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What is your favorite BOSS chorus for bass?
- Thread starter DaveParker39
- Start date
CWE-2B, CEB-3 (analog) or DC-3. CE-2 is fantastic, but little too much for my playing.
I have only played: CE-2B nice but subtle, DC-2 eats all your low end, DC-3 strange warble effect but nice.
have you compared the analog and Digital CEB-3? just curious... its easier for me to buy pedals new at the moment but if the digital sounds like crap I'll avoid it
Unfortunately I didn't have a chance. I don't think that digital will sound like crap - I love DC-3 which is digital. CEB-3 is subtle, doesn't have much "character" by it's own, but sounds great in the mix.
At the moment I have the DC-2W on my board, love how subtle and organic it sounds. I think I have it in DC-2 mode, with two buttons pressed, 1 and 4 maybe? Yes, it may cut a bit of low end, but it still sounds glorious. I love to hear movement without the real clear LFO peaks. It just flows.
I like the CE-5, although I can't say that I've used all of the other options.
I wouldn't mind trying out the CE-2W, but I haven't had a dedicated chorus pedal on my board for a few years now.
I wouldn't mind trying out the CE-2W, but I haven't had a dedicated chorus pedal on my board for a few years now.
I owned both at the same time for a while and preferred the digital. It has a brighter edge to the sound. The chorusing effect is more pronounced on the analog one, which causes it to sound almost more like a tremolo on the higher notes unless you favor the left side of the crossover pretty heavily. The effect is incorporated a little better on the digital one in my opinion.
Boss CH-1 Its subtle enough that it works well. Good ol' Peter Steele tones.
- Sep 26, 2005
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For me it is the DC-2, I had the luck to own an original and a waza version (because I did not wanted to risk the old one out) and, beside sounding the same, they were just right with me.
I also owned the CE-2w and it was not so good, something to do with the low end (the way huge version was better actually).
Finally, the CEB-3 was fine, but not memorable.
Currently I use the DC-2 sim in my GT1000 Core, sound the same.
I also owned the CE-2w and it was not so good, something to do with the low end (the way huge version was better actually).
Finally, the CEB-3 was fine, but not memorable.
Currently I use the DC-2 sim in my GT1000 Core, sound the same.
CE-5 for me. I prefer a subtle chorus on bass, and the CE-5 is that. Also the precise control you have over the blending of the dry and affected signals means you can adapt it to pretty much any bass and any situation.
+1
I've tried the CE-5 and CH-1 but the CE-2w just nails what I think a chorus should sound like.
Was coming in here to say the same thing. Playing Type O Negative isn't the same without that kind of reedy chorusing from the CH-1 in Stereo
What is this? I haven't found a DC-2 sim in the Core?
I do like the Core CE-1 model, with the preamp colouring. Of the pedals, I've got a CEB-3, a CE-5 and two CH-1s, all of them analog (yes, I was deliberately searching for them, to make comparisons). Haven't tried the digital versions. Years ago, I had a CE-2 and an original DC-2. Would like to try the CE-2B one day.
Between the three pedals, there are differencies. There are differencies even between the two analogue CH-1 pedals. But, I haven't found a best, or a clear favourite, among them. Maybe one of the CH-1s, I don't know.
I have a/b'd them, a lot. At home, with headphones, at band rehearsals, at gigs. And got frustrated. They are all good, but everything depends on the context. With different music styles, different basses, not to mention other pedals, one of them usually shines brighter than the others. But not consistently.
The CEB-3 has stayed on a pedalboard for the longest time, first with my sludge/doom band (where it got eventually replaced by an Ibanez BC-5 Bass Chorus. A cheap plastic Soundtank with a big sound). The CEB-3 now stays on my postpunk/goth/hc -board, I like how it preserves or even boosts the low frequencies, in a style where the bass can easily get a bit too clanky and overly bright. It sounds excellent on fretless.
The CH-1 seems to be a more multi-purpose pedal. One of them is on another board I've building for some darker, more atmospheric playing on a Bass VI. Also good with fretless.
The CE-5 has not found its place yet. I've been trying to fit it in, but no luck yet. It seems to have a bit thinner character than the others, unless the low control is maxed out, but it sounds nice on guitar.
Ah, and there are some very slight but audible (to me) variations in the waveforms: the CEB varies somewhere between a sine and a saw, one of the CH-1s sounds a bit more like a sine flirting with a square, and so on. All said, it feels to me that they are more or less variations of the same pedal. A good pedal, I must say: I had a Walrus Julia, a Diamond Chorus, an EHX Bass Clone and other well-established chorus pedals, all gone. I do have some Ibanezes though: the BC-5, a CS-5 Super Chorus, a Mini Chorus. Very different from Boss, cheap and nice!
I voted for CH-1 (Actually, changed my vote from CEB-3).
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