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Chorus pedals, what are they good for?

Mili

Mili

Nov 14, 2015
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#1
Hello my Bass friends
I'm a little confused about applications of Chorus pedal. Everytime i hear the chorused bass tone i enjoy and love the modulation but i can't remember any song which you need chorus (except Jaco). I mean is there other applications except soloing and playing harmonics stuff? Is there any song which you can't play the Bassline without chorus pedal?
Thank you all.
 
#2
I'm the one a bit confused here, you can play any bassline without effects if you want, and it would still work to some extend, though it might sound better with.

Any effect is just a flavor added to the melodic and rhythmic foundation, not really absolutely vital as such, this is especially true for bass maybe.

This, along with several post punk songs from the 80's does have a pretty prominent and iconic application of bass chorus, where playing without it would just not be quite right, though you could still get the song done:
 
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#3
JesterJoker010 said:
I'm the one a bit confused here, you can play any bassline without effects if you want, and it would still work to some extend, though it might sound better with.

Any effect is just a flavor added to the melodic and rhythmic foundation, not really absolutely vital as such, this is especially true for bass maybe.

This, along with several post punk songs from the 80's does have a pretty prominent and iconic application of bass chorus, where playing without it would just not be quite right, though you could still get the song done:
Click to expand...

Nice example, thank you. I'll appreciate any other song in different genres especially blues, funk, jazz.
 
#4
Mili said:
Nice example, thank you. I'll appreciate any other song in different genres especially blues, funk, jazz.
Click to expand...

My guess is that you won't find a whole lot of blues songs with extensive use of chorus, if any, funk maybe, though usually it is envelope filters that shines here, jazz in all it's different shades I imagine there will be lots of examples, especially in more modern takes on the genre.

When that is said chorus is seldom used as a dominating effect on bass as in the case of Come as You Are with Nirvana for example but more as a subtle effect to add to the atmosphere of more ethereal parts.

As I said that is actually the case with by far the most use of effects in general, they are mainly used as means to add an extra layer to the tone and underline the mood of a specific line rather than being essential to anything.

Using effects is often about adding more or less subtle nuances to what you play, and using chorus is no different.
 
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#5
Off the top of my head - Girls Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper), Wave Babies (Honeymoon Suite), Sweet Child of Mine (G&R), intro to The Trees (Rush) all have chorus on the bass. Cool effect which usually rears it's head in the higher notes of a bass (or that was how it was set).
 
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#6
I play in churches. Often (not always) we’ll play a tune in our set where...it’s not a rockin’ tune, but a little...movement adds a little something to the vibe. I don’t use it as an obvious thing, it’s a subtle enhancement.
 
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#9
Just about every bass part on Joy Division and New Order use an Electroharmonix Clone Theory chorus on it! Favorite representation of this is probably "Ceremony" or "Procession".

Like @mattbass6945 mentioned, Simon Gallup uses chorus & flanger on a ton of Cure songs, I really like what it adds to "A Forest".

Chorus is my favorite effect, and I also love to use it to just add some dynamics to my playing and add a bit more body. I find they work really well with octavers when you set the depth of the chorus lower than usual.
 
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#15
Chorus pedals, what are they good for?

They come in handy when you want to apply a chorus effect to your tone. :thumbsup:
I personally use either A/DA pff or Fairfield shallow water to get there.
Both seem to work well, whilst not being 'chorus' pedals.
I like using a little bit when playing chords, mostly and its fantastic , paired with fuzz or OD, I think.
 
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#17
Chorus is a really classic studio effect, I guarantee you have heard it on a lot of classic albums without realizing. When dialed in right it doesn't have to be super pronounced or noticeable, more of a subtle stereo enhancement.

IMO mono chorus is very lacking for most stuff, while stereo chorus can seriously enhance almost any sound when used right.
 
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#19
stambroker said:
Just about every bass part on Joy Division and New Order use an Electroharmonix Clone Theory chorus on it! Favorite representation of this is probably "Ceremony" or "Procession".

Like @mattbass6945 mentioned, Simon Gallup uses chorus & flanger on a ton of Cure songs, I really like what it adds to "A Forest".

Chorus is my favorite effect, and I also love to use it to just add some dynamics to my playing and add a bit more body. I find they work really well with octavers when you set the depth of the chorus lower than usual.
Click to expand...

I'm about the biggest Simon Gallup fan there is and don't here any chorus on "A Forest." Not on the album version anyway. Live he used to use chorus on every song.
 

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