Best Guitar / Bass Synthesizers for Advanced 2026

• Weight3.3 kg

The GR-55GK Black is a powerful and surprisingly versatile guitar synthesizer, perfect for players wanting to explore a massive palette of sounds beyond traditional guitar tones. Its modeling capabilities and synth engine offer a lot of creative potential, but a bit of a learning curve to master all the features. A great option for gigging musicians or studio players who want a compact, all-in-one solution.

If you want to go well beyond normal guitar tones, this unit is worth a look. It can run three sound types at once, and it can tune each string on its own. To use all of its synth features, you will need a GK pickup and a 13-pin cable, so plan for those before you buy.

You get a guitar and bass synth with over 1200 tones and 150 User scenes, plus USB and MIDI so it also works with a keyboard or computer. It suits you if you want synth sounds from your guitar or bass and like to organise your sounds on a computer with BOSS Tone Studio. Remember you will need a GK pickup and a serial GK cable, which are sold separately.

You get a lot of synth sounds from this small pedal, with 128 memory spots to save the ones you like. Because it needs no special pickup, you can plug your current guitar straight in. It suits you if you want synth tones in a compact box that runs on batteries or a DC power supply you buy separately.

This pedal lets you make real synthesizer sounds straight from your guitar without extra pickups. It handles six voices at once and has a nice color screen that feels familiar to other Meris units. It is a powerful tool for players who want rich tones without buying a whole keyboard.

The GK-5 paired with the G6 is a powerful, albeit complex, system for guitarists wanting serious synth capabilities. It’s ideal for players already invested in the Roland/Boss ecosystem or those seeking a highly responsive, expressive synth guitar setup. The tracking is noticeably improved over previous generations, making it a worthwhile upgrade for serious synth guitar enthusiasts.

The KEY9 is a pedal that turns your guitar or keyboard signal into electric piano and organ style tones. It has nine presets, such as Wurli, Suitcase and Vibes, plus knobs to blend your original tone with the keys sound. It suits you if you want to add keyboard textures to your guitar or keys playing.

You get nine mellotron-style sounds, from strings and flute to choirs and brass, all made from your guitar, bass or keyboard. The effect and dry volume knobs let you mix in your clean sound, and the separate dry output keeps your untouched signal available. It suits you if you want orchestral or vintage tape textures without special pickups.

• Strings6-string

You get a GK pickup for 4-, 5- and 6-string basses, with a housing that is 30% smaller than the GK2B and a larger volume knob. The magnet spacing adjusts to match your bass's string spacing, from jazz-bass to six-string width. If you play bass and want a pickup that fits many different instruments, this one is a solid choice for you.