Boss SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer

I bought this pedal used and without the manual. Get harder! I has a lot of trouble finding what I wanted but if you muck around with it long enough you can find some pretty sweet sounds.

I use an Ibanez 5 string through a Gallien Kruegar 1001RB head and Ampeg SVT 410 HLF cab. The sounds that come out of this pedal are really cool but if you are playing a fast bass line you havent got a hope in hell. Maybe every fifth or so note will be picked up and synthesized. It's like every note you play had to be slow and emphasised in order for the efffect to work. I liked the pedal and the idea behind it, but if it cant pick up all the notes your playing, whats it good for?

Very Reliable

Havent needed it

Like I said, great sounds but if the effect cant keep up with my playing, its no good to me. Good pedal but no good for me.

You can get some wild sounds out of this box. I still find new things to do with it even after a couple of months, the smallest turn of a dial can do strange things.

I run an old wiurlitzer keyboard through mine for cheap but fat synth sounds. hitting two notes at once on the internal settings does cool, sometimes painful things. run a drum machine through it to get drums and a pedal generated bassline at once. there's so many other things to do with this. sound is clean and precise. t-wah settings are only subtle.

eats batteries up fast. have to use a power pack. but otherwise it's solid

n/a

great for far out low-fi noise stuff. two outputs, one for clean, one for effect is useful. i took the paedal part off so i could use the hold function with my finger. i used it with ny bass but got more excited about what else i could do with it. love the lower octave settings as well. brilliant little noise machine.

Very easy : 4 knobs... but no memory, so write all programs in a paper !

3 monophonic wave forms from internal VCO (saw, square, PWM) and 4 filters for external sound.

Can run it with a bass, a keyboard, a drum machine, a voice...

excellent for deep bass, cold lead, noises, industrial trip, soft waves, distorted filter, auto-wah, blips, gwwwooonnnggghhh, skkkkkkrrrr, etc...

I made all my music (electro) with it and a BOSS DR-110 drum machine. The DR -110 is connected right in the SYB. http://go.to/kulten

BOSS : this unit will live longer than you...

you want simple mono analog synth ?

Knob tweakers, beware! You'll want this thing just to tweak the filter; then you'll spend days trying to get it to behave. Unlike most Boss pedals, the SYB-3 is NOT a plug-in-and-play device. It's crazier than a Ring Modulator, but you can get it to work. Write down your favorite settings, once you find some, whether you use the blank sheets in the manual, or the time-honored "clock" method. The manual is a very limited guide, at best.

I expected weird noises, I got weird noises; I'm happy. I use the SYB with guitar, and it tracks better than I expected, but the real fun is using it with a drum machine. Plug the Mono Out from your favorite beatbox into the SYB-3, and tweak the sounds. Instant groovebox! If you already have a groovebox, well . . .

Of course it's dependable, it's just really hard to control. I have used it live, but I wouldn't want to waste an audience's time trying to dial up a new sound on the SYB-3.

Haven't had the "support staff from hell" experience that many people describe, but I'm very glad their stuff doesn't break down.

I play strange music, with lots of weird sounds to fill in, so even anarchy boxes work for me. I've been doing this for too long, and have piles of noise toys. I love the flexibility of this box, but I wish it was easier to dial in a stable sound. I understand that there's a lot of processing going on in a pedal-sized housing; if the SYB-3 were beatbox-sized, with a dozen knobs and sliders, it would be much easier to use, and twice as expensive. If my SYB-3 suffered some misfortune, I'd probably wait a while before I bought another; I might even get full-function groovebox instead. There are easier boxes to use, that don't cost as much.

For anyone wanting a simpler path to Synth tones, for under $100, check out the Digitech X-series Synth Wah pedals; they make guitar and bass models.

Perhaps I'm extremely lucky, but I found this pedal pretty easy to figure out. I'm still having a bit of trouble get usable t-wah sounds, but from what I've read in other reviews, that's more of a function of the abilities of the pedal. There was no manual included when I got this, but given that I got it for $99 canadian I wasn't complaining.

I think this thing sounds incredible. Yes, it's monophonic and yes, it will only consistently track eighth notes or slower. However, given thoses limitations it can still produce some incredible sounds using your bass that you would have to spend some serious cash to produce otherwise. So far, I've only used this pedal by itself or followed by an EBS unichorus. I've found the t-wah sounds to be kinda crappy in comparison with other dedicated pedals - this doesn't really upset me too much as I think the synth sounds are good enough in themselves.

Not enough experience as I haven't gigged with it yet.

Never dealt with Roland, although I think it's pretty crappy that they won't post instructions on their website.

I play a variety of styles and I think there's a few groups I play with that i could use this pedal with. I really bought it as toy since it was so cheap, but I think I may have to start bringing it on stage with me. I can already think of a few songs where I wish I had this pedal to record with. I've been playing for almost 20 years and I can honestly say that this is the first pedal that I think I'll really use even though it's about the 6th that I've bought. Although I may have had a different opinion if I had bought the pedal new for close to the full retail price, I'm blown away with it for what I spent.

This is the hardest thing to figure out--ever. Editing patches is done in real time, which is a good thing, but there is no way of saving your settings (at least I couldn't find a way). The manual is the only way to save your sounds- it gives you some blank pages to draw in your settings.

I used this with a USA P-Bass running into a Hartke 3500 into a Vox 15". It was terribly noisy and errant--almost impossible to use in a band/live application. The effects are weak, and (keep in mind I understand synthesis) the sustain of the synthesizer breaks sporadically; that is, if it even picks up on the note you are striking. The High-EQ Output can't penetrate a loud drum kit, and when it does, it oversaturates the bass. It sounds more like Backstreet Boys than it does 70's funk. I do recall my favorite effect being the early square waves.

One good thing I can say about the pedal is the build. Like all Boss products, this mofo is built like a tank. Never gave me a problem, except how fast it drains batteries.

Boss is a bitch. I sent them a DD-3 that was broken, under warranty, and they sent it back to me unfixed. Bastards.

Terrible. buyer beware. I wanted this thing so bad, but it really didn't deliver. I invested hundreds in it, and ended up trading it for a Bass Chorus that I never use. This pedal is almost as stupid as I am for investing so much in it. Get a mooger fooger, bass balls, any other synth (EHX) before you jump into this money pit. Cmon, BOSS, you're better than that!

I used this for bass, and had a heck of a time with it. I attempted to use it on the 10-12 settings (??), for the Auto Wah modes, but never got anything that was really special. I'd much rather have a Boss Auto-Wah or E/H Q-Tron. Somewhat difficult to just plug in and play, like a pedal should be. Regardless of how smart/stupid you are, anyone should be able to figure out a pedal w/in minutes to their liking, and within a week and/or a few gigs to get THAT sound from it, which end up as your permanent settings. This pedal offers NONE of that. Disliked it so much, I sold it.

Using it w/ my '88 Charvel and '68 Ampeg V4-B, and Ampeg 4x10 classic cab, w/ various other Boss pedals, the actual SOUND of it wasn't all that bad. I use a Comp/Sus in front of EVERYTHING (bread of life!), and it really does make a difference. I got some compliments when I turned it on for my slapping solo, and in all actuality it did work out Ok, but again, it took me over a year of messing w/ it occasionally to just get the Auto-Wah right, much less all the other junk on it. Boss just tried to put too much into one pedal.

It's a Boss, so ya, it worked. :) Will until the end of time.

N/A

Again, I just didn't like it. Too much junk for one pedal. Maybe it works for some people, but I'd much rather have the Auto Wah, and then the OTHER modes in a separate pedal. Just didn't like it... try a Q-Tron or Boss Auto-Wah, if you want that type of sound.

The SYB-3 might seem little intimidating at first to those who are unfamiliar with the particulars of analog synthesizers, so I'm deducting one point from the rating; however, a few minutes spent tweaking the SYB-3 should help anyone get the hang of it. Also, it wouldn't hurt to skim through the SYB-3's manual, if you have it.

There are 11 modes to the SYB-3: Modes 1-7 are true synthesizer modes, meaning that your instrument's sound isn't processed--instead, your instrument serves only as the trigger for the synth, which means the pedal becomes the main instrument/sound generator if you have the mixer knob on the pedal turned all the way up for synth and all the way down for instrument (yes, you are actually "playing" the pedal!) ; modes 8 and 9 are processed types of fuzz distortion, sounding somewhat like distortion achieved by using a hex-pickup; and modes 10 and 11 are types of envelope filters, or auto wahs.

One of the coolest thing about the SYB-3 in modes 1-7 is that you can hit a note, press the pedal, and the note will hold indefinitely--a pretty cool thing to play a riff or two on top of.

My setup is as follows: 1977 Fender Stratocaster or 1995 Fender Jazz Bass > Ernie Ball Volume pedal > Electar PBX-1000 Pedalboard (which contains the following Boss pedals: Boss CS-2 Compressor/Sustainer > Boss SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer > PH-3 Phase Shifter > Boss OD-3 Overdrive > another Boss OD-3 Overdrive > Boss PS-5 Super Shifter > Boss DD-5 Digital Delay > Boss DD-3 Digital Delay > Boss PN-2 Tremolo/Pan > Boss BF-3 Flanger > Boss CE-3 Chorus) > Korg G4 Rotating Speaker Simulator > Alesis Microverb > stereo into two silverface Fender Twin Reverbs.

This can be a fickle pedal, as far as tracking is concerned. If your input volume is a little too low or a little too high, the SYB-3 in modes 1 through 7 gets "confused" and makes weird, warbly noises. But before you get frustrated with the SYB-3 and think about flinging it out into a large lake or shooting it with a high-caliber firearm, make sure you play around with your instrument's volume level, as well as any other source affecting your volume level BEFORE the SYB-3 (compressor, EQ, etc.). Find just the right volume level and the SYB-3 will be much less temperamental.

A lot of reviewers here have stated that the notes from the SYB-3 in modes 1-7 sometimes won't sustain--the synth just cuts out right in the middle of the note's decay/fade. To remedy this, put a compressor/sustainer in front of the SYB-3 and increase the compressor's sustain. This should fix the problem.

I use the SYB-3 for guitar and bass, and I have no problems with the tracking--even when I play relatively fast passages. When triggering the SYB-3 with a bass, the key to getting good, solid tracking out of it is to play with a pick, not your fingers. Also, try to keep fret/finger noise to a minimum, because the SYB-3 senses most any noise as a trigger. And when triggering the SYB-3 with a guitar, make sure that you don't go above the 12th fret of the high/thin E string--this, too, confuses the pedal, triggering it to make all sorts of weird "bleeps" and "bloops."

These tough little candy-colored monsters will be running the planet long after all of us--AND all of the cockroaches--have been killed off.

I've been a Boss pedal freak for almost twenty years--yes, some of my Boss pedals are older than some of you reading this ;^)--but I have never had a need to contact Roland's/Boss' customer service/support, so I really have no opinion to offer.

I play kind of an eclectic blend of jazz, blues, and rock--kind of a "Bill Frisell-meets SRV-meets Alex Lifeson" style. I have been playing for 26 years, and I love to write and record my own tunes, as well as play live.

The SYB-3 is a great little pedal that offers a lot of potential. Yes, some of the modes are better than others, but overall, there's a lot packed into that little silver-and-red monster, and anyone could find a thing or two to love about it. It's a pretty cool pedal to have in your effects arsenal, regardless of your musical tastes, and is a MUST if you're into industrial, techno, rap, and/or funk.

This was a TRIP to try to figure out how to use. I would dial up some cool sounds every now and then, but usually had no idea what I did to get it there. If you buy this pedal, make sure you have a few hours to sit down with it and really mess with it.

The blending abilities of the pedal are phenomenal...the sound remains strong throughout! There are plenty of cool sounds on this pedal, it's just kinda tricky to find. Just remember to write them down or something, but there's a lot of good stuff about it!

It's a Boss pedal.

Haven't had to deal with Boss yet.

This is a great pedal if you're into some funky heavier stuff. I use it in a alt. rock band. Pretty useful for enhancing your original stuff! Just wish it was easier. If I had the money, I'd go out and buy the Ibanez synth pedal, which is fairly new, and use them both. It's sooo much easier to use, but doesn't have nearly as many options. www.thedownwardfacingdog.com

Easy enough to use. Just experiment to find what you're looking for.

This is my major problem with this pedal. The tracking sucks! Trying to play any music that has a quick bass line is going to end in frustraion. The pedal only detects notes at a very slow pace with precise and deliberate playing. I'm using Carvin and Washburn basses run through an SWR Goliath cabinet with a Gallien-Krueger 800RB head. With that being said, I definitely do not believe it was my equipment failing.

The actual pedal itself is built like a tank like all Boss products. I won't have this pedal long enough to find out how long I can depend upon it.

Unknown

I play in a cover band that was beginning to do some 80's material and a Synth bass effect would make quite an addition to the sound. However, try playing some old Anthony Jackson lines from his work with Chaka Khan and this pedal functions like a dizzy and confused bird. Save your money! The Korg bass synth is way better with footswitchable presets and a unit that actually tracks what you're playing. The bad news is that they have not been manufactured for about five years now. Akai has a bass synth pedal that's probably worth checking out. It's your hard earned money so choose wisely because none of the synth bass units out there are cheap, but the other ones will actually track your playing.