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How To Use Bass Chorus ?

E

Epac

Jan 6, 2010
71
2
Bronx, NY
#1
What's good yall,

So, here's my deal: I've owned a Boss Chorus pedal for around 8 years now. It was actually the very first pedal I bought; I was really just starting out on electric bass, didn't really know what I was actually going to like/need tonewise. Flash forward almost a decade later, it's still sitting in my room (a new room, naturally, same Fender practice amp though!) and I can't figure out what to do with this sucker. So many guys, from Chris Wolstenhome to Jeff Caxide to Doug Wimbish, have listed this guy as being part of their pedalboard, and it seems to be fairly popular in this forum as well...

Can anybody give any advice/stories on how they've used Bass Chorus? And keep in mind, I mostly play in pop/funk/singer-songwriter situations, so I'm going clean most of the time, sometimes with an MXR Bass DI for a little bit more girth or bite...but I'm playing with an original band and we're experimenting with going in a rockier direction, so I'm considering either trying to bring this guy in the mix, or selling it and getting a better tuner or some funkier distortion deal.

I've sometimes used it in jazz settings to vibe out harmonics a little bit, but let's say 90 percent of the time your hitting chord tunes and staying in the pocket...is there any general tone advantages that people have observed? It does seem to make my sound a little larger when I hit double-stops or chords...

Feel free to turn this thread into a love letter to the Boss Chorus...I am experimenting, believe me, but some words of wisdoms from other players is definitely appreciated in this corner...

E
 
#5
Slaps, that is the thing about chorus, is that it's got this heavy 80s feel to it...sort of difficult to jam on it in a more modern context...

I guess the answer is, turn that **** on and see what happens!

I'm not asking for rules of using it so much as for suggestions, experiences...
 
#8
I have the Analogman Mini Chorus and I use it sometimes when slapping on my Valenti fretted bass. And I always use this pedal with my fretless bass. The setting is use on both situations is:

- Depth: 12 o'clock
- Speed: 12 o'clock
- Mix: 7 o'clock

Have in mind that with this setting you'll experiment a boost in your general volume and a boost in your lows.
Because of this, I think this pedal sounds great through an amp with two channels: one clean or dirty, and the other with the Analogman chorus with settings: D=12, S=12, and M=12. VERY Alice in chains.

That's what I do with my SVT-VR. Hope this helps.
 
#10
Epac said:
Slaps, that is the thing about chorus, is that it's got this heavy 80s feel to it...sort of difficult to jam on it in a more modern context...

I guess the answer is, turn that **** on and see what happens!

I'm not asking for rules of using it so much as for suggestions, experiences...
Click to expand...

I know that Jeff Caxide was already mentioned, but seriously, listen to some Isis and you can get an idea how chorus can be used in a modern context. "Ghost Key" is the most obvious one, but it's all over their last couple albums. Also, Justin Chancellor from Tool uses chorus a lot, too. A bunch of songs on Aenima, especially.
 
#11
Listening to "Ghost Key" right now...diggin it. Not sure if that's my style, but it gives me something to work with/toward.

I hear you Childishgambino, problem is I don't have any those joints except for an octave, EHX OCtave Multiplexer...pretty dope pedal by the way...but I figured that was the case, that it really compliments a whole system nicely..

Analogman sounds phat sandwhich, which I had that and not this Boss dude...but that's the Boss dude on the Ghost Key track, not doing a bad job...
 
#12
Use it on a chorus! ;)

Alternatively you could use it on a verse, a bridge, an intro an outro or some part of a/the song you want to emphasize. Use it during someone else's solo so you can steal some of their limelight. :ninja:

Try it with extreme settings, try it with some subtle settings, try it with some dinner settings. Try it with green eggs and ham. Try it in rehearsal, try it in a gig. Try it with a jig, try it try it try it wearing a leaf of fig!
 
#13
I use it during guitar solos along with an overdrive to thicken the sound of the backing. I use fairly extreme settings (Level: 3 o'clock, Low filter: full, Rate: 4 o'clock, Depth: 12 o'clock) to fill out the sound as much as possible as the warble is usually hidden quite well by other instruments.

I also use it for making some effects more synthy, like overdrives etc.

It is very good for 80's pop in general so it's useful for that.
 
#15
My $0.02 would be to watch the speed setting (if the pedal has one). Most of the usages you will hear in most material has a slow to moderate speed setting.

Also, chorus (usually) isn't as instantly noticeable effect as distortion or some envelope or synth sounds. It can be very subtle. So maybe it's just a question of your expectations for the pedal. It's normally just a little extra flavor.
 
#16
If you want examples of chorus in a rock setting, check out early Guns & Roses material. Duff has chorus on lots of it, as in Sweet Child o'mine being. Might not be the rock direction you're looking for, but at least will give an idea.

I have the Boss CEB-3 and the EHX Neo Clone. On our band's original material, it's on pretty much all the time.
 
#17
#19
I use the Boss Bass Chorus also. I find it most useful and noticeable in a trio (drums, bass, guitar) to supplement with some dirt (I also have an MXR DI+). It really fills up those chorus parts of a song.

The chorus on bass is not really audible in a 2 screaming guitar band. Frankly, to my ears, it's really a redundant, muddy sound.

But unless you're soloing at some point in a song, with both guitars playing clean, a chorus pedal is just taking up valuable real estate on your pedalboard. In this case, add delay to set the mood. Just the way I use it.
 
#20
It's a great effect to use when you're soloing or playing a lick that's leading a more mellow to smooth jam. I find it also really useful in evening out and giving some clarity to tapping parts. It's really a kind of effect that you don't even notice is on, but it adds enough character to your tone that you do notice it when it's off.
 

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