Check out my choices for Top 5 Chorus pedals. I deep dive on each one. Plus I include the ones that didn’t make the cut, and the pedals that I still want.
Which ones made the cut on my pedalboard?
What are you looking for in a chorus pedal?
This goes back to my previous article about What I Look for in a Guitar Pedal and the never-ending chasing the tone inside my head.
What is a chorus effect?
The chorus pedal doubles the guitar input, delays it by 20 to 50 msec, and modulates it with a Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO). You can usually vary the speed and depth of the chorus and mix the wet and dry signal with the knobs. Some chorus pedals have stereo output to split the wet and dry sound to two amps.
We’ve defined how a chorus pedal works, but what does it sound like? It can sound as if several guitars are being played simultaneously and a wider, thicker and richer sound is created. Sometimes it can add a spacey effect.
The Holy Grail of Chorus Pedal Tone
For a chorus pedal, what is that Holy Grail of tone? It depends on your tastes.
Perhaps it’s the warble of Kurt Cobain’s Small Clone chorus on Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” with that single Rate knob set between 9 and 12.
Some people want a “shimmer” chorus. Some want a “watery” chorus with a strong wet sound.
A chorus pedal can even make your acoustic guitar sound like a 12 string, especially the chorus effect in an acoustic guitar multi-effects pedal.
Recent chorus pedals have added a Vibrato effect as well. The newer modulation pedals with all those knobs can have chorus, flanger, vibrato, and even rotating speaker effects in one pedal.
The chorus may sound different if you run it before or after the distortion.
You may also get a different effect if you run your modulation pedals, like chorus, through the effects loop. I don’t usually have a lot of setup time at a coffee shop or small bar gig. And I don’t like an extra set of cables going across the stage, so I don’t use chorus in the effects loop.
My Gold Standard of Chorus Pedal Tone
I want a chorus pedal tone that thickens my guitar tone, especially when playing a solo coffee shop or worship gig. I want it to be “watery” without adding high end “shimmer”.
I keep the Rate knob very low. When I turn the Depth knob I want my guitar tone to thicken or widen, not phase or flange. No warbling for me.
The sound I hear in my head is Rush – the middle of “YYZ” or the guitar in “Animate” off of “Counterparts”.
Or Triumph Live at the 1983 US Festival.
So I like the 1980’s tone.
My “gold standard” for this tone is the MultiChorus on the Eleven Rack. It is hard to get that same tone with a pedal because I run pedals in Mono whereas the Eleven Rack has a stereo signal.
How I use a chorus pedal
I generally use a chorus pedal early in my signal chain, before the amp distortion. I don’t usually have a lot of setup time at a coffee shop or small bar gig. And I don’t like an extra set of cables going across the stage, so I don’t use chorus in the effects loop.
I have an Ernie Ball Musicman John Petrucci guitar and I mostly use the chorus with the piezo into a clean channel of the amp. I also use chorus with some distortion, but I find it difficult to keep it from phasing too much.
Best Chorus Pedals – My Top Picks
All pedals were tested with my Ernie Ball Musicman John Petrucci guitar with the bridge pickup and piezo pickup (individually and together). They were tested into a Mesa Boogie Triple Crown combo with the Clean Channel and also Channel 3. The pedals that I own or bought I play into a Fender Acoustasonic Junior.
TC Electronic Corona Chorus
The TC Electronic Corona Chorus (not the Mini) on TriChorus mode nails the MultiChorus Rush-type sound pretty well, especially with distortion. It also has a FX button which allows me to keep the Depth knob at 12:00-2:00 to keep it from phasing or flanging. I want MORE, wider chorus, not flanging. I like this and it is on my pedalboard.
Pros: This is the MultiChorus sound I was looking for.
Cons: It sounds different if it is before or after the distortion. I like the sound of this better AFTER the distortion. If it is before the distortion it sounds more “phasey”.
My friend Gary uses this in the effects loop for this reason.
I have owned the TC Electronic Dreamscape – John Petrucci signature pedal since it came out (I am a huge Dream Theater fan). It sounds like the regular setting on the Corona Chorus, but doesn’t have the TriChorus. You can import the TriChorus as a Toneprint, but it just doesn’t sound the same.
The Corona Mini Chorus version doesn’t have the same features: No toggle switch.
JHS 3 Series Chorus
The JHS 3 Series Chorus is the simple entry-level Chorus from JHS. At $99, it is also the cheapest chorus pedal in this list.
When I tried this out at the store, I wasn’t expecting much. Wow, was I wrong!
This pedal made my guitar sound full – like a 12 string, especially when using with the piezo pickup mixed with the bridge pickup.
The Vibe switch removes the guitar dry signal, and you’ll hear nothing but a chorus-soaked wet signal. When I clicked this on in the store: This was my Mojo – the chorus sound in my head! I am still amazed every time I turn on this pedal.
It sounds good both before or after the distortion.
Both the Corona Chorus and the JHS 3 Series Chorus are mainstays on my board.
Cons: None.
MXR EVH Chorus
The MXR EVH Chorus has an interesting feature – No Rate knob. It has a low Rate that is hard pre-set. You can turn up the Intensity (like the FX level knob on the Corona Chorus) and Volume. It also has Input Level and Output Level switches where you can cut it by a certain decibel level so it plays nice with your other pedals.
Bottom line: This is the Van Halen “Diver Down” sound. It is a subtle chorus. Some people say they can’t really notice that they have it on until they turn it off. No phasing and no flanging (which is a plus). I don’t own this (yet), but I want to. Once I heard the JHS Chorus I bought that instead.
Pros and Cons: Very subtle. No warble, no phase. (I call these Pros. Some would consider these Cons.).
The MXR EVH Chorus Limited Edition version on Amazon has blue and cream colors.
If you want to go a cheaper route, buy the MXR Analog Chorus.
This is Eddie Van Halen’s pedalboard in 2012:
Note that he uses the MXR Analog Chorus, before the MXR EVH Chorus came out. Here are his chorus settings in 2012.
Boss Chorus CE-2W
Since the Boss CE-1 and CE2 are essentially the original chorus pedals, you can’t go wrong with them.
The Boss CE2-W Waza Special Edition lets you dial in both CE-1 and CE2. It’s expensive and starts to get up into the price of the custom boutique pedals.
I haven’t tried the Boss CE-2W Waza version.
For the bottom line chorus, you can get the Boss Chorus CH-1 Super Chorus.
Sweetwater and Amazon sell hundreds of these every month. As Josh Scott from JHS Pedals says, “These will survive the apocalypse”.
Walrus Audio Julia
The unique twist that the Walrus Audio Julia pedal adds is a “Lag” knob. The specs say that this determines the “swing” in the LFO sweep. When I listen to this, it essentially seems to detune the wet signal. I like it – it is very unique.
Those are my choices for Top 5 Chorus Pedals.
Most Legendary Chorus Pedals Ever Made
From The JHS Show:
Chorus Pedals – Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions (which I have not tried but what I really want):
JHS Emperor Chorus
I am very interested in trying the JHS Emperor Chorus. Josh Scott said in his Legendary Chorus Pedals video that it emulates the 1980’s Arion Stereo Chorus, which I loved back in the day. But it is not at any of the stores in the NE Kansas or KC area (that I could find).
Chorus Pedals That Didn’t Make the Cut
These are the pedals that did not meet my tastes.
Ross Chorus
The Ross Chorus is a straight forward chorus with Rate and Depth knobs. Ross pedals are now made by JHS Pedals. But when I turned the Depth knob it had a strong Phaser sound that was even more pronounced with distortion.
Strymon Ola
I tried the Strymon Ola on several visits to Mass Street Music. It was difficult for me to dial in. The Multi-Chorus was good, but it didn’t sound as good as the online demos, which were likely recorded with stereo output. Overall, for me it wasn’t worth the $200+ price tag.
EarthQuaker Devices Aurelius
I tried the EarthQuaker Devices Aurelius on several occasions and I just couldn’t get it dialed in.
Pros: It has Presets.
Cons: The tone just seemed more thin and tinny to me.
Conclusion:
I think that I have found the chorus tone that is in my head… for now.
Pedals are lame. Van Halen rules (not Van Hagar, I’m a real rocker).
EVH’s 2012 pedalboard begs to differ:
