Bass Chorus

[Gilbert]

I have been playing bass for nearly 14 years, and have never had any effects pedals or ever wanted them as I have always like the natural sound of the guitar and amp. However, I have started playing bass for a new singer songwriter, and feel some of the songs would benefit from some chorusing on the bass.

I have been looking around on google and ebay but cant make up my mind and I haven't got much money left with Xmas and a Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass on order.[/size]

[size=6][color="#000000"][color="#000080"]Does any one on here rate the Behringer BUC400 Ultra bass chorus pedal?[/color][/color][/size]


Is it cheap for a reason? I saw a fairly good review demo on youtube comparing it to the boss ceb3 and I couldn't really tell the difference in the sound??? (Dont shoot me)!!! There also seems to be a legion of behringer fans out there, but also legions who hate it. I guess it's Marmite.

Is it worth me getting it?

I want to put some dosh aside to get a higher end pedal later, but I just want something to tide me over for now.

I can get the Behringer for around £20 to £25, which I'm afraid is my pathetic excuse for a budget at the moment.

Do you really get what you pay for in this case, or should I relax and wait until I have a bigger budget.

Also, are there any other recommendations? Boss, Digitech, Ashdown etc. Are these any good?

Edited December 4, 2010 by Gilbert

[paul_5]

Behringer kit actually doesn't sound too bad. For the most part their pedals are cloned from Boss etc.. kit anyway. The only thing to watch out for is that the build quality can be dicey - obviously for this price bracket you're not going to have a cast metal case and top quality components, so bear that in mind if you're planning to back-flip onto it as part of your act... I had a Digitech chorus pedal last year, and it was VERY hissy - the circuit sounded like it had a gate on it to mute the level of noise when I wasn't playing. I'm currently using an old Boss CE2B (about £50 on eBay) which is just lovely, also, check the 'recent posts' on BC, as someone is selling a Boss CEB5 pedal, not sure what he wants for it; you might get lucky.

[Gilbert]

Ok, Thanks Paul.

I guess it cant be that bad. They describe it as being very good.

I might have a punt on it, £22.05 delivered on DV247 By the way

Edited December 4, 2010 by Gilbert

[Al Heeley]

If you want a budget bass chorus, have a try of the GLX bass chorus as well. Only £35, reportedly budget line out of the same chinese factory as the Boss units.
[url="http://www.rockfactory.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=gfx-glxbch"]http://www.rockfactory.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=gfx-glxbch[/url]
I'm not a fan of Behringer pedals, they sound a bit weedy to me and casing + knobs feel cheap - well they are cheap! The GLX units are cheap but they are robust.
Worth finding a local shop with a few units to choose from, and giving them a test. Only then will you see and hear if it's worth it, or if you will be selling it in a few months to get a better unit. If so, then that's £25 wasted.

[Gilbert]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1047870' date='Dec 4 2010, 11:40 PM']If you want a budget bass chorus, have a try of the GLX bass chorus as well. Only £35, reportedly budget line out of the same chinese factory as the Boss units.
[url="http://www.rockfactory.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=gfx-glxbch"]http://www.rockfactory.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=gfx-glxbch[/url]
I'm not a fan of Behringer pedals, they sound a bit weedy to me and casing + knobs feel cheap - well they are cheap! The GLX units are cheap but they are robust.
Worth finding a local shop with a few units to choose from, and giving them a test. Only then will you see and hear if it's worth it, or if you will be selling it in a few months to get a better unit. If so, then that's £25 wasted.[/quote]


Yeah, I have seen these pop up on ebay. Food for thought. Thanks for the heads up

[Gilbert]

Just checked some reviews of the GLX, Cant find any bad words. People are saying it is as good or better than the Boss (probably the £35 you would save better)????

I would have no problem purchasing one of these at the end of Jan, I just cant between now and then.

Edited December 5, 2010 by Gilbert

[TomTFS]

The sound when they're on is fine, if often see people with them and they buzz/hum really badly when bypassed. Also the build quality leaves a lot to be desired.

If you could stretch an extra tenner get an old EHX Small Clone, great pedal, great sound. I loves mine.
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=113262"]Or get this one if you go quickly. [/url]

Edited December 5, 2010 by TomTFS

[bartelby]

I bought a Behringer Octave pedal a couple of years back. It's rubbish.
I wouldn't waste the £20 or so on another behringer...

[Lozz196]

I`ve got a couple of Behringer pedals, the BD121 - Sansamp Bass Driver Clone - and the DC9 Compressor.

Build quality not as good as Boss/Tech21 etc, but have to say that for the money I`ve been impressed. No, they aren`t as good as the "names" but if you`re after establishing whether or not a certain type of effect is for you or not, Behringer are worth a punt. If you don`t like it, its not a huge sum of money wasted. If you do like it, and decide to upgrade, well with the Behringer you then have a backup in case of damage/theft to your named pedal.

And re the BD121 - its about 1/6th of the cost of the Sansamp, but in terms of sound/performance, it certainly gives out more than 1/6th - probably 5/6ths, if not more.

[mep]

I have had one for sometime now. I wanted a budget chorus pedal for a couple of songs. I got this from a local music shop. The build quality is not great, but treat it well and it should last for a while. They have gone up in price, as I got mine for £15. The sound is ok and fairly flexible. You pay your money and take your choice. If your budget is low and the use you get out of it in minimal then fair enough, or stump up a few extra quid for another. They are not rubbish and I'll keep hold of mine.

[bartelby]

I'm not saying their other pedals are rubbish but the octave one, in my opinion, is. And based on that experience I won't buy another of their boss type pedals.

I have a Behringer mixing desk and a few of their mics, all of which are great for the money.

Edited December 5, 2010 by bartelby

[uncle psychosis]

I've found that Behringer pedals are a bit hit and miss. Some of them sound great, others---not so much. I reckon for £25 you won't get much better. If you can find a second hand one you can probably sell it for what you pay for it anyway.

What I never understood though is all the complaints about the cases. Who cares if they're made of plastic? They're absolutely rock solid. My EHX Big Muff is made of metal and it feels flimsier than Behringer pedals I've owned. I can understand worries about the quality of the electronic parts---they are cheap parts, presumably---but you'll be doing pretty damn well to break the outside. I mean, just watch [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QL-6eTHSHQ"]this![/url]

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' post='1048142' date='Dec 5 2010, 12:27 PM']I've found that Behringer pedals are a bit hit and miss. Some of them sound great, others---not so much. I reckon for £25 you won't get much better. If you can find a second hand one you can probably sell it for what you pay for it anyway.

What I never understood though is all the complaints about the cases. Who cares if they're made of plastic? They're absolutely rock solid. My EHX Big Muff is made of metal and it feels flimsier than Behringer pedals I've owned. I can understand worries about the quality of the electronic parts---they are cheap parts, presumably---but you'll be doing pretty damn well to break the outside. I mean, just watch [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QL-6eTHSHQ"]this![/url][/quote]

Hilarious

[Gilbert]

Wow, thanks to everyone for the advice.

I love the construction test video.

I've taken the plunge and ordered one. If it's crap, then I will buy a better one in the new year. I just need one quick for some recording and cant wait until I get paid next. It was £22.05 delivered from dv247.

Yeah, I dont really care about whether the pedal is metal or plastic as I dont jump about on stage. And for 20 quid, I'm not gonna cry if it breaks!
I just interested in tone/sound.
I would probably use it in 2 or 3 songs in our set and it would be used in the whole song, so might not even have it on the floor.

I cant find many video reviews of this pedal on youtube, so maybe I'll do one when I get some time.

Thanks again, Mark

Edited December 6, 2010 by Gilbert

[son of frog]

Another one to consider is the Electro Harmonix Nano Clone, Its not a true Bass Chorus, but is designed to be used on both,
I know you've already ordered it now, But just in the future if you decide to upgrade,
It is slightly limited being that it only has a rate knob, but i've found the depth to be about perfect for most bass applications,
For about £30 its not bad, and is solid die-cast aluminium

-Tom

[Gilbert]

Hi everyone.

I got the Behringer Ultra Bass Chorus Pedal.

I cant seem to get a chorus effect out of it. It changes the sound a bit, but it is not what I would call a chorus. I'm comparing it to the sound samples on youtube of a boss ceb3.
I've never had a pedal before, so I'm not hugely experienced in this new world, but I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if it is crap, or I got a bad one?
I will play around with it a bit more, but to be fair if I cant get the sound I expected, then I will be returning it and just get the boss. (I have a unexpected raise in my budget).
So far I am not impressed. I will report back.

[GarethFlatlands]

[quote name='Gilbert' post='1055469' date='Dec 11 2010, 10:17 PM']Hi everyone.

I got the Behringer Ultra Bass Chorus Pedal.

I cant seem to get a chorus effect out of it. It changes the sound a bit, but it is not what I would call a chorus. I'm comparing it to the sound samples on youtube of a boss ceb3.
I've never had a pedal before, so I'm not hugely experienced in this new world, but I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if it is crap, or I got a bad one?
I will play around with it a bit more, but to be fair if I cant get the sound I expected, then I will be returning it and just get the boss. (I have a unexpected raise in my budget).
So far I am not impressed. I will report back.[/quote]

Any chance of a vid or sound clips? You might have got a duff one.

From personal and friends experience, I wouldn't buy anyhting from Behringer apart from mixing desk and rack stuff. It rarely seems to work properly.

[ahpook]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='1048588' date='Dec 5 2010, 07:11 PM']Hilarious [/quote]

plus the one. one of the best try-out vids i've seen in a long time.

btw - having just bought the aforementioned CE-5, my GLX chorus will be up for sale soon.

[Gilbert]

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='1055861' date='Dec 12 2010, 11:42 AM']Any chance of a vid or sound clips? You might have got a duff one.

From personal and friends experience, I wouldn't buy anyhting from Behringer apart from mixing desk and rack stuff. It rarely seems to work properly.[/quote]



Yeah, I guess I could do a sound clip. Might take a couple of days. I've since tried it cranked up on the amp and all it does is add pressence. All the knobs do something, except the rate knob. It certainly doesn't add chorus.

Think I might send it back and exchange for the boss ceb 3.

Cant make my mind up whether to go for a multi effects unit like the boss me 20? I mean, I haven't used effects in the past, and I dont want to over complicate things, but I'm tempted to see how I get on. I like the idea of options., and to maybe see what effects I may end up using and buying singles later. I play in a mellow rock/folk band.
Thanks

[TheRockinRoadie]

Behringer pedals are good for trying out effects when first starting a collection, but i wouldn't recommend them in the long run. I had 5 or 6 that i used with guitar and bass, but i'm down to just a couple now.

For chorus, i use an EHX Clone Theory, and its great! Although some people complain about the noise, it's not that bad. Maybe you should look at the EHX Nano Clone/Small Clone?

Cheers
L

[mcnach]

[quote name='Gilbert' post='1057649' date='Dec 13 2010, 06:46 PM']Yeah, I guess I could do a sound clip. Might take a couple of days. I've since tried it cranked up on the amp and all it does is add pressence. All the knobs do something, except the rate knob. It certainly doesn't add chorus.

Think I might send it back and exchange for the boss ceb 3.

Cant make my mind up whether to go for a multi effects unit like the boss me 20? I mean, I haven't used effects in the past, and I dont want to over complicate things, but I'm tempted to see how I get on. I like the idea of options., and to maybe see what effects I may end up using and buying singles later. I play in a mellow rock/folk band.
Thanks[/quote]


I'm not a Behringer hater, in fact I have used and still use (and like) some of their stuff. My practice amp is great, both the guitar and the bass one, I have a V-Amp2 that is great, and a mixer...
But FX... I bought a bunch in teh first couple of years they came out. They work. Fine. But not a single one of them made me want to keep it. The bass EQ I still have, just in case (but it's a bit noisy) and the preamp booster (PB100) that I found nobody who'd buy it off me, which works as it shoyuld, but I have no use for. Everything else is *fine* but ended up buying other brands and liking them a lot more. Latest one was the VB-1, a bassballs clone... it worked, but compared to the real EHX bass balls (which I now own) was VERY uninspiring.

I would recommend you forget Behringer pedals, and get a used Zoom B2. It has TONS of sounds, and they are all better than what I could get from the Behringer range. It will be about £45-50 used, what 2 Behringer pedals woudl cost new. It will allow you to experiment a lot with a wide range of FX, and figure out which, if any, you might want to explore further.
AND you get a tuner and a basic rhythm machine to play along to and practice at the same time.
The Zoom B2 chorus in particular is pretty decent, both mono and stereo, if that's what you're after

[Gilbert]

[quote name='mcnach' post='1058675' date='Dec 14 2010, 04:06 PM']I'm not a Behringer hater, in fact I have used and still use (and like) some of their stuff. My practice amp is great, both the guitar and the bass one, I have a V-Amp2 that is great, and a mixer...
But FX... I bought a bunch in teh first couple of years they came out. They work. Fine. But not a single one of them made me want to keep it. The bass EQ I still have, just in case (but it's a bit noisy) and the preamp booster (PB100) that I found nobody who'd buy it off me, which works as it shoyuld, but I have no use for. Everything else is *fine* but ended up buying other brands and liking them a lot more. Latest one was the VB-1, a bassballs clone... it worked, but compared to the real EHX bass balls (which I now own) was VERY uninspiring.

I would recommend you forget Behringer pedals, and get a used Zoom B2. It has TONS of sounds, and they are all better than what I could get from the Behringer range. It will be about £45-50 used, what 2 Behringer pedals woudl cost new. It will allow you to experiment a lot with a wide range of FX, and figure out which, if any, you might want to explore further.
AND you get a tuner and a basic rhythm machine to play along to and practice at the same time.
The Zoom B2 chorus in particular is pretty decent, both mono and stereo, if that's what you're after[/quote]

Hey thanks so much for the advice.

Yeah, the B2 seems to get a lot of recognition and I think it may be the one I go for.
I probably wont buy another Behringer pedal.

Thanks again, M