Am I crazy or did Boss just win my chorus shoot-out?

MonkeyBass · #1 12-19-2011, 05:53 PM

I had a DOD Chorus pedal for... uh, 20 something years. Yeah, not a good pedal at all... but, it worked for what I needed it for. I bought it when I was in high school and my budget was pretty tight in those days. Who am I fooling, my budget is still tight but... well, I've learned it's better to pay a little more to get quality.

Anyway, I went to a few stores with a budget of $100 to $150 to spend on a new chorus.

Just a little info about me. I've become a gear snob in the past 10 years or so. I have nice gear, I work at a professional, top notch recording studio... so I like to think my ears are pretty well trained. On the other hand, I can't justify spending a ton on a chorus pedal.

I tried probably 4 brands. Can't remember them all but the one that stuck out as the worst was the T-Rex. It had no bottom end and couldn't handle an active bass signal without clipping.

When all was said and done I ended up with the Boss CEB-3. Nice effect range. It's stereo. It has a high pass filter. And best of all, it has plenty of headroom.

I'm sure y'all will tell me about 100 other pedals that are better, but for what I found in my area in that price range, good ol' Boss got my money.

Not sure what the point of this post is. Just telling a story I guess.

testing1two · #2 12-19-2011, 06:03 PM

You are in fact crazy.

With that said, if you're happy and stayed within your budget nobody can argue with you. So congratulations!

tekdiver500ft · #3 12-19-2011, 06:13 PM

Why does it have to be an either/or situation? Can't you be crazy, and still have the Boss win your shootout?

Foamy · #4 12-19-2011, 06:26 PM

Those pedals seem to get a lot of love, so no real surprise.
My favorite is the 18v Dano Cool Cat. Totally cheap.
It's all down to what sounds good to the guy plopping down the cash.

jucas · #5 12-19-2011, 06:30 PM

Nope. Boss makes some great pedals (and some less great). I'd include the CEB-3 as being pretty good.

NKUSigEp · #6 12-19-2011, 07:51 PM

No offense but this post would have a lot more meaning if you could remember what the other pedals were and what you liked and disliked about them all.

winterburn69 · #7 12-19-2011, 08:34 PM

I'm no psychiatrist, but you probably are crazy :P

Now that being said. I like BOSS stuff. I'm glad you do too. The CEB-3 is a nice pedal. The CEB-3 was actually the first pedal I ever owned, just got tossed off my board in favor of an early CE-3. Now that's a nice chorus, absolutely nothing against the CEB-3 though.

Eric! · #8 12-19-2011, 09:27 PM

I really like the Boss CE-2B, actually!

Dazonbass · #9 12-19-2011, 10:16 PM

I have an M9 and a Visual Sound H2O to help me with my chorus needs. However, I am still finding it hard to part with my CEB-3. It definitely does not sound as nice as the H2O but the high pass filter on the CEB-3 makes it a winner for me.

On a side note, I actually still use it just for that reason, with the depth and rate zeroed so that the high pass filter can come out of channel A and the clean signal out of channel B. Channel A then goes to my chorus/delay/reverb and mixed back into channel B so that the lower notes don't get too muddy.

IncX · #10 12-19-2011, 10:49 PM

i've had experiences with different chorus pedals:

-visual sound H2O
-Boss Bass Chorus
-Boss CE5 (chorus ensemble)
-Analogman Minichorus (fixed depth, w/ mix knob)
-digitech multi-chorus

and all i can say is that i would use any of them... i just went with the analogman cause it looks nice on my pedal board lol

K2000 · #11 12-20-2011, 01:47 AM

Boss is owned by Roland... and hasn't Roland always been known for having good choruses? I don't understand the surprise. Seems like chorus is one of Boss' strong suits.

MonkeyBass · #12 12-20-2011, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKUSigEp

No offense but this post would have a lot more meaning if you could remember what the other pedals were and what you liked and disliked about them all.

True.

I remember now, after reading a few replies. I tried the digitech (yuch) and the H2O. I liked the H2O but I felt the Boss was a little more versatile. Plus the Boss is smaller so it's takes up less real estate on the pedal board.

randysmojo · #13 12-22-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric!

I really like the Boss CE-2B, actually!

My favorite chorus by far!

Funkinthetrunk · #14 12-22-2011, 06:20 PM

Boss Bass Chorus for me too...it just sounded best for my style of play.

dsanders · #15 12-22-2011, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyBass

the worst was the T-Rex. It had no bottom end and couldn't handle an active bass signal without clipping.

Kudos that you found what you were looking for! I do like the Boss.

I went with the T Rex, IMO & IME your description is wrong. I lose no low end, and there is a trim pot for input gain on the side. If adjusted properly clipping is not a problem.

FaithNoMan · #16 12-22-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2000

Boss is owned by Roland... and hasn't Roland always been known for having good choruses? I don't understand the surprise. Seems like chorus is one of Boss' strong suits.

Their RE-20 Space Echo has been the longest pedal in my possession. I have a feeling that it, and my newly-acquired Microtubes B3k will be with me for a long time to come. Longer than a lot of pedals that have come and gone.

This thread makes me want to try one of their chorus pedals.

**jmattbassplaya** · #17 12-22-2011, 10:39 PM

Boss CE-5 is my favorite chorus!

MonkeyBass · #18 12-23-2011, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsanders

I went with the T Rex, IMO & IME your description is wrong. I lose no low end, and there is a trim pot for input gain on the side. If adjusted properly clipping is not a problem.

Glad it works for you man. It was nothing but trouble in my rig. I adjusted the input gain, and tried to get it back with the output knob but it lost too much gain to make up for it. And yes, the bass frequencies dropped out significantly. What can I say, that was my experience.

dsanders · #19 12-23-2011, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyBass

Glad it works for you man. It was nothing but trouble in my rig. I adjusted the input gain, and tried to get it back with the output knob but it lost too much gain to make up for it. And yes, the bass frequencies dropped out significantly. What can I say, that was my experience.

Well again I'm very glad you found the right chorus for your rig. I've owned the Boss, it sounded great.

MonkeyBass · #20 12-23-2011, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsanders

Well again I'm very glad you found the right chorus for your rig. I've owned the Boss, it sounded great.