Boss CE-3 Chorus

Simple to use, i didnt get a manual with it as i got it 2nd hand from ebay but it took less than a minute to work out how to set it up the way i wanted, i go out from output A and use the left stereo setting seeing as i dont yet have a stereo rig. the other TWO (wow, so many, i might get lost) controls are kinda obvious so anyone who doesnt get it must be a US president or something (no offence to jfk, he seemed alright)

electir guitar > dunlop zakk wylde wah > boss CS-1 > boss CE-3 > marshall DSL401

OR

martin D1 acoustic > Boss CS-1 > CE-3 > Ashdown AAR-1

I know that really i should plug this into the fx loop but i cant really be bothered with the extra cables and i get a erfectly usable sound from this route. Most of the time i use a subtle effect to add a shimmer to my clean/crunch but turn both knobs up and you get a great vibrato/chorus effect thats fun to play with! Sounds really nice on the martin, i use it for a lot of picking to add a bit more magic. I had doubts as to how 'warm' this would sound in comparison to the CE-2 but no complaints since i bought it. Ill give it a 9 because i'd still like a CE-2.... or even a CE-1 but only for the rarity factor :p

Well, mines an early Made In Japan one, not sure what year but its battered and is obviously pretty used.... however, NOTHING is wrong with it and as far as i can see from the circuit, its all original so hasnt beem repaired. Then again it is a Boss pedal and theres a reason "8 million guitarists" use them lol

PS, battery life is great!

Never had to use, i take that as a good thing!

My band play alternative rock so main influences are RHCP's and Smashing Pumpkins, add in a bit of john butler trio, guns n roses and fo fighters and thats us really! as said before, i like to use this as a "shimmer pedal" and for that its great, id buy it again or have it repaired if it ever broke.... doubting that tho!

Very simple.......3 knobs,not much to it.Lots of sounds available,for sure though.Firmware revision # is 6-zulu-9ER haha just kidding.

Setup is: Dean '79 reissue Z>Peterson Strobostomp>Marshall ED-1 comp>
Boss SD-1 overdrive>Boss CE-3>MXR Phase 90 EVH>Marshall JCM 800 2210 head>Marshall JCM 800 slant 4x12 w/Vintage 30's....or a Line 6 Spider II 30-watt combo amp.It is only as noisy as any regular chorus pedal.Now here is the weird part:the Taiwan version and the Japan version are RADICALLY different!!!! I originally owned the Taiwan version,and bought a Japanese version on Ebay.Well.....I really HATED that one man! It had this really "clean" sound to it....too much treble response,and it could NOT get the nice "swirly"(for lack of a better word)tone at all.The Taiwan version has a great Small Clone-ish sound to it.....sits over the top of the sound,instead of integrating within it.Gets a much nicer breakup too,since I use it in front of my amp.The Japanese one just had too much chimey character.Seriously,it was like I had 2 entirely different pedals.Here are my settings on it:RATE-6,Depth-10,MODE:Mono.If you do that with the other one,it just don't sound right man.Can't explain it.Anyways,this thing is THE BEST chorus I have ever used,hands down.It is so lush,and gets a really nice sound with cleans,and a MESSY,jacked up tone with distortion!!!Think,like,Nirvana "Come As You Are" sorta chorus.....or any old shit like The Chameleons,The Cure,etc.Really great pedal man,the Taiwan one anyways.But it is a lot cheaper than the other version.....the pots are not as good,the battery terminal is crap also.But the SOUND.....oh yeah.....it's a HUGE part of my sound!

It won't break.....period.No more to say.

UH....I would just fix it myself.Just a simple pedal ya know.If it dies,I'll break out a schematic and a soldering iron.

I play death metal,and experimental progressive rock/noisy shit,like The Cancer Conspiracy,King Crimson,Mr Bungle,etc.I have been playin about 10 years and have owned way too much shit,really.This thing is my little friend that no one cares about.I have tried the most expensive chorus pedals out there,and they did not have the charm of this one,though others were more "hi-fi",less noisy,had more switches....blah blah blah.Buy the cheapo version,it sounds way better!!! Much more unique!!!!! It is one sexy pedal.This and my SD-1 overdrive I cannot live without!!! They are MY sound!

two knobs, one mode switch, stereo outs, pedal. if you can't figure it out than your a complete (insert insult here). Easy as hell to get a good sound out of.

I run it in the EFX loop of my marshall 9004 preamp ( to take advantage of the stereo outs) sounds really good a nice spread of sound. in mode A the sound is very thick, and shimmery. in mode B the effect isn't as pronounced but sounds good nonetheless. This is an underrated boss pedal that is a secret weapon in my setup.

Yup I can depend on it.

I can repair it if it breaks down and if I can't then I know someone who can.

One of the best chorus' out there.

i got it used with no manual...still dont know exactly what the last knob does, but i have a pretty good idea so 9.

Made In Japan, Green Label

Agile Hornet, Boss(ns2,mt2,ds2,sd1,hf2,eh2,dd5,cs3(not neccesarily in that order)) plus 2 wahs --->Kustom Lead II. I havent used the ce3 with all of these at once, but with some here and some there...i find the effect to be just right...not faded, or not overwhelming...i find clean, you can get some very nice tones...i was able to get the Sanitarium intro sound using it clean...with my mt2, i got a good Into The Lungs Of Hell type sound(kinda dark)...personally, i think it sounds better clean...even just on chords, it dresses em up nicely. it can go from a nice soft chorus, to a harsh vibrato type sound. pretty versatile.

i read on someone elses review "if there was a nuclear war, 2 things would survive. Cockroaches, and Boss pedals." couldnt have put it better myself...i now own 9 boss stomps, and they are all working fine.

from metal to blues, to country, a chorus can be used...i didnt even compare it to the ce2, ce5, or ch1, so for all i know they could be better.

NOTE!!!!!!! The one that i purchased was made in Japan...a friend and I were jamming a while ago, and he had the same pedal, but his was made in Taiwan...i gave them the direct test, straight to the amp, and put the settings EXACTLY the same...and they sounded a bit different...The Taiwan-made ce3 sounded slightly thinner, and not quite as "in your sound" it sounded more like "on/behind your sound." whether as the Japan one was "in your sound."lol I dont know if that really makes sense, and could have just been a problem with his pedal, but i do know that Japan models are apparantly higher quality. anyways, 10 overall...great pedal, get it...

and its sparkly-blue!!!

Easy to use.

Excellent sound quality

Not impressed. During the 1.5 year that I've owned it, I've probably used it twice. It now requires servicing for some kind of short that has developed inside the unit. (Make sure you read the customer support section.)

Take heed my friends, support for these pedals is a joke once you're beyond the warranty period. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live, the two designated reps for Boss (in San Jose & San Mateo) charge as follows: San Jose: flat fee of $65; San Mateo: $95 per hour, with a $75 minimum fee. Sending the pedal to Boss for servicing is the best deal: $45 per hour (charging on the quarter hour). Frankly, I couldn't believe the first two service companies. In my opinion, they're robber barrons.

Love the pedal, but not impressed with the support network.

Easy, 3 knobs: rate, deph, stereo/mono.
Nice blue metal-flake colour.

Using various guitars and amps. Usually placed in the effect loop. My favorite setup is: G&L Legacy Special--->Morley 70" PWO Wah--->Marshall JH-1--->Crate GXT-100, then in effect loop BOSS RDD-20 delay--->BOSS GE-7--->Boss CE-3, and from the output "B" of the CE-3 to a Sound-Research SS amp (all the processing of the guitar tone is already achieve, this amp just reproduce the same tone for stereo).

Not noisy at all, it sounds great on clean. With distortion it depends on what you are looking for, it is focus on mids and removes a bit of bass and soften the attach of your notes, I find a little lost of volume when on as well, sometimes it can be desirable, sometimes not, this is when the GE-7 comes handy.
But nothing can beat that stereo option. You get a huge surround sound effect that can only bring smile on your face.

It gets a nine because you need an equalizer to compensate the increase in mids and decrease in bass.

I play with it since the last 23 years, I bought it new in 1982 and it's still like new. Almost always on. It did cost an arm and a leg back in 82 (around 260.00 Can $)but it pays off over the years.

I play blues (my own songs), classic/progressive rock (like Rush, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater),...I play since 25 years.
Stolen of lost ? I would search for another one right away, I cannot play in mono any more, it is so much more Huge in stereo.

Sehr leicht, eigentlich nur zwei Regler plus der Mode-Schalter...Stereooutputs, sollte man mal ausprobieren, sehr schon....

Pony Custom Electric Guitar (very hot pickups, straight from hell)--> Marshall DriveMaster-->Dunlop Crybaby from Hell--> MXR Doubleshot Distortion--> Mesa StudioPreamp | Loop --> EHX Holy Grail --> Boss CE-3 --> Boss OC-2 --> Boss Ns-2 /| --> Marshall 4100 & 2210 Poweramp --Y Marshall& Laney 4x12 Cabinet

Keine unerwunschten Nebengerausche; zumindest nix das das Gate nicht eliminiert. Habs nie ohne Gate getestet.
Insgesamt ist es ein angenehmer und weicher Chorus, der aber gerade auch durch seinen leichten Mittenboost immer ausreichend stark ist, er hat einen eigenen Charakter, den muss man mogen, ich finde ihn gro?artig/retro, sehr schon. Mit viel Disto und Depth ganz auf wirds bei meinem Setup etwas zu dick, aber so weit will ich das Ding eh nicht aufdrehen. Wirklich die Sonne geht auf bei cleansopunds und den Stereooptionen der kleinen blauen Kiste, schade dass ich nie clean spiele...wie auch immer...

100%

...es ist ein Teil das einfach Vintage ist und auch so klingt, tatsachlich finde ich das hier wirklich gut! Sieht nebenbei auch noch gut aus, blau-metallic! Einziges Bossteil mit drei Knopfen in einer Reihe, leider sieht man dadurch die LED schlecht, aber man hort den Unterschied deutlich ob die Kiste an ist oder nicht...

This thing is very easy to use! Just set the knobs is the postition you like the sound ;)

I use a 30 Watt Marshall Amp and a WH10 when i turn the chorus on its a little bit noisy but just when high volumes but its not bad! I thinnk the CE-3 Sound great but to get a great sound it good wehn your make your amp trebly i recorded a Song called under the bridge ;) with treby setting and i sounded like the original version that recorded with a CE-1! Yes it sound like my favorite artists ;) I would use it with Dist it sound to muddy then just for clean sounds

hmm yes you can

no

I play mostly Funk and Rock and its good for this. When it was stolen it were a reason for me to buy a CE-1 ;) a CE-3 is good to but CE-1 is better :D I love about this Pedal that ist very warm i hate that you have to sett your amp in other positions. Its a good chorus which can sound good with the right settings ;)

Very easy. Nice little variation in the mono selection through output A or B, the nobs are pretty obvious.

Set up is a Les Paul special (P100s) through CE3 into modified peavey classic 30, or the same setup with a Maton acoustic. When kicked in there is a little noise from CE3, but only myself or the very occasional mixing dude will pick it up in a live setting. I found that the peavey effects loop was strangely more likely to generate noise, so if I'm using the CE3 I put it inline to the amp. When inline or in the effects loop the CE3 does colour your sound a little when switched off, seems to just steal a little treble sparkle. That's fine by me as if I'm not going to use it, it's nowhere near my rig!

The chorus itself is good simple chorus, nice shimmer, can be taken to the light Phasey edge, or right down to slow gentle reverby sound. Does good cheesy chorus too, but I'm not going to use that too often. Doesn;t rob me of the inherent warmth of my set up but adds that litlle bit of depth for the lone guitarist situations.

I have no idea how old it is, Got it second hand 5 years ago, but it's never let me down. I gig once a fortnight, and treat my gear with respect but solid use. It certianly travels well enough, and stands up to the usual mishaps (dropping, stepping on wrong part accidently etc)

Never, ever needed it. They don't have a very usable kind of history/ old product section.

Playing for 8 years. Play some blues, light rock, pop and country with this thing. I prefer to play hard rock (foo fighters, spiderbait) and dirty blues, but you don't play too many of those in a row at a pub gig. If lost or stolen I'd search out another old boss chirus, maybe a CE2, but i'd grab another of these jast as happily. My fave feature is the light shimmer and thickness it can add, I like the colour too.

I've compared it to all sorts of multi effects and stand alone chorus. I can't justify the money given that chorus isn't my fave effect Other stand alone chorus sound remarkably similar given the cost and every multi I've tried so far seems to lack a little warmth and flexability.I like that I can just take this out of the rig during a break, without playing with patches etc etc.

Doesn't get much easier than this, rate and dept plus a two pos knob which selects the type of chorus if used in mono, In stereo it creates two seperate wave forms which sound huge when put across a stage.

I'm using a Non-reverse gibson firebird, Various distortions & Fuzz boxes (Boogie V-Twin -> Roger Mayer Vision Octavia -> MXR M-151 Shibby!) -> Fender Blender (home made from orig schematics tho...))
then into the mod effects ~ CE-3 -> BF-2 -> OC-2 all rigged up in a crazy way through the effects loops on the JCM, plus two on a Boss LS-2 (boss' greatest invention!) and one on a boss noise suppresor then finally into a vox wah & a DD-3.

I always use this in mono (not that the rig looks that way - bit embarasing when i pull the board out at a venue!) the stereo mode is nice but have to draw the line somewhere otherwise i'll run out of leads. The chorus is very nice a subtle, without causing any noise at all. I can only here extra hum, if i get my boogie on at the same time, but thats crazy talk.

The effect is not a strong effect and if you want that swirly whirly curly GIRLY kinda chorus my advice is - buy a cat. It really does add a new dimension to your clean sound (thats mostly what i use it for) allowing you to OOOOOOO and AAHHHHH all night. similar vibe? it goes from nothing to that nice chorus sound on The Nirvan unplugged Gig - even some early metallica - if you like that sort of thing.

I only use it with a power supply so i don't know what the battery consumption is like.

Boss = Chieftan Tank surounded by a big strong thing indeed, inside a bigger tank - or something equally as strong

this pedal is very old and not even the paint has scratched!

Never had to bother about this pedal but i once needed a manual for a dd-5 (which i didn't own!) and they posted it to me next day

so i'm gonna give 'em a 10

Fantastic pedal - for what it does.

Remember, if you really want a big ass chorus pedal - stop