A guitar synth lets you play synthesizer sounds (fat analog leads, string pads, squelchy bass, bells) with the guitar you already own. There are four ways to do it in 2026, and they differ a lot in price, in how fast the synth follows your playing, and in whether chords work. Here is each one in plain English, what it costs at US stores, and which one fits how you play. At the end there's one more option for guitarists who'd rather have a separate synth that plays like a guitar.
The short answer
Easiest: a synth pedal that works with any guitar and normal pickups, like the Boss SY-1 (about $200), Boss SY-200 (about $330) or Electro-Harmonix Synth9 (about $260). Plug in and play. For per-string control and MIDI, add a hex pickup: the Boss GK-5 with a GM-800, or a Fishman TriplePlay into a computer. For the cleanest MIDI from a guitar, a MIDI guitar such as the Jamstik Core ($649.99). And if you want a synth that plays like a guitar without plugging one in, GLIDE (ours, $114.99) slides between notes like a bent string.
Prices checked in October 2026 at US stores.
- What is a guitar synth?
- Guitar synth pedals: no special pickup needed
- Guitar synth pickups: the hex pickup route
- MIDI guitars
- Plugins and apps
- Tracking and latency, explained simply
- Which guitar synth should you get?
- Or a synth that plays like a guitar
- Guitar synth FAQ
What is a guitar synth?
A guitar synthesizer is anything that turns what you play on a guitar into synth sound. The guitar does the playing; something else makes the tone. That "something" has to listen to your strings, work out what you played, and drive a synth engine from it. How it listens is the whole story:
- A synth pedal listens to your normal pickup, like any other effect. Cheapest and simplest.
- A hex pickup is an extra pickup with six separate sensors, one per string, feeding a synth module or a computer. More control, more setup.
- A MIDI guitar has that sensing built into the guitar itself and sends MIDI notes to any synth or app.
- Software listens to a normal guitar through an audio interface and turns it into MIDI on your computer.
Guitar synths have been around since the 1970s, and for decades they meant a special guitar and a floor unit the size of a suitcase. Today most players start with a pedal the size of an overdrive. If the word "synthesizer" itself is fuzzy, our guide to what a synthesizer is covers oscillators, filters and the rest in plain English.
Guitar synth pedals: no special pickup needed
This is where most guitarists should start. A synth pedal goes on your board like any other effect, works with your normal pickups, and needs no changes to your guitar. These are the ones worth knowing:
| Pedal | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Boss SY-1 | About $200 |
Chords: Yes, polyphonic Sounds: 121 (11 types x 11 variations) Bass: Yes, guitar/bass switch Size: Standard Boss compact |
| Boss SY-200 | About $330 |
Chords: Yes, polyphonic Sounds: 171 in 12 categories, 128 memories Bass: Yes MIDI: In/out on 3.5 mm TRS |
| Electro-Harmonix Synth9 | About $260 |
Chords: Yes, polyphonic Sounds: 9 presets modeled on vintage synths Bass: Yes, down to the open A string Tracking: Up to about the 23rd fret on high E |
| Electro-Harmonix Mono Synth | About $150 |
Chords: No, one note at a time Best for: Synth leads and bass lines Bass: Yes |
Boss SY-1
Best first guitar synthBoss calls the SY-1 a polyphonic guitar synth that needs no special pickup, so chords work as well as single notes. A big knob picks from 11 sound types (leads, pads, strings, bass and more), each with 11 variations, and a switch sets it up for guitar or bass. About $200 at US stores. If you only buy one thing from this guide, this is the safe pick.
Boss SY-200
More sounds, saveable presetsThe SY-1's bigger sibling: 171 sounds in 12 categories, 128 memory slots for your own versions, and MIDI in and out on small TRS jacks (cables sold separately). Get it if you'll tweak sounds and want to recall them per song. About $330.
Electro-Harmonix Synth9 and Mono Synth
One knob, classic soundsThe Synth9 is polyphonic, with nine presets built to recreate famous vintage synths, and EHX says it works on guitar or bass with no special pickups or MIDI. About $260 at US stores. Its cheaper sibling, the Mono Synth (about $150), plays one note at a time, which suits leads and bass lines fine but won't do chords.
The trade-off with any pedal: it only hears one mixed signal from your guitar, so it can't treat each string differently. For most players that never matters. If it does, read on.
Guitar synth pickups: the hex pickup route
A hex pickup (also called a divided pickup) sits right by the bridge and has six tiny sensors, one under each string. Instead of one mixed signal, the synth gets six clean ones. That unlocks things a pedal can't do: a different sound or tuning on each string, wide layered voicings, and clean MIDI notes to drive any synth or plugin.
Boss GK-5 pickup + GM-800 or SY-1000
The pro guitar synth rigThe GK-5 is Boss's current divided pickup ($274.99 at Sweetwater). It is user-installable on most standard electric guitars and mounts its connector to the strap button. It uses the newer Serial GK connection, which plugs straight into the Boss GM-800 guitar synth (about $750 to $850). The flagship Boss SY-1000 (about $1,320) has the older 13-pin GK input, so pairing it with a GK-5 means adding Boss's GKC-DA converter. With a GK pickup, the SY-1000 gives you pitch, level and panning per string, so alternate tunings are a button press away, and it still accepts your normal pickup through a regular input.
Fishman TriplePlay
Hex pickup to your computerFishman's TriplePlay line turns a six-string guitar into a MIDI controller for software synths. The TriplePlay Express attaches with magnetic mounts and no modifications, then sends MIDI to a computer, tablet or phone over one USB-C cable ($219.95 at Sweetwater). The TriplePlay Wireless (about $425) sends MIDI over its own low-latency 2.4 GHz link and runs 20+ hours per charge. The older TriplePlay Connect is no longer in Fishman's lineup. Not for nylon-string guitars.
MIDI guitars
A MIDI guitar has the hex sensing built in at the factory, tuned to that exact neck and those strings. That usually means the most reliable tracking you can get from a guitar. Jamstik is the best-known maker right now. Its official store lists the Jamstik Core at $649.99, the Standard at $1,099.99 and the Deluxe at $1,699.99; the Classic is listed but unavailable, and the older Studio model is no longer on the store. The Core has a six-channel hexaphonic MIDI pickup, sends MIDI over USB and TRS, and also plays as a normal electric guitar through an amp. Jamstik quotes about 10 ms average latency (6 to 15 ms) over USB on its Deluxe page; that's the maker's number, not an independent test.
A MIDI guitar makes no sound by itself as a synth. You still need a synth to play: a plugin on a computer, an app on an iPad, or a hardware synth with MIDI in.
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Plugins and apps
If you already record into a computer, software is the cheapest way to try guitar synth:
- Audio-to-MIDI software. MIDI Guitar by Jam Origin listens to a normal guitar through your audio interface and turns it into polyphonic MIDI, with no special pickup. It runs on Mac, Windows and iOS, and there's a free trial. Expect it to work best with clean, deliberate playing.
- Any soft synth. Once you have MIDI (from MIDI Guitar, a TriplePlay or a Jamstik), any synth plugin in your DAW will play from your guitar, including the free ones that come with GarageBand and most DAWs.
- Synth-style guitar effects. Many amp-sim and multi-effects plugins include synth-flavored effects such as octave, filter and pitch effects. They color your guitar rather than replacing it, which is sometimes all you want.
Tracking and latency, explained simply
Tracking is how well the synth figures out which note you played. Latency is the delay between picking the string and hearing the synth. Both come from the same problem: a string has to vibrate a little before anything can tell what note it is.
Your low E string vibrates about 82 times a second, so one full vibration takes about 12 milliseconds. A tracker usually needs to see at least a cycle or two to be sure of the pitch, which is why low notes feel a touch slower than high ones and why a sloppy pick attack can confuse it. Fast pedals hide most of this; MIDI systems, which have to name an exact note, feel it more.
Why chords need a hex pickup (for MIDI): with a normal pickup, all six strings arrive mixed into one signal. Pulling six exact notes out of that blend is hard, a bit like naming every voice in a choir from one microphone. Polyphonic pedals like the SY-1 and Synth9 do handle chords well from that one signal, but they can't tell which string played what. A hex pickup gives each string its own wire, so the synth hears six single notes instead of one chord, and per-string sounds and clean MIDI become possible.
Which guitar synth should you get?
| Route | Typical cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Synth pedal | $150 to $330 |
Setup: Plug in, any guitar Chords: Yes (poly models) Per-string: No MIDI notes out: No |
| Hex pickup + synth | About $1,100 and up |
Setup: Mount a pickup, run a cable Chords: Yes Per-string: Yes MIDI notes out: Yes |
| Hex pickup to computer | $219.95 and up |
Setup: Pickup + laptop or tablet Chords: Yes Per-string: Yes MIDI notes out: Yes |
| MIDI guitar | From $649.99 |
Setup: A new guitar Chords: Yes Per-string: Yes MIDI notes out: Yes |
| Software only | Free trial |
Setup: Audio interface + computer Chords: Yes, accuracy varies Per-string: No MIDI notes out: Yes |
Get a synth pedal if
- You want synth sounds on stage tonight with no changes to your guitar.
- You play with an amp and a pedalboard, not a computer.
- You want chords and leads, and don't need MIDI.
- Start with the Boss SY-1.
Go hex pickup or MIDI guitar if
- You want MIDI into a DAW to play soft synths or write notation.
- You want different sounds per string or instant alternate tunings.
- You'll spend time on setup: string height and pick attack matter.
- Laptop player: TriplePlay Express. Pedalboard player: GK-5 + GM-800.
Shopping for a guitarist rather than for yourself? A synth pedal makes a great surprise; our gifts for guitar players guide has more ideas at every budget.
Or a synth that plays like a guitar
Everything above makes your guitar sound like a synth. Some guitarists actually want the opposite: a synth of its own, something to grab on the couch or take on a trip, that feels like a guitar under the fingers. That's a different shopping list, and our best pocket synthesizers guide covers it in full. Two that come closest to a guitarist's way of playing:
GLIDE
Pocket synth that plays like stringsFull disclosure: we make this one. GLIDE started as an instrument whose notes slide like a bent guitar string. Its four rows of keys are laid out like strings: the bottom row plays chords and the rows above play melody. Hold a note and tap another on the same row and it glides up like a bend; let go and it slides back, the same feel as a hammer-on and pull-off. Tilt it for vibrato and to morph the sound. Scale lock is on by default, so every key is in key. Put a record on and its mic listens, then retunes GLIDE to the song's key and tempo so you can jam along with any song, no need to find the key yourself. There's a one-button looper for backing yourself, and Randomize invents new sounds whenever you want one. It has a speaker and a headphone jack, runs 7 to 12 hours per charge, and is built and tested by hand with a microSD sound library. Updates are free once it's yours. To be plain about it: GLIDE does not plug into a guitar and has no MIDI. It's a separate instrument, not a guitar synth pedal. $114.99.
Artiphon Chorda
Strummable chord synthThe Chorda has 12 pressure-sensitive pads and a six-trigger bridge you can strum or tap, and New Atlas notes you can hold it like a ukulele or lay it flat. It has a speaker, a looper and MIDI over Bluetooth or USB-C, with about four hours per charge. It listed at $249.99, but Sweetwater (where Artiphon's site sends buyers) shows it as no longer available, so expect to hunt for one.
Guitar synth FAQ
Do I need a special pickup for a guitar synth?
Not for a synth pedal. The Boss SY-1, Boss SY-200 and Electro-Harmonix Synth9 all work with normal pickups on any guitar or bass, chords included. You need a hex pickup such as the Boss GK-5 or a Fishman TriplePlay only for per-string control or MIDI notes.
What is the best guitar synth pedal for beginners?
The Boss SY-1, at about $200 in October 2026. It is polyphonic, needs no special pickup, and has 121 sounds picked with one knob. The Electro-Harmonix Synth9 (about $260) is a good alternative with nine vintage-style presets.
Why do guitar synths have latency?
A string has to vibrate before anything can tell which note it is. The low E string takes about 12 milliseconds for one vibration, and a tracker usually needs a cycle or two to be sure, so low notes respond a little slower than high ones.
Can I turn my guitar into a MIDI controller?
Yes. Add a hex pickup like the Fishman TriplePlay Express ($219.95), which sends MIDI over USB-C with no modifications, or use software such as MIDI Guitar by Jam Origin through an audio interface. A MIDI guitar like the Jamstik Core ($649.99) has the pickup built in.
Does GLIDE work with a guitar?
No. GLIDE does not plug into a guitar and has no MIDI. It is a separate pocket synth whose notes slide and bend like guitar strings, with four rows of keys laid out like strings.
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