Chorus Recommendations

[Floyd Pepper]

I'm after a chorus for my son for Christmas.  I've currently got a Boss CE-1 like this http://guitargeek.com/gearview/40/ and an Ibanez Bi-Mode like this http://guitargeek.com/gearview/164/

I don't like either of them.  The CE-1 is supposed to be the best Chorus ever but it looses too much treble.  The Bi-Mode is just nuts.  It has 2 simultaneous choruses running.  It has 4 knobs.  2 knobs for each chorus.  You can get them out of in/out of sync so you get big peek and troughs.  It's just too difficult to control.

Does anyone have any opionions on Boss CE-2 or the current Boss Chorus pedals.  How do they compare to the Electro Harmonix Small Clone Chorus?  Are the modern Harmonix pedals any good?

[jt]

:D Have used the CE2 it`s very good you should get a power supply with it as it can be noisy when battery operated. I`ve never had aproblem with them. The digital Boss one i think it`s the CE3 that was excellent & i thought it was better than the CE2. Have never used a EH chorus so i can`t compare them i`m affraid.

 :D   8)

[Ratrod]

I have an old Ibanez CS-9. I don't use it very often but I think the sound is pretty good. It's a simple device, just two knobs. They're currently reissueing them.

I used the CS-9 on the intro of my Suicide Warpig clip.

If you like the chorus sounds of the Police and the Cult, you'll like the CS-9.

[willo]

I have the analogman mini-chorus, its easily the best chorus i've ever heard...its basically an improved and tweaked original Small Clone circuit. Its a beautiful pedal.

There is a wealth of information on what analogman was thinking when he created the pedal, here:

http://www.analogman.com/clone.htm

Personally, I can't recommend this pedal highly enough. However, with shipping costs & time from the USA, it may be easier to just buy something from the shops. In which case, the Voodoo Labs Micro Chorus sounded really nice to me. And they have them for sale in that new guitar shop in town, GuitarGuitar (its in the Newgate Shoppinh centre), so you could always go and try it and see what you think.

[Brow]

I have a BOSS CE5 Chorus Ensemble. It's nothing special but gets the job done when I need it :)

[Floyd Pepper]

Thanks for the feedback.  The Analogman's look very good and I've only ever heard good things about them but I'm after something cheap as he'll be taking it into school.  

Interesting that you think the Boss CE-3 is better than as CE-2 as the CE-3 tend to be a bit cheaper.  

I hadn't considered an Ibanez but I'll take a look at them.

Thanks

[TwilightOdyssey]

HomeBrew Electronics has a chorus pedal called the THC that's supposed to be very cool. What I like about HBE pedals is that I don't lose any of my precious hi freq's (riiight, Phil? ;) LOL ), so the tone still cuts like a knife.

www.homebrewelectronics.com

[Skybone]

I've got an EH Small Clone, which IMO, is a really nice, lush sounding pedal. The BOSS pedals have always sounded really "wrong" to me for guitar for some reason, although when I played bass through a S/S Ampeg combo, they sounded really good. Ho hum.  http://www.hotroxuk.com in Nottingham are currently selling them for £49.00.

The Small Stone / Poly Chorus / EH is the one you hear on the intro to "Come As You Are" by some band from Seattle (who nicked the riff from Killing Joke's "Nighttime").

I had a Sovtek Small Stone phaser which had a dry solder joint and needed "warming up" before it worked, but when it did work, it sounded really lush, with a wide "jet plane" sweep. Loved the tone, so I bought an NYC reissue instead.

[tewboss]

who nicked the riff from Killing Joke's "Nighttime"

Its from Killing Joke's track Eighties although come as you are is slowed down.

With EH pedals don't be tempted to go for the Russian made ones as they are so badly made. EH have never really had great quality control, but the Russian made pedals push it into a new realm of poorness.  I've got the black Russian Big Muff and the components aren't good - one of the jacks cracked after being used twice.  The old green Sovtek pedals were good though - David Gilmour still uses one.

I would go for the EH pedal over the Boss pedal, even if EH pedals can be a little noisy at times. It's true bypass rather than buffered in the case of the Boss pedal so the signal won't sound dull when its off.

[Guitarzan]

I have played the Boss CS-1 at Guitar Center thru a marshall DFX100 or something like that, I have to say that I wasn't impressed.

Currently I am using a DOD FX-64 "Icebox" chourus and I have to say that the tone that i get from it is amazing. I cannot think of a band off the top of my head but with it turned up all the way it sounds otherworldly :D. The only downsides that I have found to this is that it chews through batteries. Also I have found that it is hard to find, and mine was fairly expensive.

Hope it helps :)

[Skybone]

Its from Killing Joke's track Eighties

Duh... What was I thinking... It is the riff from "Eighties" from the album "Nighttime"...

Thankfully, the Small Clone didn't get a Sovtek reissue, where the Small Stone did. The Sovtek built BigMuffPi would be the only Sovtek I'd ever have, again, I had a Sovtek then a reissue, the Sovtek was a nasty 'orrible sounding animal, where the US reissue was unimpressive (IMO o'course...). I kind of wish I'd kept the Sovtek one... ;)

[tewboss]

I've got a Frantone The Sweet pedal instead now. Fran designed the US reissue, although they took a design prior to her being totally happy with the result.  It's got such a huge amount of gain for a fuzz pedal, but its much better than the stuff EH put out.  The Russian one I have is just for me to mess around with changing the parts etc.

[irishpete]

I've just bought a DLS Chorus Vib, great sound and built like a tank. I was recommended it over the HBE THC, it is more versatile as you get Vibrato and Leslie type effects too. www.dlseffects.com

Don't think you can get them in UK, got mine shipped from US www.supersoundmusic.com

Pete

[NPH]

My favourite chorus is the Boss Dimension C, which is as simple as f**k to use as it just has four preset buttons on the top, and is full of analogue goodness despite a lot of people saying it is digital.

The only problem is - they don't make them any more, and if you find one second hand they may want quite a bit of dosh for it.

So I'll shut up then, as this is probably no use to you at all  :roll:

[HJM]

The Fulltone Choralflange is great - you can get them imported for about £150 ouch...and teh Analogman Clone is great. The Analogman is a bit warmer and more vintage sounding, the Choralflange is more versatile and can get more modern tones too. They're both fun to have around though!