Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble

This was my first pedal (we're talking 1994 or so), and it had a bit of a learning curve for me. The suggested settings in the manual helped a lot (until I lost it).

It's got four five knobs: E. Level (how hot is the effect compared to the original guitar sound), Rate, Depth, and a knob-on-top-of-a-knob Filter (High and Low EQ). Fiddling with the Rate and Depth are the key to understanding this stompbox. Dial too high on the Rate & Depth (together) and you've got some nasty sounds. Mix and match them for a right variety of sounds. The E. Level will determine how subtle the chorus sound is.

I've only rarely used the stereo feature. Usually I don't have two amps to work with in any given setting. But now that I'm recording more, I'm planning on experimenting with it.

My main setup is an Epiphone Les Paul Deluxe into a Sansamp GT2>Boss DS-1 Distortion>Boss SD-1 Overdrive>Boss TR-2 Tremelo>CE-5 either into my Peavy Transtube Studiopro 112 amp (for home practice), my Tascam 2488 (for recording), or Direct into the PA. I play a bit of rock (though I go for a more mellow sound in general), folk, and worship music.

I really like the sound of this chorus. I've had it for 12 years now (it was my first stompbox). I originally bought it because it was cheaper than the Superchorus, and everyone told me that Boss makes the best choruses. Years later, I've come to the conclusion the CE-5 is a better sounding chorus. It's subtle enough to not sound cheezy, but it'll thicken up your sound nonetheless.

It puts out a bit of static when engaged, but not an unreasonable amount. As the battery gets low, the chorused signal dies. When the battery is near the end of its life, you can barely tell the unit is engaged. But the LED will fade to let you know it's time to change the battery.

This has been a main workhorse for my setup for essentially all of my guitar-playing years. It's never failed me (unless I've let the battery die). I've never had to get it serviced. Heck, it's a Boss. They're little tanks.

I regularly take this to a gig with no backup.

Never had to deal with Boss. Never expect to.

I've used this stompbox in both electric and acoustic settings, and it works well. My soundman never complains about it. It's subtle and smooth. While chorus isn't essential to what I do, it's nice to have a good, reliable unit. It was my first stompbox, and I expect to use it for life.

Controls - level (wet/dry mix, kind of), rate depth and treble/bass (the eq works on the effect part of the signal only). Understanding the interaction between the controls is the key to making this pedal work. The trick is in the eq settings - as the treble is increased the effect becomes more pronounced. The scope given by the controls is a strength and a weakness - it's at least as easy to find bad settings as good ones.

Mine dates from the early 90s. As it's got the "Class B Digital Device" bit on the label I guess it's digital, though it doesn't sound stereotypically "digital" - it's not harsh, grainy or clouded by noticeable digital artifacts (unlike the Boss GTx series and the current phaser/flanger). It can handle very high input signals (including 2v+ from a synth) with no digital clipping. It also lacks the "processed" tone lots of Boss gear suffers from.

When off it's off, and the Boss high-impedence buffered circuit ensures no noticeable interference with the guitar tone and can reduce/eliminate tone sucking by anything after it in the fx run (and even put an end to the oscillation caused by vintage Small Stones when they're supposed to be off?!?).

It took me quite a while to get my head around getting the best from the CE5. First off, it sounds better into valves than transistors - much smoother. Fender or Marshall amps both work fine with it. There's a huge range of sounds available, from a decent if polite vibrato (level and rate high, depth low and treble reduced) to discreet thickening and 12-stringish tones entering flanger territory (think Andy Summers) plus an uncanny ability to sound like there's another guitarist who's almost playing the same notes as you. The sample settings are a good place to start but it does take some tweaking to suit your amp/guitar/playing before you hit the sweet spots.

I use chorus lots, both as a subtle thickening of lead lines and as a more noticable effect and this does both very well. With a bit of persistence the CE5 can be used to cover alot of bases. What it's least good at are the kinds of wallowing grungy chorus the Small Clone excels at.

I don't find the stereo function useful as I usually only gig with one amp. I have used it a few times and it works exactly as advertised.

Had it for years, it's never failed me yet. I have had Boss stuff die on me but not often. All my gear is gigged frequently, but I have a policy of not jumping on it, throwing up on it, pouring beer on it and generally avoiding doing all the other things electronics don't enjoy. I find it helps to keep costs down and profits up.

I find I usually don't like digital stuff (except delays - the ability to tap the tempo in as required is pretty essential for me), but the CE5 is an exception. It can do a wide range of things, some of which are useful and some awful (unless you like seriously de-tuned warbling chords out of tune with itself as well as everyone else).

A better "manual" would help - e.g. explaining that the prominence of the chorus isn't just altered by the level control but can be radically altered by the eq as well, rather than the typical Roland/Boss "level - adjusts the level of the effect"...

A final thought - it isn't too bad a battery-eater but for consistent performance is best run off a regulated 9v supply.

Too many parameters for a chorus, but not rock-it science. This pedal was made in probably 2002 and has FJ07936 on the red label.

We'll get to my low scores..
Strat hwy 1/Electra Phoenix> Ibanez tube screamer>Boss noise suppresser>Ibanez flanger>Ibanez delay> Dunlop cry-baby> Boss stage tuner> Randall RG100SC 212 amp>Randall 212 cabinet.
When I first got the effect it was to replace my coveted Boss CE-2 ( 1982 black label Japan) that quit after 13 years of loving abuse. This CE-5 pedal worked for two days and sounded nothing like a Boss chorus. It was cheap, transparant and too subtle. 2 weeks later it crapped out and the store I bought it from closed, dogs and cats moved in with each other and I realizede Barry Manilow wrote all the commercial jingles that were in my head....sorry...

this one- NO

No help..plus I lost my receipt.

I play blues/metal/progressive, been at it since 1979.
I play a 2006 Fender HWY 1 Strat, Electra Phoenix x150, Carvin Ultr-V, Aria Pro-II Hollw Body, Kramer Striker, Ibanez acoustic and Sigma -Martin acoustic. I have vintage Ibanez pedals ( except for my Turbo- Tube), newer Boss noise and tuner and vintage HM-2, a Zoom 1010, Dunlop Cry-baby and a busted Boss CE-2. Amps are Randall and Peavey wqith a teeny Fender frontman..
I wouldn't buy another one bur I will get another CE-2 on Ebay ( one day).
I used to beleive Boss was the ultimate power in this solar system but the rebels blew them up around 1995. May the farce be with you.

I don't like a lot of knobs and I don't really like chorus (in a conventional sense) but, why this one works for me is because of how you can set it. And if you didn't have all the knobs then you would be able to use it the way I do.

I'm going to preface this by saying I don't really use chorus. So if you are looking for a true chorus users opinion then skip ahead. Here is what I mostly use - Telecaster>Xotic RC Booster or Maxon Compressor>Xotic AC Booster>Xotic BB Preamp>Boss CE-5>Line6 DL4 or Chandler Digital Echo>1975 Fender ProReverb. I don't know if I have a digital or analog one. I got sometime around 1995 if that tells you anything. Either way I like this pedal. It's quiet and it works for me. I set it to deliver minimal effect. In fact here are the settings that I've been useing live - Effect level 30%, Rate 30%, Depth 75%, High Filter 25%, Bass Filter 40%. If you set it that way you really can hardly tell your using it. It sweeps the bass freqs a little heavier and just add some demension. I just like the enhancement that it adds - Sort of like an envelope filter with the punch taken out of it. It helps get me that wet sound without being obvious. And this is a good pedal for the price with the right amout of contols to get me there. And if I ever really want to turn it up to get a real chorus effect I can. You can get a cool vibrato sound too. But for the most part I keep it down because chorus is cheesy and goofy sounding to me.

Heck, it's ten years old. Still works. Never had a problem. Boss might not make the best sound stuff but they build some of the longest lasting.

N/A

Like I said, I don't really like chorus. But what I like about this pedal is that I can dial it back so much and still have it add something to my tone. If I wanted an old school classic chorus sound I'd probably pull out my old CE-1. But that thing is just a one trick pony and when it is on... It is on! There is no middle ground with it. What is nice about this one is the filter and effect level controls. It's perfect for dialing in the right amount.

This pedal is very easy to use. You're able to get good sound pretty much right away. Just like any other boss pedal, minimum fuss.

I use a multiple amp setup. A Peave 5150 combo for rhytham and lead sounds, and a peavey bandit for clean sounds. My main guitar is a Fender american deluxe fat strat. I use the CE-5 mostly on the clean side. I basically use it for just a warm chorus sound and I find it sounds great. A really rich chorus. I've heard some people say it sounds a bit "processed" but I guess thats the kind of sound I like for clean stuff.

Its a Boss pedal, so its put together pretty good. There is one thing though I've noticed. The footswitch to engage/disengage the effect seems to be intermitant. Sometimes I have to tap it a couple times. This isnt really a big deal for me because I dont really switch it on and off in the middle of songs. I also bought this pedal used off of ebay. Other than that no problems.

I've never dealt with them.

For me this pedal is exactly what I need. I use many different brands of effects so its not like Im just set on Boss. I've been playing close to 15 years and I've owned quite a bit of gear, including other chorus pedals. This is the best chorus pedal I've owned.

OK, this is for the one who gigs in his imagination at work...
I really wanted to love this chorus, so I felt I needed to improve its sound-the reason I realized it was a cheaper version- but I cannot assume what was I didn't like it for: maybe its mechanic whobble, or its discrete noise, not for being digital. In fact I have the G-system that has a great digital version of the SCF chorus, one of the best. I can only think in what Boss is doing for cutting corners and expenses, for example, by using cheap components, and by manufacturing it in... uhm... er.. Taiwan. Don't be surprised if it cannot take you further. At blind test, it is a toy. I am sure the clever design of Boss Compact pedals is wasted--they want you to buy the Twin pedal series crap-- But they can learn a couple of things from manufacturers as Carl Martin ( check the HDb3!)Toadworks and Jaques, who innovate at great prices. I don't give a s**t for a glamorous website. At the end, what counts it is how good they sound. If it makes you feel better, Jallen (all future dittos included), feel free to write me. At least I am not hiding.

5 knobs is a lot of tweaking to do for a chorus pedal in my opinion because it took me awhile to get a good sound out of it, which im not sure ive even done...

OK im not into chorus, the best chorus ive heard is on my little solid-state fender amp that my brother has right now, otherwise id compare it too but I only have the 'dano cool cat' and the 'dano mini milkshake' right now and compared to these pedals this pedal sucks, ive turned the thing all the way up and all the down and it doesnt compare, it sounds digital and fake but only because i compared it to others and if i didnt know any better i would probably pleased with its sound so i give it a 7...

its like any other boss pedal and it does well on a 9volt

i dunno

Im using a fender hotrod deville 212 and a telecaster w/tex-mex pickups and i play anything from old alternative to some modern rock, i like interpol and radiohead and bloc party etc. been playing 10 years and this isnt my pedal thank God but my friends i borrowed just to try out and It is a decent chorus pedal i wont knock it but it lacks warmth and realness or somthing, it has a digital high squeal to it i dont like and besides i hate to tweak really so i like my 2 button knob dano's and this pedal has too many knobs in my opinion but in all reality the only people to tell the difference probably in sound are the players and not the audience...

Very easy to use - dial in some depth and the rate and there you go. I haven't messed with the filter that much because it already sounds good.

Love this pedal, wasn't expecting to. I'm usually not a big fan of digital effects but this pedal sounds really cool. I've owned a small clone a dls chorus vib and this stands right up there. It adds a nice 'curl' to my leads if you know what I mean and it really fattens up my clean sound. No complaints, it's really quiet and produces a nice chorus sound.

boss - built like a tank

don't know

I play indie, surf, classic rock. I play in several bands and need reliable versatile effects - this fits the bill. in case you care, I play a fender deluxe strat through a foxrox zim (awesome pedal btw), pulsar, chorus ensemble, dls echotap into a deluxe reverb amp.

Nice pedal, good price

Easy enough if you've use a chorus before. The filter cut/flat knobs can be a bit confusing, though, for some.

Look, it sounds great and yes I have the digital "new" version. Seriously, who's missing the analog here? Are you all really upset because BOSS made a decision without asking you first? What the hell did you ever do for them?

Yes I can depend on it and I gig in my imagination all the time at work.

They seem to have addressed many of the issues that previous reviewers brought up. Namely, you can get pretty much all of their manuals online and they posted all their contact info.

Again, the new CE-5 has no weapons of mass destruction. It never hurt you. Neither did the Japanese company who made it (in Taiwan). It is just a chorus pedal that changed from analog to digitial and still sounds great. Leave it alone. It rocks.

Esay to use, but hard to get good soudns out of it.

After reding Dan Wiley's review, I wrote to him, thus we realized there are two different CE-5's:The old one, fully analog, and the newer one, completely digital. Mine is digital and it sounds lifeless and sterile. There is the reason so many different reviews. I bought mine around 2002 brand new. I did not like its sounds. Shame on you, Boss!

Reliable; you can trust it will ruin your sounds for many years.

You will never get in touch with Boss. I am sure I shall never buy Boss Again. I'd rather cut my fingers. If I had the option of choosing zero, that would be it, for sure. If you do not believe me, try it!

Shitty sounds, a total delusion. It is not what boss used to be. Rest in peace, Boss!