Friday, January 17, 2014

Best Chorus Pedal List

Looking for some of the best chorus pedals? Check out the Best Chorus Pedal List below



Digitech CR-7 Hardwire Stereo Chorus Pedal



Best Chorus Pedal - Digitech CR-7 Hardwire



Earning its spot on the best chorus pedal list, the Digitech Hardwire chorus pedal comes with seven different chorus types giving you a huge range of attainable tones. Equipped with true bypass, this is a chorus pedal you should really consider adding to your arsenal! Most praise this pedal, but some do complain of noise issues.  On to some other features:


- 7 Chorus Types (Boutique, Analog, Multi, Jazz, Studio, Vintage, Modern)

- 4 Controls: Level, Speed, Depth and Chorus Type

- Stomplock knobs to hold settings in place

- 9volt battery and PS200R power supply compatible


This is a rigworthy, tourworthy pedal. Encasing built to stand up to abuse. High voltage pedal for high voltage playing.







TC Electronics TonePrint Corona Best Chorus Pedal



TC Electronic Toneprint Best Chorus Pedal Corona



Not only one of the best chorus pedals, the TC Electronics Corona has the innovative TonePrint setup. Use your favorite artist's settings or tweak them out to your liking. Tons of flexibility with this chorus pedal. Many like this pedal because it doesn't have the fake cartoonish sea sickness type sound that some chorus pedals tend to make, but others complain about its impeccable ability to eat up batteries.

Some other features:

- Toneprint Signature Effect Sounds

- 3 Chorus Types

- 4 Controls and 1 Switch: Depth, Color, Speed and Level. SFC to Tri-Chorus switch

- True bypass and analog dry through

- Stereo In/Out

Another roadworthy durable and reliable pedal. Standard pricing in the $100 range for a pedal.







MXR M-134 Stereo Chorus



MXR M-134 Stereo Great Chorus Pedal



This big boy would be a good addition to any players rig. Coming in a wtf yellow casing, you can set the width and rate of the chorus and then tweak the intensity. The bass and treble knobs are nice additions that you don't normally see on chorus pedals.

Surely one of the best chorus pedal, this big yellow pedal has a smaller yellow fellow called the micro chorus pedal. Both are pretty damn sweet! Some features:

- Unique Bass and Treble knobs for EQing voicing

- Both stereo and mono outputs for tons of tonal range

- Takes two 9volt batteries or can be powered by the Dunlop ECB004 power adapter

Downsides here is obviously size and the fact that it needs two 9volt batteries. The not so standard sizing may not work well in your pedalboard.

It's also recommended to get the adapter to power the big yellow beast. It's little brother the Micro M148 only takes one battery and is also well liked. Both are worth checking out.







EHX Small Clone Best Chorus Pedal



best chorus pedal EHX Small Clone chorus pedal



EHX has many chorus pedals. The Neo Clone Analog, Nano Clone and the one reviewed here, the Small Clone. I feel the EHX Small Clone is the best chorus pedal out of the lot. The small clone is a true bypass analog chorus pedal.

It comes with a 9volt battery or an option power adapter (9DC-100). This chorus pedal is nicely priced at around $80.

It has one knob used to adjust the rate, but don't take that limited feature for granted. This chorus pedal still has tons of tonal range.







Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble






What's a pedal list without a Boss pedal! Durable and reliable. Always $100. There's a lot of love/hate for the CH-1, but the CE-5 is a pretty good chorus pedal all around. Some features:

- 4 Controls: Effects Level, Rate, Depth and Filter
- Mono input/Stereo output
- High and Low-cut filters for further tone tweaking
- Boss 5-year warranty

This best chorus pedal allows for a wide range of chorusing effects. You can go from very mild to very in your face with just a few twists of the knobs. Like all Boss pedals, this one has a power supply option.


Best option is to try these out in stores. If you have a Guitar Center nearby, or some local music shop, bring your guitar in and plugin to some of these pedals.





Thursday, January 16, 2014

Tips when Choosing the Best Chorus Pedal

Like when choosing any other kind of guitar pedal, there are some things to keep in mind when looking for the best chorus pedal.

Budget


money budget best chorus pedal


Budget is a big factor. Chorus pedals have a wide range of prices from the lower end Joyo at $35 to the boutique Analog Man at $234. Decide your budget before looking any further. Give yourself some wiggle room if possible in case you find something that is perfect, but a little outside of your price range.


Features


Features are the next to look at. Some of the best chorus pedals have both multiple features, or one single knob. It all depends on you the player. If you like simplicity, go with a pedal that has minimal settings such as the EHX Small Clone. If you like to tweak your tone to the high heavens, go for something like the Digitech Hardwire which has three knobs to edit seven different chorus types.


Analog vs Digital


analog digital wave best chorus pedals



In the good 'ol days, most chorus pedals were strictly analog. Newer technology now allows manufacturers to offer both analog and digital chorus pedals. Some of the main differences between the two are how they each process the signal and how they go about altering the sound.

An analog chorus pedal will work directly with the signal while a digital chorus pedal must convert the analog sound waves to a digital format, complete the signal processing effects, and then send the digital signal back over into an analog sound wave.

Due to the different ways analog and digital chorus pedals process the signal, this can cause the two to sound a bit differently. An easy rule of thumb to remember is that a digital chorus pedal gives you that "bright" and crisp sound while an analog chorus pedal produces a fat and "warm" tone.


Style


steve vai the shredder


A chorus pedal can be integrated into all types and styles of guitar playing. Whether you play blues or technical death metal, you can still use a chorus pedal. Keeping analog vs digital in mind, if you're a shredhead that aggressively attacks notes during a solo you would want to go for a digital chorus since that will give you a crisp response. If you're playing a warm, fat, juicy jazzy/bluesy lead or a clean strum, you would want to opt for the warmer analog chorus to give you a good sound.

Test


When looking for the best chorus pedal, make sure to test if you have that opportunity. Guitar center or local music shops carry a wide variety of different brands so you should have several chorus pedals to try out. Try to bring your own guitar and find an amp similar to yours to get a true idea of what the chorus pedal will sound like through your rig.

If you don't have the luxury of testing, check out reviews at online guitar shops and watch videos on youtube. You can also ask on forums or check out a list of the best chorus pedals.