Boss SY-200

The Boss SY-200 is a synth pedal for guitar and bass that turns your instrument into a polyphonic synthesizer using Boss's own DSP engine. You plug in with a standard 1/4-inch cable, no special pickup or instrument modification required, and every sound is polyphonic, so single notes and chords both track¹². Boss describes it as offering "a universe of rich, analog-inspired polyphonic tones in a small footprint"², and it sits in the company's streamlined 200 series¹.

The pedal builds directly on the earlier BOSS SY-1: Delicious Audio describes the SY-200 as "built on the successful polyphonic circuit of its little sibling SY-1," with expanded sounds, memories and footswitches³. It was announced in September 2021 and reached US stores in January 2022⁴.

What it does

The SY-200 takes the signal from any standard guitar or bass pickup and converts it into synth voices in real time. GuitarPlayer's Rod Brakes reported it as "latency free," with no instrument modification or pickup change needed⁹. Because the sounds are polyphonic, you can hold down a chord and hear a full synth pad or string section rather than a single voice, which is the main practical difference between this pedal and mono synth pedals like the Electro-Harmonix Mono Synth.

A parallel send/return loop lets you place other effects in the chain, and the send and output jacks can route the synth and straight guitar sounds to different destinations, so you can send the synth to a PA or separate amp while your dry guitar tone goes elsewhere⁹⁸. The synth and normal guitar sounds can also be blended inside the pedal with independent level controls¹.

Sounds and memories

The SY-200 carries 171 sounds total, organized into 12 categories¹¹⁰. Guitar World's Paul Riario confirmed the count in his review: "The SY-200 offers 171 sounds arranged in a dozen groups"⁶. There are also 128 memories for saving and recalling sounds¹.

The category descriptions for the first six are Boss's own¹; the full 12-category list comes from the product page¹⁰. Each sound has three adjustable parameters, reached through dedicated knobs, so you can shape a voice without diving into menus¹⁹.

The controls

The pedal has two customizable onboard footswitches with press-and-hold functionality. Boss says they allow you to control synth on/off, memory scrolling, pitch bend, synth hold, and more¹¹. One is an assignable Memory/CTL 1 switch for memory change, hold, pitch control and other functions¹.

• Two onboard footswitches: multi-functional, with press-and-hold operation¹
• Three parameter knobs: dedicated controls for customizing each sound¹
• Memory/CTL 1 switch: assignable to memory change, hold, pitch control and more¹
• External control: supports up to two external footswitches or an expression pedal¹⁹
• MIDI I/O: full MIDI on space-saving 3.5 mm TRS jacks, connection cables available separately¹
• Display: a large, brightly lit LCD shows performance and editing settings⁶

Guitar World's review noted the pedal's metal housing with eight rotaries for control⁵, and GuitarPlayer highlighted the blend of wet/synth and dry/guitar signals using independent level controls⁹. Selectable modes globally optimize the synth engine for guitar or bass¹.

Power and firmware

The SY-200 runs on a PSA-series AC adaptor or three AA-size batteries¹. A micro USB jack is provided for firmware updates¹⁹.

Firmware updates are free downloads from Boss. The current version is 1.03, released September 2024, which fixed a bug where the contents of the memory number were not correct when memory changes were performed consecutively¹². Version 1.02, from December 2021, fixed MIDI control change messages being ignored immediately after a memory change to MEMORY 005 to 127¹². The update process, per Boss's support instructions¹²:

1. Download and extract the update file (sy200_sys_v103.zip) on a computer.
2. Hold down the Memory knob on the SY-200 and insert a plug into the input jack; the display shows "UPDATER USB."
3. Connect a USB cable and run the update with the UpdSMF player software.
4. Wait about 25 minutes for the update to finish.

Boss warns that updating in normal mode against the correct procedure may destroy the system program, and that a power failure during the update can leave the pedal unable to start, requiring servicing¹². You can check the installed version by powering on: the version appears on the display¹².

How it differs from the SY-1

The BOSS SY-1 is the compact original, with 121 polyphonic sounds that transform a guitar or bass into a playable synthesizer¹³. The SY-200, which Delicious Audio's buying guide calls "its larger, fully-featured sibling" released in 2021¹⁴, keeps the same polyphonic circuit³ but adds:

• 171 sounds versus the SY-1's 121¹¹³
• 128 memories for saving and recalling sounds¹
• Two customizable footswitches with press-and-hold operation¹
• Full MIDI I/O on 3.5 mm TRS jacks¹
• A large LCD display⁶

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's review team found the pedal fun and flexible, with one reservation about depth: "While the synth engine isn't open for deeper tinkering, the SY-200 delivers in the fun stakes, with an adaptable tonal palette"⁵. The same review placed the SY-200 in Boss's twin-button 200 series lineup, replacing the twin format of the 20 range⁵.

Guitar World's Paul Riario highlighted the display and the breadth of sounds, listing the price as $389 street⁶. MusicRadar's pricing page gives $329⁷; the two reviews disagree on the figure, so both are given here. Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in February 2023, noting the send and output jacks for routing synth and straight guitar sounds to different destinations⁸.

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