Do Different Chorus Pedals REALLY Differ That Much? Or Is It Placebo Effect?

[@46b35]

Wow, this was very helpful. I don’t really use effects, normally love the sound of brass taxes when it comes to sound, but developed a liking to the chorus effect and know hardly anything about them. This is the only video that really helped... I tried reviewing professional artist’s that I liked describe their load outs, but it seemed to complicated/misleading. Thanks for taking the time, it really helped. Your videos are my new favorites as far as learning more about guitar features / gear / and sonic qualities... Thanks!

[@sebastiancordero237]

answer guy here: depends on the context. If a guy tries to sell a vacuum to you and says "This thing REALLY sucks" then it's good. But if someone is throwing one away to the trash and says "this thing sucks" then it's bad. Same thing if someone says "I'm really good at not doing anything good"

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MaxPower-js1sk]

I have a 1979/80 Boss CE-2 which sounds glorious. I also have the pink early 80s Ibanez Stereo Chorus (CS-9?), which is great. But as a guitar dinosaur, I think the old Arion Stereo Chorus was one of the best. It did Leslie if you turned the rate up. I use the Ventilator these days. That pedal is amazing, but it costs almost $1000 here in Australia (for the full-sized unit). 👍😁👍

[@garbarek1078]

That opening joke reminds me of the one voted best joke at the Edinburgh Fringe by comedian Tim Vine. "I've decided to sell my hoover.......Well it was just collecting dust."

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@davidratliff807]

Awesome 👏🏼 video... On my main board I use a MXR analog chorus, always on very light, use this to thicken up my mix. I love chorus effect!

[@RobertWJackson]

Me too. Chorus is awesome! I honestly wish I could use it more often than I do, but most of the playing that I do these days is recording pedal demos for my channel, and using chorus as part of my base tone would distort the tone of the actual pedal I’m demo’ing, which obviously isn’t fair to the viewer.

[@joerobertson795]

Very, very revealing. Well done Sir!

[@RobertWJackson]

Thanks man!

[@thebackshack78]

I test chorus pedals by playing different music groups and their specific eras; some pedals sound more “Rush (pre Moving Pictures)” than others while some sound a lot like “Van Halen (1982-1986), (1991-1993), (1995) or (1996).” Then again, I always run Choruses thru the FX Loop of a 5150 III with matching 2x12, which definitely makes all the difference.

[@MaxPower-js1sk]

Hi Robert. Re your vacuum cleaner remark: Electrolux had a short lived ad campaign with the slogan “Nothing Sucks Like Electrolux.” It lasted a few days.

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MaxPower-js1sk]

@@RobertWJackson That was right up there with my photo of an expensive sign in a building which said “Anas Building Rear Entrance”. I think I took that photo in your country. 👍🤣👍

[@jesselawson224]

Good idea for a video series! So many things to tackle with this topic!

[@ascendtranscend3812]

this was awesome man! thank you!!

[@RobertWJackson]

You’re welcome!

[@Mark_of_the_Bear_Studios]

I have a DOD Ice Box, recently found again, and a TC Electronics JP Dreamscape, both very different, though I use the Dreamscape for Flanger and Vibrato effects. The Ice Box has just always been my favorite. It was my first Ch pedal, and I sold it like a moron. I found another, and will not let it go. Although I do like the Dimension model on the PODX3, so I’ll be picking up the Waza Dimension C for my clean stereo rig. It’s just huge and spacious-sounding.

[@timothyplonk4266]

I like the Boss Super Chorus which I have. Also I love my Danelectro Coo Cat Chorus pedal,the original in the heavy housing. 2 knobs and sounds beautiful.

[@lancemetalhead422]

All the pedals had the same general chorus sound, but the rate and depth controls on each pedal is what made some stand out more than the others. The Boss C-E5, the Line 6, and the TC 3rd Dimension are what sound the best IMO. If I were to buy one it would probably be the 3d Dimension.

[@Terry3Gs]

Nice job on this Robert !! That 3rd dimention chorus pedal sounds worst then the michael batio one you said was bad .. lol

[@evamalmberg]

Dear Robert! I am a true follower of your channel. I live in Sweden so I bought the TC Electronic 3rd Dimension from Thomann in Germany. A very nice pedal with a very nice sound and wellbuilt, and not expensive at all. But I would love to have the Boss Superchorus but it cost a lot. Thanks for another great video!🇸🇪💜

[@RobertWJackson]

Thanks Eva! While I’m not familiar with the used market in Sweden, the Boss Super Chorus can usually be had for about the same price as a new 3rd Dimension (or less) over here in the U.S. Check the used market and see what you find, you might be surprised!

[@evamalmberg]

@@RobertWJackson Thanks for your answer!

[@docamosroxie8686]

Was just playing around with chorus last night...good timing! I only have a cheap donner chorus but I only use very lightly in almost reverb sound

[@jgmopar]

My Favorite still to this day is the Arion SCH-Z STEREO CHORUS. I do have and like the BOSS CE-5 and the BOSS CE-2. I liked the June-60

[@OmicronTauKappaClassicDaddy]

I'm certain that my desktop speakers won't capture the more subtle differences that I can hear at home performing my own chorus shoot out. My ears always favor analog chorus over digital. The single most annoying thing a chorus effect can do regardless is to raise the noise floor and the second most annoying thing would be to change your signal's EQ (looking at my dismantled DOD FX64 Ice Box Chorus which I couldn't bring myself to burden anyone else with because I hate what it does to my guitar tone). Third might be having a noticeable volume change like that June-60 seemed to do.

[@budgetguitarist]

Great video as always. I couldn't pick a favorite - they all mostly sounded like "Chorus" to me. I like the Chorus sound, but a little goes a long way. i wonder how many different chorus pedals are out there right now, counting all the small builders. 100? How many Tube Screamers? Same with delay, same with "Plexi in a Box", same with simple boost pedals... I can't actually complain about too many options, but is the pedal market oversaturated? Small builders are still popping up all the time, but boy it's getting to be tough to get noticed.

[@RobertWJackson]

You couldn’t pay me to start up a new pedal or guitar company right now. Both of those markets have become insanely overcrowded. I often question whether I waited too long to get my KZbin channel started.

[@budgetguitarist]

@@RobertWJackson I think (or maybe I hope) KZbin is different - I think people are always looking for new content. But there are a TON of channels out there for guitar stuff, for sure! I think your channel is great - people enjoy your natural, down to earth presentation. I've taken your videos on starting a guitar KZbin channel to heart. Keep making great content!

[@RobertWJackson]

Thanks man! Glad to hear you’ve gotten something out of them. 😉

[@GuitarGearGyan]

did not get a joke during the livestream but at least got one here...... feeling pretty satisfied...... chorus rules.

[@petemitchell6788]

Liked the Afterglow. Wanted to smoke a cigarette after you were done with it.

[@43SLOWJOH]

Tom's Line had some piercing Treble. Boss Super Chorus (Currently owned along with Danelectro and Fly Boys) had bit more restrained warble at end-range than Luxe or Line 6.

[@Bionicycle]

One of my favorite "Chorus Pedals" was one of the cheapest I ever owned. It was a stereo chorus pedal by a company called "Arion". It had a plastic housing, and should have been by all estimation junk, but had a really fine sound. I wish I had one back in my pedal board sometimes. William C. central Indiana.

[@jumpingman8160]

The arion chorus is great. A legend on its own

[@playdelay]

I like the Ce5 bc it sounds great into a dirty Marshall... how nicely a chorus plays with your setup can be a big point of difference.

[@nolanbourgouin9500]

The intro joke was good. Next time I buy a vaccume and they offer an extended warranty I'll just say no, because this vaccume sucks

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@fabiankaupert2528]

my only issue is that when you're moving knobs around, they only are done so while everything else is kept at unity. so you can't hear depth up while rate is up. more noticeable differences between the digi and the boss ones, but overall, yes mostly similar.

[@electroKrunch]

I gotta say, out of all of them, the CE-5 is still my fave, mostly for flexibility. I used to run one & may well again...

[@RobertWJackson]

The CE-5 was my main chorus for 15 years until I heard the Luxe.

[@electroKrunch]

@@RobertWJackson I will try the Luxe, it does sound good....

[@jumpingman8160]

Chorus is my favorite effect! But has to be Stereo. Some do sound very simillar [if they have the same "standard" as a base of copy... CE-1 or CE-2 as per usual]. Some however are very different, not only on the lfo shape but the overall tone they produce. I tend to prefer a bright Stereo Chorus with a Sine or triangle lfo. But some offer other lfo waveshapes [sawtooth, random and square] and can sound eiher very subtle or outright muddy If you can, check out: Maxon CS-550, Mr. Black Stereo Vintage Ensemble, TC Stereo Chorus +, EHX Poly Chorus, MXR Analog Chorus. In the digital domain, Eventide and the Yamaha SPX90 rack units [or their VSTs].

[@pcbullets8726]

Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing going on with most of them. The Line 6 and the TC June 60 had some of the most unique(weird) tones out of all of them. I would buy most of them with the exception of the MAB one. In my own board I use a Boss CE-2. Great video Roberr, thanks!

[@RobertWJackson]

Thanks man!

[@rondobondo6600]

Wow I really like that luxs... it kind of gives it a sort of tremolo effect along with the chorus mix I like it...

[@rondobondo6600]

Luxe

[@RobertWJackson]

That one’s my favorite!

[@Identace445]

Wow..I like the line 6 one! It gets trippy when the knobs are turned to extreme! Same with the June one too!

[@electroKrunch]

I hear 'Black Hole Sun' in some of the pedals. Some of the pedals may be ripe for novelty sounds for a particular track...

[@caseystrange1532]

You need to try the Boss CE-2w, it’s by far the best chorus I’ve ever heard. Really rich sounding and also it has the CE-1 and a vibrato mode in it.

[@irradix213]

i think our hearing gets too used to it and it disappears and we have to have a palette cleanser then go back in later

[@yankeepeters2270]

If you haven’t yet, check out the criminally unknown Strymon “ Deco” pedal. It’s a tape simulation style pedal that does many things well and sounds fantastic. When I want a chorus style sound, I use this in stereo and it’s sounds gorgeous. Another great pedal is the Keeley 30 ms Double Tracker.

[@flotenn3351]

There is not much difference, except for the Line 6 and Juno. The ACH-1 made a huge volume boost imho, that's a no go for me. The Juno did this too but not that much. Personally I play a Boss CH-1 with all knobs on 12 o'clock and thats my chorus sound as I like it. Someday I might check out sth else like the Walrus Julia maybe, but for now I am very content with the CH-1.

[@rijosigns]

iwas really interested in the video title beacause i had the same thoughts. ty for having all these pedals i only had the one so really like the june 60 the the ce-5

[@RobertWJackson]

Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kidthorazine]

Ive used a Small Clone, CE-2 and Stereo Polychorus pretty extensively and they all sound pretty different to me, granted the polychorus especially has some extra tone filtering going on, but even the small clone and ce-2 are pretty distinct from each other.

[@johnmcdonagh1607]

Mmn, great philosophical dilemma to kick off 🥴.KISR, keep it simple Robert 😳👍😂. I have been jogging backwards, past month, with no results , as yet . Have wing mirrors fitted to side of head, no accidents as yet 👍.

[@RobertWJackson]

Unanswerable questions, not philosophical dilemmas. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@johnmcdonagh1607]

@@RobertWJackson I can always answer them, but never the answer that you’d like, alas.

[@RobertWJackson]

Fair enough. LOL

[@maidenman74]

Maybe I simply have no taste in sound but ive always thought Chorus is the only effect most multi effect processors seem to do well. I love chorus on all of my clean sounds but hate it in a 80's style metal sound. i have a CE3 on my pedal board but ive always preferred the clean sound of my old (ancient) RP1 multi fx processor.

[@jeffseven2194]

Probably would've noticed more nuances 40 years ago but my Sound City 120 stack, my lead players SMF(265 RMS) the next guitarists Hi watt stack and then Marshall 9200 and my Carvin 500 watt bass amp w 4 4x10s,you could say my hearing has been degraded, just say it loud or I won't hear you. But I liked the chorus ensemble and the luxe.

[@aljohno72]

Tone city Angel Wing is a fantastic pedal for little money 💰 defo worth a demo 😀

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I have a few boss and DOD chorus pedals plus the built in chorus in my fender Princeton chorus amp. Just picked up a rack mount of digital effects the Carvin FX-2 , curious to see if DSP chips can make my pedals obsolete. I don’t like digital dirt pedals, but my boss DD-2 delay sounds great and so does my holy grail reverb. Maybe no more reason to stay analog for time based effects?

[@odyssey6684]

Another great question - pun actually. Still had me rolling.

[@RobertWJackson]

Not a pun, an unanswerable question. 😉

[@NerdGasims]

Hmm interesting video. There sure are some similar sounds to the chorus pedals but their are some differences. I was surprised to hear some differences were more drastic than I would have thought. Also that Michael Angelo Batio chorus pedal it sucks. That’s the only one I didn’t like, sounded broken. That one instead of a chorus sound, sounded like loose change or nails jangling around inside a tin can. The Luxe, CE-5, June 60 and 3rd Dimension were my favorites though

[@RamZMusic]

I think Robert needs to pick up an SPX90 cheap and get his Zakk love on full force..... just go to Symphonic preset and tell me its like any other chorus :)

[@RobertWJackson]

Looking for an SPX90 now. Can’t seem to find one, though. I now also apparently need a studio power amp. LOL

[@RamZMusic]

@@RobertWJackson hahaha

[@deanlewis2692]

The tc dimension. Four different variations of the exact same sound.

[@mykneeshurt8393]

Ha. I wrote a major english paper (was worth a lot of your grade) about how a vacuum cleaner sucked. I thought it would suck better but it really just sucked.. I got an A+ on the paper. haha.

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@voxpathfinder15r]

From an audience perspective, they’re all the same. For me I am happy with a used boss super chorus

[@jonessthedeaddd8431]

Ehx Poly Chorus. All you need.

[@kingofdragontown9680]

Yellow choruses are scientifically the best 😂😂

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@howardcunniffe8738]

The closest I have ever played chorus is when I used to have my Fernandes Nomad Deluxe. It had an affect channel where it sounded like another guitar player is Jamming with you. But it's you alone playing the low neck and the high neck. Sounds weird right?

[@rondobondo6600]

Line 6 ant to bad ...I use a vintage electro Harmonix chorus that I am happy with..

[@mrfacephone]

The thumbnail for this made it look like you were selling Shamwows, the blue shirt didn't help! lol

[@RobertWJackson]

What are Shamwows? LOL

[@mrfacephone]

@@RobertWJackson You know those micro fiber towels from the infomercials! Lol

[@turcitox]

Its that a gatorade or a gravy sauce?

[@RobertWJackson]

Protein shake

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

Chorus was the first effect I sought-out and bought as a younger player. Clean tones always sounded a bit cringe to me without some sort of sauce. I’ve used a super chorus for years.

[@schreds8882]

The Outlaw and the Tomsline sound just a little like a Hammond organ if the organ were in a metal can at the bottom of the ocean and inside a whale. I only use my vintage DOD FX65. I never owned a Boss chorus though. I'm thinking the FX65 may be a clone of one of the Boss pedals. Any thoughts?

[@OmicronTauKappaClassicDaddy]

DOD FX65 is an original circuit that competed against Boss back in the day. The FX65 did have a predecessor which was DOD FX60 which only had two parameter knobs and you had to use a TRS cable and splitter to get the Stereo signal out of it. The FX60 was a lot closer to being a Boss CE-2 clone and many consider it to be a poor man's CE-2.

[@darrenbuttholes8844]

all guitar pedals sound exactly the same i cant believe people still buy them when you can just get a line 6 spider for like $50 on craigliss

[@harrycanyon273]

Wouldn't use a Line 6 Spider even if it was free. They're just garbage

[@darrenbuttholes8844]

@@harrycanyon273 no i bought one and its great it works.

[@RobertWJackson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣