Ibanez CS-9

Two knobs--simple

Here's a helpful review---The CS-9 is an excellent sounding chorus. The earlier CS-505 is a slightly better sounding chorus. Here's the tradoff: The CS-9 is 9V operation (convenient). The earlier model CS-505 is 18V operation (need special power supply or two '9V' batteries). The CS-9 is just slightly brighter sounding than the CS-505. The earlier CS-505 has a bit fatter tone and isn't quite as bright sounding as the CS-9. I prefer the CS-505--but the CS-9 is still an excellent chorus. The CS-9 I rate at "9" of 10. The CS-505 at "9.5" of 10. Enough said.

Solid operation. The footswitches on '9' series need periodic cleaning though or they will stick at the oddest times (like on stage...fun). Other than that, they are famous for their reliability like Boss pedals of the same era.

"8.5" out of "10"

2 buttons.
Just plug it in and use your ears.

I was looking for a boss ce-2, lucky me, I found this CS-9 used to buy in my country but I never heard about it.
I bought it based on the reviews here. Thank you a lot guys (and girls). I never heard something like this purple baby. I'm not a vintage freak and usually I've been getting good sounds with new gear.
I notice the noise reduction working that Mr. Paul C. wrote and notice that it add a very little hiss when in bypass mode too but you have to turn your amp really loud and turn down the volume of the guitar to hear it . It does not alter your tone. Nothing that worth mention comparing with the quality that you get.
It does add a little bit of volume(you can control you picking, right?) and a shimmer that you will not want to get rid of it.
The sound is full, clean, clear and ......organic, not artificial at all. Buy it. I think this pedal is alive like someone said.

It looks strong like boss pedals and I will gig without a back-up.
Treat it good and I think it will last more than me.
Mine is some like 20 years old.

I got an old japanese model that is a little scratched, but working great.
I'm a professional and I've been playing a lot around here and tried a lot of gear in stores and from my students.
This is in the boss ce-2 league but with it's own personality.
I have it now for a week and it's is painfull to turn this pedal off.
This is a really inspiring piece of gear.

Very easy. 2 knobs: speed & width. However, i prefer to have a level knob as well but this guy doesn't need it...but nice to have especailly when running a million pedals like i do. This one is small like a boss box, so it leaves you with extra realestate on your board. I like the Ibanez switches. They've always had a strong feel to me, seem solid and after ten years...zero breakage. One thing i don't think many folks realize is what shoes you wear when playing guitar pedals. Personally, i wear the old chuck taylor shoes on stage because the feel of any type of pedal switch always feels very "present".
Don't need a manual or upgrades at all!!

I mostly use a les paul but sometimes a strat, through a bedrock 1400 50W tube amp with the pedal board in front of the amp. The CS-9 sounds best to me in front of the dirt pedals and delays. It's rich, sweet and transparent! Won't change your tone! I've never found a chrous this rad. It's not noisy at all and there's no "click" when bypassing this purple beauty. I reccomend using a 9V power supply as opposed to a battery so it doesn't get "flimsy". Chorus pedals can be very picky and throw temper tantrums at the drop of a hat...in my experience. Finally, a chorus pedal that doesn't sound like a damn leslie effect. I already have a pedal for that!
this is a transparent, yet rich sounding pedal, best i've ever played. I can easily get that classic andy summers "the Police" tone. I've been seeking this chorus for years. Wish i'd found it sooner.

I've had it for a couple of months but I would still feel safe gigging w/o a back up. Ibanez 9 series pedals are heavy and built like tanks. But don't let that weight or rugged metal box fool you. These things are delicate inside and so if you baby them in transit, they'll serve you well while you're stepping on em' all night. I've carried my pedals, amps cabs etc.. in boxes and bags etc...and things consistantly developed issues. I started using ATA cases for everything and i haven't had a problem yet...mostly used gear, including these old japan ibanez 9 series pedals....all my pedals going strong 4 years! This is a Japan made CS-9 as opposed to the reissue which is tough but the old Japan made ones have better guts and have more tone/mojo/vibe. It's just chorus. If it craps out, you'll live.

Never dealt with them. The old Japan Ibanez pedals like this one have never gave me problems i didn't cause.

I play original rock, reggae, ska, pop and alternative music and my influences in regard to tone would be 70's-80's-90's radio-rock tones. i.e Andy Summers meets Slash from G&R & Zepplin. For the most part i'm doing my own thing when it comes to tone and style.
If you're looking for a good example; this pedal gets that great sparkle that Andy Summers (the police) got with the Morley Crystal Chorus, but with more reliabilty and depth of tone. I actually traded my brand new Carl Martin chorusII for this used CS-9. My buddy now wants it back...no way man! This thing is great. It's small, rich, lush, musical & tough. I've compared this pedal to the Boss CE-2, Carl Martin II, Morley Crystal Chorus, Morley Stereo chorus/vibrato and the Line6 MM4 (modualtion modeler). I would def. buy another if it were dead or stolen. This pedal can actually die...because it has so much soul! These aren't made anymore and they're going on ebay for $185 so get one now! Even at $185 I'd still get another one.
-cheers

hahahaha... 2 knobs... can't be that difficult. Speed and width.

I use this with a les paul studio with a seymour duncan jb in the bridge. It's not noisy at all. I'm using it with a marshall jcm 900 slx, and it sounds awesome. i can't describe it. simply awesome, it's one of the best chorus pedals i've played. I tried a small clone reissue, and numerous digital choruses, but thus far, this one is the best. headroom could be an issue when you strum really hard, but i just did that to test it. i had to hit the strings with the jb turned on really hard before it started to crackle. doesn't bother me at all.

The Ibanez 9 series seem, and feel like they're built like tanks. they're quite heavy. The switch is the only thing that would probably crap out.

i've never dealt with ibanez. and seeing how this pedal is like 20 years old or more, i probably wouldn't get much help from them.

I think I paid a little more the the usual going price of these pedals, but analog man sells them for 120 us or something like that. I think it's a good deal, considering it's alot cheaper than digital delays. But now that these are being reissued, i think the value of the originals may increase a little, but they may not. doesn't really bother me, this one is a keeper! It's sounds awesome. pick one up while they're cheap!

Couldn't be simpler! Two knobs to twiddle - Speed and Width.

I'm using this with a '56 Les Paul Goldtop (P90's) and a 100w Marshall amp and it sounds great. Lovely rich, warm and open sound. I've noticed with mine that it sounds much better powered with an AC adapter, whenever i've used it with batteries it tends to sound slightly 'unstable' but even that can sound quite cool sometimes!

I think it tends to sound better used sparingly, just so it gives enough edge to be noticable. If you play with either of the two knobs cranked quite high it starts to sound a bit wild and unusable.

The one I bought was well battered but in perfect working order, so by the looks of things it can take quite a beating. I've only had it a few months and it's been fine so far for me. I'd still take a backup to a gig as my tone relies on chorus, so I'd take along my trusty old Boss CE-2.

Never had to deal with Ibanez

I play a lot of 60's / 70's rock and blues stuff and I love the sparkle that this Chorus gives to my tone.

I've been playing for about 8 years and have been using a Boss CE-2 for Chorus for most of that time. I wanted to experiment with Stereo chorus and tried some other more modern pedals that have stereo. I came to the conclusion that I preferred the more vintage chorus effects so this seemed like a good option.

If it were lost I'd definitely get another as I really like the sound of this pedal.

It's a simple pedal, but actually I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that there are also two small pots inside the battery compartment for further adjustment.

You cannot get a bad sound from this pedal! I also have a Boss Dimension C which sounds good, but is not nearly as warm, or rich as this pedal. The Boss tends to spew out some digital sounding crap. Run it in stereo with 2 amps for the best sounding Chorus ever!

I HATE these Ibanez footswitches, give me a regular stomp switch anyday. Also, the LED is too dim.

Boss & Ibanez don't give a shit about you after you have bought their products, so I always try to buy American if possible, Screw em'. I just wish an American company would come up with a chorus that sounded as great as this for under $150.

I play hard rock, and no other Chorus pedal will suffice, other than a Script MXR Chorus, but I hate the fact that it needs 11V AC, it's inconvenient for Pedalboards. I like to use a Dunlop Power Brick to power all my pedals.

Two controls.... couldn't get any easier.

I use a Roadhouse Strat through a 70's twin and '96 HR Deluxe stereo set-up. It sounds heavenly! Crank both controls wide open for the Scofield sound. The chorus is very rich and the tone is nearly perfect. I think it sounds much better going through two amps. The only complaint that I have is that when you switch it on it brightens the sound a bit and has a bit of volume boost.

It sounds better clean as well. I haven't been able to get a perfect overdrive sound with it. I go through a vox wah v847, Ibanez TS-9, Ibanez AD-9, then the CS-9 to both amps. I absolutely love it. Don't get me wrong, using it with overdrive sounds very, very good, but I think it's a little better clean.

I have tried a few chorus pedels and think this is best. It has a very rich, toneful analog sound. It stays bright and fat without getting muddy. I was hoping for more of a Leslie warble, but this is not the right effect, but you can mimmick a Leslie somewhat that will get you through playing Trower, SRV, and Hendrix covers.

I own three '9' series peddles and all are rock solid. I have no problem with switching or battery life. 100% reliable... all the time

never had to call

I would have to replace it if anything happened to it... no question! If you use chorus and at all descriminatory about your tone, look no further, this is the only chorus to consider. I play a Fender strat through Fender amps and sometimes can't put my guitar down because I have so much fun with this set-up. After about 17 years of playing, I finally have a sound and tone that I'm completely pleased with, especially the bluesy-rock style I play

Very easy to use. Less knobs is more! I've owned the Boss CE-2, Boss DC-3 and the Boss CH-1 and I this pedal is better than all of them. Also blows away the CE-3 and CE-5, both which I've used numerous times. An example of 2 knobs is better than 3 or 4!

Sound quality is excellent. Has a real snarly shimmer that none of the other above named pedals do. I do however, find the automatic on/off noise reduction circuit a tad annoying. I have not heard anyone else complain about this, so maybe I'm the only one who hears this. It is made in Japan (a good thing!) and I've only run it on 9V battery thus far. I use a Gibson ES335 or Jeff Beck Strat into a TU-1 -> DS-1, FZ-3, PH-3,CS9, DigiTech XP100 Whammy/Wah-> Line6 DL4 into a 94 Fender Concert or 2000 Fender "custom" Vibrolux amp. And the CS9 is what John Scofield has been using for years to get that Leslie-on-ludes sound you hear on uberjam, Bump, Up All Night, etc!

I've only had a few weeks. This one's in nice shape. I would play a gig without it, but I would replace it with the same if it were stolen or broken,etc. battery covers still on.

Never had to use it. Hopefully I won't!

I play jazz,rock,funk,avant-garde and groove stuff. Have been playing and writing music for a few decades. This is a great match for what I play. The other chorus pedals I mentioned (except for the CE-2), did not have much personality. Some were tone/signal killers, some produced little effect at all. My only slight complaint on the CS9 is the auto noise reduction circuitry. Though,once you turn on a 2nd effect,like delay,it's not really noticable. I'd be interested to see if other folks notice that,or if it's just mine that does this.

Like others have said...2 knobs, I haven't found any combinations that don't work! this is a really easy pedal to use!

Incredibly transparent...until the battery starts to go, which in my case is pretty quick...A little bit of background noise, but not enough to sweat...I run a '62 reissue strat MIJ, with a modified ts9, vox wah, and a vintage sunn a212 (which is also incredible)...This stomp box is a major part of my rig, and will never leave. It is not particularly thick, if you want over the edge chorus try some in the boss line of effects, if you want subtle, silky, smooth sounding chorus, this is the one

Built like a tank! The switch is starting to go, which i hear happens often in ibanez 9 series pedals, and it goes through batteries like nothing i've had before, so use the power adaptor...none the less, built better than most of todays pedals, especially in this price range.

I play blues and classic rock...I've tried and owned many rack processors, and pedals...This is by far the best sounding iI have ever owned in the past 10 Years

Two knobs...need i say more?

A nice shimmery sound out of this little guy. Much better then a dod pedal and much muc better then the boss ce-1. I have a little problem with the output diminishing when i use it stereo, but thats fixable. I can finally get the sound the hammet uses and hetfield uses when they are on a clean sound. Matches up well to the track "astronomy". The marshall jcm600 and jcm2000 (red dragon) i run through, give it the backing umph i needs.

i would rest my life on this little guy. Indestructable and, if it has lasted this long, it will last till the ends of my days. I would not even use a backup, i see no need.

Ibanez, when it comes to customer support, it is pretty much limited to, how shall i say...almost nothing. But they are nice people that make good gear, and since nothing of theirs ever breaks, who needs support.

This goes perfect with my bluesy, jazzy, metal-fusion style of playing. It fits in well with any of my breakdowns. I have been playing for a long time now, and this is, by far one of the best *cheap* units i have found. It does not even matter what i pug into it, whether it is my gibson les paul std, my es-175, my aria deluxe zz pro, my ibanez axe, my carvin custom double neck, or even my friggen acoustic! If it were stolen, i would go into chorus denile. And, to top it off, it is a cool velvet colour! This will be used on almost all my new tracks.