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Best Boss chorus for bass ???


voxpop
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Have you guys got any views as to which Boss chorus best for bass ? I need a mellow sound for a fretless but it must not be muddy or dull sounding. Has anyone compared the models available, both vintage and modern ?
Seems there are lots of models to choose from but not much explanation of the differences.

Thanks.

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I've had the CE2B and a CEB3 many moons ago. The Ce2B was lovely and clear, but didn't play well with active basses. The CEB3 has the advantage of being able to select the frequency at which the chorus effect comes in, but I seem to remember it being a very good unit.

My absolute favourite though has to be the EBS Unichorus - it does everything a chorus should, and also has the ability to blend the effect with the clean bass sound. It's got a pretty good flanger on it too.

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[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1326108811' post='1492289']
My absolute favourite though has to be the EBS Unichorus - it does everything a chorus should, and also has the ability to blend the effect with the clean bass sound. It's got a pretty good flanger on it too.
[/quote]

I agree it's great (and I have one for sale in the Effects for Sale section ;) ) but I don't think the flanger is great TBH, which is why I'm selling it because I mostly need flanger. if you are mostly after a chorus, it's great to have that little added versatility there with that flanger, but if flanger is your main thing you're not gonna be satisfied with what this one offers.

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I find the CEB3 a lot better TBH. You could always try some cheap and nasty boss sized guitar pedals like an Arion or PSK. They usually only add the effect to the upper register leaving the lower notes uncoloured. Another choice would be the MXR micro chorus. Very subtle effect when used on bass.

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With the exception of the CE-1 and the twin-pedal CE-20, I've had each of the Boss chorus pedals, using them on guitar, bass and keys. For bass, my personal preferences, in order are:

1 - CEB-3 Bass Chorus. I've had both the digital and pre-2001 analogue version and found that of the Boss chorus pedals, this one worked best for me. I prefer chorus with low rate/high depth settings and found this didn't muddy things up at all on the low end.
2 - CE-2B Bass Chorus. This is a more subtle chorus than its successor and while it's warmer than the CEB-3, I found it was a little [i]too[/i] subtle.
3 - CE-2 Chorus. This is my favourite on guitar, and found that while the bottom end muddies a little, the warmth of the chorus compensated for this. Buy a Taiwanese model if you go for this - they're cheaper, and having owned both a Japanese and Taiwanese model and done a shootout, the differences were negligible. Some say that the Japanese version is warmer, but with analogue pedals, it's difficult to have two of the same model sounding identical anyway!
4 - CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. This model has a dual-concentric Filter control, which allows you to roll off lows or highs from the chorused signal. I don't remember this one being muddy and is more 'transparent' than the other choruses.
5 - CE-3 Chorus Ensemble. Quite a 'metallic' sounding chorus, this one - far more cutting than the previous CE-2.
6 - CH-1 Super Chorus. I found this sounded the muddiest on lower notes and is probably the 'coldest' of the Boss chorus pedals, but then, they were aiming for a chorus that would be able to cut through the mix with this one.

Hope this helps.

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[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1326329069' post='1495693']
Looks like Green Alsation has just outed himself as a 'chorus-whore' ;) .
[/quote]
:lol: :lol:
And they're just the Boss pedals! I've never had more than two chorus pedals at once though, and [i]never[/i] ran them simultaneously - that'd be like crossing the streams! ;)

I forgot to add the Boss CE-300, which is a rack chorus - well worth seeking out as it works well with any instrument and sounds fabulous, especially in stereo!

Outside Boss units, other choruses worth checking out with bass include the EHX Small Clone (not the Nano), the MXR Micro Chorus and especially the Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus, which is based on the CE-1 'Chorus' mode (it doesn't have the Vibrato mode).

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I have a Boss CE20 for sale if you're interested. :rolleyes: Only because I have ended up with EBS pedals, which are smaller and work well - said he stymying a potential sale :lol:

The CE 20 is good and has a number of different modes including Bass, Dimension D & CE1, as well as 4 memory slots, so 5 possible "patches" with the manual space

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[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1326107225' post='1492255']
The CE2 is very good - I've got the Amdek version from the early 80s (same circuit, different box) and it sounds very good...I like it a lot more now than I did back then!
[/quote]

I agree the CE2 is a lovely chorus.

[quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1326116166' post='1492445']
I agree it's great (and I have one for sale in the Effects for Sale section ;) ) but I don't think the flanger is great TBH, which is why I'm selling it because I mostly need flanger. if you are mostly after a chorus, it's great to have that little added versatility there with that flanger, but if flanger is your main thing you're not gonna be satisfied with what this one offers.
[/quote]

...sounds like you need a 1970s Electric Mistress ;)

Edited by StraightSix
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