LeftyBassist.com

The online home for southpaw bassists.
It is currently March 28th, 2024, 8:49 am




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 18 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: June 16th, 2010, 3:06 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: March 4th, 2008, 3:51 pm
Posts: 2654
Location: Pacific Northwest
The Peter Hook fanboy in me is wanting to get an E-H Clone Theory chorus pedal. anyone have any recommendations for other chorus pedals that have the same sound as the Clone Theory? Anyone make a clone of the Clone Theory?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: November 23rd, 2010, 7:53 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: March 12th, 2008, 4:40 pm
Posts: 605
Location: Tampa, FL
I've never tried the Clone Theory that I can recall. I've had a few Small Clones, and they're all right. When I was younger, all I'd use was the Boss CE-2 and CE-2B. The chorus I have right now is a TC Electronics P210. It's been beat to hell and I found it for $20, so I figured it was a can't lose proposition. Turns out it's the best chorus I've ever had.

_________________
"But I didn't. I only knew that you'd know that I knew. Did you know that?" - Casanova Frankenstein


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: November 23rd, 2010, 10:19 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: March 4th, 2008, 3:51 pm
Posts: 2654
Location: Pacific Northwest
I actually got a newer Clone Theory. It sounds good, but I've got my eye on the MXR Stereo Chorus now. :)


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: November 23rd, 2010, 10:32 pm 
Offline

Joined: March 14th, 2008, 2:28 pm
Posts: 965
Ahh chorus pedals.

Right off I will state that in my opinion analog circuirtry is noticably better than digital when it comes to choruses (and echo units too for that matter). I prefer a very thick, lush effect when it comes to chorus, subtle ain't for me!

Probably one the best is the Analogman chorus. It is actually an improved version of the EH Small Clone. http://www.analogman.com/clone.htm. With the "Deep" option is key for use with bass. It is a bit spendy. I am planning to get the Bi-chorus model.

I have tried the EH Clone Theory but found it too noisy an it still had the usual lowend dropout that so many choruses have when used with bass. It does do some really extreme "underwater" stuff that is fun though. There are a few newer EH units like the Neo Clone that I haven't tried and they have been working on improving the lowend integrity of many of their pedals (probably because of the trend of down tuning and 7+ string guitars) so it may be that these newer units are more bass-frendly.

The EH Poly Chorus is a really cool unit that has been around for a long time and I have debated getting one more than once but the thing that has always stopped me is that, like many EH pedals, it is almost too variable and minute adjustments to the knobs can have dramatic effects, so dialing it in (and then keeping it there) is not something I'd want in a live performance unit. It also takes up quite a bit of boardspace which is something I don't want to sacrifice to a mere chorus pedal.

I tried the Digitech Multi Voice chorus and did not like it, it was very digital sounding and there were noticable ghosting when the pedal was switched off. I have not tried their "Chorus Factory" pedal yet so can't speak to that one.

Another pedal I have been wanting to try is the Hardwire CR-7. But I have many positive reviews of it on the TB effects forum.

Likewise I have not sampled the Line6 units except for the old four switch unit and I remember not being favorable to that one. However, Line6 has been doing a lot to improve and innovate and the M9 and M13 multiFX units have been getting raves on TB and other places so I say give 'em a try.

I have tried all the Boss pedals even the much lauded MIJ Bass Chorus and didn't like them. In most cases it was because I could not get as deep, lush type of efect that I prefer, but many people use them. I have not had a chance to try out the twin pedal version or the Space Echo pedal yet but I have heard that they are better that the single pedal units.

Another good pedal is the old yellow MXR M-134 unit, it even does a fair job of retaining the lowend signal, I have been very tempted to pick up one of these and if I could find the right price on one still might. I have heard the new small cased unit is pretty good too but haven't tested it myself.

The HBE THC (Triple Hound Chorus) is a very good unit and comes closest to challenging the Analogman unit. I think that the Analogman with Deep is just a bit better, but it is a close call and I would be very satisfied with one on my board. It is in about the same price range.

The original Visual Sound H2O chorus/echo pedal was a good sounding unit, I don't know how well the new series compares.

As for what I actually use;
I have used an old 18v Danelectro Cool Cat for years. I really like this pedal because it seems to preserve my lowend better than most and it gets a very lush chorus which I most often prefer when using chorus. The only problem with the Dano pedals is the construction, The jacks are plastic and mount directly to the curcuit board, I have already killed one unit. The trick with these are to mount it to a pedalboard and leave it there. Otherwise, with the heavy die cast housing they are practically bombproof. The fact that it is no problem to find used units for about $35 doesn't hurt either! :D Just be sure to use it with a power supply or you'll spend a fortune in 9v batties in no time!

Cheers!

_________________
"Nothing is what is seems, but everything is exactly what it is." B. Banzai


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: December 18th, 2010, 6:59 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: October 12th, 2008, 7:16 am
Posts: 644
Location: Lancaster, PA
True Bypass EBS chorus/flanger by far in my opinion. I have tried a gazillion different chorus pedals the EBS is the lushest full tone I ever heard. Inside the unit is an actual output adjustment screw like an on board active Bartolini bass.

This unit with a touch of reverb on a fretless will actually make a grown man cry. :cry:


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 10th, 2012, 7:10 am 
Offline

Joined: November 27th, 2011, 6:16 am
Posts: 2
I'm a huge Hooky fanboy as well, his bass sound is a new style on its own in my opinion, like slapping, for instance.

Peter Hook started playing around with his equipment from mid-80s onward, and he started flanging and using delay effects on his bass.
The modern Clone Theory doesn't sound nearly as good as the old one, which is pretty hard to find these days. The boss pedals have a similar sound, specially the Chorus Ensemble, but I'm now using this setup, which gives me an incredibly Hooky-sounding output:
Boss BF3 Flanger
Boss BR-800 Recorder (it has a hundred built-in effects or something; I use the Chorus Slap effect)
Line6 DL-4 with Digital Delay
(in this exact order)

The BR-800 is also an amazing equipment on its own, since it's perfect for recording basslines. You can also try several effects, play with customizable percussion on the background and record other instruments along with the bass and create songs easily.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 10th, 2012, 7:41 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: January 9th, 2009, 1:34 am
Posts: 2153
Location: The Netherlands
thumbslam wrote:
True Bypass EBS chorus/flanger by far in my opinion. I have tried a gazillion different chorus pedals the EBS is the lushest full tone I ever heard. Inside the unit is an actual output adjustment screw like an on board active Bartolini bass.

This unit with a touch of reverb on a fretless will actually make a grown man cry. :cry:


I totally agree, great pedal.
I have an EBS chorus myself, but not the current UniChorus model. I play one of these:

Image

_________________
My Facebook-profile


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 10th, 2012, 1:06 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: June 15th, 2009, 8:03 am
Posts: 1341
I have this...

Image

And it's amazing.

The detune knob and multi-chorus options are insane... it's all analog and you can literally dial up ANYTHING on it that you want.

Add that to the fact that it has boost features in the level and tone controls, and you can get a few more db out of it so you don't get buried in the mix, like you might with a lot of chorus pedals.

The ONLY thing that doesn't suit ME is how fancy it is... I'm just a "less is more" kind of guy and too many knobs and options freak me out. I'm just more of a two-or-three knob guy.

But, if you're a tweaker and you're looking for unlimited chorus/flanger effects, this pedal is the frikkin' BOMB.

Demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU9lsd0d108

_________________

F Bass BN5 • ZON Legacy Elite 5 • ZON Sonus Elite 5 Fretless • ZON Sonus BG5 • Fender Custom Shop '64 NOS Jazz • Fender Custom Shop '75 NOS Jazz • Fender ADE Precision • Music Man SR4


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 10th, 2012, 2:33 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: March 14th, 2008, 10:57 am
Posts: 2865
me personally, I'm a fan of the Analogman chorus.

Though i must admit, that Tech21 pedal looks tempting!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 10th, 2012, 2:51 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: March 13th, 2008, 6:40 am
Posts: 825
Location: Austin,Texas
I use a Boss CEB3. My playing/sound gets compared to Hooky all the time so you might check one out. Quiet and affordable too.

_________________
"Top 10 Best Bass Players" Austin Music Poll 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 10th, 2012, 3:41 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: March 12th, 2008, 4:40 pm
Posts: 605
Location: Tampa, FL
My Chorus, before and after I spruced it up cosmetically:

Image

Image

_________________
"But I didn't. I only knew that you'd know that I knew. Did you know that?" - Casanova Frankenstein


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 11th, 2012, 1:25 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: January 9th, 2009, 1:34 am
Posts: 2153
Location: The Netherlands
A "Rush"? Never heard of. Is that Chinese? Must be rubbish ;)

_________________
My Facebook-profile


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: September 11th, 2012, 2:48 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: April 5th, 2008, 4:52 pm
Posts: 359
Awesome pedal Danomite!

I've also been using the tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus for a few months now. I really haven't got anything to compare it to as I never used a chorus before, but I must say it sounds killer.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: December 23rd, 2012, 12:06 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: March 4th, 2008, 3:51 pm
Posts: 2654
Location: Pacific Northwest
I got a Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus too and that is a killer sounding chorus, but I returned it because the particular one I had was eating a battery a day.

Before I get another I'm waiting to try the new MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe. I picked up their new Fuzz Deluxe and find it pretty impressive so I want to give their new chorus a try too.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: December 23rd, 2012, 11:59 pm 
Offline

Joined: November 20th, 2008, 7:01 am
Posts: 314
I had a Trace Eliot Quad Chorus that kicked the ass of everything I had before and since. It was a large unit- and required a power supply... did not use it all that much... wish I still had it. It got stolen. I have two choruses now, and they do not lack in any area, really- I have an old collectible Ibanez, and a newer Boss stereo chorus. Both great pedals. I used the Boss last night. The Effect level control cranked, actually gives you a bit of volume boost, effective for soloing with it on. Both the Ibanez and the Boss are truly quiet, high quality affordable pedals. Got the Boss used mint for 40 bucks.
I had a 'Clone Theory' once, circa 1979...The incredible hiss it made was like when you watch t.v. and the station goes off the air. The actual chorusing it made was pretty impressive. If they made it quiet with the technology available in the 33 years since, it might be a great pedal now.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: December 24th, 2012, 12:30 am 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: March 4th, 2008, 3:51 pm
Posts: 2654
Location: Pacific Northwest
Anyone else drooling over the gorgeous sounding but very pricy Strymon Mobius?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: December 24th, 2012, 9:51 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: March 14th, 2008, 10:57 am
Posts: 2865
I am a big fan of all of Strymon's products. But @ $499, I can't afford to be an early adopter.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: What's a good chorus pedal?
PostPosted: January 1st, 2013, 7:34 pm 
Offline

Joined: March 20th, 2008, 12:56 am
Posts: 298
I had a Diamond Halo for quite awhile that was very good on bass but they are really pricey and a pain to power with the 24v requirement. I now have the Polish made G-Lab Tidy Chorus and it is really amazing in its simplicity and huge lush tone. No volume or low end loss at all. It has two separate channels with two foot switches so you can have a subtle setting and a rich deep lush setting to choose between.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 18 posts ] 


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group  
Design By Poker Bandits