chorus: which one gives the best bang for the buck?

Devo-lution · #1 03-05-2011, 06:53 AM

Hi y'all

Sold my phaser as it made my sound too "wooshy". I reckon a chorus might keep the sound somewhat more defined.

Which chorus that meets the following standards (see below) gives the best bang for the buck?

- true bypass
- can resemble those eigthies chorus sounds (magazine, level 42, bauhaus, ...)

Thanks a lot

Kim

BrandonBass · #2 03-05-2011, 11:45 AM

artec vintage chorus. My fren who is pretty damn anal about his tone rates the pedal very highly.

its cheap and true bypass

bigchiefbc · #3 03-05-2011, 12:14 PM

When it comes to bang or the buck, I'd probably recommend the Hardwire Chorus. It sounds great, gives you a ton of modes, is true bypass, and gets good reviews. And you can usually get them used on eBay for around (or less than) 100 bucks.

Laurent · #4 03-07-2011, 12:26 AM

I use two different chorus: Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus and MXR Micro Chorus.
Both pedals are really excellent.

RNV · #5 03-07-2011, 02:50 AM

EHX Small Clone. You can grab them off the bay for $40 all day.

hecTr0n · #6 03-07-2011, 10:14 AM

Are any of the pedals u all listed feature true bypass?

bassteban · #7 03-07-2011, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurent

Boss CEB-3 Bass Flanger

My CEB-3 is mislabelled- it says Bass Chorus...

Kidding- I also like the CEB-3; on that note I often run through a DOD FX20C Phaser- it can be dialed down to pretty subtle, although it's likely not what you want if you're sure you're after a chorus.

PeaceFrog · #8 03-07-2011, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RNV

EHX Small Clone. You can grab them off the bay for $40 all day.

Great chorus pedal, would recommend this one - easy on the wallet also.

PDGood · #9 03-07-2011, 10:42 AM

Laurent · #10 03-07-2011, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassteban

My CEB-3 is mislabelled- it says Bass Chorus...

Kidding- I also like the CEB-3; on that note I often run through a DOD FX20C Phaser- it can be dialed down to pretty subtle, although it's likely not what you want if you're sure you're after a chorus.

Duhh, good catch. Thanks. I have corrected my initial post.
It should read Boss CEB-3 Chorus not flanger. The flanger I use and like from Boss is the BF-2 but that's another story.

rob_thebassman · #11 03-07-2011, 03:35 PM

dan electro fab chorus is good for bass, cheap too

stflbn · #12 03-07-2011, 03:41 PM

My biggest problem with most of the small case chorus's is the lack of any Blend or Amount of effect knob. MXR's and such are Rate only.

PopaWoody · #13 03-07-2011, 05:03 PM

Hands down Delta Labs Chorus...$59 new at GC, true bypass,has rate and effect/blend or depth as it says.... I think.

Love the sound of it live with my SansAmp BDDI behind it. I add a touch of Pork Loin to get some soft clip injection for a slightly fat fuzzy sound. There is also a Mastotron in tamed down mode for fuzz and distortion.

Paradox92 · #14 04-02-2011, 03:59 PM

I've tried out quite a few chorus pedals. And won't it be my luck for someone who actually knows about Magazine and Bauhaus. I know for a definite that Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order uses an Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory pedal. It's true bypass, and has a very bright, prominent sound. I've also played the Digitech Hardwire that was previously mentioned; this chorus I didn't care for as much because the tones it contained didn't have that much variation and was very dark. The Boss Chorus Ensemble was decent because it had a nice 2-band EQ, but still needed a bit more character. The Small Clone, which is a compact version o the Clone Theory had character, but not enough flexibility because the lack of EQ and signal variant. I finally looked up a buffered-bypass chorus pedal called the Digitech Multi-Chorus. This pedal is my favorite because you can control the number of voices in the effect...which otherwise effects the amount of resonance, there's a speed, a depth, and a level. These are cheap if you know where to look. I got mine for 30 bucks on Guitar Center's used section. Well worth the money. You can definitely get that post-punk sound you're looking for. But again, try out effect pedals and see which one works...perhaps there were manufacturing flaws with the pedals I tried which effected the tone, but who knows? I got a similar sound to the Small Clone, and a better sound than the CE-5 (Chorus Ensemble)...but again this is fully opinionated. Based on how their made, choruses can either be VERY different or very similar to each other. Basically, what every chorus pedal does is multiply the signal from the bass and can alter the frequency of one to detune one of the voices slightly.

Bassmike62 · #15 04-02-2011, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

When it comes to bang or the buck, I'd probably recommend the Hardwire Chorus. It sounds great, gives you a ton of modes, is true bypass, and gets good reviews. And you can usually get them used on eBay for around (or less than) 100 bucks.

I've had my ears on that one and the EHX Neo Clone for a little while, but can't test drive'em 'cause I can't find either one around here.

No lack of low-end with the Hardwire ?

RonnieP · #16 04-02-2011, 07:31 PM

i've also been in the market for a good bass chorus. i've been really wanting to try out the new Tech-21 boost bass chorus, the videos i have seen make it look really sweet. it has a detune knob along with a depth, rate, level, mix, and tone control. it looks like its pretty versatile, and with the multi-voice feature its something im very interested in.

Bassmike62 · #17 04-02-2011, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonnieP

i've also been in the market for a good bass chorus. i've been really wanting to try out the new Tech-21 boost bass chorus, the videos i have seen make it look really sweet. it has a detune knob along with a depth, rate, level, mix, and tone control. it looks like its pretty versatile, and with the multi-voice feature its something im very interested in.

And 100 % analog... sounds great in the demos .

blr2 · #18 04-03-2011, 01:49 AM

BOSS CEB-3. Many people complain about CEB-3 being too subtle, but for me this was a good thing. Deep modulation effects are OK for solos, but make your bass disappear in the mix, especially if you play fingerstyle. On CEB-3 you can vary the amount of the effect applied to your lows and highs. This is very useful to prevent the low end from being smeared and washed out. Also, it has a very low noise. The price is also good.

0175westwood29 · #19 04-03-2011, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blr2

BOSS CEB-3. Many people complain about CEB-3 being too subtle, but for me this was a good thing. Deep modulation effects are OK for solos, but make your bass disappear in the mix, especially if you play fingerstyle. On CEB-3 you can vary the amount of the effect applied to your lows and highs. This is very useful to prevent the low end from being smeared and washed out. Also, it has a very low noise. The price is also good.

also on the boss front the ce-5 is a really nice pedal to, keeps alot of lows, and can be a bit more extreme if you want it.

andy

arbitrary · #20 04-03-2011, 07:03 AM

seriously, a used boss ce-5