EBS UniChorus... am I going crazy?

[FromTheBassMent]

I've had an EBS UniChorus (true bypass model) on my board for six years or more. For me, it was always the best chorus for bass, because it creates a really DEEP chorus effect (actually TOO deep in flanger mode), but it leaves my bass fundamental intact. Once I got it into my chain, I never thought to look at another chorus, because I was satisfied.

In the last six months, either I have begun to go crazy, or the chorus effect has gradually and steadily become less profound. Still using the same bass, same strings, same amp I've been using for the better part of a decade. Yeah, I've switched out some of my other pedals... but I don't really use the EBS with any other pedals on, except for my always-on VT Bass (which has been there about as long as the EBS!). If I take it off the board and just run bass to chorus to amp, I'm still noticing the same phenomenon. I used to run the depth around 1:00-2:00... now I've got it dimed, and it's still not as deep as it used to be at a lower setting.

Has anyone ever heard of an effects box doing this... essentially, "wearing out?" I've been playing through stomp boxes for going on 40 years, and I've never heard of such a thing. I mean, there are no moving parts in there! Why would the effect become less deep and rich over time? I'm stumped.

Or, as I suggested... just crazy.

 

[Driven Crane]

Fuzzes and choruses are never-ending path of bass guitarist.

 

[HolmeBass]

I think caps and resistors can change their value over time, slowly. Some of them may have changed out of tolerance and now the effect is deadened. I know people refurb the old MuTron III's specifically because the caps and resistors inside change values over time, knocking the effect out of the design tolerance.

 

[Edmang]

There is a trim pot inside the EBS that controls the mix of the chorus with your bass signal. Maybe that needs adjusting? Could be over the years it has gotten loose and moved from where it was set initially. You can access it by removing the bottom plate of the pedal. Factory setting is 50%.

 

[Zorth41]

Ebs pedals are known for wearing out over time
This looks like a prime example of that

 

[FretNoMore]

I haven't heard of the actual effect "fading", but I have myself had problems with an amp as well as several pedals that point to quality problems. Others have reported that EBS gear seem to go bad over time. For me it's been switches, pots and power jacks that have failed, and the input stage in my combo got thin and noisy and had to be replaced. So, why not other component problems as well, that manifests as weak effects? EBS has fallen in my regard, even the brand new wah I bought not too long ago has a flaky switch out of the bix.