HomeBrew Electronics Arizona THC Chorus

Depth, Speed and Width controls. There is also an internal trim pot to adjust output level (more on that below). The Width control takes some getting used to, didn't really find it useful.

Very dark, "soupy", congested sound, which I guess is considered "vintage". Sounds nothing like a BOSS Chorus if that's what you're used to (which I am). It always has a "small room" delay quality to the sound, very 3-D but that's not what I'm after, makes it very hard to get a subtle Chorus sound. There are a couple of issues with this pedal which are deal breakers for me. I've had it for a year and I just can't make it work with my rig or style.

1. A considerable volume boost when the pedal is engaged. This can be fixed with an internal trim pot. However, the pedal has always had a slight amount of "grit", strummed chords always have some dirt to them. I assumed this was the volume boost making my amp overload. However, after adjusting the trim pot the grit remained unchanged. Even using a low output pickup causes it to distort in a dead clean amp. Not good.

2. Doesn't play well with high-gain distortion. I use it after my MI Audio Crunchbox and the Chorus sounds more like a Flanger. When I set it to be more subtle, it's barley noticeable except for the fact that the overall sound is now darker. Far too much "swoosh" going on here for me. There simply is no "sweet spot", it's either too much or not enough.

No reliability issues, built very well, just don't like the sound and inherent grit.

I play REAL Metal, Iron Maiden to Morbid Angel. I like Chorus for clean sounds and the occasional lead. This pedal isn't for me. Maybe it's more suited for single coils and blues players. For the record, I was using a Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup in the neck position and still could not keep the THC from distorting. I guess it has very limited headroom. The only other "Boutique" Chorus I've liked is the Fulltone Choralflange, but I don't need or want a Flanger, so it looks like I'm going back to my BOSS CH-1 Super Chorus. Tone sucking buffer and all, at least the BOSS has the Chorus sound I like (thin and inferior according to the Botique/Blues snobs).

Easy set up, 3 knobs, Depth/Speed/Width. Easy to get a good sound right out of the box.

Beautiful sound! Very thick, with depth control at 9o'clock or higher it covers your entire sound. Probably the closest chorus i've ever heard to a leslie, but still, if you want a leslie, buy the real thing. Sounds alot better than the TC SCF, angloman, and other chorus pedals i've heard. The TC is very weak, bright, and subtle. The angloman is sort of inbetween these two pedals. You can get more subtle yet still full sounds with lower depth settings, sounds just as good, as if you have an old 80's TC, when they were made well. Overall excellent sound!

So far i've only used it at one gig, but its a solid unit. Definatly wouldn't need a backup on the road. I rated this lower becasue i really can't truthfully answer it.

I've never had to deal with the company.

Nothings perfect, but this little box comes damn close! True bypass, full sound, covers all your needs whether a subtle sparkle or a full out "leslie" chorus sound. Much better than the univibe or any remakes of that pedal, alot better. What I liked about it is that its wide range of GOOD sound makes it usable in tons of different styles. I never saw myself using chorus for any lead playing but this really fits in without being obnoxious, with arpegio's and wide voiced chords, its incredable.

3 knobs =) and a lot of sounds...
analog chorus

I use it with a gretsch jet baritone with a Nobels odr-s=>behringer um-100=>Ibanez sb7=>behringer ble-100=>Ibanez de-7=>Boss bf-2b=>Homebrew T.H.C.=>EHX smallstone=>Behringer dr100=>trace elliot 715 with gp7 eq.
Its not noisy at all
The effect sound great maibe the best chorus i ever heard a maybe the most versatile(light flanger tremolo sound, light chorus,water deep chorus,...)
Vintage sound!!!!

built like a tank

I had one question about the current draw of the pedal and they answered me after a few hours...

I play electronic experimental music ,it's the best chorus i ever used

The THC is pretty simple to operate. There are three controls, Depth, width, and speed. The led pulses in time to the speed. So, operation is intuitive.

This unit will be used on a very basic pedal board that includes compressor, chorus, tremelo, and delay. My intent was to put together a board that just has some basics, but I wanted quality products for my effects. After a few e-mail exchanges with Joel, I decided to give the THC a try. I found this chorus to be, as advertised, warm and lush. It has analog circuitry and can very easily controlled from subtle to very rich. It is not noisy, and when off, it is a true bypass design. It will do a great leslie sound. This unit will be used on both a Mesa F-50, a Mesa Road King, as well as, a couple of other amps that I own. I don't think that you can go wrong with it.

This unit is built very solidly. It has a tough metal box and the jacks all appear to be top notch. I'm confident that it will stand up to the test of time.

This is what really got my initial interest in this pedal. Joel, from Homebrew, had taken the time out to answer my questions and assure me that Homebrew stands behind their products. In fact, he went beyond the call of duty that gave me the confidence to buy this pedal sight unseen. I don't anticipate any technical issues, however, after his very personable attention, I am pretty sure that any issues would be resolved, should they arise.

The music that I play is a mix of classic rock, country, blues, and originals. Although, I'm no virtuoso, I've been playing guitar for over 30 years on and off. I play both electric and acoustic, which this pedal will be a great match for both. If it were lost or stolen, I would get another one if it were lost or stolen. It is hands down better than a Boss pedal. I chose this pedal, at first, due to it's having been built by a small manufacturer who still knows what customer service and a personal conversation is. Once I got the pedal and heard it, it won me over. It is very musical, easy to operate, and is built like a rock. The width pedal is an added feature that is very useful in tone shaping. There honestly is nothing that I dislike about it. I think that considering the features, tone, and build, this is a very good value for a pedal with boutique quality. It's not cheap, although, it's not built cheaply either. You can spend more on a pedal, but why?

First chorus I ever found useable right out of the box. Very easy to use. Depth, Speed and width. Very intuitive controls, and is easy to dial in exactly what you need from it.

Plus, I mean, come on. It's a 3 knob pedal....not rocket science. VERY easy to use.

I use this with either a Marshall 20 Watt Handwired reissue, DrZ Z28, Rockytop 45H, and soon a Nick Greer CAM18. PRS and Thorn guitars.

Not noisy at all, very nice tone. Doesn't screw with everything else when disengauged. Easy to get from the 80's over chorused wooooshy tone, or a sweet subtle chorus. Also crank the speed, and it does a fair Leslie simulation.

Like all the HBE stuff, built like a freaking tank. VERY well made, with high quality components. No backup required.

Joel, Terry and Andrea are fantastic. Best service in the planet. Helpful, courteous, and fantastic people. Met them at NAMM, and just honest to goodness quality people.

been playing 20 years, great match for country, rock, jazz, whatever a good chorus is needed for. I would most definitely replace it. Great sound, quality and look. I love how the LED flashes with the speed!!

Sounds WAY better than the Boss, Voodoo Labs, and Fulltone pedals I tried.