voxpop Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpop Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenmann Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Does it have to be Boss? TC electronic has a classic out there, the SCF pedal. Give it a try. I´m using mine since 20 years, checked many others just to find out that nothing compares (except the TC 2290 rack delay). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueslemac Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Do Boss do more than one bass-specific chorus? Mine isn't muddy at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simwells Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Not Boss but I really like the EBS unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I use a Boss CEB-3 with my fretlesses and really like it. Not muddy at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpop Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Thanks for the info. I really wanted to keep it Boss to fit my case. I now there is a bass chorus but was wondering about the many "guitar" versions available. So many to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1976fenderhead Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 [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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mog Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Might be a bit of an off at a tangent, but have you considered the Boss BF3 Flanger? It has a great sound, really works well with bass, and set up correctly, doesn`t sound too different from chorus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Looks like Green Alsation has just outed himself as a 'chorus-whore' . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am not excane Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 If you must stick with Boss, my picks are the CE-3 and CE-5. They're much better than the CEB3 bass chorus - more lush and natural. I'd highly recommend looking around at other chorus units. If you need suggestions, give a shout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrederikVanDuuren Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Hi, I have played with both the [b]BOSS[/b] CH-1 CHORUS & the [b]EBS[/b] UNI CHORUS (incl Flanger)... Although is the EBS twice the price as the BOSS... but its worth it!! Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 [quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1326329069' post='1495693'] Looks like Green Alsation has just outed himself as a 'chorus-whore' . [/quote] 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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devnulljp Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 The old CE-1 sounds good on bass -- see if you can grab a Retro-Sonic chorus, which is based on it, but true bypass and modern components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalMan Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have a Boss CE20 for sale if you're interested. Only because I have ended up with EBS pedals, which are smaller and work well - said he stymying a potential sale 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSix Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) [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 January 15, 2012 by StraightSix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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