Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Sept 21, 2014 8:28:39 GMT -7
...I've got a pretty good chorus pedal shootout going here.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I love the sound of my Keeley-modded, made-in-Japan Boss CE-2 (it's in amazing shape, by the way!). I love it when it's on, but I'd rather not have it on my 'board for buffer reasons (I have other strategically-placed buffers), plus I'd rather not dirty it up & screw it up with velcro, etc.
Thus began my search, and I've acquired the newer-style Jacques Meistersinger analog chorus, a Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus (have had this for a while, as backup for the CE-2), and an aNaLoG.MaN Chorus. These are the best of the best--there's no convincing me otherwise.
My thoughts? Well, the CE-2 is still the king of the chorus world. (I understand and respect that some people love the E-H Small Clone style chorus, but my preferences lie more in the Boss camp, for sure.) The Jacques is a spectacular surrogate for the Boss; the third "E.Level" knob really helps get it mixed properly.
The Voodoo Lab is quality for sure, if only a little "generic" sounding--but it's got a pretty noticeable bass-boost. I've had another model of this pedal in the past, and sent it to the manufacturer for the lesser-talked-about "volume mod" which eliminates the bass boost. It fixed that problem but sounded even more generic, and maybe even more like a Small Clone (not my preference).
The aNaLoG.MaN chorus is probably the highest-quality all-around in this matchup (tone & construction), with the only problem (for me) being that it's a Small Clone clone. The good news is that in "deep" mode it becomes much more subtle, a little deeper, and much closer to the Boss sound. If not for the Jacques, I'd keep this one and leave it in "deep" mode all the time.
That's all for now... just leaving my 2¢ here. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or otherwise mock my appreciation for a little subtle chorus once in a while.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I love the sound of my Keeley-modded, made-in-Japan Boss CE-2 (it's in amazing shape, by the way!). I love it when it's on, but I'd rather not have it on my 'board for buffer reasons (I have other strategically-placed buffers), plus I'd rather not dirty it up & screw it up with velcro, etc.
Thus began my search, and I've acquired the newer-style Jacques Meistersinger analog chorus, a Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus (have had this for a while, as backup for the CE-2), and an aNaLoG.MaN Chorus. These are the best of the best--there's no convincing me otherwise.
My thoughts? Well, the CE-2 is still the king of the chorus world. (I understand and respect that some people love the E-H Small Clone style chorus, but my preferences lie more in the Boss camp, for sure.) The Jacques is a spectacular surrogate for the Boss; the third "E.Level" knob really helps get it mixed properly.
The Voodoo Lab is quality for sure, if only a little "generic" sounding--but it's got a pretty noticeable bass-boost. I've had another model of this pedal in the past, and sent it to the manufacturer for the lesser-talked-about "volume mod" which eliminates the bass boost. It fixed that problem but sounded even more generic, and maybe even more like a Small Clone (not my preference).
The aNaLoG.MaN chorus is probably the highest-quality all-around in this matchup (tone & construction), with the only problem (for me) being that it's a Small Clone clone. The good news is that in "deep" mode it becomes much more subtle, a little deeper, and much closer to the Boss sound. If not for the Jacques, I'd keep this one and leave it in "deep" mode all the time.
That's all for now... just leaving my 2¢ here. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or otherwise mock my appreciation for a little subtle chorus once in a while.