Guyatone MC-3

Two knobs easy, was a bit of a pain getting a decent soaund that I prefered, not an average chorus!

I use a Strat and a Squire Tele Affinity Roland Cube 15 and a Pignose G40V. Behringer Analog Modeling 40 watt amp..the pedal is slightly noisy...very warm as other reviewers have noted, but not near as clean as my digitech Multi Chorus X series or as brodd aspectrum as even a Dnalelectro Fab chorus. I paid 50 off of ebay for it used in mint condition. It usually retails for around 125 US a price I would never pay for it...for sure. I will keep it, it works nicer on my ESP Bass Viper. I found it just a bit too dirty for my liking though the chorus is fairly fat or warm. Dark reminds me of a Danelectro Fab Chorus which I went online today after recieving this and bought another for 18$ US and new. I like that chorus best...so from my opinon this is a one trick pony for me...I was not bothered by the boost just not too impressed with the sound could have been way cleaner. The guy I bought it from said it was good just not a leslie sound like he wanted...I managed to eek out one on it..I just think he was not too impressed.... I have had several type chorusses and I could had spent less and gotten way better...Starcaster Chorus is far superior, as well as the Danlectro any of theirs, they were the first to out them out anyway if I am correct with the old 18v Cool Cat which I used to own....I give it a 6 because I have heard way better for cheaper..

I am sure it will hold up on gigging except that the inputs are the plastic crap,so you best not step on the side where the patches are. I take care of my pedals so it should have a long life, but then if I do not sell it off I may just use it for farting around at home.

Not dealt with them......

I play just about everytype of music you can think of, not professionaly..yet, but I have been playing off an on for about thirty years. I would say for what you are getting....go save yourself a hundred dollars and buy a Danlectro Fab Chorus for under twenty dollars.and spend that hundred on something else...the fab chorus just as warm, and a far cleaner with a superior spectrum..this pedal is not junk it is very basic and decent but nothing special for being a mini pedal (it is tiny), it is just not what I would expect from Guyotine.....Wish I had just spent the fifty on something else...but hey you never know there may be redemption for it later on down the road......

2 knobs-pretty simple. Never had to mess with the battery thing as I always it powered with the Godlyke adapter.

Chorus sound was good, it did have some warmth to it. It's noisy like every other chorus I've had. I only used it on clean parts-I didn't really like the effect with distortion. My biggest complaint was the big volume boost when you turned it on. That alone is why it's off my board now.

I didn't use it for very long, only 2 or 3 gigs, but I didn't have any trouble out of it.

never had to use 'em.

I've been playing over 15 years and to be honest, I don't even use chorus that much. I just want it to work when I need it and not bleed through when I don't. I can deal with a little hiss, because the MC-3 does have a nice warm sound, but I can't deal with the volume boost. It's been replaced with a Digitech Chorus Factory and I think that one is a keeper- no annoying boost and it sounds great clean or distorted!

easy - I like the basic 2 knob mono chorus. there is a manual.

casino or strat >> Keeley mod blues driver >>> chorus >>> phaser>>> delay >>> AC15. I only use it on a subtle setting - depth and rate both at about 9:00 - for maybe 4-5 songs in 4 hours. It's perfect for that much use -very warm ( not everybody wants a 'warm' chorus - the CS9 Ibanez is the other extreme ) Guyatone did this right - put in just the amount of volume boost and a slight increase in bottom end - I prefer the warm type - I only use it for clean things - I don't do 80s chorus + distortion sounds. I also don't know anything about humbuckers or recording tones. I judge it only on tone in bars and small clubs.

I really like the switches on these micro effects.

don't know about this

I've played 40 years - have beeb addicted to pedals, amps, and guitars by the hundreds. Now in cover band for fun - all the goofy dance stuff. I am not a high speed lead guitar person - I prefer lead style rhythm - mostly clean with lots of voice leading and middle of the neck stuff. Of course I would replace it ( 90 ish dollars ) Other choruses I can compare it to: 1. I had a CE2 in the early 90s - as good as the guyatone - close. 2. my 25 yr old CS9 - much more icey sounding - if you like that sound - I keep it - don't want to part with it 3. voodoo chorus - sold on ebay within 4 days - HUGE volume boost and not a pleasing tone- something just wasn't right about it. I keep this in a loop along with my delay and phaser because of a teeny weeny bit of tone sucking.

Update to my previous review -- I've been using this thing for a while now and I'm getting rid of it. I just can't deal with the volume and bass boost when I kick it on; I have to adjust my amp if I'm going to play a song with it, and forget about kicking it on in the middle of a song. I thought this wasn't such a big deal when I first got it, because damn, the chorus really sounds good. But it just makes it unusable for real world situations.

Guyatone, why did you do that? WHY?

Depth and Rate knobs, standard 9V boss-style power plug; could not possibly be any easier. I don't think much of the Guyatone rubber-strip battery compartment sealing, but since I use it with a power unit it means little to me.

Sounds beautiful. Very warm analog chorus. Just what I needed. Settings don't go too extreme; all settings seem usable. I'm using it in the FX loop of a Mesa Lonestar, with a Tele and numerous other pedals.

As everyone else points out, there is a bump in volume when you kick it on. I don't know why they felt this would be a feature. Even an internal pot to control this behavior would have been great...but no. This is not a big problem for me since if I'm gonna use chorus, it'll be on for the whole song -- but still, why? -1 for this.

Metal case, solid switch. Knobs might be prone to getting kicked and broken, dunno, don't want to find out. Not sure about the longevity of the rubber gasket that holds the bottom plate on.

I'm not a customer support kinda guy.

For me this is the best thing going -- it was either this or a $300 Analogman chorus I'd have to wait weeks for, and I just can't imagine the Analogman sounding any better than this. Despite the minor issues I pointed out above, this is a fantastic value for the money.

i just picked one of these up not to long ago cause i read the reviews on here. its more like how hard is it to get a bad sound out of it. the first chorus ive ever heard that you turn it all the way up and it actually sounds as good as any other setting. very simple two knobs and made not to have any unusable settings. brilliant!

i got this cause i wanted a permanent chorus on my pedal board. id owned a small clone a few years back. id say it sounds a lil more ritch and warm then the mc 3. but it had a annoying pop everytime you turned it on and it was way to big and not built very well. which is why im guessing anologmans go for as much as they do. the tone without the cheap box. my opinion is that would be the only competitor with this pedal. its analog. you can tell the second you turn it on. boss pedals cant even come close to this things sound. i like it at every knob setting. and im picky about chorus. you can get a small clone sound out of it. but its actually cleaner! it sounds good in front or behind a distorion. i couldnt ever say that about my clone. oh the switch! i love the switch. it doesnt lock so you know its not ever gonna get noisy with age. it makes a nice subtle leslie too. id say this is more for tone junkies though. some people actually like noisy chorus if thats you id say go get a boss. this is a very pristine warm chorus. and a very pristine leslie. if your getting serious about your tone id say go with this one.

furman pedal board this is my setup

mij jazzmaster reissue( with duncan qp and vintage pickups)

fender tuner

whammy 4

boss hyper fuzz

visual sound jekyll and hyde

ibanez fl 9

guyatone mc 3

nano stone

boss dd6

boss rv 3

fender 4 10 deville

it plays well with all these pedals so id say its just about perfect.

this seems to be the only problem. no its not built like a rock but i know if it was it would probobly go for triple the price. but i dont see any problems in the future since its permanant on my pedal board. i use an adapter so i could see alot of problems if you use a battery. its not easy to change but most little pedals arnt.

excellent they actually let you hear good demos which the real thing blows away. but its nice that they care enough to do that. tells you there proud of there product.

overall this is a good solid buy. if these ever get discontinued id see them skyrocketing in price. ive heard alot of chorus and this one seems to be in a class of its own. if it got stolen id have another in a week at the latest and wouldnt hesitate. yeah its that good. i might even buy a backup.

easy enough to use,,,2 knobs. I easily found useable sounds.
I think it came with a manual,,one of those basic kinds that tell you how to turn a knob and plug in a battery and so on. Not one helpful thing for me like some sound settings or something. But like I said easy enough to find good settings.

This thing is warm sounding. I dont know for sure if it is truelly an anolog pedal or not but if its not,,I think it comes close. I dont believe its a true bypass unit but I cant hear any tone loss or added noise at all. The pedal is warm,,smooth,watery, very sweet.
I use it my boogie rectoverb in its effects loop,,works great.
I use it with my cleans and gainy leads. The unit is not harsh sounding at all. It has a bit of a volume boost,not much but its there. It also has a bit of a bass boost as well. To be fair the description stated they made it to have both these traits. Im fine with the volume boost but I wish I could sometimes get rid of the bass boost. When engaged sometimes I find my rig has too much bass.
One thing I wish it had was a volume level knob. I have no problems hearing the unit when engaged but none the less Id like a volume level.

I have never had an issue with this pedal nor the md-2 delay. They seem solid enough for regular use. They could never take the abuse like a boss pedal could though. Theres no reason to smash any pedal into the ground unless it sucks.
Ive read quite a few posts stating the problem people found with the battery compartment. I would have to say its the worst part of the pedal. Although it wasnt as bad as some people stated. A little awkward the first time. They simply should have made the pedal just a bit larger to accomodate easier installation of the battery. But it is possible to use a battery with a bit of patients. I use a visual sound 1 spot , works great, so I have no worries about batteries. I give the pedal an 8 for reliability but because of even having to mention anything about the battery compartment I will give it an overall 7

never spoke with them

This is a great pedal. I doubted the pedal because of the boost in bass it has,,,so I bought and returned the Boss ch-1 pedal, I have no use for a boutique chorus pedal,,I dont use chorus that much.
Anyways the mc-3 has a much more organic sound than the ch-1. Even without the volume level knob the mc3 has at least as much sound output as the ch1 has when maxed. After playing the ch-1 for an evening then trying the mc3 for 1 last tryout,,,I realized how much better the mc3 was than the ch1. Im keeping the mc3.

Like others have said... two knobs. Easy to dial in a good, usable sound.

Setup: Schecter Damien FR or a Eastwood Delta 6 run through a Peavey Studio Chorus 210. Awesome. Smooth, thick and warm. Not brittle sounding at all. Thus far, it's only chorus I've come across that I've really loved.

If I were using batteries I might be concerned with the rubber band attaching the base of the pedal to the body but as I use a power supply, I've never had to mess around with it. Doesn't concern me much. The body and switch are metal and sturdy, the knobs, pots and jacks are plastic so I wouldn't want to abuse them but I'd still gig without a backup.

I'd buy another at full price anytime if something happened to mine.

Completely easy to use. Two knobs

Really nice tone. Thick and warm sounding. No top-end exageration. I use it as a Leslie simulator type of effect when playing songs like Cold Shot by Stevie Ray. I use a vintage '76 U.S.A. Strat and '72 Fender Vibrolux modified like crazy to sound warm and beefy. It outshines most choruses I've heard and all rotary speaker simulators.

Built very well. No problems

Never needed to.

Any effect pedal that does not change my tone (on or off) gets my rating of 10. I've been a pro lead guitarist for 16 years. I'm not a fan of the chorus effect but I use this one to simulate a Leslie-type sound and it works for me. It sounds thick and warm.

It's a very little and simple pedal, with only two knobs but it work very good.

Very good. The sound is transparent and hot,i use Stratocaster and Gibson but his sound is always good. No noise.I use fender and marshall amps, it sound always good.

i play many style of music ( funky,pop,rock,jazz..) and i'm an italian session man and i work with many bands and singers. I need a versatile set-up and sounds. Guyatone it's better than Boss chorus 'cause it's hot and have bigger attack and volume than elexctro-harmonix .
It's a very good little pedal.

finding a great sound on this pedal is a snap. once you find one, you can toy around with it and find many more.

everything from slightly detuned chorus effect, to whirling leslies. sounds full, rich and otherworldly transparent. i use it with many pedals. sounds really great with my sansamp classic.

solid, little pedal, but i don't like the rubber used to hold the bottom on the pedal. so minus one.

makes the boss chorus sound tinny, sounds just as good and more versatile than the electroharmonix small clone chorus. this bad little sucker is my secret weapon playing live. i have fun with this thing just sitting in my room, playing unaccompanied. get one now, the price has gone up from around $75, online retail to $90 in the last year.

a versatile pedal...this means that it is a bit more work than a one trick pony pedal. not much trouble, as great sounds can be found up and down both dials.

really lush, rich chorus at all settings. a low battery can cause noise on these, otherwise pretty quiet. i have run this through tube and solid state amps. it sounds great through both. way better than the electroharmonix small clone chorus (my former favorite chorus pedal)...

Easy to use, 2 knobs Depth and Rate. Sounded Great out of the box

FEnder American Deluxe Start S-1 Switching, Fender Tweed Pro Junior,

Very MInor noise, Alomst Transparent,Does have a very ver slight signal boost but not enough to worry about, Effects are strong can go from low sweeping chorus to deep throbbing almost leslie like rotation. I had read this before on here that some guys had gotten the leslie type sound out of one but didnt believe it until I went down to musicians friend and bought one as soon as i heard it. This pedal can just about smoke any chorus out there hands down, I have had the expensive pedals and chorus generators and this is by far my favorite.

Built Tough, strong metal box, only negative is the rubber baseplate/band that keeps the bottom on though it does keep it from sliding. I would gig without a backup.

I play mild rock a bit but mostly blues and SRV type stuff, been playing 16 years and this totally nails the SRV chorus on just about every song SRV ever played. Love the pedal and Would Freak if it was lost or stollen because I waited 2 weeks for the "Fiend" to get one in stock before I could even go try it. I am lucky enough to live in Kansas City Where Musicians Freind has their warehouse facility so we get the chance to go and see everything they have first hand. Would absolutely replace it.

2 knobs, depth and rate... versatile, and simple...good design.

very nice analog sounds from mild chorus to swirling leslies and many in walls of sound between. i am running a ts-7 in front of this and it sounds great, giving a much fuller sound spectrum to the mid-heavy ibanez.

small, sturdy and very reliable. comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty from godlyke distributing. be prepared to pay the shipping.

this is the best chorus pedal i have ever used. if you are thinking of getting an e-h small clone because kurt cobain used one, consider getting this more versatile pedal, instead for around the same price.

2 knobs and a footswitch duh!
I really love the straightforward no BS construction

I use a custom guitar (like a les paul 2 buckers mahogany, maple, set neck... you know what i'm talkin 'bout) vox 847 wah, jeckyll n hyde ultimate od, guyatone mc3, boss bf-2, Bassman 10

This lil' thing is amazing! very warm analog sounding chorus, it does'nt color your too much plus it ads a little depht to the base which I really love. I could get a subtle double guitar effect when I set the rate and depth below 11 o'clock. when crnked it gives a great chorus sound with a lot of warm vibrato. This is very versatile despite the 2 knobs.
I only give this a 9 coz it gives a bit of volume increase when kicked in, and it hisses with the ac adapter, but hey I still love it and I can live with that!

Never screwed up on me, Made of metal with a metal switch, but the rubberband thing underneath which you take off to access the battery worries me though

Never tried to deal with guyatone. never hed to:)

Thanks to the people of guyatone for making an amazing simple pedal which sounds absolutely great! It's compact, durable and very versatile. I've compared the mc3 with the boss ce5 and there is no comparison! the boss was too digital sounding. I've tried the od2 overdrive and the vintage tremolo and they both sounded "analog great" I plan to assemble a new pedalboard an it will all be guyatone micro pedals.

Very easy pedal to use. Two knobs; one for depth, one for rate. The manual that is provided with it states the same!

I am very, very critical of my sound. I have played guitar for thirty one years and am always 'searching' for products to keep. This Guyatone Chorus is by far the best sounding chorus pedal I have ever heard. I have tried quite a few through the years and have never really liked anyone of them good enough to keep or at least trade. No one gets this one! It gives you a very warm analog sound that swells into a big warm vibration. I do not even use the rate knob. I turn the depth knob up between 3/4 and all the way and am amazed by the tone. It makes me sound like I am playing two guitars and also makes me a better guitar player. If you like the sound of 'Simple Man' by Skynyrd you'll want this pedal right away.

Have not had it long enough to give an accurate opinion.

Have not had it long enough to give an accurate opinion.

I am telling you the truth; Guyatone make the best chorus, delay, and compression pedals out there...no matter what the cost. Don't let this small company get by you without trying out these three pedals; they are simply the best (and reasonable too with a three year warranty)! Between these three pedals and my prized Tech 21 Trademark 60 amp I can perform all the sounds I need. For over thirty years I would NEVER look at anything except tubes, hook these pedals up to a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and rock on my brothers to a sonic wonderwall of sound!

Just plug this thing in and volia! You're ready to go.

Two knobs - Depth and Rate. No Questions asked. This isn't a digital effect so don't be looking for patches or emulation or anything fancy. Just straight vintage sounding chorus.

The little pedal has a little manual which says very little.

Clean sound, strong chorus, lush, mid-heavy, consistant sound. I'm running though a little hybrid Vox (Cambridge Twin) with a 12AX7 as the pre-amp.

Wouldn't hurt to be stereo.

A Sweet sounding classic.

I bought it used and it's in fine shape. Its hard metal casing is sturdy and strong.

Little rubber gromit hold the back on to get to the battery, seems like it won't last long -- but i've had it for some time with no problems.

Never seen them. They have a cool website though.

I like swirling tremolo/chorus/modulation sounds like Radiohead and Pink Floyd. This little guy is perfect!

I've been playing since 1988, and this is one of the sweetest chorus units I've ever seen. In the past I played through several Digitech mutli effects (digital and analog) and this MC3 kicks them all to the curb. Price can't be beat. Other things in this range are the Digitech's new stomp line which sound rather digital (which they are) but offer 'emulations' of different styles. I don't care too much for that as I want one style. Other thing close is the Danelectro pedals, which are cute but have nothing but tinny thin tone. All in all, nobody touches this little stomp. And I'd buy another one if I ever needed to without thinking twice.

It could have stereo -- but I'm not too picky about it.

Simple to use, only two knobs - depth and rate. Take a bit more frig time than the average to access the battery or should I say get the rubber ring and cover back on but on the plus side, the rubber ring grips the floor good and keeps the pedal from migrating.

Strat, Les Paul Custom and Ric 360 through a Boogie DC-3. Great little chorus. Has a warmer analog sound then my Boss CE-2, not as transparent as the CE-2 but very pleasing especially with the strat, like the CE-2 a bit better with the LP. Where the Boss tends to be a bit unusable at the higher end of the depth control the Guyatone is usable all the way to 10. The Guyatone has considerably more range of rate change than the CE-2 as well. I also have a Guyatone OD-2 overdrive which sounds good in front of the MC-3. The Mc-3 also sounds great with my Taylor 614ce into a direct box and though a PA. The MC-3 does very sligltly increase the volume which doesn't cause me any grief but keep in mind that there is no level control.

No problems so far

I have been playing for 35+ years. I play everything from christian rock to blues to softer worship music. I would definitely replace this unit if lost. Very warm chorus, totally usable at all settings. Like the small size. Fits nicely in my Taylor case. The jacks are in the ends not the sides which enables them to squeeze even closer together than other makes on a crowded stage. Seems to be very sturdy. Made in Japan unlike most newer popular brands from Tiawan or China. Great value for an analog chorus made in Japan. Scoop one up; you can always keep it in your shirt pocket when you're not using it ;)

2 knobs, mind numbingly simple.

Outstanding. Good bottom end. THIS IS *NOT* A DIGITAL CHORUS! From Guyatone's site: "The MC-3's circuit is based around the Panasonic MN3005 analog IC (now out of production) that is found in many more expensive units. Rather than thinning your sound, the MC-3 offers an increased low-end frequency response, making it suitable for use with any instrument including Bass, Guitar and Keyboards."

I use it either with both knobs at around 10:00 for slight modulation of clean tone, or as a leslie kind of effect.

The only thing that worries me is the non-skid gasket. It seems that it might wear out after a lot of battery changes. However, if it does, duct tape should do the trick.

I play blues. I use a tube screamer in front of this and will be adding a Vox wah to the other side. It workd nicely for jazzier numbers and the leslie like effect is cool...when I bought this, I had not been looking for a chorus, but tried it on a lark and liked it. I think I paid about US$60, which saved about $20 over buying it in the US.

2 knobs, no waiting.

Does what their web site says...thick chorus sound with slight level boost. Does have a bit of a hum, but much less than many of my other vintage pedals, and not an issue. Adds meat to distorted tones, I liked using it with my electric-accoustic as well.

Bottom made me nervous (see other posts on these micro pedals), but it has never been an issue, so doesn't bother me now. Otherwise, metal body very durable, controls stick up a bit more than most pedals, so I worry sometimes about them getting kicked, but so far, so good, and they see sturdy.

Good e-mail responses when I had questions.

I play jazz and rock and some accoustic. This pedal does a nice job for all of these. Wish it was stereo, however.

Two knobs, that's all.

The sound is fair.. and may be better IF YOU COULD HEAR IT! The knobs don't really seem to do much to the signal. It also makes a really odd constant feedback noise. I don't know how to describe it. You can hear the chorus and such, but there is this wall of feedback in the background. Anyhow, when I say you can hear it, I'm not saying its the greatest chorus pedal. THE OTHER crappy thing about this is there is no volume/line level control. Maybe if I could turn it up I could evaluate it better. It really sucks without a line level control. At least it's not as bad as the WR-2 wah rocker that totally kills the sound.. it doesnt have a line level either.

Well, the bottom is really crappy. read the other reviews to see what I'm talking about.

didn't bother contacting. this is the 2nd pedal from guyatone that was a piece of shit.

It will do if you like to throw money away. If not, get a Boss.. which is around the same price, or cheaper on auction sites.

Despite its size it is very easy to adjust the knobs

the main reason I purchased this chous pedel was for its very different sound its in a class by itself

i hav'nt had it long enough to tell

i belive if you are locking for a new chorus pedel thats differnt from
the rest you should get this one its great for many differnt styles of
music.

It would be impossible for this to be any easier to use. Two holes, two knobs, one switch.

When I purchased this effect, it was terribly noisy. It was unusable in the current state. There was a lot of static in the signal. I called the guys at Guyatone who did a modification to it, and now the noise is very acceptable. The effect itself is very good, the boost adds a very good addition that is not found in most other chorus pedals

It looks small, and not as sturdy as some of the BOSS pedals, but I have used mine quite a lot, and it seems fine. The rubber bushing on the bottom that holds the battery doesn't appear to be terribly sturdy, but I have had no problems so far. It is hard replacing the battery on a dark stage, unlike the BOSS pedals, but the LED light will start to dim to give you enough warning so you don't get stuck.

The guys at guyatone were fairly quick at getting my pedal repaired. I wasn't too pleased in having to pay the shipping charges to the company and a check for $5.00, for a warranty type repair. I know that I am being cheap, but it was their mistake, and they should take care of it!

I like the sounds and the pseudo leslie effect that you can coax out of it. It is a good product that would make me willing to purchase other products by the company, but I would want to check them out in a music store first, to ensure the quality.

Two knobs: Depth and Speed/Rate. I've used the settings on all extremes and there was no bad setting!

I almost bought a VooDoo Labs Analog Chorus, but I wanted something unique. Warm and rich lots of bottom end, but different. I can't believe it is a digital chorus. It has a slight level boost and it sounds great. Not noisy and it only draws like 15mA of power!

The pedal is VERY small, which is convenient, but the knobs could be more sturdy. Mine happened to have a large hiss, but it was just a battery going dead.

I have e-mailed the people at Guyatone for some general questions and received a response in a couple of days. They were very friendly and prompt.

I have been playing blues/funk/rock for 11 years and have used a Boss CE-2 all my life. I wanted something new, and this hit the spot! I would buy it again in a second if I lost it.