In this article, we’re going to be discussing and reviewing the 6 best bass chorus pedals of 2023.
Whether we are talking about some subtle chorus, crazy psychedelic effects from the past times, or all kinds of modern-day variations, it’s hard to imagine a proper bass pedalboard without a chorus pedal on it. Simply, this effect has been an integral part of electric bass music for decades.
What Is A Bass Chorus Pedal?
A bass chorus pedal is a pedal that provides the chorus effect, which is pretty much all about recreating the sound of multiple instruments doubling the same musical line. It works in the pretty much same way as in the case of electric guitars, with one notable difference. That would be the focus on lower frequencies. With a classic chorus effect for electric guitar, low bass tones would sound muddy but that’s not the case with bass chorus pedals, which are designed to make these frequencies sound clean.
Bass chorus pedals have been evolving for decades, so modern products tend to offer a higher level of flexibility and versatility in general. Still, the base design of a bass chorus pedal hasn’t changed significantly, so it’s hard to find a pedal that doesn’t cover the most essential chorus tones we’ve been hearing for all these years.
Some pedals may go beyond classic chorus effects and include tones that are closer to flanger or crossover effects but generally, these pedals are pretty straightforward and the choice mostly depends on bass players’ preferences.
We present to you our list of the best bass chorus pedals you can find on the market:
Bass Chorus Pedals
Boss CEB-3Â
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The Japanese manufacturer offers a complete range of pedals for bass guitars and, of course, the CEB-3 is part of that lineup. Inspired by the legendary CE-3 pedal, it actually features a layout that’s more similar to the more modern CE-5 unit, which adds a little bit more flexibility and functionality. However, sound engineers did a few tweaks, so the pedal perfectly corresponds to the lower-end character of bass guitars.
The pedal features four knobs and you can find typical chorus controls, Depth and Rate, which offer a wide range of chorus tones. Also, there is the CEB-3’s signature Low Filter knob, which deals with low-end muddiness in such a nice fashion and preserves the natural bass tone so well. Practically, you can dial pretty much everything from old-school natural chorus to the overwhelmed stereo chorus that’s popular among many of today’s artists.
The pedal comes with both Mono and Stereo outputs, while the housing comes in a typical Boss manner. It is super solid and promises longevity. The pedal runs on a 9V AC adapter, while you can use batteries as well.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
In most cases, Boss pedals are designed in the way to be extremely versatile and the Boss CEB-3 is no exception. Add to this a quite competitive price tag and it becomes pretty clear that this pedal is dedicated to a pretty wide range of bass players. It’s a real professional tool, primarily an on-stage workhorse, and we have no doubt it would serve its owner well for a very long time.
MXR Bass Chorus DeluxeÂ
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The MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe may come in a small package but it is actually one of the most versatile bass chorus pedals you can find on the market. It offers an impressive range of chorus tones and even steps up into flanger territory. At the same time, it remains easy to use and very intuitive.
Most controls are typical for bass chorus pedals. There are Intensity, Rate and Width knobs, which are essential to pretty much every pedal of this type. Additionally, this pedal comes with separated bass and treble tone controls, so you can shape specific frequencies more precisely. Still, the highlights of this pedal are two switches located between tone controls. One of them is the Flanger switch, which makes this pedal sound like an old-school psychedelic flanger from the ’60s and ’70s. On the other hand, the X-Over switch kills effect tone at 100Hz and below, clearing your low-end frequencies and providing a modern chorus sound.
Another interesting feature is the internal switch that engages the stereo chorus. However, to activate it, you will need another piece of hardware, a 1/4″ TRS to dual TS cable, as this pedal features just a single output.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
The MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe is a perfect choice for professional bass players who do all kinds of gigs and cover various music genres. It is an extremely versatile pedal that can cover pretty much everything you could ask from a chorus effect. The best thing is that such flexibility comes at a pretty competitive price.
Aguilar Chorusaurus EBS
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If there’s a product that could be called a quintessential bass chorus pedal that would probably be the Aguilar Chorusaurus EBS. This professional-grade pedal features pretty much everything most bass players need from a chorus effect. Aguilar engineers focused on the most important aspects of this bass effect and the result comes in the incredible sound of an analog chorus.
The controls are pretty typical for a pedal of this type. There are knobs like Width, Rate and Intensity, which are essential for the tone shaping of any chorus effect. Additionally, this pedal features a Blend knob, which lets you control the ratio of wet and dry signals.
One of the best things about the Chorusaurus is that it keeps the natural bass tone perfectly preserved. Of course, it comes with true bypass, while the build quality is excellent. Also, you can pair it with a 1/4″ Y cable with one 1/4 TRS to two 1/4″ TS jacks to get a stereo chorus. The pedal can run either on batteries or a 9V adapter.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
As we’ve just mentioned, this is a professional piece of gear, with excellent sound and build quality. Therefore, it is a great choice for professionals and tone purists who look at the chorus effect in a conventional way. Sure, there are many more versatile bass chorus pedals but there aren’t many that sound better.
Sweden AB Bass Chorus
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This legendary pedal was originally introduced back in the ’90 and since then, it’s been constantly evolving. We’ve seen a couple of updates that brought modern features and improved flexibility but didn’t compromise the legendary tone. 25 years later, we are still talking about one of the best bass chorus pedals around.
This pedal keeps things simple. You can see just two rotary knobs, Depth and Rate, which are typical controls for most chorus pedals. However, that doesn’t mean that this unit isn’t versatile and flexible. Between these two knobs, you will find a small switch that allows you to choose between three modes – Flanger, Pitch and Chorus. Thanks to this switch, the pedals cover pretty much everything from old-school psychedelic flanger to modern chorus tones.
That’s not all. Under the hood, you will also find the mix effect, which allows you to choose how much of the effect you want to be blended with your original tone. The pedal features two outputs, so you may count on the stereo chorus as well. The power supply comes in the form of a DC adapter.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
This is a high-end pedal with history and pretty impressive reputation. So, most players who are interested in this pedal know exactly what they are looking for. They want a fantastic analog chorus tone, combined with pretty impressive flexibility and great build quality. At the same time, they want simplicity and easiness of use.
Ampeg Liquifier
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Although Ampeg is primarily known for making amps, it also has a pretty long history of making effect pedals, which last for decades. In their palette of effects, you can find a product called Liquifier, which offers a simplistic design in a combination with pretty good tones.
What we like most about this pedal is its simple design. There are just three knobs on it, all three typical for a bass chorus effect. Two of them, Rate and Depth, are essential for tone shaping. The third one, Effect Level, lets you dial the balance between the wet and dry signals you prefer.
The Ampeg Liquifier is simple and easy to use, while the build quality is pretty good as well. The pedal looks solid enough and if we consider its simple design, there aren’t many things to go wrong in terms of potential reliability issues. This is rather a pretty basic pedal with a quality tone and we couldn’t have asked for more, considering the price, which is very affordable.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
There is nothing wrong with this pedal. Moreover, it is a pretty good product, which means it’s a logical choice for a wide range of players. Considering the price tag, it is a perfect choice for beginners and weekend enthusiasts. Still, we are pretty sure that professionals wouldn’t mind having one of these on their pedalboards, especially as support units for their more expensive gear.
Mooer Audio Ensemble Queen
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This company has been known for making affordable yet quality products for a long time. Even today, many Mooer products offer more than much pricier rivals. The Mooer Audio Ensemble Queen is one of these products. This is an affordable and super-compact pedal but at the same time, it sounds great and offers pretty decent flexibility.
The overall design of the pedal is pretty simple. It features just four knobs, which are all pretty typical for chorus pedals. There are Level, Tone, Depth and Rate knobs, which allow you to shape the tone you want and there is actually a surprisingly wide range of tones that go from a subtle chorus to old-school psychedelic tones. Although digital, the pedal actually sounds warm and quite organic.
The Ensemble Queen is simple but features all essential features. This includes a true bypass as well, which means that the disengaged pedal won’t affect your tone in any way. The tiny dimensions make the pedal perfect for pedalboards with limited space, while it’s good to know that this unit can’t be powered with pedals but only with a 9V adapter. Considering the price tag, it would be irrational to expect anything more than a single, mono output jack.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
The price tag speaks for itself – this is a natural choice for beginners but we are pretty sure that more experienced players would be positively surprised with all the things this small unit can do. It is a great solution for players with “overpopulated” pedalboards, as this compact unit leaves plenty of room for other pieces of gear.
Our Number One Choice
Simple yet highly capable, the MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe offers pretty much everything we could ask from a bass chorus pedal. It offers an impressive range of tones, thanks to well-calibrated knobs and dedicated switches. Still, impressive flexibility doesn’t compromise the tone quality, so no matter what kind of tone you dial, it will sound great. The best of all is that the pedal is quite intuitive and easy to use, so it won’t take much time before you shape your desired tone.
Buy On AmazonOur Premium Choice
The legendary pedal has been a gold standard for years and even today, it is one of the most prestigious bass chorus pedals around. Simply, it offers the great sound quality, while the constant updates have made it flexible enough, even by modern standards. At the same time, working with this pedal is super easy, as there are just a couple of controls that can quickly provide the kind of chorus you want.
Buy On AmazonBest Value For Money
Despite that all pedals on the list give a lot in return, we see the Boss CEB-3 as the best value for money. This pedal sounds great and it’s super easy to work with. There are a few features that make it special and the Low Filter knob is definitely one of them. It works seamlessly and clears low-end muddiness in such a nice fashion. Of course, it’s hard not to mention the company’s reputation of making bullet-proof pedals again, as that is also the reason why Boss products are among leaders in pretty much every category.
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That concludes this full buyers guide on the best bass chorus pedals. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions regarding the products you have seen in this article. Check out our other buyers guide for bass overdrive pedals or bass preamp pedals.
Here at Guitar Effects Pedalz we also provide full reviews of the best online guitar services so you can learn guitar with our Guitar Tricks Review.
Last update on 2023-01-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
