2 questions...

Lakland55 · #1 02-20-2009, 04:45 PM

Hi everyone,

Longtime TB'er first time poster...I have two questions and hoping to get some positive feedback.

First let me say that I tried to search through the forums before asking this first question but to no avail.

1. Can someone recommend a good chorus pedal?

2. I'm curious to know how a Sansamp system works, can someone explain without getting overly technical?

Thanks...

excane · #2 02-20-2009, 08:44 PM

What's your budget for a chorus pedal?

Lakland55 · #3 02-21-2009, 08:21 AM

Let's keep it to $150...

**DosiYanarchy** · #4 02-21-2009, 08:39 AM

well the sansamp is an interresting one. if you're refering to the Bass driver DI pedal, it works in a number of ways.

In its most basic application it can be used an overdrive pedal - it has a Drive and a blend control to blend in your clean sound.

Its also a tone shaper as in you can eq your tone using the Bass, Treble and Presence and drive controls - much like the preamp section of an amp which leads me on to the next part.

It can be used as a preamp, using the combination of controls on offer, you can get quite a good tube amp sound out of it, in my opinion. It also has the option of boosting your signal so that you could run a power amp with it.

and its a DI box - so the 'tube amp' sound will go to the PA system as well as your amp (i've hardly ever played a gig where the soundman/woman wanted to mic the amp, and DI is usually placed before the amp - so if your main tone comes from your amp, this may be lost on the PA)

the sansamp series of pedals and rack effects basically try to emulate tube amps.

is that what you wanted? in terms of how they work (as in gain stages, circuitry etc.) i dont know.

bongomania · #5 02-21-2009, 08:42 AM

I don't mean to be a jerk, but there's no way you searched on "chorus" but "to no avail".

Simply not possible.

That said, in your budget you can get a used Analogman chorus, which will satisfy most people quite well.

The Sansamp deal is it uses the same general type of circuitry as an old-fashioned distortion pedal and an old-fashioned EQ pedal, but carefully shaped and optimized to emulate the specific tone of an SVT or similar all-tube amp. How well it succeeds is a matter of debate.

Chronicle · #6 02-21-2009, 09:00 AM

The Hardwire CR-7 Chorus is my favorite right now. It's very versatile and all of the sounds rock. There's a review and soundclips in my Chronicle of Effects thread :]

Lakland55 · #7 02-22-2009, 08:17 PM

[quote=bongomania;7012668]I don't mean to be a jerk, but there's no way you searched on "chorus" but "to no avail".

Simply not possible.QUOTE]

What I meant by that is that there was no useful information on a quality product, I currently own the Boss Bass Chorus and what I wanted to know is if there was a better product on the market.

Thanks for your response.

bongomania · #8 02-22-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakland55

What I meant by that is that there was no useful information on a quality product

Lol!

Chronicle · #9 02-23-2009, 06:13 AM

lol indeed

cheapbasslovin · #10 02-23-2009, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakland55

What I meant by that I didn't want to sift through the boatloads of useful and useless information on a quality product,

Fixed.

excane · #11 02-23-2009, 07:05 AM

You might be able to find a used Fulltone Choralflange for $150

It is all analog, sounds fantastic, is very quiet, and also has the bonus of being a flanger as well.

excane · #12 02-23-2009, 07:06 AM

The TC Electronic Chorus/Flanger might be found on the used market for the same price and is a very nice unit as well.

Lakland55 · #13 02-23-2009, 09:12 AM

Thanks Excane, I will do some research...I see that TC Electronics is currently not offering any bass effects from their site so I will look elsewhere.

Chronicle, the Hardwire CR-7 Chorus is a digitech product...I own the BP200 and I'm not all that impressed with the Chorus effect onboard it, unless the single effect by itself is better sounding than I probably wouldn't go in that direction either.

To the rest of you elitests -

not the point of the conversation at all.

excane · #14 02-23-2009, 09:57 AM

No problem,

2 more options to check out: a used EBS Unichorus and Homebrew Electronics THC (three hound chorus)

JanusZarate · #15 02-23-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakland55

Chronicle, the Hardwire CR-7 Chorus is a digitech product...I own the BP200 and I'm not all that impressed with the Chorus effect onboard it, unless the single effect by itself is better sounding than I probably wouldn't go in that direction either.

It's MUCH better, IMO. Usually, you can expect a single effect pedal to sound better than the multi-effect version. Lots of reasons for it... but mainly, because you have a dedicated circuit designed for one thing, instead of a low-budget digital model.

However, when you get into the more expensive modeling gear, you'd be surprised by how good a quality digital model can sound. You won't find that in the BP200, though.

Try not to err on the side of elitism. It's frighteningly easy to do around here, whether you're new to the forums or a member of TB's "Old Guard."

Now, onto more useful information...

Generally speaking, you don't need to hunt for a bass-specific chorus pedal to get a good chorus sound on bass. Almost all modulation effects work great on both guitar and bass. That's why you won't see any "bass delay" or "bass phaser" pedals, and why very few "bass flanger" and "bass chorus" pedals exist. When you do see bass-specific modulation pedals, it's usually either because they're voiced to pump out more bass than usual, or because they have a low-pass filter to affect only the high frequencies.

As far as the actual chorus sound goes, there are a few things you should consider:

Mild or Wild? Some pedals are great for mild, light chorus sounds, and others can get really deep and thick. A few can also get downright crazy with detuning and depth.
Icy or Watery? Some chorus pedals have a very "liquid" tone that's more evident at a higher rate setting. Others have a drier, colder tone that's reminiscent of the post-punk era.
Dark or Bright? Be sure to consider your playing style and what you plan to use the chorus for.
Stereo or Mono? Some chorus pedals offer stereo outputs, allowing the effect to cycle between speakers for an enveloping and spacious result.
Don't concern yourself with how many controls your chorus pedal has. Some of my favorites are incredibly simple, while some of my least-liked are more complicated.

It's hard to find information on chorus pedals when you're not sure what you're looking for. With that being said, it never hurts to spend a little while reading through various threads and doing searches on pedals which are mentioned. You often can learn more, and can find ideas you haven't thought about before. Plus, now that you have some ideas and keywords, your search should be much easier.

Some of my favorite chorus pedals:

EHX Stereo Clone Theory - A reissue of the classic chorus effect used by Peter Hook of New Order. I'd describe this as an "icy" and "bright" chorus which can get incredibly deep. Although it can be set for milder chorus sounds, it is designed for heavier chorus and extreme detuning.
EHX Stereo Electric Mistress - The chorus section is moderately deep, warm, and liquidy. It's my current chorus of choice, although I don't use the chorus section by itself (it's main feature is the flanger, which runs in parallel with the chorus section).
Analogman Chorus - Just tried one of these the other day. It's based on one of my old favorites, the EHX Small Clone. Very faithful clone which is as friendly to bass as the original. A "deep" mod is available, too, but IMO it doesn't need it.
Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble - Much, much better than the CEB-3 Bass Chorus as far as clarity and tone is concerned. Worth a try since practically every guitar shop carries it.

dantheman6690 · #16 02-23-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

That said, in your budget you can get a used Analogman chorus, which will satisfy most people quite well.

I've been looking for a used one of these for a while. While $150 would also be around the area of my budget for a chorus, I think a used one is going to be really hard to come by, especially with the deep mod.

excane · #17 02-23-2009, 10:46 AM

+1 To everything mystic said.

I will add one more that leans on the side of wild...a Dr. Scientist Cosmichorus that I picked up from a fellow TB'er.

New they sell for $250 and around $150-200 used. It has some very unique sounds to it that sound terrific on bass.

Jared Lash · #18 02-23-2009, 10:57 AM

Good recommendations from Boo.

I will add that my favorite chorus on the warm & somewhat subtle side is still the George Dennis Chorus Flanger.

For a thicker and more "hollow" chorus sound I actually like the detune setting on the Boss PS-3 and Digitech Whammy though I wouldn't buy either if I didn't have use for the other settings.

The MXR chorus is really good too.

JanusZarate · #19 02-23-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dantheman6690

I've been looking for a used one of these for a while. While $150 would also be around the area of my budget for a chorus, I think a used one is going to be really hard to come by, especially with the deep mod.

I wouldn't stress the deep mod. Honestly, I thought it was a bit excessive. The Analogman has a naturally great tone, but with the deep mod, it's too bassy for my tastes, and probably too bassy in general.

My two, cents, of course. You might disagree with me.

Chronicle · #20 02-23-2009, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakland55

Thanks Excane, I will do some research...I see that TC Electronics is currently not offering any bass effects from their site so I will look elsewhere.

Chronicle, the Hardwire CR-7 Chorus is a digitech product...I own the BP200 and I'm not all that impressed with the Chorus effect onboard it, unless the single effect by itself is better sounding than I probably wouldn't go in that direction either.

To the rest of you elitests -

not the point of the conversation at all.

Yes, it's a digitech product but it wasn't designed by them. they bought out a company called Hardwire and they just produced them. The Hardwire series pedals are not to be confused with the poor qulaity of other Digitech pedals. They even try to hide the digitech name on the Hardwire pedals.