It's been a while since I started this series, but here is Part.3 of my Chorus Round-up; just a small (but varied) selection this time.
You can find the first two parts and also the Ratings Table via my Pedal Round-ups directory).
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Boss DC-3 Digital Dimension
[aka Boss DC-3 Digital Space D]
Often overlooked in favour of - and deemed far less desirable than - its predecessor, the DC-2. But that does it a disservice. I'd wager that its lesser reputation is more evidence of prejudice from (some) guitarists towards digital effects than of it being an inferior effect.
When judged on merit, with complete disregard for the nature of the circuit within, this pedal does exactly what it sets out to (particularly when used in stereo), which is to produce a very spacious, dimensional effect.
The effect is quite subtle compared to some other choruses – the vibrato is fairly shallow – but the ‘Tone’ control allows lots of variety; allowing the DC-3 to sound bright and processed or (when dialled back) very natural and not 'digital' at all.
In all honesty, I prefer the DC-3 to the DC-2 (which I find very limited).
The name of the DC-3 was changed from ‘Digital Dimension’ to ‘Digital Space-D’ in 1989. At the same time, Boss stopped offering the DC-3 to other markets than Japan.
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Danelectro DC-1 Cool Cat Chorus
[Note: This is for the original 18v version; I haven't used the 9v model.]
For some reason, I was expecting a bright, shimmery chorus, but it's actually very warm sounding; the modulation blends nicely with the dry sound to create a very characterful effect.
At slower speeds the DC-1 adds a thickness without being too chorus-y, while at higher rates the modulation is very audible and the Cool Cat wobbles with the best of them. Really, it does.
The DC-1 Cool Cat is a 'stereo' pedal with a one wet, one dry output pairing and - with a dummy jack in the second output - can be tricked into being a vibrato.
There is an almost gritty quality to the modulated signal (it does use an analogue delay circuit after all) which I really like, although, it does add a little noise too. It's by no means noisy - I've heard much worse, but it may bother some people. There is also a very apparent volume boost when the effect is engaged too, which could also be considered a mark against it.
Overall though, the DC-1 is pretty impressive and is worth investigating.
My one real issue with this range of Danelectro pedals is with regards to the construction, more accurately, the jacks. They are PCB mounted and are not bolted to the chassis. I would worry that over time, with regular use, there is a chance that the jacks could develop problems. However, the pedals as a whole feel well made and are pretty hefty, so I'm probably worrying about nothing.
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Digitech PDS-2715 Rock Box (Distortion and Chorus)
With the Digitech/DOD range of PDS pedals, the most common and familiar are the various digital delays. However, there were several other pedals in the range, including this dual pedal combining (individually switch-able) analogue distortion with a digital chorus.
The distortion is nothing special in all honesty, it's good for lo-fi crunch but is about as bland and generic an 80s 'metal' distortion as you'll ever hear. But that's not why we're here today...
The chorus is digital but please don't let that put you off. After using the effect, I had no idea it was digital until I read the manual... and I had to read it several times before I believed it.
In keeping with several early DOD/Digitech pedals (and a trait that is shared with many Electro-Harmonix offerings), the controls are very wide ranging and get in to extreme territory pretty quickly.
The chorus half of this pedal has controls for Effect Level, Speed, Depth and Delay Time.
For 'normal' chorusing effects, the controls (particularly the Depth and Delay Time) need to be kept quite low. Beyond halfway on the Depth control for example, the detuning is very pronounced to the point that everything you play will sound wildly out of tune.
The PDS-2715 would be one for the more experimental among us, but even despite its quirks and limited musical applications, I really like it: I wish there was a single pedal version of it.
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Ibanez CS5 Super Chorus
(Soundtank Series)
A budget chorus but not a budget sound. The CS5 is a very nice sounding effect; it is very much in the bright, shimmery school of chorus pedals, and thanks to the delay time control, a wide variety of chrous effects can be achieved. From subtle, almost imperceptible movement to blatant, spacious doubling this does it all.
My only reservation is with regards to the build quality; these plastic pedals do feel very fragile. That said, I've seen lots of Soundtank pedals which are still going strong after years of use.
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