Chorus Pedals

A chorus pedal duplicates your guitar signal, slightly detunes the copy and delays it, making a single guitar sound fuller, as though two were playing at once. It is the characteristic sound of clean guitars from the 80s, but chorus also thickens distorted chords or a melodic line in a solo. This page features only chorus pedals for guitar: analogue and digital, mono and stereo, plus pedals that combine chorus with vibrato or flanger. You can choose from models such as Boss CE-2W, Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, Electro Harmonix Small Clone, MXR M234 Analog Chorus and TC Electronic SCF Gold SE.

Analogue or digital chorus pedals?

An analogue chorus creates a delayed copy of the note using a BBD (bucket brigade) chip. It sounds warm and soft, approaching vibrato at greater modulation depths. Models that work on this principle include MXR M234 Analog Chorus, Electro Harmonix Small Clone, Joyo JF-37 Analog Chorus, Tone City Angel Wing and Maxon CS-550 Stereo Chorus. Boss CE-2W uses an analogue BBD circuit and has two modes: CE-2 and CE-1, with the latter also adding vibrato.

A digital chorus gives you more settings and presets. You control TC Electronic 3rd Dimension Chorus and Boss DC-2W Dimension C with four preset buttons instead of knobs, while TC Electronic Corona Mini lets you load additional sounds via TonePrint.

Mono or stereo chorus — which do you need?

With a single combo amp, a mono output is enough. If you play through two amplifiers, use a stereo pedalboard or record directly into an audio interface, a stereo chorus spreads the effect to the left and right, making the sound wider still. Models with two outputs include Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, Behringer UC 200 Ultra Chorus, TC Electronic SCF Gold SE and Maxon CS-550 Stereo Chorus.

Which chorus pedal controls change the sound most?

Rate sets the modulation speed, while Depth sets its depth. Slow modulation with a shallow depth simply widens the tone; higher settings create a pronounced wavering sound that approaches vibrato. Level or Mix determines how much of the effect is in the sound, while Tone or EQ adjusts the treble: Boss CH-1 has an EQ knob, and MXR M234 has separate bass and treble knobs. Electro Harmonix Small Clone uses just a Rate knob and a Depth switch.

Want several effects in one pedal? TC Electronic SCF Gold SE combines chorus with flanger, while Walrus Audio Julianna and Lichtlaerm Audio Nostalgia combine chorus with vibrato. You can find separate flangers and phasers in the Choruses / Flangers / Phasers category, and bass guitar effects in the Flanger / Chorus / Phaser for bass guitar category.