Boss CE-300 Super Chorus

Very simple INSTRUMENT level device. This is where this box gets interesting, read on.................

Again, an INSTRUMENT level device. You have to adjust the input for different output guitars. Couldn't imagine running a bass through it, unless you used a crossover and pulled the lows out. This is where a really cool secret to this unit comes in. You adjust your input to your guitar and it hits your amps with the same output for all guitars. I run stereo and this is a BIG plus. Even my old cheezy 64' Epiphone Olympic with its weak old single coil sounds HUGE through this. I know, some of your stomp overdrives will freak it out and it will effect how they interact w/the amp but it is worth it. Use higher quality OD's with a lower noise floor, I.E. maxon or such. You will be AMAZED at how big your rig sounds.

It's almost as old as I am. It still rocks, and so do I.

Forget it, they want to sell you a new one. Nothing wrong with that, they have to eat as well.

Buy one, a little known treasure on the used gear front. And you can get them cheap.

Took me about 5minutes of playing about with to get the sound right. All the knobs have little blue bands around the outside to indicate standard settings and the gain LEDs at the front let you know instantly where to set the input level control for a decent volume without overdriving the unit. I didn't get a manual with this because it was second hand, but I can't imagine anyone would have trouble using it, provided a basic knowledge of music technology.

The controls will look familiar to anyone that's used a chorus stompbox: Input level (volume), rate, depth and tone. The Chorus Level control on the far right controls the mix between your wet and dry signal.

The sound out of this unit is beyond any chorus I've ever heard. A lot of people seem to think this is the best chorus effect ever made for the price range, and I'm inclined to agree. You simply cannot get a better chorus sound for the money - I got this on eBay for A#40 and it simply destroys stomp boxes well over A#150.

I play a Tanglewood Super-Six guitar (Jaguar-shaped jazz guitar) through a Peavey 1x15 and 2x10 Bass amp (I mainly play bass), but I often use other peoples' guitars and amps for practice and recording. Through anything this effect transforms a plucky, bodyless blues sound into the most lush, beautiful sounding harmony. It's too subtle to really bring out individual notes, but chords and double stops sound incredible.

Until recently, I used this completely in mono, just using one output (A+B), but last week I decided to try it in stereo. I didn't believe the sound could get any better, but it does. More than I could ever imagine. The stereo effect also acts like an expander, making other effects sound better. I've got a Boss MT-2 and RDD-20 running through this aswell, and in stero I get massive, phat sounding power chords and overly-eerie autopanning delays.

Unfortunately this unit doesn't handle low bass guitar notes quite aswell, they lose their 'thump' and can overdrive the box. As a result, I'm probably going to invest in a crossover to bypass the lows and stick the chorus only on the highs when playing bass. Hence score of 9 for sound quality.

I've not had it long enough to comment, but I can say that the knobs are pretty easily removed, so be careful on stage (or even just when practicing). I've glued mine on to stop this, but you'll see a few units on eBay with missing gain caps etc.

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If it's anything like other Boss equipment, this thing will never die. It's built like a tank.

Brilliant, brilliant unit. I wouldn't want anything else. If it was stolen? I'd search endlessly on eBay for another one, and probably lynch the bugger than stole it.

Pros: Amazing sounds - especially in stereo, very easy and quick to use, built in power supply (no need for 9v wall-warts) and can be picked up for less than A#50 second hand.

Cons: Handling of low bass notes, pots can get scratchy, only one channel (no patches) and knobs are loose. But then again, I wouldn't expect anything more from a unit that's older than I am.

1 space rack-mount all analog chorus with knobs. no presets to kill tone. if you need a manual you are in trouble.

les pauls and strats sound killer through my marshall amps. only gets noisy when effect level is past 7, i like to keep level around 5 so no problems using this to record with. all the premium studio quality hard rock recordings i've heard CAN be had right here think: blue murder, the cult, don felder and whitesnake with john sykes. mainly using it with my 50 watt marshall artist head. sounds very 3-d in mono with the most rich chorus sounds i have ever been able to produce. been through boss, dod, dunlop, mxr, ada and several digital rack units and this ce-300 super chorus wipes the floor with all of them. sounds great clean with tube reverb from my marshall head, if you do not like marshall clean you have yet to hear a artist head that was made in the 70's. sounds equally great with distortion like a eh hot tubes or the other 6 i have. no crappy sounds can be found with this unit. this IS the holy grail of analog choruses. i have not tried a roland dimension d which is hyped to be the king but being in a large 2 rack space and $700 + i never may get to try one, stock the d is high level inputs only so unlikely i'd pay $700 for one and then have to mod the unit so i could use it with my guitar rig.

no problems with the unit. it's made in japan in the 80's. i ordered new filter caps for power supply since it is over 20 years old and they do dry up and put 60hz hum into your audio signal as they expire.

20+ years old, no warranty.

this is the only rack effect unit i have as i like the convienience and simplicity of stomp boxes, but after trying 96% of them i never found that pro sound in any of them. i'm using this just at home for recording and jamming and would not want to take it out to gig and have it sitting on top of my marshall head. i have yet to hear anything currently availiable for any price that sounds this good. if this was a stomp box it would be 1 large mofo. all analog so if it goes down i'll be able to find parts to repair it.

well, it only has 5 knobs ( rate, depth, vol, eq and mix) so you get it straight.

sounds incredible... If you like 80's chorus sound like, let's say, a good old Prince record, well this is your thing. It does only one thing but it does it DAMN GOOD. Be carefull when you buy it cos some pots are scrachy on some units (rapidely fixed though)

old machine (almost as old as I'am) but I never had any trouble with it. It's all analogic technology so if you find the parts, it is very "fixable".

I guess Roland does not deal with it anymore but i never got any trouble with it.

Well, I'm used to play electro and IDM, with a lot of lo-fi machines... I like them, there is just something about them. That's why I like the BOSS SUPER CHORUS, it is old sounding but that's what i'm looking for. I've tryed to get this sound with software plugin but i never suceeded. If you know something about electronic this unit can be your dream because you can mod it very easely.

Very easy to use, it's one knob per function. Can't go wrong.

I love it! I use this with analog and virtual analog synths, as well as with samplers. It has a great animated analog swirl to it. I can't say enough about how nice it sounds. Why only a 9? Mine has some scratchy pots (it is pretty old), but I guess I could just buy some cleaner... Also, its input must be designed for guitar, because my line level instruments overload the Boss' input unless I turn them down. However, by running my Waldorf Pulse pretty hot into the CE-300, I can get a ripping distorted chorus sound that just stomps all over any digital chorus/distortion I've heard. Synth pads and strings come out sounding better than they went in, and VA's somehow sound more authentic.

My unit looks kinda beatup, but works perfectly except for the scratchy pots. I don't know what this unit has gone through, but it's built like a tank.

I've owned a few Boss/Roland products in the past, and I've never contacted them.

Wow. What a great effects unit. Something about it is just so much ballsier than all the digital chorus effects I've tried. For so little money, I would definately replace it it if broke or was stolen. I highly recommend it!

First this is a rack not a pedal It's very easy to use. Five knob that are very efective except the tone button which like all boss product lack in dynamic.There is a bypass button that cut the dry signal but it cannot be turn on/off with a pedal(that's stupid)

Well it sound like a typical Boss chorus. Lot of midrange and a little cold. I do not know if this is digital or analog. It remind me of the chorus sound of the early eighties used by a lot of rock band ae:April wine, Boston or Ozzy(with Randy). I use mine with a Peavey Rockmaster Preamp and a Peavey Classic 120 power amp. I find it good for solo but for rhythm I rather use my Rocktron Tsumami which is a lot warmer. I play hard rock and I found that I sound a to eighties doing rhythm with this rack.

I wish all company would have their quality control.

I like the eighties rack that only contain one effect. They are bulky but well made and they sale for cheap. They sound a lot better than many pedals and they always contain a sound that is very personal to them. I do not gig with them because they are to heavy to carry around so I use them for recording or for practice. If it was stolen I would cry because it's in a rack that contain other racks and it takes a while to find a lot of good effects for cheap. I would not recommend this for your main chorus but as a extra but again this is for me here maybe for somebody else it would be the greatest this on earth. It is however a lot better than then a lot of chorus pedal on the market right now. If I could find another chorus in a rack that sound warmer this one would go.

One word. SIMPLE. If you can't figure this one out, you've got bigger issues.

Using with my Mesa V-twin and 20/20 power amp. It adds a little noise depending on the power source your plugged into. You don't need an engineering degree in electricity to understand that if you plug 2 guitar racks, a bass rack, and a pa into one oarnge extention cord into one outlet with 10 power strips you get noise.

Three years and counting. Lots of use. Never any problem.

Never used

If it were lost or stolen I would replace it or try to at least. I don't think they make this one anymore.

The CE-300 is a super-duper version of the CE-1/2/3 that came in a full sized rackmount. Stereo chorusing FX with manual controls. Editing is very simple, all that has to be done is to turn a few knobs just like a basic pedal (although this unit offers more choices for manipulation than the basic stompbox chorus). I bought it used and it came without a manual so I'm guessing the manual would be as cryptic as the rest of the Roland/Boss manuals (you really wouldn't need one though, it's very obvious on the front panel what everything does).

If you want a plush, full and fantastic chorusing effects, then the CE-300 makes for a great choice. It's useful for just about any type of instrument whether it be bass, guitar, keyboards or what have you. The chorus modulation can be made to pan back and forth in the stereo field, and it's a very distinct pan if you want it to be. You can adjust the modulation, depth, tone and effect intensity using knobs; there is also an effect On/OFF switch, and a DIRECT MUTE button, which cuts off the dry signal and outputs only the effected signal. The effect can be turned on or off thru a connected footswitch, and there are inputs and outputs in both the front and back of the unit (I wish some other processors would be built in this manner!!).

Works fine, never had any problems.

I've never had to call Roland/Boss for anything, so I wouldn't know.

The CE-300 is probably one of the best dedicated chorusing devices ever made; it's right up there with the TC Electronic 2290 in my opinion. It is very easy to get some very deep, crisp and dazzling chorus FX out of this unit. I used mine mainly to brighten bass and guitar tracks, and to augment the effects of my old DRV-2000 multi-FX processor which had good reverb and delay but real crappy modulation FX. If I needed a chorus box under similiar circumstances I wouldn't hesistate to buy it again.