Boss comes up with the coolest sounding effects on the market. Other than cool homemade or vintage pedals, I prefer Boss over most others, and the Chorus CE-5 pedal is no exception. With the durability that Boss’s boxes offer, you’ll never have to cash in on the warranty, but so you’ll be aware, they offer a five-year warranty on all pedals.
The Chorus CE-5 is not too expensive, too! It goes on Amazon for $140 (which is just $40 more than the equivalent in the Fender Hammertone line). For this price, it’s almost worth it just for the namesake alone. The pedal will work wonders on stage and while recording.
Overview of Boss Chorus CE-5
On this box, we have Effect, Rate, Depth, and Filter. Straight out of the box, with all knobs straight up, you can pretty much already appreciate the offerings from this pedal. However, when adjustments are made, this guy really gets you good. Adjusting the effect essentially dials in the moisture or dryness of the chorus. Low sounds are present but not crazy, and high sounds are extremely deep and trippy. Changing combinations allows for even more diversity.
By bringing Rate forward and scaling back on Depth, you can almost achieve a tremolo-type sound that also shimmers with chorus. The Filter knob has two sets on one post. The higher knob gives you the ability to adjust the high cut, and the base knob alters the low cut.
Sound Demo of Boss Chorus CE-5
Summary
It’s a very straightforward and easy-to-use pedal, as all Boss pedals are. It can create a lot of variety in seconds by only adjusting a knob a few degrees. After adding distortion, you can easily achieve that sort of classic rock tone heard in Eddie Van Halen type soloing. When you crank the Effect and Rate, and add a solid distorted tone, it almost comes across like the MXR Phaser pedal. It sounds incredible and will add all kinds of dynamics to your style and sound.
This pedal can run off of a 9-volt battery or DC output. Its extra compact shape allows for easy fitting on any pedal board or setup. It also has two outputs to accommodate running through multiple lines. Like most Boss effects, this, too, has an LED light display for maximum awareness and visibility on the darkest stages with the most brutal fog machines.
I highly recommend picking one of these up. Roughly $140 in stores and $80 used online is definitely a steal!
If you enjoyed this review, check out other guitar-gear related posts here. See you next time!