbreviated display so you know where you are on stage, and for quick on the fly adjustments. One just has to look at a Boss TU-3 tuner to see that a great LED digital display is possible on a Boss compact pedal, and one that large would not even be close to required on the SY-1. Too bad really. I really like a lot of the sounds this pedal offers.
For the reason above the pedal has gone from a 60% ‘keep it’ ratio, to an 88.9% ‘return it’ one. I really can’t justify keeping it for home studio use only, as I already have many cool high quality organ and synth sounds in my Motif Rack ES unit, and on-board in my CUBASE 10 Pro recording software. Final verdict on the Boss SY-1 coming soon...........
Posted by Mark on Dec 27, 2019
Best guitar synth pedal for the money 8 of 9 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Vancouver, British Columbia
Some great synth sounds and variations packed into this little pedal! Tracking is very good. A compressor before the pedal helps keep the sounds steady and sustaining. There are so many variations, but not all are useful. The organ patches don't hold a candle to the EHX B9 and C9 organ pedals. And, unfortunately, no portamento effect on the SY-1 pedal. That is one thing the EHX Synth 9 pedal DOES have; the mini-moog portamento emulation on the Synth 9 is fantastic. There are some great sequences in the SY-1 that are fun and useful. Overall a great synth pedal, especially for the price.
Posted by Dario on Dec 19, 2019
Great tracking pedal with cool synth sounds 3 of 4 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
The pedal tracks without any noticeable delay. The synth sounds are mostly in the gritty saw tooth and square wave, late 70s early 80s. Think Stranger Things, Kraftwerk, Some Gary Numan. it is lacking some softer sounds like dreamy strings (again, think Gary Numan, CARS). You can pull off some Muse type gritty synth sounds as well. I haven't gotten into the sequencer sound presets yet but they seem to be mostly interesting. I will say, this pedal is not for everybody. The sounds on EHX's sounds more pleasing but I hear the Boss Sy-1 tracks much better.
Posted by Mark on Dec 17, 2019
Rental rates
This product is normally available for rental. Please contact your preferred location for further information.
1 Day from $5.00
1 Week $10.00
1 Month $20.00
Protect your investment with the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturer’s defect. With an important purchase such as a musical
instrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete “no hassle” warranty coverage within their first year.
How does the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty differ from most manufacturers' warranties?
- Performance Guarantee: Normal wear and tear is covered, so your product will be performing as well as the day you purchased it for the entire duration of the coverage. Band and Orchestral Performance Warranty does not include replacing pads or cleaning for woodwind instruments, unless deemed necessary by our repair staff. Ultrasonic cleaning for brass instruments will be provided if deemed necessary by our repair staff, but is not routinely offered under the Performance Warranty.
- Product Replacement: If your product cannot be fixed or costs too much to fix, we will replace it with the equivalent model for no additional charge. If this is not possible, a full refund will be provided.
- No Lemon Policy: Your product will be replaced should the same problem occur multiple times.
- Convenient: Easy drop off and pick up of the product at any Long & McQuade location.
- Guitar Setup: Guitars purchased at Long & McQuade come with 1 free setup, to be redeemed within 1 year for new guitars and 90 days for used guitars.
- Loaners Available: A loaner product may be given while the product is being repaired.
- Power Surge Protection: Your product is covered even if damaged from a power surge.
- Accessory Coverage: Any peripheral devices or accessories that come with your product (i.e. foot pedal, case) are also covered.
- Commercial Use Coverage: Music and recording professionals who purchase gear for “heavy-use” commercial purposes will still be covered.
Long & McQuade reserves the right to restrict the purchase of additional years of Performance Warranty. Used products come with a 3-month Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Some products (i.e. computers, software, cymbals and other items) are covered only by the manufacturer‘s warranty. Consumables (i.e. strings, reeds, drum sticks, batteries, tubes, cross faders) are excluded as they are designed to be replaced. Cosmetic Damage, Accidental Damage, or problems caused by Humidity or Temperature Issues are not covered. Speakers damaged by overpowering are generally not covered. Our coverage does not provide compensation for loss of use. As of June 2018 the Performance Warranty is no longer transferable. The warranty is only valid in Canada.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
Some manufacturers provide warranties for longer than 1 year; however, these are usually limited warranties that do not provide the same coverage as the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Customers interested in more complete and convenient (but not necessarily longer) coverage are still able to purchase additional years of the Performance Warranty.
If you are interested in receiving this coverage for longer than one year, you have the option of purchasing additional years of the Performance Warranty. The pricing is as follows:
- NEW products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- USED products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to increase the warranty from 3 months to 1 year. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- GUITARS: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. $45 maximum. An additional free setup is not included with additional purchased years of Performance Warranty.
- BAND and ORCHESTRAL instruments: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.
Great Additions
Reserve in Store
| Product | SKU | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| SY-1 Synthesizer Pedal | 715487 |
