Ned a decent inexpensive chorus pedal

[Bassmike62]

I'll second the votes for the EHX Bass Clone for an inexpensive and effective chorus.

 

[tpaul]

To each their own. When I think "chorus," I think Boss. It's one of the things they do very well.

Personally I prefer the older analog pedals. You can still find the CE-5 analog version easily on Ebay and it's not expensive. It has high and low cut filters and you can get just about any chorus sound out of it. That's the one I generally recommend.

 

[Nev375]

I'd suggest the original Danelectro Cool Cat CC-1 from the 90's. They come in 18V or 9V versions. They have a big-ish metal housing although the white part where the knobs are is a thin plastic overlay. Not many bad reviews on it and if you find any at all it is because of the plastic-mount jacks and knobs, not the sound of it. They can be found anywhere from $15 to 50 US but 25-30 dollars is typical. I've tried a few different chorusses, but this one keeps finding its way back onto the board in favor of more expensive ones. It's a great pedal as long as you are more human than gorilla.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I grabbed a vintage 1988 MIJ Boss bass chorus for under a hundred bucks. Just sayin'

 

[bhendrix]

My Boss CEB-3 has served me well! Very versatile and great build quality. You can often find them used around $50.

 

[Richard Martin]

No one can keep the Behringer UC200 in stock. Behringer can't make them fast enough. Sweetwater said they aren't expecting another shipment of them until NOVEMBER. I've seen them going for over $50 used. The retail is $24.99.

 

[Alfonso Alba]

No one can keep the Behringer UC200 in stock. Behringer can't make them fast enough. Sweetwater said they aren't expecting another shipment of them until NOVEMBER. I've seen them going for over $50 used. The retail is $24.99.

I've been thinking about trying out a few of the analog Behringer pedals. I've read their digital stuff is not up to par, but the analog stuff seems to be. I have a VD-400 and it's pretty great for the price. They're quite easy to find here in Mexico.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

I recently went on a chorus quest. I budgeted $200, and even tried a few pedals that slightly exceeded that budget. I went home with the cheapest one I tried, the EHX Bass Clone, and the price had zero factor in my decision. I freaking love this chorus.

 

[Inconnu]

Yes, the EHX.
Classic Small Clone sound with way more control over the sound. The crossover is a great feature on that pedal. I wonder why they haven’t made a bass dirt pedal with the same crossover option yet, really...

Anyways, back to chorus... the Bass Clone is great, really

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

I actually really enjoyed the Behringer bass chorus (the yellow one). I'd put it next to some way more expensive pedals on my board. Of course YMMV.

 

[40Hz]

Corona chorus is decent.. my top pick if you can find one is the Digitech luxe...

Only possible issue with the Luxe is that it’s a fixed chorus (i.e. detuning) effect - or “anti-chorus” as DigiTech was calling it for awhile. So you’ll get the chorus thickening effect, but without the sweeping swoosh thing you get with every other chorus.

And I’ll agree with you. I think it sounds far better than a standard chorus when used on bass most times.

Only drawback for the OP is it seems to be back in vogue. So the street price has gone up quite a lot from the $49 I paid for a new one about a year ago.

If it’s only being used for one segment in one song I’d definitely consider going with a Behringer. Their CC300 Dimension-C clone (or the TCE 3rd Dimension which is pretty much the same thing) is a good choice IMO.

But for a chorusing type effect, the way I prefer to do it is with a multi-tone generator like the BOSS MO-2. Because chorus tends to get a little busy and muddy when it comes to bass. And a multi-octave effect gives you more precise control over what’s happening to your signal than a chorus does. You can always add some tremolo or mild phasing after it if you need the sensation of motion.

Here’s an example someone did using a multi-octave effect on bass:

 

[HolmeBass]

I really like the MXR Analog Chorus. It has filters to keep the low end clear, and volume adjustment. For $99 new (~$65 used) it is hard to beat.

I know lots of folks love the Zoom MS-60B, but honestly it never really worked for me. First you have to turn all of the effects down as they’re all way above unity gain (which makes them sound great in the music store but also makes them obnoxious on the bandstand), and then live with a band all of the effects sound 1 dimensional and thin. Quite uninspiring. The only patches I can use are clean boost and the various synth sounds.

But for me the MS-60B fails on chorus, analog octaver, flanger, and phaser. The envelope filters are barely ok. I thought the compressors all sucked badly. Just for a different considered opinion on that pedal.

The MXR Analog Chorus is far superior to the choruses available in the MS-60B in my opinion. I also don’t think you’d go wrong with the TC Electronic ones or the EHX, but I have not tried any of those live so I cannot really give an informed opinion on them.

Here is the MXR on a studio cut my band did. Chorus engaged in the verses, off in the choruses.

 

[kesslari]

The TC Corona and Corona Mini absolutely rock. For a "set and forget" guy like me, the downloadable patches are freakin' great. For a "tweak to your heart's content" guy there's all sorts of flexibility through editing on your computer.

 

[jacoby75]

Love my ehx bass clone. The crossover is fantastic. Retains the low end with just the right amount of shimmer. Sounds warm and organic.

 

[Snibborwocky]

I was intrigued by the TC Electronic 3rd Dimension chorus about a week ago so I ordered one after watching reviews on it. I haven't had a chance to mess with it but for $60 I thought I'd give it a try. 4 push buttons obviously don't give you freedom for endless tonal parameters but for basic chorus needs it seems to do the job. I've also used the MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe and TC Corona, can't go wrong with either of those imo.

 

[groooooove]

used boss pedals are great value... i'd recommend starting there.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

Only possible issue with the Luxe is that it’s a fixed chorus (i.e. detuning) effect - or “anti-chorus” as DigiTech was calling it for awhile. So you’ll get the chorus thickening effect, but without the sweeping swoosh thing you get with every other chorus.

And I’ll agree with you. I think it sounds far better than a standard chorus when used on bass most times.

Only drawback for the OP is it seems to be back in vogue. So the street price has gone up quite a lot from the $49 I paid for a new one about a year ago.

If it’s only being used for one segment in one song I’d definitely consider going with a Behringer. Their CC300 Dimension-C clone (or the TCE 3rd Dimension which is pretty much the same thing) is a good choice IMO.

But for a chorusing type effect, the way I prefer to do it is with a multi-tone generator like the BOSS MO-2. Because chorus tends to get a little busy and muddy when it comes to bass. And a multi-octave effect gives you more precise control over what’s happening to your signal than a chorus does. You can always add some tremolo or mild phasing after it if you need the sensation of motion.

Here’s an example someone did using a multi-octave effect on bass:

in the 80's I had the 1st boss bass chorus pedal, lent it to guitarist friend & never saw it again. it was a great pedal for bass!
I always enter these posts hoping to see the pedal I have already, Hoping I made a wise choice.
haven't seen it but I chose the Tech 21 Bass chorus pedal:[ not surprising it was Meh. I bought it cuz I like Tech 21 stuff a lot. it has some cool options tho. on the down side the pedal's kind of a big square. boo for my crowded board. it's ok, but I can't really recommend it :[.

 

[DJ Bebop]

You're not an effects person but today you need chorus just for one song. maybe tomorrow you might need some other effect for some other song. But you probably don't want to end up with multiple units that you use just for one or two songs each.

So what about a compact multi-fx pedal, like a Zoom B1 Four or MS-60B ?

 

[buldog5151bass]

Right now I am borrowing a really nice TC chorus/flanger from a guitarist. But if we end up playing the song I'll have to hit the classified.

 

[HelpImaRock]

This is why I have a ZOOM MS70CDR. There's a bunch of effects, like chorus, I don't want a dedicated pedal for. And in this case, the choruses on the ZOOM are really good.