some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: favorite chorus pedal
EHX Small Clone - Lushest chorus I've every used....it's so deep it's like you're going for a swim. It's a very dark sounding chorus when compared to a Boss, thus it's best suited for clean/mild OD and doesn't deal well with distortion unless you're going for an excessively sludgy sound.
EHX PolyChorus - It's mild settings sound almost identical to the Small Clone...and beyond that it's more or less just for wierd noises. Unless you just have to have it to play Radio Friendly Unit Shifter save your money and get the Small Clone.
VS H2O - The only chorus I've ever hated. I'll leave it at that.
Boss CE-1 - Very nice, but very noisy. I'd look at the Voodoo Labs clone before I spent what they want for an original.
Boss CE-2 - Very lush and rounded tone....no hi-fi sound here as it has a very vintage feel and rolls of the top end. Works well clean or dirty.
Boss CE-3 - The one I tried sounded like a CE-2.
Boss CH-1 - I didn't have a chance to use this very long, but I remember it being bright sounding. Not so great with cleans, but cut through distortion very well. For rather obvious reasons it nails the Zakk Wylde lead tone.
Boss CE-5 - Full range and high-fi sounding. Good for a more subtle chorus than the CE-2....I'd probably prefer this for acoustic over the CE-2. The tone knobs let you get somewhat CE-2 sounding, but it just lacks some of the feel of the older unit.
Boss CE-20 - F*cking killer unit.
I should add that I run my rig in stereo....so my opinion of the Dimensional D and CE-1 modes may be different if it were run through a mono rig.
My vote for favorite chorus pedal is obviously for the CE-20, but it's expensive....and overkill if you're not big into chorus. Otherwise I vote for the Small Clone for cleans, the CE-2 for cleans/dirt, and the CH-1 for 80s dirt.
Also, if I were to get another Small Clone, I'd get the Analogman Clone chorus....just for the improved build quality and much smaller size.
EHX Small Clone - Lushest chorus I've every used....it's so deep it's like you're going for a swim. It's a very dark sounding chorus when compared to a Boss, thus it's best suited for clean/mild OD and doesn't deal well with distortion unless you're going for an excessively sludgy sound.
EHX PolyChorus - It's mild settings sound almost identical to the Small Clone...and beyond that it's more or less just for wierd noises. Unless you just have to have it to play Radio Friendly Unit Shifter save your money and get the Small Clone.
VS H2O - The only chorus I've ever hated. I'll leave it at that.
Boss CE-1 - Very nice, but very noisy. I'd look at the Voodoo Labs clone before I spent what they want for an original.
Boss CE-2 - Very lush and rounded tone....no hi-fi sound here as it has a very vintage feel and rolls of the top end. Works well clean or dirty.
Boss CE-3 - The one I tried sounded like a CE-2.
Boss CH-1 - I didn't have a chance to use this very long, but I remember it being bright sounding. Not so great with cleans, but cut through distortion very well. For rather obvious reasons it nails the Zakk Wylde lead tone.
Boss CE-5 - Full range and high-fi sounding. Good for a more subtle chorus than the CE-2....I'd probably prefer this for acoustic over the CE-2. The tone knobs let you get somewhat CE-2 sounding, but it just lacks some of the feel of the older unit.
Boss CE-20 - F*cking killer unit.
- Rich - One of the thicker sounding models, I use this when I need a Small Clone-ish sound. It's not perfect, but it get's the job done, and it is very lush.
- Bass - One word sums this up.....sludge. I find it too fat for clean work, but run an distorted preamp into it and it's heavy as hell.
- Acoustic - I have no idea how this setting sounds....I've only used it long enough to figure out that I don't like it with electric.
- Standard - I A/B'd this mode with my CE-2 before removing my CE-2 off my board. I managed to dial this setting in so close to the CE-2 that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference if I wasn't A/Bing them.
- Dimensional D - This doesn't sound like a chorus "effect", but is more of a spacial enhancer (and lacks the swirly sound chorus's typically have). I have a hard time turning this mode off as it doesn't 80's my distortion, and it adds alot of 3D-ness to my sound.
- CE-1 - Nails the Metallica Black Album sound, but the CE-1 was never my favorite sounding chorus, so I tend to use the Bass, Rich, CE-2 and Dimension D modes more.
I should add that I run my rig in stereo....so my opinion of the Dimensional D and CE-1 modes may be different if it were run through a mono rig.
My vote for favorite chorus pedal is obviously for the CE-20, but it's expensive....and overkill if you're not big into chorus. Otherwise I vote for the Small Clone for cleans, the CE-2 for cleans/dirt, and the CH-1 for 80s dirt.
Also, if I were to get another Small Clone, I'd get the Analogman Clone chorus....just for the improved build quality and much smaller size.
Last edited: