SYB-5 Bass Synthesizer Review

The BOSS SYB-3 was the world’s first bass synthesizer to be packed into a compact pedal, and it found favor with experimentalists and tone afficiandos alike. Today, the next-generation bass-synth pedal has arrived, the SYB-5. Utilizing the latest in DSP technology, the SYB-5 faithfully reproduces the fat and sharp sound characteristics of classic analog synthesizers.

Ease of Use:	5
Sound:	5.3
Reliability:	8
Impression:	5.7
Overall rating:	6
Users rating:	7.8
Comments:	29

overall: 7.3

Featured review by: UG Team, on august 08, 2008

Price paid: $ 159.99

Ease of Use: While the Boss SYB-5 is loaded down with four controls knobs (two with dual concentric pots) and an infinite number of sonic possibilities, it will take a hardy investment of time and work to get any of them to Shine through. The four control knobs do allow for a large range of sounds, therein lays its blessing and curse. Each of the knobs is so incredibly sensitive that turning it even the slightest touch can amount to massive sound changes, making it incredibly hard to dial in the perfect sound. This is exemplified in the effect/direct knob. While this knob is a good idea in theory, in practice it seems to blend in way too much, or not nearly enough of the sound. This makes it just another step between you and that perfect, funky synthesizer sound. // 6

Sound: The Boss SYB-5 is set up to produce a nearly infinite number of sounds. The effects that this pedal makes take a new, modern approach to synthesizing a bass. The effects are applied through eleven different modes of saw, square, sine and w. shape waves. These modes are then controlled through a decay rate knob, a freq/res knob, and a blend knob. While all of these controls make for an incredible range of sounds, not all of them are useful. Without careful tweaking, the effects are simply overpowering to the natural tone of the instrument, causing other-worldly tones that would even be out of place in the most psychedelic of bands. That being said; with a large chunk of time this pedal can be made to get some really incredible, smooth, rich sounds perfect for any situation. // 6

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is built like every other Boss pedal I have ever played; like a tank. It has a strong metal chassis, and a very rugged pedal. I thought that with all the DSP effects on the pedal that it would suffer from fast battery drain. However, this is not at all the case. The battery life is very long, despite the DSP. Everything about these pedals points to it lasting longer than anybody reading this article. // 10

Impression: While the SYB-5 has many major advantages when seeking an alien-like, tripping, psychedelic rock sound, its major downfall lies in the amount of time that it takes to get a decent sound out of it. Overall it is a rugged, Precision tuned, beastly culmination of all things modern. // 7

- Nicholas Cole-Klaes (c) 2008

overall: 2.8

Reviewed by: aaciseric, on may 23, 2008

Purchased from: Music Exchange

Ease of Use: This pedal is impossible to get a good sound out of. I've had it for a year and no matter how much tinkering I do I cannot find a use for it. There are only a few types of sound and one of them sounds like a laser, sounds fun but it's a complete headache and gets very boring very quickly (and you look a bit silly pretending to shoot your band mates with your guitar, trust me). There are six editing patches and I just can't work them, a patient bass player could probably sit down and find some good sounds but I just don't want the hassle. // 2

Sound: I use it with a 5-string bass and an Ashdown amp and it does not work well at all. The pedal is OK for making some unusual sounds but you can't play an actual bass line with this on. There is a very small variety of effects and they are ear piercingly horrible to hear. // 2

Reliability & Durability: This thing is quite strong but I wouldn't take it to a gig at all, I wouldn't take it anywhere. If you like this crazy sound then you could trust it (like most single effect pedals) to have a long life and to last but it would be a relief if mine just exploded. // 5

Impression: I play funk music so a synthesizer pedal sounds perfect in theory but in practice this thing has not delivered for me. This pedal has been a complete dissappointment since the day I got it (especially seeing how there was a nice multi-effects bass pedal in the shop for the same price but the foot pedal was faulty so I got this instead)and I would not recommend buying this to anyone unless I truly hated them. If it were stolen I wouldn't buy a new one I would just go get a decent pedal, maybe one you can actually use, like one from the DigiTech X-Series. // 2

overall: 8

Reviewed by: rebreh, on august 02, 2007

Price paid: $ 149.99

Purchased from: B-Music

Ease of Use: Well I went into the music store looking for a bass wah. The store was sold out of them. So I decided to try out some other pedals. So the guy at the counter said I should try the synth. I first heard it was wierd. It was look a wah only more water or deeper tones and then errie space sounds. For the cost I was a little sceptical but still I bought it. And I am glad I did. There are a lot of sounds. They did not give me a manual for it but it is pretty easy getting the sound out of it. // 7

Sound: I used a Fender bass strat with a small practice amp for it. It turned out pretty good for it. Although for certain effects you have to turn the bass up louder. But there are enough effects so if you have to you can just swicth it. Now with the 11 efects there are 4 other nobs.(eight if you count the little ones in them.) SO that is already an endless possiblity. One of the best things on this pedal is the pitch holder. So you can pluck a note and hold it and play something else with that note held. Also with holding pitch note you can turn the nobs wile pressing it down and make like a wierd eirry sound like what you hear through a tube. Only bad thing about the pitch holder is when you hold it down you have to play with your normal bass tone. And on certain effects it won't work. One thing I don't like about it is there are a lot of controlls to use and if someone is new to guitar like I was when I bought (my first pedal) you can get a little lost at times. But overall it is excellent and a great alternative to the wah or disortion. It gives your bass a unique tone. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I could definitly depend on this not breaking. I mean every now and then you will get a wierd sound wich goes out of place but it is not to bad where everyone will notice. I would use this on a gig no doubt and no unless you jump on this thing as hard as you can it might break, then you would want a backup. // 9

Impression: Well this pedal is mainly used for sychedelic and such. And I am mainly '90s rock and alternative but this pedal gives my bass new life. I would say it is a good match. I like to use it on sabbath songs to and improvising. It even works for blues. One thing it does not work for is slap and pop wich I am getting in to. I have had this pedal for a few months and it works with my Fender strat and Fender practice amp. If anyone had ever stolen it I would probally buy one again. I think it gives more life than a wah. My favorite thing about it is the pitch note. Because you can twist certain nobs and give it new effects. Also there is enough options to keep me entertained. One thing I don't like is on a few of the effects you can't hold pitch. One thing I wish it had (wich will never happen) is a controll where you don't have to bend down to swicth the tone of pedal. // 8

Comments

[dointime024]

'Fender Bass Strat'....your probably shouldn't be writing reviews if you don't even know what your instrument is called.

[Nightmare_xxx]

Yea, you don't really seem to know what you're talking about...

[stradivari310]

dammit I want a good review

[aaciseric]

I have this pedal and the sounds are way too weird, theres no way of applying it to decent music and the sounds are too quiet and don't last. I disagree with this review alot.

[Neo Evil11]

aaciseric :
I have this pedal and the sounds are way too weird, theres no way of applying it to decent music and the sounds are too quiet and don't last. I disagree with this review alot.

didn't you write it yourself .

Just kidding know what you mean!

[tsunami bomb]

i play this with a cry baby bass in front of it, digi-tech bass distortion pedal after it in my loop and for a fan of Death From Above 1979, i'd say i'm quite pleased.

especially when you hold down the tone on the synth and play with distortion over it, tis great. pitty i blew my amp.

[aaciseric]

Yeah, I think this thing is pretty much like marmite, you either love it or you hate it, personally I hate it but as I said in the review if your more patient than me, or if you've got a good setup like 'tsunami bomb' said then you might love it, test it thoroughly before purchase.

[dirtymexican863]

dointime024 wrote:

'Fender Bass Strat'....your probably shouldn't be writing reviews if you don't even know what your instrument is called.

lolz

[Sgt. Pepper]

dirtymexican863 wrote:

dointime024 wrote:

'Fender Bass Strat'....your probably shouldn't be writing reviews if you don't even know what your instrument is called.

There was such a thing as a Fender Strat Bass actually, I think Sting used one on '84 Police tour - sorta sounded like a mix between a Rickenbacker and day old cum but was pretty enough. He might be talking about, unless I'm wrong, which is another maybe.

[Wasted Bassist]

Sorry Sgt, but Sting used a P bass that was also sometimes called a telecaster bass. Strat + bass = wtf sauce.

[Marley167]

I would not recommend buying this to anyone unless I truly hated them.

Lol

[TJ1991]

Would a Fender Strat Bass just basically be a Jazz? Its the same shape, in the same way the Precision is the same shape as a Telecaster.

[mickjones76]

TJ1991 wrote:

Would a Fender Strat Bass just basically be a Jazz? Its the same shape, in the same way the Precision is the same shape as a Telecaster.

Do you even have eyes? A P-bass is the same shape of a telecaster?

[CoreysMonster]

If it were stolen I wouldn't buy a new one I would just go get a decent pedal, maybe one you can actually use, like one from the DigiTech X-Series.

dude... just no.
both reviews are terrible.

[CoreysMonster]

sorry all 3 are terrible

[AndrogynousMind]

Sgt. Pepper wrote:

dirtymexican863 wrote:

dointime024 wrote:

'Fender Bass Strat'....your probably shouldn't be writing reviews if you don't even know what your instrument is called.



There was such a thing as a Fender Strat Bass actually, I think Sting used one on '84 Police tour - sorta sounded like a mix between a Rickenbacker and day old cum but was pretty enough. He might be talking about, unless I'm wrong, which is another maybe.

no i think the guy doing the review just doesnt know the name of his instrument.Maybe Sting's bass was just a rickenbacker with day old cum on it

he also spelled "psychedelic" wrong

[DeanMarkleysDad]

its for making techno.

[flea_is_my_god]

To Rebreh:

WTF IS FENDER BASS STRAT!??!?!

non-existant bass.....

[SenorJutJut]

This pedal sucks imo. I'm a very careful player but it just makes random squarks and noises for no apparent reason.

[ironman316]

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/bass/jae-frankensteinpb ass.jpg -- fender strat bass. aka, fender bass?

[Haunted_Shell]

idiots...all of ya!

hahaha decent pedal for experimenting with different things, nothing too fancy

[lorrythebassguy]

he either means a P-bass or a Fender bass VI

[Jclash4686]

I have had this pedal going about 2 years. While i admit that it can be duanting in terms of a good tone it is well worth the wait. One thing no one mentioned was the EXP hook up. This allows to dial in the just the right about and add even more flavor. It all depends on what your using it for. I do a lot of 90's shoegaze, emulating Kevin Shields type shimmer, techno, hip hop beats, and pyschadelic. The biggest every one makes is knowing when to use effects in what situation. Doing a Sabbath song with this is not recommended. And as far the slap bass, it specifically says in the manuel that slap bass will not work! I would suggest you guys go and read the manual or download it from boss and make informed opinions.

[marysghosts]

I think he is just retarded. Fender Jazz Bass and P Bass shape is what he would be talking about. And I think anyone would say Fender Bass VI if that is what it was because those things are rare. I think he has a cheap copy brand that has a "strat" shape to it and he called it a Fender Strat Bass to make it sound like he didn't have some crappy piece. He mentions he was new to guitar when he got the pedal and that he had only had it a few months when he wrote the review. So he was still new to it guitar when he wrote it...I just look on his profile, it is a Squier P-Bass. He even spelled Squier wrong...

To rebreh:
It is Squier BY Fender.

I don't think I want to trust a review by a guy who doesn't even know what kind of bass he has--especially when it turns out that the bass he has is made by a company that makes hello kitty guitars...

A Squier by Fender should never be confused with a real Fender.

I heard this pedal on YouTube, I wasn't too impressed. I wouldn't use one except for experimental purposes. If you can master it and put it to good use that is awesome, not everyone has the time.

[gatman6227]

Jeeze guys does it realy matter if this guy doesn't know what his bass is. this review is about a pedal not a bass. Does it really matter that he may have the wrong details.

[Restlesscow]

Hmm, im just gonna leave this pedal well alone from what ive seen on here...

[TortillaChip520]

i have one of these and all it does is collect dust. it was fun for about the first week i had it, and then i realized there was nothing practical i could do with it except make weird noises occasionally. as my friend put it, it's "the stupidest sound in the world". now i have a $160 paper weight.

[kingurth]

About the "Fender Strat Bass" argument:

I'll admit, several years ago when I bought my very first bass (SX copy of a Fender Precision), I did refer to it as a "Strat Bass" because I didn't know any better. However, I learned about three days after getting it that it was modeled after the Precision. I hope Rebreh has been playing bass for more than a few days (as of the time he wrote the review), because that's a pretty ****ing bizarre pedal to get for a beginner.

Sting mostly uses a special type of Precision bass that is modeled after the original 50s P-basses. A Telecaster Bass is actually a different kind of early bass that did indeed look vaguely like a Telecaster, but had more in common with P-basses at the time than it did with Telecasters themselves. I had a friend who had one a while ago, I don't know if he still does.

I would never EVER refer to a Fender Jazz Bass as a "Strat bass," and I don't think anybody would.

[rebreh]

K guys lay off i just began playing a few days when i wrote this. So what it was just a typo. Who knows maybe its just a vermont thing with me saying it that way but glad to see that everyone wants to get deep into this.