The traditional bass guitar sound is not always the only option for some bass players. As a matter of fact, there will be some musical scenarios that as a bass player, you will require a little or even much more than your traditional/natural bass guitar sound. Modifying your bass guitar sound with a bass Synth pedal can be a matter of necessity and also a matter of artistic preference. Whatever the case may be, in most cases, using a bass synth pedal is always an amazing musical experience for every party involved; for the bass player, the music producer, and the listeners.
In this article, I will present to you the five best bass Synth pedals. These are pedals that I have had personal experience with, both as a recording engineer and part-time bass player. These pedals are:
 | 1. Best affordable bass synth pedal: Zoom – B1on At an affordable price, it has 80 DSP effects, the ability to use simultaneously up to 5 DSP effects, and enough memory to store up to 100 configurations. | Buy on Amazon |
 | 2. Best professional quality bass synth pedal: Zoom B3n Bass Guitar Multi-Effects Processor Pedal With its “ultra-realistic” stompbox, amp and cabinet emulators, 68 built-in rhythmic patterns, intuitive and simple interface for fast editing, and an exceptional expression pedal, the B3n is the professional bass player’s best choice. | Buy on Amazon |
 | 3. Best bass synth pedal for beginner players: Boss GT – 1B Bass Synth Pedal The GT – 1B is the bass pedal for everyone. It features a wide range of tones – you might never run out of tones with this synth pedal. | Buy on Amazon |
 | 4. Best bass synth pedal for tech-savvy bass players: Source Audio One Series C4 Bass Synth Pedal Small but powerful. The C4 bass synth provide unexpectedly top quality and scintillating bass synth playing experience, | Buy on Amazon |
 | 5. Best analog-modeled bass synth pedal: Boss SYB – 5 Bass Synth Pedal The SYB – 5 remains one of the most versatile analog synth pedals in the market, it features 11 different analog synth tones, and an expression pedal that allows modification of LFO rates, and filter cutoffs. | Buy on Amazon |
The best bass synth pedal reviews
Best affordable bass synth pedal Zoom – B1on
When it comes to the world of guitar/bass effect pedals and signal processors, I’d always had a liking for Zoom. Little wonder did I fall in love at my first sight of the Zoom B1on. The B1on comes loaded with 100 effects and amp models that you can choose from. You might not like or use all 100, but from personal experience recording a bass player that used this, I can tell you that you might like a lot of them. Also, it comes with a built-in chromatic tuner, amp/headphone output, and auxiliary input should you wish to hook up your music players.
Another feature that I think is great is that the B1on allows you to construct CD-quality bass loops in perfect synchronization to its onboard rhythm machine. The B1on comes with some good-sounding compressors, equalizers, filters, and octave dividers. Also, it is loaded with overdrives, flangers, fuzzes, and phasers. It has a chorus, vibrato, tremolo, and a sub-octave generator. Lastly, it comes with a “secret” effect for players who wish to simulate the fretless bass. Personally, when talking about the best cheap bass synth pedals, I always make sure to put the Zoom B1on on that list.
The B1on comes with a total of 80 effects and 14 Amp models. Also, you can simultaneously make use of the 5 effects. Also, the B1on has 100 memory locations, comes with an onboard chromatic tuner, looper, and rhythm machine to make your solo rehearsal sessions a little more fun and band-like.
Pros:
- Loaded with 80 DSP effects.
- You can simultaneously use up to 5 DSP effects.
- A very fair price; if you can afford a bass, you probably can afford this.
- Enough memory to store up to 100 configurations.
Cons:
- A little bit too small in size.
- Might generate some buzzing.
- You might not like the sounds of most of the presets.
Best professional quality bass synth pedal Zoom B3n Bass Guitar
Although price-wise, the Zoom B3n is somewhat on the high side, it is what many bass players would refer to as a professional bass synth pedal. I have a professional bass player friend who recorded with me using this a while back. From my little experience with this, I can tell that it is worth every dollar.
The B3n comes with an “ultra-realistic” stompbox. Another wonderful feature of the B3n is its amp and cabinet emulators. The amp and cabinet emulators become quite handy in studio recording scenarios where all you want to do is emulate those pristine-sounding amps and cabinets. The editing features on the B3n are also quite simple and intuitive with three LCDs. They are specifically designed to help you achieve your own distinct sound as quickly as possible.
The B3n has 67 top-quality stompbox DSP effects. It has 5 new amp emulators and 5 cabinet emulators. Also, you can simultaneously make use of up to 7 effects/amps/cabinets. You can chain these effects together in any order that pleases you. The B3n has 3 stompbox switches that allow effects to be brought in and out instantly without delay. It also comes with a stereo/mono looper and allows up to 80 seconds of phrase recording. To sum it all up, the B3n comes with 68 built-in rhythmic patterns that can also be used simultaneously with the looper.
Pros:
- 68 built-in rhythmic patterns for a “one-man-band” style of play and rehearsals.
- Very versatile.
- Very intuitive and simple interface for fast editing
- Top-quality effects.
- Realistic amp and cabinet emulators
- An optional expression pedal
Cons:
- A little too big for a pedalboard.
- Not a very economical price.
Best bass synth pedal for beginner players Boss GT – 1B
The GT-1B comes with an impressive range of professional tone-shaping tools in a small and sturdy package. With the GT – 1B, you will have full access to an enormous selection of bass-optimized amps and effects for both stage and recording studio scenarios. I love the interface of the GT – 1B as it lets you dial in the sounds you want fast. It has an onboard control switch and expression pedal to enable you to adjust multiple effects in real-time. I love the robust build of the GT – 1B as it is sturdy enough to save me both in the studio and on live stages. It is made of steel and not rubber. Also, when connected to the “Boss Tone Central,” you can download new sound patches, editing software, and many more.
Comes with a flagship-class BOSS sound engine specially tuned for bass guitar. It also comes with pro-level amps and effects in a sturdy and lightweight unit. It has all the essential tools onboard you would need as a bass player to optimize your bass tone. Includes advanced MDP effects for maximum musical expression. Comes in a quite modern and travel-friendly design.
Pros:
- You don’t have to be a pro bass player to own one; it is suitable for any level
- We can save the configurations.
- Robust and travel-friendly.
- Such a wide range of tones that you might probably never run out of options.
- You can simultaneously use up to 5 DSP effects.
- A very fair price; if you can afford a bass, you probably can afford this.
- Enough memory to store up to 100 configurations.
Cons:
- It only works with the BOSS power adapter.
- Takes quite a while to find the right sound
Best bass synth pedal for tech-savvy bass players Source Audio C4 Bass Synth Pedal
At a first glance, this synth pedal might not look like such a killer pedal because of its relatively small size. But the C4 is a typical example of the saying “big things come in small packages.” I had quite an experience recording a bass player who came with this to the studio, just a few minutes into the first take, while sound checking and tuning. It became quite clear that the C4 is not what it looks like.
The C4 is small, and it has only 4 knobs (Input and Mix for blend control, and Control 1 and Control 2 for parameter adjustments). But with the Source Audio’s Neuro Desktop Editor (Neuro mobile app), you have parallel voices, tons of waveforms to experiment with, envelope followers, modulation filters, tremolo, pitch-shifting, harmonization, and a lot more parameters to play around with. The Neuro Desktop Editor is available as a free download for Windows and Mac systems.
The C5 comes with three styles of flanger which are the “Classic Flange,” “Thru-Zero Flange,” and a highly resonant type of flanger known as “Shadow Flange.” You can download additional phaser and chorus algorithms with the Neuro Mobile App for both iOS and Android. Lastly, you can pair the Mercury with the Neuro Hub and save up to 128 presets that you can recall with MIDI program change messages from an external MIDI foot controller.
Pros:
- Small but powerful.
- When used with the Neuro Desktop Editor or Neuro mobile app you can unlock tonnes of parameters that you may not find in most self-contained foot pedals.
Cons:
- Most of the sounds and functions are only accessible with the desktop editor and not the pedal itself.
Best analog-modeled bass synth pedal Boss SYB-5 Bass Synth Pedal
Boss is one of those brands that I will always comfortably recommend to people. The BOSS SYB-5 pedal has two inputs and outputs to process two signals simultaneously. Considering the size of the SYB-5, I would say that this is indeed a very versatile Synth pedal. The SYB-5 produces 11 different analog-type synth sounds, which are created by modifying square, saw, and pulse synth waveforms.
The overall sound quality of the SYB-5 is enhanced over its predecessor, which is the SYB-3. When talking about bass synth pedals, the SYB-5 always makes it to my list because I have had to experience recording bass players with it and also playing it myself. It is small, sturdy, and has most of everything you would need in a bass synth pedal.
The SYB-5 comes with 11 DSP variations of Square, Saw, and Pulse synth waves. Also, it has a control filter cutoff and LFO rate with an optional EV-5 Expression Pedal. Its Enhanced Wave Shape Mode provides sharper sounds. You can hold notes with the onboard pedal and groove over the top.
Pros:
- 11 different analog synth tones
- The expression pedal support allows modification of LFO rates and filter cutoffs
- The Pitch Hold feature allows you to play over a sustained tone
- Sturdy
Cons:
- Not so much control over the parameters of the preloaded tones.
Buying Guide For Bass Synth Pedals
How Much Do Bass Synth Pedals Cost? How Much Should I Spend On One?
Bass synth pedals and guitar effect pedals, in general, can range anywhere from as low as $50 to a few thousands of dollars. Generally, more expensive pedals will always come with features you might not find in less expensive pedals. For instance, the B3n comes with 68 built-in rhythmic patterns and some realistic amp and cabinet emulators.
Extra features in most cases, will always mean additional bucks. It is left for you to decide which feature is most important and useful to you. For example, it wouldn’t be a great idea to pay some extra bucks for an amp or cap emulator when you already have a good-sounding one. It also probably wouldn’t be a great idea to pay for extra 100 DSP effects when your genre and style will at most require 5. This however is not a rule of thumb, you can always pay for those extra features even when you know you might not really need them – if you have the extra cash.
Who Needs A Bass Synth Pedal?
I don’t even want to answer this by saying “it depends on the style of music you play.” Okay, let’s twist the question slightly by asking “Who doesn’t need a bass synth pedal?” Alright, if you are the bassist or musician that is anti-bass-tone modulation, you dig the traditional and untampered bass tone, then you may not need a bass pedal. And that’s perfectly okay! But if you are the type that loves experimenting with different kinds of tones, and would want your bass to sound more like a synth or even somewhat weird, then you need a bass synth pedal. A bass synth pedal will transform your bass and enable you to experiment with varieties of tones both in the studio and on live stages. A good example below:
Can You Use Guitar Pedals For Bass And Vise Versa?
The short answer to this question is ‘yes you can.’ However, from personal experiences, I have come to notice that bass pedals work perfectly fine with guitars but in some cases, guitar pedals aren’t always a perfect fit for bass. This, however, is my opinion. The key here is to experiment. Also, all the bass synth pedals I have mentioned here do work perfectly fine with guitars too.
What is The Difference Between Guitar And Bass Synth Pedal
The main difference between a bass and guitar pedal is that bass pedals are specifically designed to optimize the ‘low-end frequencies’ of a bass guitar. On the other hand, guitar pedals are designed to optimize the higher ‘mid-range frequencies. They do not pay much attention to the low frequencies.
Conclusion and Winner
Choosing the winner(s) out of these five has been quite a tricky and tough one. There are a lot of good bass synth pedals out there and this makes choosing the best bass synth pedals quite a task. The truth is that every bass synth pedal on this list is unique and amazing in its own way. But having put everything into consideration. I mean things like price, sound library, user interface, size, overall build, and reputation behind the brands, I came out with two favorites, winners, and recommendations. My first winner is no other but the Boss SYB-5 Bass Synth Pedal. Yes, the SYB-5 scores high in all ramifications.
Price-wise, it is not what I would call expensive. It is fairly affordable. The SYB-5 can always make it to the list of the best cheap bass synth pedals. It is sturdy and comes with a quite friendly user interface. For its size, it is what I would call “very versatile.” It comes with 11 different analog-type Synth sounds that will be perfect for many playing scenarios that require a Synth bass pedal. My favorite features are the expression and pitch hold pedals. Also, there is some great reputation to the brand name BOSS when it comes to pedals and effect processors. In most cases, you will never go wrong with a BOSS pedal.
Lastly, the Source Audio One Series C4 Bass Synth Pedal is such innovation with its Neuro desktop and mobile app. Although most of its functionalities are only accessible with the Neuro App, this in my opinion doesn’t take so many points from the small but mighty C4. The fact that you can even download more patches and improve this pedal’s functionality makes it so cool. After the SYB-5, the C4 comes next on my list.
Last update on 2023-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
