Boss Choruses for Guitar

The Boss DC-3 guitar pedal comes under two different names - either the Digital Dimension or the Space-D. I believe that there isn't much difference between the two pedals, but I have only used the Digital Dimension pedal so I can't say this for show. The pedal is an analog one and is kind of a chorus/vibrato/flanging type pedal. It isn't rackable as it is a stomp box. UTILIZATION Like all Boss pedals, the Boss DC-3 is very user friendly and easy to use. The pedal has parameters for effect level, EQ, rate, and depth in the form of knobs. Everything is clearly labeled and extremely easy to follow. The manual is put together well, but it definitely isn't necessary unless you are looking for some really specific information. SOUND QUALITY The sound of the Boss DC-3 is definitely unique, although at the same time you will recognize some familiar sounds. I haven't really ever seen any pedals that are the same sounding as this one, so if you try out the pedal and like what it can do, this is pretty much your only choice to get a pedal just like this one. This being said, of course you can get other modulation effects like chorus and flanger which are similar, but not all in one pedal like this one. I use the pedal with a Fender Strat or a Gibson SG and a '76 Fender Twin Reverb for recording, and I can definitely get some pretty awesome sounds within this set up. OVERALL OPINION I've been using the Boss DC-3 for a few years on and off when I have access to it, as I do not own this pedal for myself. I definitely enjoy using the pedal simply because it is a unique blend of sounds and are hard to replicate elsewhere. The price of the pedal isn't isn't all that expensive, but since it is no longer being made and hasn't been made in a while, they can be hard to find and you will have to pay a bit more than for a normal pedal since it is rare. If you are interested in vintage Boss pedals or even just interested in messing around with some new pedals, the Boss DC-3 is a great pedal to look into.

I paided 90 bucks for it. This pedal is worth every penny! It is incredibly easy tp adjust, you can get any sound you want with it. It is very deep which is what i like. Its better than the CH-1 Super Chorus. Its more powerful and has a high and low EQ. You have to get this pedal. I cant play without it. I never turn it off, my distortion sounds amazing with it on. I have a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone which is awesome. I run my Crate GX-212 which sounds awesome to the CE-5 to the MT-2 to a Dunlop GCB-95 Original Cry Baby to my Epiphone Les Paul, the sound i get is amazing. You have tou by the CE-5. Its woth every penny, and dont forget to keep it on when you use distortion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It is made with metal construction and of course it is boss quality which pretty much says it everything. But it! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The BOSS CE-2 is one of the original chorus units made by BOSS in the early eighties. It was the first chorus made by the company to be put into one of their classic stomp box casings and it has a nice simple control layout as well. The two controls are pretty basic, rate and depth. They basically adjust the speed of your chorus effect (from slow to fast) and how intense the effect is (from very light and subtle to very heavy and dramatic with lots of pulsating tones. It's housed in the very durable BOSS casing and being that there are so many of these still in use today, it's a testament to their rugged construction. UTILIZATION The setup of the BOSS CE-2 pedal is pretty simple. The controls react as one would expect, and the chorus tones are nice and rich. BOSS was one of the pioneers of a very full and shimmering chorus tone overall and this pedal certainly has that. It's a very bright and glassy sound that really works for making the clean sounds of a guitar really sound excellent. Whether you're using it for chord work or some lead lines it reacts very well and feels good. SOUND QUALITY This pedal seems to sound best with single coil pickups from my experience. It really helps to take a Strat or Tele and just add some more glassy shimmer to its tone. Since those guitars are inherently thinner, this pedal can fatten the tone up a little bit with its rich chorusing, which is nice. It sounds fine with humbuckers too but I did find that things could get a little bit muddy with too much output coming from the pickups. This pedal definitely was made for cleaner amp tones. I particularly like it for those nice funky/jangly chords a-la Andy Summers or for some eighties power ballad type tones. You can use this pedal with distortion, but it will get kind of muddy, so unless you're going for a really grainy, washed out effect, I would stick to using this CE-2 for clean tones. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the BOSS CE-2 is a great version of the archetypal stomp box chorus. It is nice and simple, yet sounds great for bringing some new life to clean sounds. They haven't been made for quite some time, and are becoming a bit of a collectors item, but they're definitely worth it if you want some true and original chorus tones in a nice easy to use package.

I should note that there are two different versions of this mod that Keeley does. One is the standard Hi-Fi mod and the other is the Speedy Hi-Fi mod. This is the Speedy Hi-Fi mod version. The pedal looks exactly the same on the outside, but Keeley helps beef up this pedal by making it more musical and giving it more speed than ever before. It helps make this pedal more versatile than it used to be. UTILIZATION On the outside, the pedal looks 100% stock. In fact, this is probably one of the least intrusive mods that Keeley does. Keeley is fairly well known for his major mods with all kinds of switches and extra stuff thrown on pedals, but this looks like a normal CE-2 from nearly every angle. The pedal is built like a tank, so no worries in that aspect. You can tour with this without any problems at all. The manual no longer applies to this, especially with the speedy mod. You'll probably get a sound you're not looking for if you rely on the manual. However, there are only two knobs on this thing. Even a monkey could use this. SOUND QUALITY The pedal has more headroom than the last one, so it tends to stay cleaner than before. You don't have that nasty distortion that can sometimes occur and flub out the notes. However, it never gets harsh sounding, so you don't have to worry about some super thin and sterile chorus sound. The speedy option on this pretty much doubles the rate that you can have, so you can get some real crazy kind of effects going on with this. It works great for that trippy 60s style of music, but it can sometimes be out of place in other styles. It's a super solid chorus without much nonsense or fluff thrown in like so many others. OVERALL OPINION I generally prefer rack choruses. In fact, I still do. However, if I need a solid pedal for chorus, this is probably where I'd start. There are other pedals out there that are more versatile, but this is such a solid sounding pedal that it's kinda pointless to go with others if you're just looking for that core chorus kind of sound. Keeley did a solid job.

The Boss CH-1 is the best selling chorus pedal out by Boss at the moment. The pedal has an Effect Level knob that adjusts the amount of chorus that is mixed with the dry tone, an EQ knob that adjust the amount of high end on the chorus, a Rate knob that adjusts the speed of the waveform on the chorus, and a Depth knob that adjusts the height of the waveform on the chorus. The pedal can be powered by 9 volt batter or external AC adapter. Dimensions of the pedal are Boss’s typical 2.4" x 5.1" x 2.9" and it weighs about a pound. A single input and either mono or stereo outputs. UTILIZATION This chorus uses the tried and true pedal formula that Boss has been using for years. Basically Boss builds little tanks, pedals that can take serious abuse from the road and never hiccup, and the CH-1 chorus is no exception to the rule. It is a very reliable pedal and I’ve never heard any complaints in the build of the pedal or quality control. It’s a very straightforward layout and the knobs seem sturdy and hold your settings well. The housing and jacks are metal and will deal with life on the road. The inclusion of stereo outs on this pedal is a great addition and really makes the pedal useful in a stereo setup. SOUND QUALITY This pedal does about any normal chorus sound you’ll ever need, and does it fairly well. There is a bit of fakeness when this pedal is maxed out, but I think that’s intentional and inherent of the effect. It does a very good shimmer effect when used subtly and can pulse and spin you right around in the higher settings. I only use chorus sparingly and lightly, but it can really make your guitar sound lush and warm with a swarming movement on just basic chords. When used in stereo with two widely spread amplifiers (I use one on either side of the stage) this effect is very trippy and just beautiful for clean playing. OVERALL OPINION Overall this is a pretty great chorus pedal for the money. Boss really shines in the modulation and digital delay world and this is no exception. I like that Boss included the stereo outs, stereo ins may have been useful as well for keyboard players especially. When used in stereo this pedal works great and has a large spread. The pedal sounds a bit sterile with the EQ set to noon, but roll back the tone knob a bit and you get a somewhat analog sounding chorus that really sits well with me. Chorus is an occasional pedal for me, so I don’t need to spend a ton on a boutique pedal that will be used very little. When I need a good chorus sound, I always pull out my Boss CH-1 and go from there.

Made in Taiwan version. A Rate control for the effect's speed and a Depth control, plus a control to choose stereo or mono. And there's the rub: It has no volume control to adjust the influence of the effect on the sound, it would've been a much more versatile pedal thanks to that! USE It's very easy to use! I have no manual, since I bought it secondhand. SOUND QUALITY A good old analog chorus sound when you set depth and rate to 11 o'clock, beyond that it's too much, in my opinion. It's perfect to play Police or kitschy things from the '80s. But the lack of a volume control limits its use in many domains, you can hardly color sound ever so slightly like David Gilmour, for example. You'll need a CE-3 for a really pronounced chorus and a CE-2 for more "discreet" one, or a CE-5 to have both at the same time, but not as good (considering it's digital). I give it 8 because the deep chorus sounds are really good! OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for one year, I tried the CE-5 and the chorus from the Pod XT, but since I love old pedals, I bought the CE-3 for €35 on audiofanzine without having tested it. With hindsight, I think I'd take the CE-2 to have a more Gilmour-like sound!

Boss came out with pedal in 1985 as a unique chorus modulation tone. This is one of the strangest pedal I have ever seen from Boss. They only made it for four years and ended manufacturing in 1989. Dimension C is an analog pedal that allows its users to choose from 4 presets. It is based off of the Roland SDD-320 Dimension D. This is a highly sought after rack product for its rich tone and signal quality. UTILIZATION Features Creates the kind of "dimension" effects used in professional recording studios. Stereo outputs gives you a wider sense of 3D effect A built-in noise reduction circuitry keeps noise level down Specifications Controls: 4 Switches for Mode Selection Connectors: Input, Output A, Output B, AC Adaptor Current Draw: 30 mA (DC 9V) Weight: 410g (14oz) Input Impedance: 1Mohm Residual Noise Level: -95 dBm (IHF-A) Recommended Load Impedance: 10kOhm or greater Recommended AC Adaptor: PSA Series Labels SOUND QUALITY The "Dimension" chorus effect is one where thickness, depth and a sense of width, is added to the sound to produce a kind of 3D effect. The users have never seen this as a problem as all 4 presets produce excellent sounds. I think there is a desire for this pedal because of the unavailability of it. Since they were out for a short period of time there is a mystery to want to own one. The chorus isn't something that is spectacular. It does sound great but nothing that any other chorus pedal will offer you. It is a nice pedal but not for anything over $120. OVERALL OPINION Boss should have kept this pedal out a little longer. They are quite rare and it's not uncommon to see it go for a lot of money in the used pedal market. There is no way for any one to adjust the sound and tone of the pedal so the four presets are the only option you have. I have no idea what these go for on the used market. I would suggest something like the TC Chorus pedal or the MXR stereo chorus. Wampler Pedals has an excellent chorus pedal too.

The Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble is a chorus and vibrato guitar pedal. It is an analog pedal and has a 1/4 inch input and output for your instrument and amplifier. It is not rackable as it is a stomp box. UTILIZATION The configuration of the CE-1 is straightforward. It has two sections that control two different effects - chorus and vibrato. It has knobs for level control, chorus intensity and depth and rate to control the vibrato. It also has a switch to toggle between high and low to change the tone quality. There is a foot switch to choose between the chorus and vibrato effects, as you can't use both at once. I don't have a manual for this so I don't know how helpful it is. SOUND QUALITY Both the chorus and vibrato effects on the Boss CE-1 are awesome sounding. They are both thick and rich in tone and both have a unique sound to them. I have only used this with guitar - usually a Gibson SG and a '76 Fender Twin Reverb. This being said, this would probably sound great with an electric piano and other instruments of that nature. The chorus is one of the thickest chorus tones I have heard, and the vibrato is wobbly and makes for a pretty awesome effect. OVERALL OPINION I first used the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble about two years ago. This is one of the first Boss pedals and therefore has a vintage sound to it that isn't present in the newer Boss pedals. While these are somewhat rare, you can find them on ebay even though they will cost you a decent amount of money for a guitar pedal. For those pedal collectors, this might be hard to live without as it has a vintage look and has some serious tone to it. If you are looking for your first chorus pedal I would recommend looking at some of the newer Boss pedals like the CH-1 as you will probably get more from it. However, if you crave that vintage tone and want to add a chorus and vibrato to your set up, this is absolutely worth a serious look.