9 x Sky Blue Means Chorus!

Boss is the originator of the pedal chorus effect as we know it via its original 1976 big box CE-1 pedal, which later morphed into the more compact CE-2 and essentially made the 80's! The earliest Boss's used the Panasonic MN3007 chips which some still consider superior - in which case go for the Analog.Man Mini Chorus above. This latest Waza version of the CE-2 uses more recent Panasonic MN3207 chips - but still sounds sufficiently glorious to most. Controls are the classic Rate and Depth knobs plus a Standard / CE-1 Mode switch - which gives you that slightly more flanger-like flavour of chorus that the original pedal was known for.

Another cool MN3007 BBD Chip based Chorus - this time with 4 controls - Width | Rate | Density | Mix. I occasionally overlook this one, but am reminded now how great this can sound. This often falls under the radar slightly in the current selection - it should certainly be on your roster for consideration - I've seen Paul Gilbert using this one every now and again which is a suitable recommendation.

This chorus is getting quite a lot of buzz currently - another great sounding one within the genre - utilising the same MN3207 chip as the more recent Boss CE-2W. You get 2 knobs - Depth and Speed, then a toggle-switch for Dryer/Wetter modes, and a toggle to switch between Chorus and (V) Vibrato mode. This pedal is as simple and elegant as these get and sounds suitably lush. As mentioned in the intro - it's one of a few I have up for consideration to supplement my CBA Warped Vinyl and TCE Dreamscape pedals.

This is Mad Professor's own unique take on the effect - and designed to appeal as much to those who typically don't like choruses. It has its own internal wave generator which works in such a way as to lessen impact on the core tone and signal - which means that you can easily switch from clean to distorted signal - without it going too fluttery and extreme. You get 3 controls to tune the output to your preferences - Blend | Speed | Depth - this is a significantly different type of chorus to the more pure-play BBD types typically listed in this category.

This is another BBD chip style chorus although the chip isn't specified and I can't find any reference to it - which based on the price means likely it's using one of the newer Chinese-made variants - so not quite up to the authenticity of the MN3007 and MN3207 types listed above. You get more tone-shaping here though courtesy of 5 controls - Low (LP Cut) | High (HP Cut) | Level | Rate | Depth. For sure a decent sounding offering with some unique features, and at the lower end of the pricing scale.

I've featured this cool lo-fi style chorus a couple of times on the site - it combines with Envelope filtering for even more interesting woozy textures. There are 8 controls here - 5 easy-to-understand knobs - Blend | Sensitivity (Filter) | Level | Rate | Depth - and then 3 toggle switches R|R+D|D (Rate/Depth), R Up/Down and D Up/Down (Swell direction). There are also two footswitches - where the second one activates/disables the Envelope. These are in rare supply this side of the pond - I believe there are a couple of mainland European distributors - but prices tend to be high as the deliveries from Mexico are somewhat pricey for whatever reason. I still want one of these - it's pretty unique for a Chorus, and I like most things which are musical but a little unusual.

This is another BBD chip style Chorus - again with unspecified chip, which likely means not the more rarified MN3007 or MN3207 varieties - although this is Japan-made so possibly this does have an original Japanese chip too! You have 4 controls at your disposal here - Depth | Speed | Mix - and a 3-position Deep mode switch which gives you slight variations on the depth of flavour. This is certainly a decent proposition, but possibly outmuscled somewhat by some of its better-known companions here.

Another relatively low cost compact option with simple controls - Speed, Depth and Vibe/Chorus mode selector. Also with unspecified BBD chip type variety - which cost indicates would be more likely one of the latter-day Chinese-made variants. This pedal gets quite a lot of love, but there is some very stiff competition here - including the MXR Analog Chorus from its sister brand. In this selection, I'm not sure either of those would make my final shortlist - but depending on budget, availability and other criteria they could certainly be the right choice for some players.