There are numerous chorus pedals on the market today, and with so many options available, it can seem overwhelming trying to determine the best one for your needs. There is definitely no best chorus pedal, but there are multiple great ones to choose from, and if you ask five different players to recommend one for you, it’s likely that you’ll get five different answers.
Choosing the right chorus pedal depends on many factors that will be personal to each player, but most important: Do you prefer classic/vintage chorus or modern chorus?
Vintage chorus pedals derived their sound from analog circuits that manipulated signals in and out of phase over timed intervals (like a phaser or flanger). Chorus pedals based on the classic analog circuitry often times have a slight phased or flanged sound to them (because that’s how their sound is generated), and the BOSS CE-1 (as used by Andy Summers on classic Police recordings) is a famous example of that sound.
In the ‘80s, chorus pedals based around delay circuits became popular, creating their tone from short analog or digital delay circuits moving the signal around (really old analog gear used tiny light bulbs and oscillators instead of delay chips). Modern chorus pedals tend to have a smoother response that provides a chorus sound while lacking the phasing/flanging element, and may sound better in certain applications.
Rocktron’s Deep Blue chorus pedal falls into the modern chorus camp, and it sounds great! It sits well in front of the amp, sound even better in an effects loop, and blends beautifully when combined with high-gain distortion for players who love the classic “LA Sound.”
Rocktron’s Deep Blue isn’t for everyone, though. If you like to wash your tone in lush analog chorus, this isn’t the right pedal for you. But if you like subtle chorus that doesn’t thicken your tone, you will probably enjoy this pedal as much as we did. It doesn’t deliver tremolo effects like you may be able to obtain from a vintage-design analog chorus, but for a clean, modern chorus effect, it sounds very good, is built solidly, is embarrassingly inexpensive, and it looks cool, too! – Read Scott Kahn full review on Music Players.com.
