How To Make Your Guitar Sound Like A Synth

• Why not just buy a synth?
• 1. Synth guitar pedals
• 2. Fuzz & Other Guitar Effects Pedals
• 3. Sustainer/ MIDI Pickups
• 4. Playing techniques
• Summary

Synths are amazingly creative and versatile instruments. Just like guitars, synthesisers come in all shapes and sizes and possess sounds across a vast sonic scope, from soft pads to fat bass, harsh square and triangle waves to bell chimes and squelchy acid drops to string-like plucks and everything in between. There’s an endless way to incorporate synth sounds into your music – it’s no wonder guitarists want to get in on the action.

Lucky for you, it’s not difficult to replicate a synth sound on our stringed instruments while still being able to utilise our guitar skills to great effect. There are several options at our disposal in the form of guitar pedals, gadgets and a few free-thinking techniques to create synth tones.

Why not just buy a synth?

There’s nothing stopping you from buying a synth. There are some really affordable options from the likes of Behringer and Korg that recreate the tones of classic models that shaped house, EDM, hip-hop, R&B and plenty of other electronic-influenced subgenres. They’re easy to learn to play as well.

However, there’s a lot to say for being able to apply your abilities on the guitar to a synth sound. We have a particular way of writing songs and techniques that can sound cool with an alternate synthy tone. You may also be searching for a very particular sound that a guitar and synth-infused gear/techniques can only achieve.

Some more expensive synths could also present the challenge of learning how to play an entirely new instrument. Although many synths don’t resemble a piano, those packed with the most features, called workstations, usually opt for the classic keyboard layout.

Plus, if you’re planning to perform live, you’ll have to consider how you’ll play both instruments at the same time and may need to adjust your music to be able to jump over to the synth if you don’t have a dedicated keyboardist but still don’t want to play it on a backing track.

1. Synth guitar pedals

The most straightforward method on the list – get yourself a dedicated synth guitar pedal! This is a sure-fire way of harnessing realistic synth tones based on carefully curated sounds. They work by processing your dry signal through digital algorithms. You’ll find pedals that recreate classic analogue synths renowned for their warmth and grit, more immediate and experimental digital synth influences, all sorts of strings, bell and organ sounds, lo-fi chiptune textures and crushed 8-bit madness. They also incorporate other effects commonly paired with a lot of synths, like arpeggiators and frequency filters.

Guitar synth pedals have come a long way from their earlier days when they were often dismissed for poor sound quality and frustrating latency issues. Today’s releases are genuinely impressive, packing an incredible range of synth tones into compact, stage-ready formats that work seamlessly in live settings.

What makes modern synth pedals so appealing is their versatility. A single unit can provide hi and lo-pass filtering, modulation, oscillation patterns, bit-crushing, compression, and built-in reverb and delay effects. It’s like having multiple pedals rolled into one convenient package.

Top Recommendations

• Meris Enzo X and Ottobit X both stand out as powerful and comprehensive options, offering what feels like an entirely new instrument with seemingly endless sonic possibilities.
• Boss SY-200 is packed full of stellar synth sounds with excellent tone shaping controls and MIDI compatibility.
• Electro-Harmonix Super Ego Plus creates huge sound layering possibilities, infinite sustain and glissandos (gliding from one pitch to the next) with 11 unique effects you’d find in legendary synths.
• Line 6 Helix Stomp is an all-rounder multi-effects processor with surprisingly authentic synth capabilities alongside comprehensive tonal control.

There are several more straightforward compact options as well at more affordable prices. Electro-Harmonix’s Mono Synth is a reliable choice that provides great ’80s-inspired bass and lead tones, and the Boss SY-1 is the compact, more basic version of the SY-200. The Behringer BM-17 Frequency Box is centred around a voltage-controlled oscillator for thick fuzz tones through to full-on modular synth customisation. Heading up in price is the GM-800 is Boss’ fully kitted out version with hundreds of original sounds and insane tone tweaking capabilities.

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2. Fuzz & Other Guitar Effects Pedals

As well as purpose-built guitar synth pedals, you can capture synth vibes with a combination of other stompboxes you may already have laying around, or essential effects should consider adding to your setup anyway. At the top of the list is fuzz, which you can use to get a very un-guitar-like synth lead sound.

Silicon Fuzz

You might not immediately think of classic fuzz pedals when considering synth sounds, but modern fuzz effects get surprisingly close to the fat square waveforms that define many synthesizer lead tones. Think thick, soaring melodies on a lot of dance tracks. That’s exactly what you’re aiming to recreate with the right fuzz setup. Fuzz (and distortion) alter your guitar’s waveform by adding harmonics, and when pushed to extremes, they can transform your signal into something resembling a square wave through clipping.

Silicon-based fuzz pedals with mix dials and built-in gates work particularly well for this application. They let you create that distinctive sputtering, clipped, harsher cut-off sound that feels more like a synthesizer than a traditional electric guitar. Companies like Electro-Harmonix, ZVEX, JHS Pedals, and Walrus Audio make excellent options that excel in this territory.

Filters, modulation and pitch shifting

As well as fuzz, other effects like phaser, chorus, pitch shifters, wah pedals, and talk boxes are all great options that you can harness to shape a synth-like sound. Talk boxes and wah pedals function as filters, adding depth and movement to your sound in ways that mirror synthesizer filter sweeps.

Adding pitch-shifting effects can take this even further. Just be mindful that playing with extreme gain means any unintentional string noise or chord ringing will quickly turn into a wash of unwanted sound. Focus on clean single-note lines and deftly mute the other strings. A noise gate can help manage the chaos.

The typical guitar signal chain mirrors basic synth architecture: oscillators → filters → amplification/effects (use the four cable method to get super defined tones). Start with fuzz to create your square wave, add filtering with something like an envelope filter, then apply heavy compression since guitars are naturally more dynamic than most synths. Finish with reverb, delay, and modulation effects to add dimension as you would with a synth. Turn the mix on your pedals up pretty high to make less of an obvious guitar tone!

Use a combination of these effects to create synth sounds

• Fuzz pedals (especially silicon-based with mix controls)
• Envelope filters (EHX Q-Tron, JHS Pedals Bitcrusher, AC Noises Continua, EHX SYNTH9)
• Ring Modulation (Red Panda Radius, Warm Audio Ringerbringer, Gamechanger Audio Motor, Behringer BM-12)
• Heavy compression
• Pitch shifters/octave effects (Digitech Whammy, Behringer BM-17, Alexander Pedals Syntax Error, EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine, Red Panda Particle 2)
• Noise gates (helpful but optional)

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3. Sustainer/ MIDI Pickups

One of the most distinctive characteristics of the electric guitar sound is that sharp pick attack when you strike the strings. That percussive element is exactly what sets guitar apart from the smooth glissando of a lot of synthesizer sounds (not to say you can’t get plucky tones or even make them sound like guitars, a la Daft Punk’s Digital Love). When you use hammer-ons and pull-offs, you get closer to that seamless synth feel since notes blend into each other without the initial attack. The challenge is maintaining sustain without constantly picking new notes.

Sustainiac pickups

Sustainiac pickups solve this problem by eliminating the need to pick strings altogether. Instead of leaning into the natural decay of a plucked string, these specialized pickups project notes at consistent volume levels, giving you unlimited sustain. This allows you to move around on a single string or across the fretboard without the typical dynamic rise and fall that defines traditional guitar tone. The result is much more synth-like in its consistency.

Schechter offer some excellent premium guitars fitted with Sustainiac pickups in the neck position, including their Reaper-6 FR S models and even the Synyster Gates Custom S signature model.

MIDI Pickups

For even greater flexibility, MIDI pickups from the likes Roland, Boss, and Fishman trigger any sound you’ve programmed into a separate MIDI device. Think of it as turning your guitar into a controller for external sound sources. You could connect a MIDI pickup to a multi-effects pedal or even a DAW via an audio interface and access fully customised tones that you’ve crafted specifically for your needs. Essentially, you’re no longer limited to guitar sounds at all – you can play piano, strings, brass, or any synthesizer patch through your guitar.

With MIDI pickups you can access entire sound libraries and play them with the familiar feel of your guitar. Each string can even trigger different sounds simultaneously, opening polyphonic possibilities that traditional guitars simply can’t achieve. Top picks include the Roland GK-3 or the Boss GK-5 which is also available in a bundle with their next-generation GM-800 Guitar and Bass synthesiser pedal for a total all-in-one guitar synth kit.

Both approaches have their strengths. Sustainiac pickups keep you in the guitar world while adding that crucial sustain element that makes synth-like playing possible. MIDI pickups can completely transform your guitar into a universal controller for any sound you can imagine.

4. Playing techniques

If you want to try emulating a synth with your guitar right now with no extra gear, there are a few techniques and methods you can use to help achieve a more believable tone.

Using guitar controls

Your guitar’s built-in controls can be surprisingly effective for creating synth-like effects without any additional gear. Synthesizers commonly use faders and tremolo effects, and you can mimic both directly from your guitar.

Try this technique: play a chord or single note, then gradually turn your volume knob from zero up to full and back down again. You can adjust the speed to match whatever feel you’re going for. The key trick here is to pick the string while your volume is set to zero, then fade the sound in. This eliminates that distinctive pluck that immediately identifies the sound as coming from a guitar rather than a synthesizer.

For an even smoother synth-like tone, switch to your neck pickup and roll your tone control down significantly. This gives you a warmer, rounder sound that’s much further removed from typical bright, twangy characteristics of electric guitars. The combination of volume swells and rolled-off tone creates something much closer to big fluffy synth pads.

Tapping and legato

Creating convincing synth tones involves more than just dialling in the right effects – you’ll need to approach the instrument differently. Playing your guitar as if you’re tickling the old synth keys means focusing on techniques that eliminate percussive pick attack.

Legato technique will for most players be an accessible starting point. This involves stringing together sequences of hammer-ons and pull-offs without picking individual notes. Once you get comfortable with this approach, you can even move fluidly between strings, creating seamless melodic lines that flow more like synthesizer parts than traditional guitar licks.

Tapping requires greater mastery since it involves using your picking hand to directly fret notes cleanly. Start by hammering down on frets with whichever finger feels most comfortable – many players find their middle finger feels most natural to use. As you get more confident with basic tapping, experiment by using multiple fingers and even tapping over chord shapes to create more complex harmonies. Legendary jazz fusion players Allan Holdsworth is one of very few guitarists who could meld these techniques flawlessly in his own distinct brand of playing.

Both techniques help you move away from the staccato, percussive nature of picked guitar and instead draws you into interconnected phrasing that characterizes synthesizer performance. The goal is creating long, flowing melodic lines where each note connects seamlessly to the next, just like you’d hear from a keyboardist working with sustained synth patches.

Summary

Now we’ve covered all the ways to make you guitar sound like a synth, you can mix and match these techniques and gear recommendations to get a convincing sound while still being able to imprint your identity as a guitarist onto your music.

Synth pedals are going to get you closest to the synth tone you desire right off the bat, but other combinations of fuzz and distortion, filter pedals and phaser, flanger and chorus are going to give you a taste of synth with the right settings. If you’re feeling adventurous, then the right guitar pickup will get you closer to the type of sustain and synthetic textures you’re after.

You can enhance these tones with your playing, using tapping, legato, volume knob swells to create all the pads, chunky basslines, quirky leads and arpeggios you love from synths!

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