Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble

Pretty easy, though the two EQ knobs can take some getting used to. Really, I don't see why Boss didn't do like most other manufacturors do with chorus pedals and leave it with the standard level, rate, and maybe a volume knob.

I haven't gotten the chance to try it in stereo through two great amps, but I can tell you that when you run it mono through a pretty good amp it's disappointing. I bought this pedal because, at the time, I just wanted something to make arpeggios ring out. It does that very well, better than other pedals in its price range that I got to try (the DOD Ice Box, Boss CH-1, the Ibanez "Tone Lok" chorus, and the Danelectro Cool Cat and mini pedal). However, after a while I wanted to use it for other things, and that's when the disappointment set in.

With five knobs, you'd think this would be very versatile, but after having it for 2 years, I have only been able to find the one setting that sounds good for arpeggios but nothing else. For any other use it just sounds boring. It's either too low in the mix or it's so high that you can't use it for thickening up distortion and overdrive, and the rate is either so low you can't notice it or it's so high it sounds artificial. The bass control either makes it sound muddy and artificial or too thin. And if you want a warm chorus, and I did, forget about it! This pedal sucks out too much of the midrange, making you sound stale and generic. No matter what pickups you use, though PAF and Seth Lover type humbuckers are a little better, this thing will sound dead and lifeless. That's a shame, considering that I had been told it featured the same circuit as the legendary Roland JC-120 amp--the most lush, gorgeous chorus ever made. The CE-5 is a totally different sounding animal.

I've even tried asking other people on newsgroups and message boards for settings to try, HOPING to get a decent sound and not feel like I wasted my $80, but they never sound good. It's not the guitar or amp: they sound great when the pedal's out of the mix! I have noticed that, as with all Boss pedals, you lose some subtle harmonics in your sound even when the pedal's turned off. This pedal just sucks! I give it a 5 because it has one good pretty good sound and it will give you a chorus effect, even if it is a bad one.

It's a Boss, and I've never had any problems with it. They're known for being indestructable. I don't gig with it because I don't like the pedal anymore.

NA

I play spacey, trippy psychadelic punk rock. Think Black Sabbath or Stooges riffs one minute with some Modest Mouse/Radiohead type breaks thrown in where most people put solos. I hoped it would add to my sound, but it doesn't. I give up on it, and I wish I had never bought it. I might try to trade it in on a Small Clone or something else. This pedal is the definition of mediocrity.

very easy to use, as with all boss pedals.

I bought a 2nd amp because of this pedal. Going through one amp, it sounds OK. But plug it in stereo, and the sound is to die for. Best chorus sound I've ever heard. I play a strat through two Peavey classic 50's. I just leave the chorus pedal on all the time. Makes distortion and metal sound fantastic. Makes anything sound fantastic
But you gotta use two amps.

I've never had problems with boss effects. I've had about 15 boss pedals and they've always been reliable.

not bad. I had a RDl00 keyboard once,and they paid for the repair job a couple days after the warranty was up.

I play country rock, classic rock and a little metal. Been playing about 31years. I plug my 74 strat through a tonebone(another great pedal) Boss Octave, boss MT2 metal pedal, boss blues driver, boss DD6 delay pedal and finally throught the chorus ensemble into 2 peavey classic 50 amps with 4/10's and 2/12's. If your the only guitar player in the band then this setups for you. Just spread your amps on each side of the stage and listen to the great chorus. Makes a great effect for the song hysteria. If I lost it I would only get a chorus pedal with 2 outputs for stereo. Once you go stereo you never go back. I also use a GE7 eq. That helps too.

Just as easy to use as any other boss pedal. It's easy to find the sound you want, and the manual gives you some cool suggestions for sounds. I just think it' better if you make your own settings though, although it's always nice for a company to give you some ideas.

Here's my funktastic setup The ghettoguitar(ebay neck and body with red lace sensors and a little '59 in the bridge)>Boss TU-2>Crybaby>Digitech Synth Wah> Boss SD-1>Boss MD-2> ProCo RAT>Guyatone Microdelay> E~H Small clone>Boss CE-5>Mesa/Boogie DC-3 and Musicman 212-HD.
It's not a noisy pedal at all. The sound just doesn't seem to be just what I want. It doesn't have the analog warmth to it like my small clone. The only reason I'm using the CE-5 is because I got it used for $35 and I need to go stereo. I have to say that the panning from amp to amp is pretty sick. It gives a real dizzying effect to your playing. But it thins out your sound and sounds too artificial. It's great for just playing notes and hanging on them, but doesn't add anything to solos except for a thin quality.

Boss pedals don't break. I would definatly use it on a gig without backup because pedals cost money.

Havn't dealed with warranty or any of that jazz yet. 5 year warranty doesn't seem to bad though.

I play jazzed-up Funkshredjamrock (too many genres if you ask me) and this chorus isn't really my style. If E~H came out with a small clone that had stereo outputs than I would abandon the CE-5 in a heartbeat. Right now I'm considering the Boss CS-9 because it's analog and stereo. With Chorus, analog is the only way to go. It's good for trippyness, but doesn't add anything to leads or chords for that matter. If your into metal I guess this would be a good pedal for that digital sounding chorus like Zakk Wylde or whoever your into. But for the good old Sco/Mike Stern sound this thing doesn't cut it, although I think Mike Stern uses one (Don't know how he does it). If your only going through 1 amp, the small clone is the way to go, for a warm, clear chorus.

it's easy to understand, but finding the right sound is a little difficult.

They gave it too much range. Any of the knobs set behind the 12:00 posistion is useless because you can't even hear the chorus. Cranked all way up sounds like a bad acid trip. There is a short area in which the chorus sounds are useful. These sounds are very good, but I had sit next down for a while and focus on the sound hard and turn the knobs just right to get that great sound to come out. Once you get the sound, you'll realize that this is a very good chorus pedal.

is there anything that can destroy a boss pedal?

don't use it

got is for 50$ off of ebay. Works great. If you're looking for a great chorus pedal, then look no further.

The CE-5 is very diverse. The fact that a small chorus stomp box has both a low and a high cut filter is very cool, and they do make a difference too. Dialing in a good sound is a bit tricky at first. It took me a while to sit down and play with all of the controls to get a feel for them, and to get used to how they interact with one another. Once you truly know the pedal you can get a great sound out of it!!!

I highly suggest setting all the controls at 12:00, and then form there start tweaking them slightly to get the sound you want. Having all the knobs all the way up, etc. sounds like shit unless your really going for that crazy wacked out fake tremelo sound. Once you find the sweet spot his pedal is amazingly beautiful! I personally like the level at 1:00, the rate at 11:00, depth at 1:00, and play with the filters between 12:00-4:00. Great chorus sound that doesnt sound too overwhelming and mixes well.

Excellent, but use a power supply!!!

I play alternative and rock, and this pedal kicks ass. I use four pedals... CS-2 Compressor > DS-1 Distortion > CE-5 Chorus Ensemble > Small Stone Phaser. The sounds mix beautifully, but I try not to use the Chorus and Phaser at the same time. I owned a Super Chorus pedal by boss and sold it on ebay because it sucked compared to the CE-5. I can see how some people would rather use the Super Chorus if thats their sound, but to me its happy and fake, not deep and swirling like the CE-5. I would also check out the CE-20 (although not worth the hefty price tag to me) and the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone. All three are great chorus pedals.

Four and a half knobs. Dialing in a good setting is a bit difficult at first, but after you get familiar with the unit, you can capture the sound you're looking for in a lot less time.

E. Level basically determines how mixed the effect is into your signal. It's basically a wet/dry ratio knob.

Rate controls how fast the effect will go, if you turn it all the way up, a shimmering or warbling effect can be heard.

Depth controls how "deep" the effect goes, or how "intense" the effect will be.

The Filter knob has two different knobs in one, a "HIGH" knob, and a "LOW" knob. Don't ask me how, but turning these knobs a certain way gives new breakthrough to exciting and fresh sounds.

Overall, pretty easy to get the hang of once you're familiar with the unit and what it does.

I use this with a modified Fender Stratocaster through a Behringer GM110, fed into my effects loop (which comes before the amp) : Boss SD-1 > DOD Classic Fuzz > Boss CE-5 > Electro-Harmonix Small Stone > Ibanez DE-7.

This pedal gives very little to no noise while it's in use.

This effect always seems to capture a unique and wonderful sound, and gives more radiance, depth, and element to my sound. I used it last night at a Praise and Worship meet, and it sounded pretty good to my ears.

I actually prefer this over all of those other vintage units. Awhile back, I absolutely drooled over the fact of owning a CE-2. Now, I don't think I would trade this pedal for it. It gives me the vintage sounds and more.

What artists does this unit sound like? Hm, I can get a really convincing "Nothing Else Matters" chorus sound from Metallica, I can get an Andy Summers and Bryan Adams tone with an SG into this little box, and I can get some convincing Smashing Pumpkins tones too. With an acoustic, with the rate at 3, the depth at 12, and the filter at HIGH - 10, LOW - 12 (these are "o'clocks" by the way), I can nail the live "Glass and the Ghost Children" sound Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins has (if you're curious about what this sounds like, d/l "Glass and The Ghost Children" from 09.21.00). I can also get a "Thru The Eyes Of Ruby" Pumpkins sound, as well as their song "Crush" from the Gish album. I have a setting on a piece of paper TAPED to the front of my pedal, aptly titled "UNIVIBE". It looks so old-skool and it's a real nice effect.

This little baby blue box can do almost anything. I can get 70s EVH sound, 80s contemporary chorus (one of the most overused effects in the 80s, IMO), 90's grunge chorus, and modern effects as well as expiramental sounds. Highly Recommended.

Boss = Built On Solid Steel.

need I say more?

I've heard good things about them, but I really can't comment because I've never dealt with them.

I have been playing for about two years, and I own a modified Fender Stratocaster, a Yamaha FG412-S, a Taylor Big Baby, thru a Behringer GM110, and a colorful assortment of pedals. My influences fall around Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Soundgarden, Tool, The Spice Girls (just kidding), and Coldplay. The Holy Spirit has been moving me to write some Christian-based music as well. This pedal fits in just fine, I don't have any qualms about it. It does throw in a bit of a high boost, which I don't particularly like, but otherwise it sounds good to my ears.

I've heard many chorus pedals, and I considered getting a Voodoo Labs Chorus to replace this one, but then one afternoon I decided I would sit down and mess around with the controls. It turned my world of subtle chorus into a versatile one! I found new sounds that I never even knew were in this box. There is almost an unlimited number of the kinds of effects that can be achieved in this box. Vibrato and a light flange are also obtainable quite easily.

It helps me make music sometimes, and it adds depth and resonance to my sound. I would recommend this to anybody looking for a good, solid chorus pedal. Ten times better than the plain-jane CH-1 SUPER CHORUS. Blah.

Have a nice day!

When reviewing this product I think it is important to note that there are actually two version of the CE5 available.
The first edition CE-5 which came out in Dec 1991 and the CE-5T version that came out in May 2002.
The first edition CE-5 has a circuit is very akin to the old CE-2 and boosts the MN3007 BBD chip and associated MN3101.That makes this most definitly an analogue unit with the added EQ circuitry.The main board is built up of the old fashioned discrete components.
The second edition CE-5T has done away with the MN3007 and MN3101 chips and has mostly surface mount components and now sports a single chip that takes the place of the MN3007/MN3101 which looks very much like a digital variant.(See label on bottom of pedal Refers to Digital compliance etc etc)
So for a fair review of the product I suspect users need to assess which one they have.
I myself have the later CE-5T Pedal.

The sound quality in standard form is pretty good and silent in operation.
However,I have swapped out the electroylic decoupling capacitors for audiophile equivilents to get rid of the 3rd harmonic distortion associated with electroylics and this has smoothed out the pedal and taken away the slight gritty edge to the sound.
All my Boss pedal have been modified in one way or another drawing off the ideas of the highly knowledgable and friendly www.Robertkeeley.com.

Its a Boss

Always had a good response and service from Roland UK

Easy to great a variety of beautiful chorus tones with its 5 knobs (3 regular pots & 1 double concentric pot).

Fender Squier Strat (stock single-coil pups) > Proel Wah > Boss DS-1 Distortion > the CE-5 > Peavey Rage 158...I looove this thing! Its two cut filters allow for a nice range of voicings, from deeper contemporary choruses, to warmer vintage chorus (my preference). I tend to keep my high-cut at 11:00 & low-cut at 12:00, with my Effect Level between 12:00 & 3:00 (don't like my modulation effects too overwhelming), and my depth between 3:00 & full on. My rate gives me my preferred chorus effect variations (around 8:00 for slow chorus that smooths and fattens up your sound, or around 1:00 for faster, slightly detuned shimmer). I also like digging water warbles and what I like to call 'sci-fi' vibrato out of this thing (its all in there...just experiment). I absolutely love the stereo outputs...it sounds sooo gorgeous in stereo that when I first heard it this way, I almost cried (not joking...pathetic, huh? lol)
I will note one thing: It sounds decent in front of a solid state, but naturally, its best, gooiest moments ooze from a nice tube amp. (Love it in front of tube Fenders!)

Umm...it's a Boss...duhh

Never had to, and would prefer to keep it that way.

I'm still building my chops, and have a looong way to go, but I know good tone. I know what I like and want in a set-up (got rid of a Korg AX100G for a Danelectro chorus and EQ...I only like putting what I need into my chain, and those Danos stay out of my chain). I'm also developing my style, and I note the vibe leans toward the mysterious, the dark and gloomy/spooky. This pedal is perfect for that. I am gonna say this is a fantastic value not only because of what I get out of it, but also whats available if I need it (those cut filters and the variation they provide gives so much, yet ask so little...like a little knobturn or two lol)

Easy to use. Want more effect, turn up "effect level." Want more depth? Turn up "depth."

Somewhat digital, but i'm not a sage in chorus effects. I've never tried analog. You can easily get a nice sound though, ie Master of Puppets interlude. Definitely versatile, if you have any needs for a chorus. I don't think I needed one that much, but I don't really regret buying it. It's pretty nice with distortion too.

Shall I quote everyone else?
"It's a Boss"
"built like a tank"
"they's the mofo shiznat"

Really don't know.

Not bad, a little digital, but if you're not too picky either way or if you prefer that sound. Easy to get a good sound, subtle or strong. May want to buy it used if you're unsure or don't use much chorus.

Pretty simple, there are a lot of options with these knobs the manual has some good suggested settings, those are the ones i use

Well I play a Taylor 814CE acoustic with some pedals..weird I know...I use a Boss Tuner, the CE5 chorus, Boss compression/sustain, and an Ibanez tubescreamer all plugged into an LR Baggs direct box....very very nice sound the chorus is a necessity for a lot of slower songs, but I use the "arpeggio" suggested setting in the manual...it rocks...it almost, almost has a phaser kind of sound to it...its really neat....very clear,no noise..youd never know it was on until you heard the really cool sound it brings

Ive taken it every gig Ive played..and it gets used at least 2 times a week...its very reliable

Never had a need for Boss support

Im a worship leader at my church in Tn and we play a lot...these pedals get used a lot during the week...we travel some and i take it with me everywhere...and i really am not a fan of that cheesy bad sounding chorus most people use, the kind thats like a really bad vibrato...but this pedal takes that bad sound away, its there if u want it, but youve got options!!! no complaints