Best Chorus Pedals: Make Your Guitar and Synths Sing

If you’re looking to expand your guitar or synth’s sound with one of the best chorus pedals money can purchase, you've found yourself in the correct location. These little boxes of goodness can expand your guitar tones beautifully, whether you go for the subtle approach or crank it up to 11. Going for a little dash of chorus thickens the sound nicely, while pushing it to the max is often described as a guitar sound like it’s sea sick. Which, conversely, a lot of people think sounds very cool.

We’ll look at the best guitar chorus pedals out there from the likes of Boss, TC Electronic, and Walrus Audio, starting with the most wallet-friendly and closing out with the pricier options. And stick around until the end for a quick note on what chorus pedals actually are and what they offer your music.

TC Electronic 3rd Dimension

Pro: Excellent value and classic tone

Con: Effect is too subtle for intense modulation

That’s right, wonderful chorus effects needn’t cost you an arm or a leg. In fact, the most affordable guitar chorus pedal on this list will send you into another dimension entirely. While most cheaper and smaller pedals usually just have the one standard stomp button, TC Electronic’s 3rd Dimension has four buttons so you can cycle through its wonderful chorus sounds. At this budget end of the spectrum, this chorus pedal is largely about the subtle and easy-going chorus — if you’re after those huge, crazy chorus sounds, you will likely have to fork out a bit more. But with a strong build and fantastic tones for the price, there’s plenty to love here.

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Ibanez CSMINI

Pro: Compact, space-saving analogue unit

Con: Small knobs are fiddly to adjust

First things first: look how shmol and cute! If your idea of the best chorus pedal is affordable and pleasingly tiny, then allow us to introduce the CSMINI from guitar honchos Ibanez. Based on its larger sibling, the Ibanez CS9, this is a brilliant option if you’re running out of space on your pedalboard and budget for more pedals. If you dream of that ‘80s chorus, the CSMINI will give you that, and it ranges from those big chorus wobbles to those tasteful, thickening dashes. Being such a diminutive sidekick, it all goes through the one knob, which can also provide rotary and flanger-style sounds when you have a fun tinker.

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Electro-Harmonix Bass Clone

Pro: Maintains crucial bass low-end.

Con: Can be slightly noisy at high treble

In the words of a classic hard trance song, “bass in the place, London!” Yes, bass guitarists, you too can get in on the action. The best chorus pedal for bass guitar award surely must go to the Bass Clone from Electro Harmonix. You can count on this one not to spoil your beloved low-end, something other chorus pedals can be guilty of when contending with the mighty bass guitar. In fact, the X-Over switch means you can decide whether or not the chorus mingles with said low end, or just your higher notes. Very handy when you’re trying to bang out some really meaty basslines and don’t want to muddy the sound. It’s got that lovely analogue pedal sound, and has great control over the rate and speed of the modulation, meaning you can keep it subtle or send your bass out into the ocean.

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Boss CE-2W Waza Craft Chorus

Pro: Includes two classic Boss tones

Con: Lacks modern digital sound options

On your search for the best chorus pedal, it’s hard to argue with going for the original guitar chorus pedal itself. Or at least, this slimmed-down modern update from Boss themselves. The original Boss CE1 will cost you around £/$500-1000 on the second-hand market. It’s also based on the CE-2 Chorus, meaning you get two lots of legendary sound packed into one small but mighty chorus pedal. It’s another excellent analogue option if you want that pure, classic chorus sound. It offers all the analogue-style goodness, such as the big vibratos and huge pitch-bending, depending on how lowkey or experimental you wish to get.

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Walrus Audio Julia V2 Analog Chorus/Vibrato

Pro: Unique knob blends chorus/vibrato

Con: Only a mono output option

While we shouldn’t judge a guitar chorus pedal by its cover, let’s do it a little bit with the Julia from Walrus Audio. What a beautiful boutique pedal this is. And, while looking anything but vintage, it’s an analogue chorus pedal that lets you get mega creative. The key to the Julia V2 is the D-C-V (Dry-Chorus-Vibrato) control, a special blend knob that lets you continuously morph the effect from a standard chorus all the way to a completely wet vibrato sound. Two effects for the price of one, which is hard to argue with. It also features the magical Lag knob that lets you dial in everything from a subtle, thickening shimmer to those massive, warbling, seasick tones you hear on psychedelic records. If you love to tinker about and make your guitar/synth sound as unique as possible, this might be a Walrus you want to get to know.

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Boss MD-500 Modulation

Pro: Versatile 12-mode digital stereo unit

Con: Too much on offer for those who just want a subtle chorus effect

If you’ve got plenty of budget and space to spare, then we close out this best chorus pedal list with a beastly option from Boss. The MD-500 Modulation clocks up 12 different modes, an unfathomably large spectrum of customisation ability for creating patches, and sound worthy of the most premium recording studios in the world. Essentially, if your idea of the best chorus pedal is one that is anything but a bog-standard chorus pedal, also offering effects and audio results that completely transcend chorus, it might be time to get your chequebook out. The detuning LFOs, tri-chorus, and crazy levels of vibrato, and a range of EQ options, mean this is a chorus pedal that will take you to the Moon and back.

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What does a chorus pedal do?

The best chorus pedals have earned the title ‘chorus’ by virtue of the fact that the effect creates the impression of two instruments playing together simultaneously. At its most subtle, it can make a guitarist sound like he’s being doubled by another guitarist, and it can thicken a synth sound in this sense. Some famous examples of its use in songs are Run To You by Bryan Adams and the iconic opening guitar line of Come As You Are by Nirvana. As things have progressed, though, the shackles on guitar chorus pedals are largely gone, with many of the above pedals offering some vast effects; the aforementioned seasick effect, detuning, wobbly vibrato, and more.