Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

[Johnny the Kid]

My parents bought me a Black Label Chorus pedal for Christmas this year. I had tried it out, and liked the sound. Unfortunately, I didn't try it in my entire signal. It has a buffer built in, but when it's off, it completely sucks out the tone of my guitar. Is there any chorus pedal that is true bypassed, because I can't deal with this anymore.

 

[Brow]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

If you like the tone of the effect itself have you thought about using it in a true bypass loop pedal at all?

That way it's only in your signal when you want it to be and won't colour your tone the rest of the time.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

I like it some of the time. I use it at school for practice in my band (currently we are playing to an audience including my friend, the chalkboard, and the band director who dismisses us as "Death Metal"), so it tends to get messed with. As long as I can find it's sweet spot, then it's good. How much would a true bypass loop pedal cost?

 

[alteredbeast]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

thats disappointing, i was kinda curious about that pedal.

 

[CTN]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

if you're handy with a soldering iron you could make one yourself for $20 in parts (maybe less)

you'd need:

-a pedal enclosure
-4 mono 1/4" jacks
-3PDT footswitch
-hookup wire (22 or 24 gauge)
-solder/soldering iron
-drill for drilling mounting holes for the jacks and footswitch

 

[jmh151]

Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

Go to loopmasters. He makes every looper imaginable, custom loopers, and it varies in price depending on how many loops you want.

Takes a while for him to make them, sometimes 8 weeks, but way cheaper and better than most loopers out there

 

[jmh151]

Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

The other alternative is to put a good buffer before that pedal- even just keeping a Boss or Ibanez pedal before it and keeping it off will help, that's what I did with my MXR pedals.

If you want a true bypass chorus, look at the TC Electronics Corona Chorus. It has dip switches inside that allow you to make it true bypass or buffered

 

[XPAULPITT]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

I have no problems with mine. It is supposed to be true bypass anyway. Maybe change the order you have it in your chain if you use any other pedals.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

Yeah, I thought MXR were TB?

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

I've never had that problem with mine.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

It's not true bypass but I don't think it has a buffer either.

When you say "tone suck", what do you mean?

To me more often than not tone suck is a term internet guys use when they are un happy for some reason they often can't nail down.

Also, what else is in your signal path and what kind of cables are you using on this board?

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

It's not true bypass but I don't think it has a buffer either.

When you say "tone suck", what do you mean?

To me more often than not tone suck is a term internet guys use when they are un happy for some reason they often can't nail down.

Also, what else is in your signal path and what kind of cables are you using on this board?

I use a pretty straight forward setup. I have a Dunlop 535Q -> Tubescreamer -> 10 Band EQ -> the Chorus -> MXR Smart Gate. I use DiMarzio jumper cables for the pedals, and 18.6 ft Tweed Fender cables. That goes into a Peavey Windsor that I had rebiased for 6L6's (I like to have my distortion come from the box, so I can get really clean sounds from a one channel amp).

When I use the chorus in my chain, it almost forces me to keep it on all the time, because when it's bypassed, it gets this horrible noise that sounds like rushing water as well as sucking out all the mids. I literally had my 10 Band set for everything in the the mid range to be boosted while cutting all the treble and bass, and even then there was still no mids to be spoke of in my signal.

Also, according to Dunlop's most recent bypass list, the chorus is buffered.

Here's the link. Scroll all the way down, and there should be a picture that says expand. It's the list of all the Dunlop Electronics and what sort of bypass they have.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-true-bypassing/

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

If you want a true bypass chorus, look at the TC Electronics Corona Chorus. It has dip switches inside that allow you to make it true bypass or buffered

That's one of the smartest things I've ever heard of in a pedal.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

It looks like that chorus pedal is just not going to work with your set up as-is...

That wah and the TS also have buffers so it might just be an issue of one or more of those pedals don't want to play nice together...

Simple answer, a single true bypass loop, put the chorus in it when it is ON it's just like having the chorus on now when it's OFF it's like taking the chorus out of your chain.

If you want a true bypass chorus I can suggest the BMF Liquid Sky Chorus, AnalogMan Chorus, an EH Small Clone or the MXR Micro Chorus...all of those are great chorus pedals that are true bypass...

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

That wah and the TS also have buffers so it might just be an issue of one or more of those pedals don't want to play nice together...

OP, how old is your 535Q? The current production does not have a buffer.

http://issuu.com/jimdunlopusa/docs/bypass_spreadsheet_sheet1/1

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

OP, how old is your 535Q? The current production does not have a buffer.

http://issuu.com/jimdunlopusa/docs/bypass_spreadsheet_sheet1/1

Just over a year. I was using my uncles hand-me-downs, until I finally saved up enough about bought one. I'm a little disappointed to find out that the Tubescreamer isn't hardwire bypass as well. I might buy a new overdrive instead. I know the manager at the Guitar Center near my house (sort of), and when I sold him an old MXR Fullbore Metal, he gave me like $70 for a year old used $100 pedal. If I tell him I don't like the Chorus, he'd probably be willing to let me trade it in for the original price, and might even give me a discount on a new chorus.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

Just over a year. I was using my uncles hand-me-downs, until I finally saved up enough about bought one. I'm a little disappointed to find out that the Tubescreamer isn't hardwire bypass as well. I might buy a new overdrive instead. I know the manager at the Guitar Center near my house (sort of), and when I sold him an old MXR Fullbore Metal, he gave me like $70 for a year old used $100 pedal. If I tell him I don't like the Chorus, he'd probably be willing to let me trade it in for the original price, and might even give me a discount on a new chorus.

I kind of dig that sound on the Micro Chorus. I might try that out.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

Well, chorus pedals often sound best through the effects loop.
Also, if the chorus is creating a sound that is not the desired effect, then it could be faulty.
I would also test it somewhere else in the chain, like before the eq pedal.
But through the Windsors loop would be ideal and likely sound best.

Also, true bypass isn't all it's cracked up to be. You are running a lot of cable, and TB pedals only add to that length by allowing the signal to continue right through them. Which raises the level of your cables capacitance resulting is a dull tone lacking brilliance, depth and liveliness.

I also found those ZW line of pedals to be rather cheaply constructed. I imagine the parts inside are just as low quality as the outside. They just feel like toy in your hand.
You obviously take pride in your tone, so maybe upgrade to a quality chorus pedal. I personally have always had bad experiences with the bypass on MXR pedals.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

Just over a year. I was using my uncles hand-me-downs, until I finally saved up enough about bought one. I'm a little disappointed to find out that the Tubescreamer isn't hardwire bypass as well. I might buy a new overdrive instead. I know the manager at the Guitar Center near my house (sort of), and when I sold him an old MXR Fullbore Metal, he gave me like $70 for a year old used $100 pedal. If I tell him I don't like the Chorus, he'd probably be willing to let me trade it in for the original price, and might even give me a discount on a new chorus.

Why are you worrying so much about true bypass and buffers?

You didn't even know that the TS and wah were not true bypass until I told you so it can't be bothering you as far as the tone goes...

 

[Spirou]

Re: Black Label Tone Sucker Chorus

To me it sounds like something else is wrong, but what do I know?