Boss CE-1 Chorus

One knob for the chorus and two for vibrato section. Easier than most pedals. No manual or box for this - I got it as a gift. It's got a few superficial paint scrapes and scratches but otherwise looks little used. I like the way the light for the chorus/vibrato section blinks in time the to the intensity/rate that's been set. The other light only comes to warn that the unit is overloaded. The other other useful control is the level knob. This works for setting the unit level to the amp level to overcome the drop in level when switching it on. I believe it uses the same circuit as the Jazz chorus rather than BB chips. Although easy to use, it has a very large footprint and not particularly practical for gigs - not less so that this unit would probably get lifted from your pedal board if you're not keeping an eye on it, given it's percieved value.

Used with a number of other effects between a JJ Blue Special and an ampeg valve amp.

I must admit to being very skeptical about its reputation as the 'holy grail' of chorus effects. What did excite me was that it is the same circuit from the JC 120; I love the sound of this amp.

There is no noise what so ever from the unit - it is utterly silent in operation and no extraneous noise when used in a chain into the front end of the amp.

It does colour the tone in use, slightly cutting the high frequencies (tested on its own and when switched out of the chain)and it also appears to add a deeper bass to the overall sound. This has worked extremely well for me with a double cutaway guitar and a stock bridge humbucker that gets a bit too brittle for me at times. Now the bridge p/u sounds just fine with the chorus on and off.

I have to say, despite the pedal's shortcomings given the current choice, the sound really is superb from this unit. I have tried many (but not all) chorus effects over a 25 year career. I have used an old CS9 (actually , the earlier model CS505 sounds even better than the CS9) and this has worked for me for years; the Chorus Ensemble CE1 is in another league entirely. It is the most musical and atmospheric chorus effect I have used so far. I generally use the chorus at the 10 o'clock position. It's a strong effect. I do cover some old songs such those from The Pretenders, The Police and The Smiths and the sound from this unit harks straight back to that era. I can also more reliably approximate the sound of one of my guitar heroes Ali Farka Toure - used with the bridge pickup. The vibrato section is rather good too, but I don't have much use for it. I've never considered chorus effects as sounding beautiful; but this one simply does and really stands out today.

I could certainly rely on this unit in the studio. It would certainly work brillilantly live and would like to use this as my main chorus for studio and live; but given the high likelihood of having it half-inched fom my board, it will probably see very few gigs.

No opinion. I understand Roland are making an effort to put schematics for most of their obsolete pedals on the internet, however.

It's a stunning chorus sound. Very, very musical and atmospheric without swamping the core sound (although it is of course capable of doing so if you want it to). As far as the sound goes, it is very special.

The hype is justified by the sound of this effect. But there are others that can come close. The current price for these units is ridiculous, however. I would not recommend purchasing one of these unless you really want a really specific chorus sound; it's so subjective. Don't bother buying this if you're happy with a good, standard chorus that will fit fine on your board and is more practical. Get this if you do want something special for the studio.

Easy to use,overloads quite easily.It's easy to get a good vibrato sound out of it but the chorus is not that good defiently not the "Best Ever". To me the Chorus side sounds like the depth is turned up too much and why they never put a depth control like they have with the vibrato side I'll never know-mabye theres a way to turn down the depth internally??? Don't know if all Ce-1's sound like this.

I have no guiar amp at the moment so I'm going through a trace elliot bass amp with an Americian deluxe strat.It's not that nosey-
The Vibrato sounds nice but the chorus depth is too high and you can't change it so your limited a lot. I prefer my 1970s Guyatone analog chorus as you have more control over the sound which make it a lot more vesatile.

old mains powered pedal-I've only just got it so Can't realy say.

LOL this was made in the late 70s!

This pedal is very much overated-Or mabye mine is just crap-whichever it is DON'T BELIVE THE HYPE!

See my review below somewhere

It Seems that the Roland Company hears the faint cries from their vintage gear users in the crevasses of Europe.
I received an e-mail that they are busy to put all info, manuals, and so on, in pdf-files on their websites.
The moment this happened, and any user worldwide has an open acces to this info, to get their beloved vintage gear serviced, the 1 for this support changes into a 10, and i take back my complaint about this topic. (that means not the one about using cheap electronics and plastic casing to obtain a profitmaximalisation by sacrificing the quality) by now they have got halfway by being so respectful to reply to my e-mail.
You're on the good way Roland

This pedal is pretty easy to use. Some analogue choruses have really wild, almost unusable settings. For my taste, the CE-1 can't be dialed wrong. The only difficult thing to deal with is the input trim. The pedal gets a bit muddy and (I may only be speaking for the the pedal I own ) has a white noise oscillation if the trim is too low. The sweet spot is a little quieter than the dry signal.

The chorus and vibrato effect on this is classic...beautiful. Too bad the pedal is a bit noisy. I hear a present white noise oscillation when the pedal should be silent with certain amp settings on a couple amps. It loses it's brilliance as a result. The warmth and musicality of both effects make up for this. Close to perfect.

brick ****house and thensome... drop it and you'll break the floor. SM57 of pedals (I think you understand me...)

This pedal will outlast me...I don't think I'll need support. No Opinion.

Sounds so good, but it is not as versatile as my higher-end mu-tron and TC Electronic units. Solid 9 if there ever was one. Even worth the price if you have an amp and guitar that work well with it.I found fender amps sound better than Vox and Marshall amps. This is my opinion based on experience with one pedal. Find one and try it yourself...

Not an easy pedal to live with compared to modern units. I bought mine new in 1978, sold in at the end of the 80's and bought another in the mid 90's, which I sold on quite quickly when I reaffirmed all the pedal's drawbacks. The main problems are the quirky input and output facilities and levels.....old design that is useless for effects loops and has to be integrated with other pedals with care. As it's mains powered hum can be a problem and definitely a problem if used with 2 amps. The circuit is the same as that in the original JC120 combo but to get the same sound it's no use playing in mono thro' one amp.

Sound quality is ok but nothing special in my opinion, there's other new pedals just as good some better.....Retro Sonic being the main contender.....CE-1 is overated and overpriced and can overload very easily.....not the holy grail its made out to be.

Mine were always very relable, as is the case with Boss, no complaints and neither of them ever went faulty.

No support at al for this product from Boss.....some companies are doing Retro fit kits of the Facias and Knobs etc if you want to renovate an older example....electronic support in the event of a circuit failure would need specialist engineer support and would probably be expensive.

Overall the CE-1's main claim to fame is that it was the first Chorus pedal available and at the time was unique, new, exciting and good....but like old cars time moves on and technology improves the product and now I think the CE-1 is a very overpriced average pedal that lot of people fool themselves into buying in the belief that the legend is fact...it's ok but there are much better pedals available from a whole host of manufacturers that offer better sound, better facilities, more options and cost less with manufacturer's backup and service.....I'd only buy one again for nostaglic purposes and if I wasn't bothered about putting a load of cash into something that I know I wouldn't use and would keep at home a bit like a pet.

I presume it isn't easy to get a whack sound out of it, unless the unit is broken, or you are a fool!!
I had it serviced right away when i got it.

Can ANYONE put a pdf-manual online please?, in Europe you can't log in in the RolandUS site to obtain one. or e-mail it to me?

The first time i put it through my Marshall 6100 LE, and my Les Paul Studio, i cried!
This is the chorus i looked for all my life! I want to marry it, and ditch my wife.
It goes smooth like babyoil on Beyonce's A**.
Rich, deep,and WARM, even though the unit is 32 years old!
now i now why i had to fight for it on Ebay.
Ignore the 10 below, it has to be an 11!

I think they cut up old Sovjet T-34 tanks to build the cover, it is undestructable.
Boss had in mind that it had to be on the floor, and some rockers had to step on them, so they made it rugged. (in those days companies went for quality, in stead of profimaximalisation by using crap materials, that b******t started in the mid 80's).
Also the electronics inside seem to have this Sovjet quality, my electrodude only had to screw one knob a little tighter, and do some cleaning, after it has been on pubfloors for 3 decades.

Absolute NONE for Europe, not even a pdf manual! (see above)
I still don't know why Roland/Boss doesn' make a re-issue of these pedals (not only the CE1, but also Phase5 , AP7 Jetphase,ect), like they did with the RE-201 Space Echo, but not with a crappy alu- and plastic body, (and probably a lot of cheap and crappy electronics inside), but a full clone!
Now they left it for Universal Audio to make it a plug-in. suckers!
But service for their own vintage material seems to be a not for a lot of companies. (EXCEPT FOR MARSHAL, and i love em for that!!!)
With this they don't get goodwill from their clients, who start to buy even more vintage gear.

except for the service of Roland/Boss US,( and a whole lot more moneywolves) a total 10!

You can't make a bad sound with the chorus or vibrato on this thing. The challenge is setting the input gain for the best possible signal without overloading the pedal and creating a truly horrible distortion. Like others have noted, with this unit, at least when stock, you have to accept there will be a compromise to be made in terms of signal strength.

The CE-1 is probably the best sounding chorus unit when played in mono that I've come across. The Boss DC-2 is still tops in stereo - the more units I try the more I come to realise that pedal is unique - but I don't have a permanent stereo rig. I've been through a ton of chorus units and they all sound great in stereo, but have all come up lacking in mono - until it got my hands on a CE-1 that is. Compared to the DC-2 in mono, the CE-1 has a much fuller sound, and it handles gain much better. Compared to the Boss CE-2, which seems to have really risen in popularity in recent years, the CE-1 doesn't have that boosted mid-range that makes your tone a little honky, and whilst having a classic sound, I don't feel it has as much of an 80s vibe as the CE-2. I think it has a low-mid or high-bass boost though, because it sounds a little thicker when the effect is engaged, though this may just be a natural result of the doubling effect. The chorus side of the CE-1 is similar to the CE-2, but gets significantly deeper. On the vibrato side you can get a much faster LFO than the CE-2 offers, and the depth control has much more of an impact on the effect. That said, I was a little disappointed by the vibrato - it's not a true magnatone pitch shift vibrato like the Boss VB-2 or EHX Clone Theory, but simply picks up where the chorus finishes in terms of rate (i.e the slowest vibrato setting is about the equal to the chorus maxed), and doesn't sound too dissimilar in tone (the wet/dry mix is probably more weighted to the wet than in chorus mode, but there's no fully wet warped record tones to be had). It's nice to have two settings to toggle between, but claiming they're two different effects seems to be a bit of a farce - I've played many conventional chorus pedals that get into the CE-1's so-called "vibrato" territory.

Well, it's 30 years old and still going strong. The power switch died at some point so the unit is wired to switch on the moment you turn it on at the wall.

This pedal has a rep for being something of the holy grail of chorus pedals, and is usually priced accordingly. When you consider you're getting two chorus pedals (or at least two switchable settings) in one the price doesn't seem as bad. I paid about the cost of two CE-2s, and you can do more with one CE-1 than you can with two CE-2s. The CE-2 is close to the chorus on the CE-1, close but no cigar. A CE-2 can get anywhere near as fast as the CE-1 vibrato. If you're only interested in a very light, slow chorus you may be better off settling for a CE-2, which can be found much easier and cheaper, and is much smaller and can't be overloaded as easy. That said, if lost or stolen I'd definitely track down another CE-1.

very easy to get a good sound out of it, no single setting will make this Gem sounds bad

Brilliant Vibrato, Chorus to die for....
Lush, and thick and warmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

I set the Volume knob at arround 2 o'clock and the signal strength of the guitar is maintained. run it through rOLAND JC 120, man... what a warm sound.

people who gave the sound quality rating of this thing 1, they may be have their CE 1 put by the previous owner in a Rontgen Room for years, constantly radiated by those machines, and have the internal circuit changed in someway. may be the previous owner is also a Doctor in a Hospital somehow.
somehow.

it was made in 1976 +/-, and still running flawlessly, what more can I say? I love Boss

never need one

if Stolen, I'll buy 2 more, (if i have the money)

Got TOP of the line gears, PRS, Fender, Mesa, Many high end pedals, Fulltones, SIB, Voodoolab, etc been playing for 8 years now

this thing can warm up your Loneliness at Night

Well the only thing that takes some time is setting the input sinal slider and level control just right so that your signal is not distorting and is not too low on volume. Once you get your settings right you can leave them there forever, it takes some very carefull tweaking but once set you (I) really feel no need to have the input modified (and maybe taking some of it's warmth and MOJO away) One control for the chorus, 2 controls for the vibrato, easy as can be.
You don't need a manual but if you really want it you can find it on Rolandus.com

My... God... It's... So... WARM and LUSH it almost makes me wet my pants. When i stumbled upon this thing WOW the first chord i played brought a huge smile upon my face. Mine was allready modded for true-bypass and from what i understand this is a real must for this pedal due to the supposed worst bypass ever. Therefore my CE-1 is only noisy with the effect turned on when your not playing(and who could care less). It's anything BUT transparent but that's just what's so cool about this pedal, it takes your sound to a complete different warm, buttery level when kicked in, almost like you would go from a clean sound to a distortion sound. That's what i call an EFFECT. If you set the chorus intensity to zero it does a great analog flanger too. If you just want to add a little effect to your sound look further, the CE-2 might fit your needs. It sounds equally good through my Diezel VH4 or Marshall DSL100, with my LP or my Strat.

Well since it's 30 years old...

Never tried it.

It's great for adding more versatility to your clean sound. I started off with multifx units like ValveFX, Intellifex etc. and was never really happy with the metallic ping and fake sounding effects they produced (Exept for some great reverbs,delays and pitch-shifting) So i went stompboxes and after trying the poor sounding CE-5 and CH-1 i got in the analog territory, first a CE-2 which was very good and transparent, only a bit too mild for my taste, up untill recently i've been using a DC-2 which also is fantastic, but more for a stereo setup and non-tweakable. It's hard to believe that after 30 years no one ever managed to make a pedal just as good, though the Retro-sonic comes close from what i read. But i got this one fore less money and it will only go up in price. To bad big company's like Boss don't make pedals quite like these anymore.

Medium easy .. because the High input cuts the high frequencies. but the low input makes it a lot more friendly to guitar players.. you have to make sure you don't overload the input..

if i could go higher than 10 , i would..this is the best chorus i have ever tried. it nails the guitar's accents at the right frequency. It's so lush, i can't believe my ears.. i have tried LOTS of choruses out there..
I did enjoy the Maxon chorus (large box) but this one kicks them out of the door. It mot noisy at all. I am using it in a marshall plexi that i run pretty much clean . i use a Zakkwylde MRX and a Fulltone OCD and they both sound great with this one..
i tried, just for fun , putting a 'The police' record and tried to match Andy summers' sound and i got damn close with the bridge pickup on my strat.
if you overload the input easily on this thing, try using a limiter/compressor pedal in front and just cut the top end of the signal..

built like a tank. no need for batteries as it uses the 120v plug in.

this thing is close to 30 years old!!

i play lots of types of music..but i do enjoy playing Deep purple or led zep.. some Police stuff too.

IF this item would en up stolen, i would cry because they are getting really rare to get by. last time i checked on EBAY, there were none for sale..

Mine is pretty beat up..it probably went through a dozen world tours but it keeps on rocking.. some paint is missing on the edges and 2 knobs are not original.
I seriously suggest anyone out there looking for a chorus to look at this one if they can find one. There is something special about this one that makes them unique and sought of by pros..

it's quite easy to use, but the volume knob controls the whole volume of your Rig...not good ( a bit hard to adjust the true guitar volume level(to be unbiased)), the rest are Ok

i compared it with Boss Ce2, DC3, CH1, but CE1 is the best in my opinion, very lush sounding, and so warm, second best is Boss ce 2(japanese), which is also very nice and warm, much smaller design,can be external adaptor and battery operated which make it more flexible, then Boss DC3 for its crystal clearness

The Ce 1, change your tone a little, my ce 2 is much more transparent
but CE 1 sounds beautiful and worth every peny

the switch feels a bit fragile compared to newer Boss pedals

BUT no problem till now

the LED, also winking at all time it's on, just worried that it will die sometime, but i think its replacable

if the audiences are not musicians,....they will not be aware of the change in the tone, and will just enjoy the sense of vintage sound it produces, so i'll give it a 10, hehehe:)

If you control your tone and volume with the force that you pick with, this pedal will make you angry. It can be difficult to pick like a kitten all the time.

I use the best gear, Marshalls, Les Pauls, Bacino, Fulltone, etc. If you pick lightly the effect is beautiful but the more forceful you pick the more the pedal distorts. I even sent it to an electrical engineer to do a resistor mod. and it still distorts at unity. You can tell that it could be wonderful but I guess I have man hands.

I can depend on this pedal to suck tone.

N/A

I play melodic music. I've been playing for 23 years. I don't usually write reviews but this pedal is way hyped. AVOID!

The chorus could not be easier one knob. The vibrato almost as easy two knobs.

This is the best sounding chorus for my music that I have ever heard. i have a dod 460 mini-chorus which souds better for the psuedo leslie sounds, but just for thickening the sound the ce-1 is it. The vibrato also rules.

I was probably five years old when this was made. I am now 30. works perfect and looks pretty good too.

HA!

This pedal is awesome for me, and thats really all that matters. I like it. I do not care who plays one, what song features one, if my friends like it, because I do. If you dont, then dont buy it or get rid of it. This cost me $225.00, which was a little expensive, but this thing has 2 nicks on it and sounds awesome. The vibrato on this is actually an afterthought, but to all of those idiots spending $400 on vb-2's save some cash and get a ce-1 it's like the vb-2 with a chorus for free. Boss is your typical evil company today which is evident in the complete shit they peddle(no pun intended)as real gear. it is all about the bottom line. And what is the bottom line? PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT. Overall a 9 for the ce-1, but new boss a big fat ZERO!

eazy to use. 5 minutes or less for tone nirvana/////......//////

my unit is the rivera ce1/s2 mod. includes an extra output jack, extra knob for chorus, seprate speed/depth extra knob for output 1input volume 1 output volume. every single complaint youve heard about the ce1 is solved!! the best just got better!!! hats off to rivera, i think mod was done in the 70s?

built like a tank. riveras mod is pro!!

not made anymore, tried emailing rivera n asking for info on it? like whats the new output jack? but no answer??!! i was told by a friend its for the original unmoded tone? but im not sure?

the best chorus just got better!! a 11 from a 1-10 scale!!

I don't have a manual but realy don't need it. it's very easy to use

I use it whit a gibson the paul guitar, boss volume pedal, boss ps-5. boss eh-2, ernie ball stereo volume pedal, dynacord echocord super 76, pearl f-604, akay headrush, crybaby and a e-bow+.
I realy hate chorus pedals exept the ce-1. the vibrato is also very good. If You use the vibrato whit an e-bow and slide your guitar sounds very much like theremin.

You can jumb on it. throw it put it under a car and I think it will still work (I never tried it)

This is the best pedal i ever played. I play on it about 5 years and I sure gonna buy a new one. even if the asked 350 dollars for it.

really easy. as long as input gain is right. (although even the clipping sound isn't too bad!)

It sounds good on anything. It really complements acoustic guitar and takes the edge off the highs (even when bypassed). On that note, it does tend to take the highs off everything (even when bypassed), which did irritate me a little when using it on my electric. Currently it sits in my studio patched to me keyboard and is doing a wonderful job. The chorus is beautiful and the vibe is funky as.

yeah it heaps old and still rocking

It rocks for anything. try to find one being sold by some idiot who is ignorant of its beauty and get it for cheap.

If you can't set this pedal up to unity gain and get a decent sound out then you probablly don't know what to do with tuning pegs.

I have used these pedals for 17 years now, have 1 for back up. I run stereo. If your pedal has a three prong...ground lift one of your amps. I have used every...I mean everyt other chorus pedal made. The other Boss's are feeble by comparison.....talk about sucking tone, the TC Electronics is stark, cold, and lifeless, the Dano is just plain not happening....low end heavy, and poor gain structure. I use it with a PV Delta Blues and a Classic 30, not my favorite chooices of amps, but in our trio, I'm playing an Ovation Custom Legend and switching to a Strat r/Bill Lawrences and a 335, nad it is the only combination that I have found that works without adjustment.
I have also used it through my Hiwatt 30, and JMP 50. AND through my 64 Super Reverb...and it is always consistent. Listen for GAIN STRUCTURE! When you try a pedal; play through it, unplug and play direct...see if you hear a drop in signal strength or tone. Humble opinion.

never had to

I play a mayhem salad of styles in order to feed my children and now put one through college.....but primarily Rock and blues and R/B, reggae, in not necessarilly any order:} I use the pedal primarily now as a stereo splitter with occassional use of the chorus. If ou can find one of these pedals enjoy it you will.

Somewhat easy. It takes a little bit of tweeking. If you use the setting Greg Winter gives below, it gives a really nice sound. I did not get it with a manual. It has an LED that flashes to the speed of the wave rate. That's pretty handy. Our drummer can even see it across the room (it's a big LED). THis has all the original part and I don't htink I'm going to attempt the Pot upgrade.

I have a Warmoth Telecaster that I built myself. It has a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PU in the bridge and a Rio Grande Tallboy in thte neck. I play through an older Carvin x-100b (has that sort of nasally Mesa/Boggie sound at about half the price). It gives a really nice bright chorus sound. Better, in my opinion, than thir newer chorus pedals. If you use the "Greg" settings, you can play an A chord and get that same sound as Jane's Addiction "Classic Girl" guitar part, if you turn of the vibrato. I do like the sound, There aren't a huge number of uses for it though.

Never had any broblems with it. It's old and solid. THey don't make 'em like this anymore. The inside of it looks like it was built to last.

Never dealt with them. Even if I did, this thing is pretty old and I'm sure they would do much for me.

It's great for strumming a nice background. If you get the right rate when using the vibrato you can use it to make a sort of Reggae Dub sound, you can turn off the vibrato and and get a nice chimey tone. It works pretty well for Jazz also. If your turn the rate of the vibrato up, you can get a really NEAT UFO sound. They ask a lot for these things ($250) so I'm not sure if I'd be willing to shell out that much cash for it, I haven't written any songs using this thing yet,but I would definitely miss it.

This chorus effect is the same, that is used in the Roland Jazz Chorus amps. The Chorus effect has a knob for the intensity. The speed is fixed (can be changed inside)..but this is not recommended.
The two other knobs are for the Vibratro effect.

I use this effect with all different kinds of tube and transistor amps, just as the VOX AC 30 or the Roland Jazz Chorus 120. I even use it for bass guitar and acoustic guitars in the effect loop of the mixer. To me, the BOSS CE-1 is the only really recommended Chorus for these instruments. It produces a warm, full all analog sound without any noises...a shame for all digital choruses. Very recommended. If you use it with a mixer, use the 'effect out' jack only!

I use it for about ten years. These mines are very robust.

I have no idea...but I think there isn't any support on these vintage things.

This is the thing for all of you, who like the sound warm and analog. I tried a lot of different Chorus effect pedals. Perhaps the vintage analog Yamaha comes close. If you want to control the speed of the effect, it's possible!

Appearantly there are some idiots who cannot figure this thing out. It's actually VERY easy to use and EXTREMELY easy to get a great sound out of. I set my input on 12 o'clock, the chorus at 11 o'clock, the vibrato depth at 2 o'clock, and the vibrato rate at 10 o'clock. I switch the high/low depending on what guitar I'm playing.

I play an Ernie Ball EVH, a Hamer Korina Standard, a 1965 Rickinbacker 450-12, and a Sears Silvertone 1p/u. It sounds great with all of these guitars. It is not noisy in the least.It would be nice if the chorus had separate rate and depth controls but it sounds so good that it doesn't really matter.

My amps are a Bogner Ecstacy 101B and a 1973 Fender Bassman 100. This thing kills through my bassman. Very warm and dark - ORGANIC!!! I have tried other chorus pedals and this one is the best to my ears. However, I am waiting for the arrival of my Sweetsound UltraVibe. So until then, this one rules.

You can get Andy Summers or Alex Lifeson clean tone out of this pedal. Also, if you ever listened to Queensryche's "Operation: Mindcrime", it's definitely in there too.

I bought mine used and it's beat up. Still works like a charm!

Plus, it's a BOSS.

Doubt if they'd help me and doubt if I'll need them in the first place.

I write and record my own music and this pedal has definitely inspired me. If it was stolen or lost I would seek out another. I have seen these sell for around the $250 mark but if I had to pay that, I probably would.

If you're looking for a warm, dark chorus.........THIS IS IT!

Its a fucking complicated rocket science shit break pedal.Its almost impossible to get a bloody good sound out of it.It prob should come with a 50 page manuel and u gotta have a phd in engineering to even use the godamn thing.Sure it looks simple and the instructions are pretty easy but its a sick excuse for a chorus.

Its a waste of time even to bother tweaking it.No matter how u tweak it the sound is extremely bad to the lousy and sick bypass its absolutely horrid and the sound of your whole rig is controlled by the master volume knob on the pedal tht totally discolours your sound and makes ur tone flat and crapped up shit.

Its built like a tank and will fucking last u through ur whole life.
Its absolutely reliable and there is defitely no need for a backup but the main thing i will NEVER gig with this sick excuse for a paperweight chorus.

never dealed with boss.

I sold the damn lame thing for 230 bucks to some lame ass shit head guy called jimmy who freaking wants everything cheap and collects boss pedals by maybe cheating innocent small kids.If i did not need money i would not have sold it to him for a discount of 20 bux i would have sold it 200 to a nice guy who talks honest and nicely unlike this lame excuse for a humane lifeform who gives a stuckedup attitude.

Getting a good sound out of this unit is not difficult. Dialing in the chorus is simple, one knob increases the depth and rate simultaneously.

The Vibrato has two knobs for depth and rate. They are self explanatory and easy to use.

However, the CE-1 is very sensitive to the guitar's input. If the level knob is turned up past 1 or 2 o'clock, the unit tends to overdrive in an unpleasant way.

I give it a "6" because it takes time to find the right input level setting so that you get a deep effect with a usable signal.

The sound is unbelievably lush and full. The chorus seems to melt into your guitar tone while adding a leslie rotating speaker effect.

While one might think that the vibrato is just a bonus feature, it is acutally just as impressive as the legendary chorus. It can sound subtle like a string bend, or it can be more aggressive like a "univibe".

I run this pedal through a Les Paul or ES 135 and a Roland JC 120 amp. The Les Paul is equiped with humbuckers while the ES 135 is fitted with P100's, and the CE-1 sounds incredible through both.

As it's been said before, it envokes the spirit of Andy Summers.

It looks dependable, but I cannot say for sure as I've only had it for a few weeks.

The metal chasis is solid and thick, and the switches look sturdy and stable. The wiring looks well done. I don't forsee any problems with this pedal.

I've never even thought of contacting Boss. Even if I did, would they help me fix a product they haven't made in over 20 years?

If this is the only pedal in your signal chain, it gets a "10". The reason I give it an 8 is because it kills a good bit of your signal, making it more difficult to properly interact with other pedals.

I use it for jazz applications where I won't be running crazy filters, flangers, etc. after the CE-1.

It's easy to use, as all controls are there, it's enough to turn down or up the knobs and... hear. Bought it without manual, anyway who needs it???

I use my CE-1 with many gutars like beautifull Ibanez Performer (Les Paul type), stratocaster and others. It's silent.
I can describe the sound of CE-1 as warm and nice. I had before (but happily sold it) a CE-3 Boss chorus, but there's no comparison. CE-3 was metallic and shallow - cutted low end from my guitars.
I followed the advice of an anonymus (by the way - thanks) who put it's review before me - to replace the original 50 kohms pot with 250 kohm's one. I did it, and that's it. In my opinion I don't find CE-1 muddy as some say. There is a little switch there, called "high/low" which gives you clear sound on "low" and big and fat on "high" setting. You choose. The only thing I don't understand, and to be sincere - don't like, is, that chorus has only one regulation pot. It increases both depth and rate contemporaneously, but if you love you forgive... This effect doesn't spoil the original sound of guitar.
The sound of vibrato is just fabulous.
You must however be carefull with level knob - if too high, the sound gets distorted a little beat, but you see it if distorted by peak level light also.
I play country, blues, rock and gospel music in church. I use it only with clean sound, expecially for ballads.

It's build like a tank. Metal chasis. Very good quality, silent switches. Very dependable, old, good stuff. Besides, it's more that 20 years old... I use it without backup (tell me where find it?)

??? Never delt with Boss...

I know this effect since early '80 'cause my father's good friend had it. Before he died he had sold it, but he gave me his old Fender Jazz Bass (71 - four bolts)... This year I started to search for CE-1... and thanks God I found it and paid very good price. I'm very happy to own it, because - first: it's a good effect, second: it's vintage and rare. I must admit, I'm looking for a CE-2 chorus now, because in my opinion CE-2 chorus is even better that CE-1, but vibrato of CE-1 is unbeatable. I'll be happy to possess both of them. It adds taste to my music (if not abused :-)). A great thing about this babe is, it doesn't need batteries...
I give it only 9, because chorus has only one effect regulation pot, but otherwise I find it great. If you find one, get the money off your pocket and you buy it, or let me know...

Great sound- easy to get- no editing- no manual

Using with lots of other gear- I still haven't figured out how to set it up with all of my other gear since the input can ruin your guitar's amp signal. (it will destroy your tone if not placed accordingly) It's a little noisy- This unit always sounds good-it's got the old Alex Lifeson sound-, also sounds Andy Summersish.

Very reliable

Roland has good customer support

I play jazz/Prog rock fusion- this unit sounds monstrous for anything!

I love everything about it except the input problem- This unit blows away any other Chorus sound I've ever heard. Warm analog sound- it's an inspiration.
http://www.guitar9.com/fusia.html

now this has to be the simplest effect 2 work out!its got 3 knobs,1 controls the intensity of the chorus and the other the vibrato.well if u can't sort that out,u shouldn't give up your day job!

it has to be the warmest sounding chorus i've heard and many friends agree with that assumption.even the vibrato has a great sound to its own,hey 2 effects for the price of one and they are both killers!i've used it in many different musical situations and its always been a winner,though it tends to lose a bit of its brightness when mixed with other effects.it's warm and has a natural overdrive to its tone.absolutey a must!

never had to worry bout mine,though i've had mine for a few years.

never had to get in contact with them,anyways i've got the gift of great technicians!

i play everything from ACDC to ZAPPA and it serves me well in every situation!i wouldn't call it "The greatest chorus"but it does have a unique quality about it.this pedal has been used since the 70's by all the greats and im glad that i have this one in my collection of the unique.try it if you get your hands on one,you'll love the vibrato too!

Easy to set up. Plug in and go. Simple as that. It doesn't have many knobs anyway. The pedal itself is easy to use but it takes a lot of work to stop your guitar from sinking in the mix.

It's a very hyped pedal and the chorus really is good, but I don't like the way that when recording through this my guitar disappears in a sea of mud. There's no brightness to it at all. The warmth of tone is lovely but it takes a highly skilled studio tech to get any trace of prescence to your sound when using this. Potentially brilliant sounding but it takes a lot of work.

Reliabilty isn't a problem. I would prefer to use my newer (if thinner sounding) CE-5 instead as it it has much more edge and prescence.

N/A

It has it's charms, it's well built and it does what it says it does but the muddiness of tone is a bit of a let down. The hype about the 'best ever chorus pedal' is maybe right in so much as it really does have a lovely chorus sound but it takes too much work to stop the effect bogging your instument way down.

The pedal has Three knobs, and one of them only has two posible functions. You gotta have issues not to understand this pedal. You don't a manuel to get the sound you want. Fool around with it for about 10 minutes, and once you fix your settings, you'll love the thing.

I'm using a marshall 80 watt valvestate, and an Ibanez rg 170. I love this pedal. But there's one thing. The chorus sound kind of disappears when your using distortion. That's okay, because I wouldn't use it during distortion. It saves me work cause I don't gotta switch it on and off during a song.

I would definitely perform at a gig with no backup. The is a God dam Boss, for crying out loud. It doesn't get much more reliable. I haven't been using the thing for very long, but I have three other Boss pedals that I've been using for over two years, and they never gave me the slightest problem.

I've never dealt with the company.

I play stuff like the tea party, creed, etc. I've been playing for a little over two years. I also own a Boss DD-3(That's a didgital delay pedal), a Boss MT-2( That's the metal zone, the best distortion pedal you've ever heard), and a boss auto-wah( Its cool, but useless. Get a Vox wah-wah, much better. If I lost this pedal or had to replace it with another chorus pedal, I would buy the same one. I love this pedal, because It's so easy to use. I'm an idiot, and I don't like pedal with 1400 functions. I wanted a chorus sound that was top of the line, and I got it with this pedal. I compared this pedal with a dod chorus pedal. The dod was simple to use, and cost-eficient( It doesn't cost a lot, and a batery will last about a month) But the dod was not very sturdy, and the switch is way to easy to turn off and on. When I 'm on stage, jumping around, my jack hits it and it goes on. I chose the boss because I found I had more control of the sound I Got. This pedal has what I bought it for. CHORUS. This pedal realy helps me write music. It gives me more choice of sound. I love it.All and all, this is about the best Chorus pedal you'll find. If I can make just one suggestion. Use an adaptor, because a battery lastes about 2 hours.

The pedal has Three knobs, and one of them only has two posible functions. You gotta have issues not to understand this pedal. You don't a manuel to get the sound you want. Fool around with it for about 10 minutes, and once you fix your settings, you'll love the thing.

I'm using a marshall 80 watt valvestate, and a

Very easy to use, and there is another effect available!
If you make a little passive mixer to feed some of the effects output back into its input you get a wonderful phase effect. You have to get the settings just right or it does car alarm impersonations!

Great sound. Seems to make my guitar a little dull sounding for my taste, and the maximun output without distortion is much lower than my other pedals. I think the 250k pot fix I've just read here would be a good idea to try. Or else, I've blown something with the feedback experiments!

Great build quality. I love mains driven pedals! Most of my other ones get left in the box because I can't be botherd to get any batteries for them.

I don't know if roland can remember this one. Never had a problem with it anyway.

Great funky pedal. The vibrato is really sweet on rhodes and organ. I have also wired an output so I can controll the vibrato speed from a rocker pedal for leslie speedup/down effects.
If you see one, buy it!

ATTENTION! I SAY ATTENTION! LISTEN UP ALL YOU CE-1 USERS - I HAVE IMPORTANT INFO HERE - some of you may already know what i'm about to give out. ANY CE-1 CAN BE MADE TO PERFORM BETTER BY REPLACING THE
50k POT AT THE INPUT TO A 500k POT. THESE UNITS WERE INITIALLY BUILT
FOR USE BY KEYBOARD PLAYERS. THE 500k POT AT THE INPUT MAKES THESE UNITS MORE GUITAR FRIENDLY! YOUR GUITARS ARE EITHER 250k or 500k EQUIPPED - YOU SEE THE NEED NOW? I did this to mine and it made all the difference in performance for guitar usage. I know several pros who have done this as well - in fact, it's from them i learned this.

I use the CE-1 as the first effect in my pedal chain right after my
TU-2 tuner. From the CE-1 it goes to a Small Stone, from there to an
Ibanez RC-99 Rotory Chorus, from there to a Dan-Echo. I keep my distortion pedals seperate from my "swirly" pedals because i prefer the swirl tones to be clean - not distorted. I stress again, replacing the 50k input pot to a 500k value makes all the difference.
This chorus unit is thick and warm - it's most hip. I use the RC-99 also to achieve more realistic Leslie tones. I also find the RC-99 to be a great match for the CE-1 as it really sounds close to it at some settings. I can't say enough praise about the CE-1 - it's the greatest chorus pedal period. I've had the usual "best" chorus pedals
including the TC Electronics. I find the CE-1 to be a better effect.

CE-1's are built to last. I've had no probs with mine for being nearly 25 years old. I bought mine used even and was lucky enough to have acquired a super clean piece. I dig this pedal.

Well, i'm not worried.

Overall, this is the chorus pedal of choice for me. I've had many others and none of them float my boat the way this one does. It's thick warm swirl is just right for my tastes. The vibrato section is top notch too. The CE-1 to my ears is the best sounding chorus for chording - it just so richly envelopes a chord and makes them breathe.
If you wanna experience some outstanding swirlness, place a Small Stone (original) right after the CE-1 and use milder settings from the Small Stone. You will get DEEP, HUGE, spaciousness. Some of you may not like it - some of you may think the trick to using an effect is to know it's hardly there - SCREW THAT! I have effects because of exactly what they DO! ....and i LOVE it! Anyway, the CE-1 is such that when it's engaged you're gonna know it - better yet, you're gonna
love it too!

The only trick is setting the gain for optimum performance. There is an overload LED to help with this. For chorus, a single knob increases both intensity and speed. This is a bit limiting, but 12 o'clock is perfect for me.

Not for everyone. It's a thick dark chorus. Something I prefer. Incredible for jazz chords. Many prefer the ce-2 which is a bit thinner but with more bite.
The vibrato is the first I've come across that I will actually use.
Very warm, round quality. Seperate chorus and vibrato controls are a plus.The unit is quiet, but watch for ground loops due to 3-prong power chord.

If you get a working one, it will probably work forever. It's a big chunk of metal with quality footswitches. The internal wiring and PCB are clean and solid, nice beefy power supply for a pedal too, but as with all used gear, beware: in 20 years, who knows who may have been inside the thing.

You probably won't get help from boss, but schematics are available:
http://www.tdd.lt/~antonas/guitar/gifs/BossCE1.gif
Aside from the LEDs and power transformer being epoxied to the case, all components are easily replaceable with a little electronic knowledge.

I personaly love this pedal. Really fattens a single coil pickup. I own a t.c. chorus flanger, Fulltone Dejavibe II, and a ce-2, but this is the chorus I use. Again, it is not for everyone, as it lacks a certain bite that many prefer. I like the warmth though. The vibrato is just icing on the cake for me. If I see another one, I will buy it.

Very easy to use.

I Use Fender custom shop strat, Ibanez Artist and Gibson Les Paul with the following amp, Carvin x-100b, Rivera Rake and Fender Prosonic. I believe this pedal sounds good but is EXTREMELY over-rated. I have not tried any other CE-1's for comparison, so can only speak for mine. This pedals sucks the tone out of your guitar. When engaged, it easily distorts as you raise your volume in cjhorus mode. Mine definitely does not have true bypass. Vibrato is a pretty cool feature. Just for reference, I am a chorus junky and think that the Ibanez CS-505, CS-9, Boss ce-2 & 3 and Rockman chorus all sound better than the CE-1.

Have had no problems and i belive it is very reliable.

Never had to use.

Very easy to use one knob for chorus intensity, two for vibrato Depth and Rate, one on off switch and another to switch between Chorus and Vibrato.

I use it in the FX loop of My Mesa Dual Rectifier, my guitars are PRS with EMG's. It is very low noise for an analog Chorus pedal made in 1976. The soud is very good, it's warm and not like the new digital ones that have that high end bite that kills your ears. The Vibrato shifts the pitch, it really sounds good almost like a leslie. I know that John Fershante (Red Hot Chili Peppers on mothers milk, B.S.S.M, and Californication) uses it, besides him I don't know who else uses it. I would not be suprised if David Gilmore used one, he had every stomp known to man back then.

It's a boss. This thing is 23 years old and their is not even one problem with it. Who do you know that has ever had a problem with a boss stomp box.

Never have and probablly never will have to deal with Boss\Roland.

This is the greatest Chorus I have ever herd and will be the last I will ever buy, and I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life. The thing is a part of history (the first Boss Chorus peddal). The only other product I would buy would be an original Uni-Vibe Because it's even older and is like the first Chorus\Vibrato unit ever. The CE-1 is Boss's response to the Uni-vibe.

Dead easy. From left to right: a slider switch for High/Low; a knob for chours rate; knob for vibrato rate; knob for vibrato depth; and an on/off rocker switch. It's A/C. Two big stomp switches, one for effect on or bypass, the other (right) for switching between chorus and vibrato. The pedal also features two red LED's. One lights up to show the intensity of the signal, and one for the rate of the phase shifting. (I'm very happy that it doesn't get too crazy with knobs, they could have really gone nuts with both functions in one pedal - as they have before.)

I was surprised with the age of this guy, that it wasn't noisy. It's great sound just rings through. Great vibrato. (There are some real cheesy vibratos out there.) The effects produced are not overwhelming, that jump out at you and steal your tone. It's just lush chorus and a solid, warm vibrato like it's suppose to be. This guy can also be run in stereo which is slick. Currently, I am using this guy right before a Sweetsound Ultravibe. I have a great favorite setting on my Ultravibe and don't want to tweak it, and wanted to add some width with chorus at times and a vibrato for some passages/songs. This is a killer combination by the way. The Ultravibe gets a little woozy machine gun thing going while the CE-1's vibrato can get a great vibrato pulse thing going. Great pair of options that I don't use all the time, but enjoy having at the ready. Soundwise, I could see how someone would leave the chorus of the CE-1 on all the time. I have used it for bass a little bit, but the high/low slider switch stunk on the low setting, so you have to leave it on high and may lose some of your signal. (The Ultravibe kicks on bass however, it is a solid part of my sound on bass.) For reference I am running this with Fender guitars, Fender tweed amps.

Well, they are a Roland/Boss product, although I don't know what year they were made. It is actually a 'CE-1 Chorus Ensemble' if you are looking for a picture or someting on the net. It is a big, heavy, solid piece of machinery that's going to take up some serious pedalboard real estate. Solid stomp switches, casing, recessed LED's, sturdy power cord - it's going to be a lifetime pedal. One of my knobs did crack though, but it was easily glued back together with some of the old ladies' nail glue. (good stuff) If you think the new Boss' are solid, you could swing this around by the A/C cord and use it as a wrecking ball.

N/A

I think it's a great pedal. They are moving up in price, so if you want one, you may have to pull the trigger soon. It's such a solid pedal with great sounds. It doesn't kill your tone or steal your signal which is nice too. In a pedal to pedal shoot out it would kill all the little stompers out there soundwise (perhaps with the exception of the TC Electronics - which is actually too digitally clean for my tastes), but personally, I love the Ultravibe. The Ultra gets a bit woozy sometimes, but its a vintage/warm/liquid Hendrixian thing, whereas the CE-1 is just a solid, clean, lush, versitile, great sounding pedal. Together they're great.

Can't go wrong, knobs for chorus rate, vibrato rate and depth. Great sounds without a lot of effort.

Excellent. Second best chorus I've ever had (see review of Fulltone Stereo Deja Vibe) and best Vibrato (even compared to a vintage Magnatone amp).

Built like a tank. If it dies, though, who ya gonna call. Does Roland even remember they made this thing!

I've only called once, got a machine, no luck so far.

Why didn't they reissue this one?

3 knobs, 2 switches, easy to understand, sounds great right out of the box.

The best pitch shifting vibrato out there. I've got a Magnatone amp (the only other straight pitch shift vibrato I'm aware of) and this is at least as good. The chorus is very good, just one knob for intensity/rate. It's not the best I've heard (Fulltone Deja Vibe), but it's definitely #2 with a bullet. I can't see using this for hard rock, but blues, folk etc, it's perfect.

Built like a tank.

Who cares, it's 20 years old.

Just a beautiful sound, and well worth finding. A much more useful effect than 90% of the digital thingy's out there.

Great sound with very little tweaking, Just plug & go.

Awesome sound. I am running a system as follows: guitar to modified crybaby to Tube Screamer to CE-1 then stereo to 2 Peavey Blues Deluxes. The chorus is thick and lush and the vibrato is right there without being uncontrollable. I leave the chorus on 95% of the time.

The unit is over 10 years old. I've had it for at least 7 years and have never had a problem with it.

Never needed it with any Boss product I have had. Since this one is out of warranty I doubt I would ever even use it.

I got this pedal along with an original tube screamer for free from a friend who owns a music store. I was helping him clean out his storage room and he passed these along. Turns out that they were brought in to have the pots cleaned and were never picked up. I love the sound of the CE-1 and if I had too would probably replace it with a Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus. I hope I never have to replace it.

just four knobs

am.standard strat.with texas specials no noise sounds good on any setting except the obviously extreme ones hot rod deville 2-12

definately

don't know

i'm only writing this in response to others claiming that the unit is noisy i use it in conjunction with a compressor, blues driver, overdrive, delay all boss...unless there are a few lemons of this unit i have to honestly say i haven't experienced any noise at all,other than that slight swoosh apparent in all pedals of this type but again very slight...

This unit is easy to get a terrific sound out of--there is only one knob for the chorus effect. There's also a neat vibrato circuit that is also very intuitive. The only problem is messing with the level and input controls to get a comparable sound as you're used to without the effect (no true bypass).

This unit is as quiet as can be expected. The chorus effect is lush and warm, but gets quirky at high settings. The vibrato effect rivals anything I've heard--everything from a slow MBV wobble to fast trills. In stereo it represents the height of analog technology!

This unit is built like a tank. It's big, solid, no scratchy pots. The built in power supply means no batteries and no wall warts. It's been going strong since the early 80's or so and will continue!

Few at Boss would probably recall this particular model, let alone give any assistance.

Great deal if you can find it. I've seen 'em cheaper and more expensive than what I paid. They all sound slightly different, too. True bypass would be cool, but there are ways around that problem.