Are you wondering about where to shop for your best bass chorus pedal? Or you are yet to settle for a specific type of bass chorus pedal? Deciding on the right pedal to buy can be tiresome, full of error, and sometimes can cost you a handsome amount of money while trying out every other pedal in the market.
Here, I have compiled a list for you and simplified this rather hectic process. Go through it and see if you can get the bass pedal which best suits your genre of music and your budget.
Table of Contents
11 Recommended Bass Chorus Pedals
Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus
What’s good: Has a proportional chorus effect which matches the pitch of the sound being played.
Not so good: It attenuates the low E to very low gain. While this may be okay with some bassists, to others, this may be a bit upsetting.
Manufactured by Boss Audio Systems, this pedal has low filter control, four adjustment knobs, and a provision for an ion battery space.
The low filter control is crucial in ensuring that signals with the desired range of frequencies get to the output while the four adjustment pedals provide the bassist with a wide array of options to allow them to unleash their musical creativity.
The ion battery is quite an attractive option for those who like the convenience and would not like to tag long cables with them when they are going to perform a gig.
I would endorse this pedal because of its highly sensitive knobs, fantastic sound, and a sweet blend of the chorus effect. If that’s what you characterize as excellent pedals, then go for these pedals!
MXR M83 Bass Chorus Pedal
What’s good: Fantastic sound output with high levels of flexibility.
Not so good: It’s a little pricey.
This bass chorus pedal is packed with amazing features and functionalities. With an analog circuit brigade, distinct base and treble knobs, and a flanger for added tonal variability, these speakers are ideal for the experienced bassists who are keen on producing professional music.
These pedals also have the capability to modulate low frequencies and gives the guitarist the full flexibility in choosing the signal frequency range which will be played at the output.
If you go for this bass chorus pedal, you will be impressed by its ability to deliver metallic flanger effects, unified and liquid chorus, and quite clear output signal with little adjustments.
Electro-Harmonix Clone
What’s good: Has a pocket friendly price.
Not so good: It is a little noisy. If you love a narrow range of signal frequencies, then this may not go so well with you. But if you love the low humming sound which comes with this pedal, then this is the right pedal for you.
The Electro-Harmonix pedal comes with a crossover switch, treble and bass controls, and a bypass switch.
The crossover switch helps deliver precisely articulated notes and enhances the overall clarity of the output effects while the treble and bass controls give the bassist the ability to accurately control the quality of the output signal.
The bypass switch is key in ensuring maximum signal integrity and clarity. If you are looking for a pedal that is not too expensive but still gives you that superior effects which come with high price pedals, then this could be the best fitting pedal for you.
Hartke HC33 Chorus
What’s good: Has a reasonable price.
Not so good: Limited signal blending options.
The Hartke HC33 bass chorus pedal runs purely on analog circuitry to guarantee you an amazingly natural sound. This product might be ideal for a bass guitarist who loves to add a certain level of lush, creative accents, and blends to the overall chorus sound.
One thing I love about this pedal is that it is quite rugged and is die-casted to guarantee longevity and rough handling. If you are operating with a low budget this pedal could be the best for you.
But as always, first, check whether the features align with your music needs. If not, you will have to dig deeper into your pockets and go for a higher-priced pedal.
One challenge I always find while acquiring new music gear is on how I can best strike a balance between cost, features, and preferences. You may identify with this challenge as well. This said, always pursue excellence and the rest will fall into place.
Carl Martin Bass Chorus
What’s good: Chorus effect is quite clear even at low B.
Not so good: The simplicity in these pedals and absence of multiple control buttons may not be so impressive for sophisticated musicians.
This might be the best bass chorus pedal for you if you are looking for something simple yet powerful enough to create a dramatic chorus.
Crafted in Denmark and designed by Holm Malmquist, these pedals combine simplicity with high-end functionality.
With these pedals, the chorus effect will even be evident in quite low frequencies.
Aguilar Chorusaurus Chorus Pedal
What’s good: Has analog circuitry for clear and more natural chorus sound production.
Not so good: Limited controls.
The Aguilar’s are at it again. These pedals incorporate the features which the earlier models released by Aguilar had and have additional functions making them be quite powerful.
What excites me about these pedals is that they operate under analog principles.
This implies that the sound is processed using an analog circuitry which guarantees you a natural chorus and removes the artificial sounding chorus produced by the digital processors.
If you fell in love with the earlier models from this company, I bet you will fall in love with this new model too!
Eden I90
What’s good: Has awesome chorus effects.
Not so good: The product has to be plugged to the mains and does not come with a battery option.
These bass chorus pedals from Eden come with flexible features to give you a wide choice of chorus effects and are quite rugged for maximum durability.
The Eden 190 pedal has 4 knobs: the speed, the depth, the low cut, and the mix level buttons.
By just adjusting these four knobs, you can create one of the most dramatic chorus effects for any music genre.
EBS Sweden AB Bass Chorus Effect
What’s good: Amazing output signal quality.
Not so good: Since it uses analog circuitry to process the signals, the pedal does not have the capability to store new sound effects in the memory patches.
This pedal processes the bass signal analogously. Such an old school processing ensures that the output bass chorus sound is smoother, denser, and more unified.
Such sound quality is useful for studio and live performances. You can perform a few tweaks around this pedal to make it run on either mono or stereo modes.
If you acquire this pedal, you will also be able to adjust the level of mixing and blend the output signal to your desired quality.
Mooer Audio Ensemble
What’s good: Has a wide array of controls to help musicians quickly and efficiently achieve their desired chorus effect.
Not so good: It’s a little sophisticated for beginners.
The Mooer Audio Ensemble pedal is the best fit for those who love subtle bass with enchanting background noise.
The pedal is designed to guarantee maximum flexibility and comes with versatile 6 controls to give you the best music experience.
I would recommend this pedal for both intermediate and expert bassists though the beginners can as well do a few tweaks to get awesome chorus effects from this pedal.
Providence ABC
What’s good: Has simple, precise, and intuitive controls.
Not so good: It’s a little pricey but its features are quite attractive and if you decide to settle for this pedal, you will get value for your money and more to delight over.
Providence ABC is equipped with a wide array of features suitable for all genres of music.
It has the depth, HPF and speed knobs all engineered with high precision and accuracy. The depth knob is suitable for varying the depth of the chorus effect whereas the HPF knob can be used to select the desired frequencies while attenuating high-frequency noise.
The speed knob is suitable for adjusting the swirling level of the chorus signal.
Ampeg Guitar
What’s good: It’s quite rugged and suitable for outdoor performances.
Not so good: The chorus effect knobs require practice to adjust them with precision.
This bass chorus pedal has a dual circuit chorus that delivers superior chorus tones for the bass frequencies. To control the signal to noise ratio, this pedal is designed with an analog circuitry which has powerful capabilities in filtering noise and delivering pure and clean output signals. Its strong metal construction makes this pedal suitable for the on-road musicians who have a tight gig schedule and tight budgets.
Conclusion
That’s the list of the best bass chorus pedals in the market. If you have spotted a pedal which aligns with your preferences and has the features you have been looking for, simply head over and purchase it. If you have found several chorus pedals that appeal to you but you can’t decide the best among them, use these criteria; consider your budget, your music goals, the genre of music, and how best the pedal aligns to your music needs. I guess if you thoroughly evaluate your choices against these factors, you will most likely get it right.
FAQ
What does a bass chorus pedal do?
A chorus pedal is a kind of bread and butter pedal for bassists and guitarists alike. Frankly, chorus pedals aren’t heard as much as they once were despite being something of a staple for any pedalboard. You’ll seldom see any rig with a chorus pedal shaped hole in it because they’re a lot of fun even if they’re designed to only being heard by bedroom walls.
In essence, the chorus effect is replicating the choir effect.
From person to person, the same thing sang by multiple people together will always sound a little varied in pitch and timing overall — it’s a natural effect. The same logic applies to chorus pedals except that they provide much more control over the desired effect.
A chorus pedal takes a dry signal and splits it into two. The first is the dry signal and the other is a copied version of that signal that’s been slightly detuned and delayed – see our bass delay pedals reviewed. The effected signal is modulated by a low-frequency-oscillator that mimics the variance of a choir but to a much wider degree.
Controls
Despite the jargon, chorus pedals are relatively simple to use. You don’t need to be upon your types of the waveform to get a good sound out of them. Generally, chorus pedals have three adjustable knobs: depth, which controls the intensity of the chorus effect, rate, which controls the speed of the oscillation, and level, which controls the volume of the effect against the dry signal.
Rate, depth, and level are the standard features for most chorus pedals and a decent but basic pedal will cost roughly $100. However, venture a little further down the rabbit hole for a more expensive pedal and you’ll get even more control over the effect like wave shape and tone control. Unless you’re madly in love with the chorus effect, the cheaper alternatives will do the trick nicely.
Are there bass specific chorus pedals?
Although there are bass dedicated chorus pedals, most people agree that there’s not a huge amount of difference when using a guitar dedicated chorus rather than a bass chorus. It’s a bit of a bone of contention. Because guitar chorus pedals are designed with the higher frequencies of a guitar in mind, you might thin out the low-end a little with a guitar chorus pedal.
As with most guitar pedals used with bass, the character of the effect may sound a little different when played with a guitar too, but the detriment to your tone is marginal at most. If you purchase a guitar chorus pedals that have tone control any possible loss of bottom-end can easily be fixed, but the concern is, for the most part, unwarranted.
If you’re worried about any possible adverse effects of a specific chorus pedal to your bass tone, read reviews and forums about the respective effect. Fortunately, chorus pedals are widely used by bassists so there’s no shortage of information about specific guitar chorus pedals in relation to the bass.
Alternatively, you can buy a bass specific chorus pedals like the EHX Bass Clone Chorus or the Boss CEB-3. There are fewer options, but they’re still available.
When to use a bass chorus?
Because of the rate and depth controls on chorus pedals, the effected sound is incredibly versatile. It can be as subtle or as intense as you like. Rolled up depth means strong cascading sounds, and rolled up rate means fast vibrato-like madness.
Most use the chorus tactfully though to thicken out their bass lines and solos with a richer and more melodic character.
For better or worse, the chorus pedal was a staple of ’80s music, so if that’s your bag then you kind of have to own one. Slap bass played through a chorus pedal, for example, it’s so ’80s it hurts! Don’t be put off though if ’80s music is your kryptonite because, as I said, chorus pedals are versatile.
Chorus pedals fit comfortably within an alternative rock and heavy psychedelia too, if you add a bit of overdrive into the mix, the pedal is barely recognizable as an ’80s staple.
Chorus pedals are a great tool for exploring your own creativity because most provide malleability over how much or how little you want the effect. Mellow or intense, the sky is the limit. They’re great for the experimentalists but equally great for those who just want a bit of added, subtle texture.