Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble

EFFECTS - CHORUS


PRICE: $70, new
KEY FEATURES:E. LEVEL, output volume; RATE, oscillation speed;
DEPTH, oscillation intensity; FILTER, parametric bass and treble equalization; stereo output
SOUND SAMPLE: N/A
HIGHS: many chorus sounds possible, useful for EQ and boost effects as well
LOWS: has a "processed sound" in general, no one sound is outstaning
SHORT TAKE:This has many nice features, but most should look elsewhere for a chorus pedal.

The Boss CE-5 is an example of a guitar effect that has great features but doesn't quite come together in the end. It has several cool knobs: The standard rate and depth, a master effect level, and a bass/treble filter. It also features two outputs, allowing for stereo chorus. This gives the CE-5 some interesting ancillary effects: It can serve as a signal splitter for any instrument or filter high and low frequencies. For example, I use the pedal with both outputs when I want to play through two amps simultaneously. I can also add treble via the filter knob and increase output for a boost during solos.

In spite of these cool uses for the CE-5, the chorus it produces could be much better. The effect sounds too digitally processed; I hear an annoying clicking sound each time the oscillation repeats. For many, this defeats the purpose of a chorus pedal, so most of you should try other stomp boxes instead.

1 comment:

Kevin Mask said...

Hello, is your CE5 digital? if you check the serial number and remember correctly all the CE5s made before 2000 were analog and sounded much better, I'm very happy with mine, I like it better than the one in the TC G-major