Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus

Light blue in the standard Boss stompbox case. Four knobs: effect level, low filter, rate and depth. One input; mono or stereo out for spreading the chorus effect between two amps or two channels of the PA or recording console. 1 9V battery or optional AC Adapter. I've been playing bass professionally for 45 years.

Purchased in 2005 from Musiciansfriend.com I wanted a chorus effect for some songs. Paid $69 + shipping

It's easy to use: find the rate and depth you want, adjust the low pass filter for max bottom, dial in the mix of straight bass and chorus and you're all set. I also like the fact that the battery can be replaced by lifting the on/off pad rather than unscrewing four screws on the bottom. I also like having a wide on/off pad rather than a single toggle.

This is an older chorus unit, and I think technology makes today's bass choruses better sounding. I find the stereo effect rather useless live, but nice in recording.

Well-built of heavy gauge aluminum, as are all Bodd pedals.

For not much money, the Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus offers a decent sounding effects for bass that can be useful on solos or atmospheric support line.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased 5000 Yen ($65Aud) used from Ishibashi music Akihabara Tokyo Japan
Purchased to replace a Boss Bass Chorus CE-2B misplaced when moving

produces a smooth chorus sound tailored for bass.
usable, almost essential, sound
simple rugged and reliable.

When used with a compressor it produces that dreamy sound so loved by later New Wave bands like Duran Duran, Japan ABC use it with a fretless bass and you will find yourself writing songs to go fitt the sound think Pino Paladino on Paul Young's version of "Were Ever I lay My Hat" and this will get his sound down perfect.

Sound wise not quite as good as my old CE-2B but better than the chorus in my ME 50B bass multi effects unit.

I'm not happy with the newer rounded off knobs they use. the older CE-B has only 3 larger knobs set out in a triangle arangment that alow you to tweak on the fly vey easly. The small 4 knobs in a row (they have added a "Low Filter" knob that I just set and forget) are fiddly at best.

like most Boss pedals almost bullet proof

along with a good compression/sustainer pedal the CEB-3 (or the older brother the CE-2B) is THE essential bass pedal for players of softer rock and jazz.

buy it NOW! (Unless you can find a CE-2B then hock your second favourite bass to buy that instead)

Sound wise it's 5 out of 5 but I'll rate it at 4 because I think the small fiddly knobs are a step backwards.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I had this hooked to my bass rig a few years ago and it never failed me. It is a solid bass chorus pedal that doesn't add any distortion or overdrive to the bass tone but a subtle liquid modulation that beefs up the spectrum of the tone. I was unsure at first when presented this little pedal, but to my surprise it quickly became a staple of my personal tone. The lay out as follows...

- Low filter lets lowest frequencies through unaffected
- Controls for level, low filter, rate, and depth
- LEDs show status of controls
- One touch on/off switch

UTILIZATION

Pretty easy pedal to dial in. It all depends on how much or how less of a chorus effect you need or want in your signal. Not a true bypass pedal so it will be locking up your tone at all times. You can easily send it off to someone to get modified for true bypass if desired. I just kept it on at all times and used it in a gentle way as to not cramp my tone or dominate the signal.

There is only four knobs and like all Boss boxes it is pretty self explanatory. The more you increase the low filter and depth the more that the pedal is going to be in your mix. Those two controls really determine how you are going to sound when using this device. I generally ran everything around noonish give or take to achieve my tone.

You can also run this pedal in stereo to create a sort of synth sound that sound very huge. The pedal in general is very warm and smooth sounding and when you are able to run it in stereo the range just opens completely up.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound is amazing! I find that the more this pedal is engaged the more I want to play the bass. The lush chorus modulation provides a depth that is very inspiring to play with. Keep the low filter down and listen how the pedal creates a old bass synth sound familiar to 70's style radio and television broadcasts. Another cool way to run this pedal is to have the depth to around 5:00, the rate around 12;00 , and the filter all the way up....you'll get a very usable high frequency bass chorus that sounds creamy but retains your original bass notes in tact.

I ran this with a Raven Labs preamp into a a QSC with a Warick bass 4 string. I had quite a cheap setup but I found that this pedal sounded like I had a lot more invested than I really did. I also was using a Trace Elliot 4x10 cab. It was an easy setup for a simple bass rig, but the rig sounded huge. Couple this pedal with a little overdrive from your bass amp or another pedal and you have got one thick sounding tone.

OVERALL OPINION

Great pedal for bass expansion. I have not tried it for guitar as I already own many chorus pedals for guitar. The thing I like least about it was probably the true bypass thing. I wish Boss would step up the deal and make their items with this feature. I would pay a little extra to have it standard true bypass then have somebody do it for me.

It is a very inexpensive item at around $90 and you can probably pick one up for half that on the used market. If it ever got lost or stolen I would probably pick up another unit. It gives a huge sound to a flat sounding bass rig. If chorus isn't your thing then I would try a Boss bass OD pedal to get little effect to your bass rig. A flat sounding bass rig is boring.

I would recommend any bass player at least try this pedal. You may not like it but at least give it a shot in a band mix too.