Ibanez CS-9

It can't get any easier then this, 2 knobs speed and width.

You can get some great versatile chorus sounds out of this simple pedal. Realy wide almost flangerish sounds, big lush spacy sounds and fast vibrattos. Kick in some distortion and you get some great dark sounds as well. I've treid the boss chorus pedal but the sound very metallic. It's just a matter of taste.

Mine's an original from the 80's still work's, never had a problem.

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Overall it's a fantastic true analog chorus pedal. All my pedals run on batteries and this one doesn't suck a lot of juice, which is nice for my wallet. It can be used in any type of music, funk, jazz, pop, alternative, you name it. I would definitely buy another if this one would die of got stolen.

Well, except for my Flanger, I prefer simple effects with just one or two knobs. I don't want to twiddle on tone knobs on every effect in the chain. There's a 6bd EQ and the distortion unit, this should be enough...
You don't need a manual for the CS9. It's just on/off and turning on two knobs...
It might be a bit tricky if you'd like to use stereo Sound with to amps and loopboxes or whatever. I give it a nine because it's a cool one-trick-pony :)

As some other users stated, this pedal does produce a certain amount of noise while playing. This is due to a relative cheap OPAMP (741) that might be replaced easily by another circuit, if it's pin-compatible. I guess that the analog bucketbrigade circuits do also produce some noise. Not much you can do about it. (The same circuits are used in analog delays).

Dispite of the noise i was *surprised* how naturally the effect sounds like! I just could not imagine to use a chorus in my effects-chain before trying out this one. I give it a nine because of that.

Uhm, i got this effect for free but it was defect. Not a problem because I could replace the defect parts and resolder some parts here and there.
Since this pedal looks quite battered to me, it surely had a hard time and I'm not surprised, that some parts failed. Hey, this lila box more than 20 years old, what do you expect for an effect in midrange class?!

Despite of these issues, I would trust this box even on stage because it's heavy built (as it's green little brother called TS9 :)

I give it an 8

I did not need it because I got the brains to repair it on my own. I even found the schematics on the internet somewhere...

After repairing this box it's too much fun to give it away! It will find it's place on my effects-board tomorrow...

The PCB Board inside is not very sturdy but I hope that IBANEZ use better materials for the reissue nowadays. I don't know much about the quality of the reissues...

Because I am not very fond of the Ibanez-Style switches, I'll probably take out the electronics and put it in a nice painted hammond case and add a bypass switch to it

I give it a nine. 10 would be too much but 9.5 would be correct ;-)

As everyone else has said, it has two knobs, and doesn't take much know how. Just use your ears.

Better than most choruses. It is one of the few chorus pedals that I have liked. Most of them I find unlistenable. I think that it has too much high end, and is a little thin. I wish that there was a tone knob or EQ to tweak it a bit. Unlike most choruses, it does not cause a drop in signal. I like it for nice clean shimmering chords, but I don't like to use it with distortion pedals. Too high/thin.

I've had it for a few weeks and it seems reliable. I've had several Ibanez pedals, and none have failed me so far.

I've never dealt with Ibanez.

Probably the best chorus on the market today in its price range. I don't like chorus as much as I used to, so I don't really use it much, but if you need one, this is the one to get.

I bought if in 1982 and it was my first stereo chorus pedal. I really love its sound. The overall depth of this pedal is very impressive. I found its sound very unique as compared to Boss stereo chorus pedals. It has a very distinctive sound and have a very lush and warm sound. It has one Rate and one depth control. So it is a very simple pedal as far as operation is concerned. I mostly use it settings by keeping the both Rate & Depth controls set at 12 o'clock. It is a real pleasure to play guitar by using it with distortion for chords.

The overall sound quality of this pedal is brillant. This is probably the only pedal from Ibanez 9 series which I like the best. It is very quite indeed but produces very slight noise which is not noticeable and it dies as the guitar sound become silent. I have heard that Ibanez has recently reissued this pedal again and I am pretty sure that over the last 25 years they must have eliminated this minor noise as well because the micro technology has improved tremendously over these years which has made the sound of effects more clean and accurate.

This is a very solid pedal. I can depend on it anytime and anywhere without any hesitation. Once I faced a problem with this pedal after using it for 10 years when it suddenly stopped working. I got it checked from a local workshop and found that one of the chips became loose. So got it resolidered and it became okay.

I did not like their customer support atall. You see I live in Pakistan and in early 80's my father went to United States and brought four Ibanez 9 series pedals for me. I was desperately in need of A/C adapter. I tried some adapters which were available in Pakistan but all of them were produceing horrible noise. So I requested Ibanez through a postal letter in 1983 to advice me in this regard. But I was totally shocked by the non-professional attitude of them as they never replied to my letter and same is the case with Zoom. So after that incident I stopped buying any Ibanez effect pedals and swithched over to Boss. In this connection I am extremely impressed with the amazing support of Yamaha, Behringer & Fender companies.

I have been playing guitar for the last 27 years. I have a lot of gears including Yamaha Studio Lord SL400S copy of Les Paul 1980, Yamaha AES 620, Yamaha Pacifica 412V, Ovation CS257, Fender 12 string D6, Epiphone les paul black beauty and Yamaha FG470S. Two Yamaha amps G50 112 III, JX50 and Fender FM212R. Lot of Boss effect pedals and couple of MXR dyna comp, Zoom G1, Ibanez SD9 distortion, Danelectro tuna melt tremolo and Behringer ACX-900 acoustic amp.

Great tone ..... way easy to use
It was around long before I was wrrying about editing any patches.
Manual?.... forget it, let your ears be the guide, it's all you'll need.

It's my favorite chourus pedal, I've had an MXR and a Boss. I bought this pedal in the mid-80's, it's beat to crap, I finally have it protected somewhat on my pedal board/case opposed to jamming in and out of a bag for the past 20 years.
Gear goes like this, Cry Baby - TS9 - CS9 - Dyna Comp - Banshee talk box
(I have a MXR Micro amp and a Boss GE-7 EQ and a Quadrverb 2 in the effects loop)
Amp is a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 50 into a HM single 12 cab loaded with a Pittbull 50 speaker

This is a great sounding pedal, very subtle or exaggerated; depth and rate controls - very simple, all good sounds.
I use the lower or output (closest to the bottom of the pedal) it seems to be more pronounced.

I'm a dinasouar, I've had it since the mid 80's, it's the only chourus pedal i've owned since then.

Play classic rock, blues, some country, etc. mainstream stuff. I'm a geezer, been playing for 30 yrs I'm 46. I have other PA and guitar gear as well.
If it were stolen, I'd look around, there may be something comparable out there? I haven't looked. If not, I'd find another.
I'm happy with it as is.
It's an integral part of my gear and my playing, never is it a barrier. I must admit I'd like to look into a Gig Rig switching system. The pedal dance gets to be a pain in the ass.

Pretty straight forward really, the dials are on there and there's only two of them. Just adjust them till you find a sound you like. As with all Ibanez stomp boxes though the button itself is a little awkward. You're never gonna' hit it and miss or anything like that, but it's not the easiest stomp box to operate with your feet, certainly not as easy as the simple Boss design.

I genuinely could not live without this pedal! It makes everything sound brilliant. It's very subtle, the best way I could describe it is that it makes every single not sparkle. It's not blatantly obvious the change it makes to your guitar's sound, but use it for a month or so and you'll never want to play your guitar without it ever again!

It's metal, rock hard and sturdy. Have done about 60 gigs with it now and there have been no problems. I reckon you could throw this thing at a brick wall and pick it up and gig straight away with it. (not that I'm recommending you try that or anything)

I play British indie music with heavy influences from psychedelia and 80s and 90s pop bands like The Stone Roses and Verve and this pedal's essential for doing that sort of thing. It makes even the simplest strum into an epic perfect chord, couple it with a fuzz face (Dallas-Arbiter and not the rubbish Jim Dunlop reissue) to get a sound every guitar player up and down the country will be gagging for.

Ibanex CS9 Reissue Made in Japan.
Only two know - no secret. You need to have only good ears and to find the sound you are looking for.

I didnt purchase it to get the sound of my favorite artists. I purchased it to use in my original band. My style is classic rock and a few of hard. My cover band (hobby) plays several styles of music - Credence, Beatles, Guns, Deep Purple, etc.
The chorus mixed with Drivemaster Marshall and Ibanez TS9 was perfect. They do sound warm and nice. I used it in my last gig in weekend. The band members noticed the difference in the tone of my guitar... Well it did a good job!!!
It worked very well in the clean channel of my Amp (Fender Blues Deluxe)... Pure sound!

The Ibanez CS-9 already is included on my pedalboard. It came at the right time. I was only using the DD3 delay as emutation but I was looking for a Chorus... I??ve tested several pedals of chorus, but i never liked of none. Some guys told me about the CS9, I didnt give attention to them... When my girlfriend went to NY and bought me as a gift... I had to test it and... I loved it! I love it!!!
If you are a player like me, easy going, you will love this pedal because it is easy to use and reliably! I like Ibanez!!!

I never had problems!

It suit my style of music. I use it with my others pedals... My setup:
Fender Blues Deluxe - Micro Amp - DD3 - CS9 - Shredmaster - Tube TS9 -Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003.
It is essential for me... If it were stolen I would buy it again. Its main feature is the easily to use and to find the sound what you want for. What else can I say?
Buy it... I wont regret!
Bye

Two knobs and a footswitch, very simple

I play an American Strat though a modded stage 112 head and a Marshall 4X12 with an ever changing pedalboard to big to list. After reading hundreds of product reviews over the years, I have finally purchased something that I feel necessary to submit a review for. This has to be by far the best sounding chorus pedal I have ever heard in my life ! It's so rich and full sounding with a nice shimmer and I'm amazed at how much it's improved my tone. It kinda reminds me of my sonic maximizer but with modulation - your guitar really cuts though the mix with it. My only complaint is that there's no volume knob and a slight volume boost that occurs when you click on the pedal - but I'm still giving it a 10 for sound quality.

I've only had it a couple of months, but it's very old and still seems to works fine.

I've be playing about 12 years, heavy to EZ listening stuff. I own about 7 ibanez roadstars too and it sounds great with all of them. I can't believe I didn't try one out sooner and I'm immediatly trading in my digitech multi-chorus and boss super chorus knowing I will never use them again. I just love how full souding this pedal is, with both clean and distorted guitar. I want to leave it on all the time !

2 knobs. 'Nuff said

This pedal is an excellent sounding chorus. You can nail the old Police tone of Summers, as well as that of country music from the late 70's to mid 80's (awesome for playing Strait's "The Chair"). My setup is as follows:
am dlx fender tele > guyatone compressor > dod 250 > boss bd2 > ibanez ts-9 > ibanez cs-9 > ibanez fl-9 > boss dd-3 > custom vibrolux reverb amp.

The best thing about this pedal is the range in adjustibility. This isn't a chorus that goes from slight to full warble by 9 o'clock on the knobs; there are a lot of useable tones there. There is also a slight difference in tone depending on what output you use if in a mono setup. I deducted a point because there is a slight volume bump up when turned on. It's not a big deal, but just causes you to adjust your volume at the guitar.

Looks very rugged, can't imagine it tearing up. I'm not hard on my stuff anyway.

Have not dealt with Ibanez, but I have dealt with the store I bought it from on other issues, and they are superb in their customer service, so I would think it would be no different with a pedal. It was bought from Red River Music in Alexandria, LA

I play classic rock and country, and this pedal nails a great, warm chorus for this type of music. Been playing on and off for several years, and in the last year or so have gotten serious on the quality of gear that I have; this pedal is no exception to that. First class all the way. If it were stolen, I would replace in a heartbeat. It's best features aside from it's tone is it's simplicity and the amount of different tones you can get out of it.

two knobs. cant get much easier then that. i find it actually hard to get this thing to sound bad.

this thing sounds great. like i said above, its hard to get a bad sound out of it. it sounds good with all the effects i use. my setup goes guitar->crybaby->boss ds-1->cs-9->boss bf-3->amp. as far as ive noticed, this thing doesnt suck any of my tone.

when i first got it, it would make weird noises whenever i stepped on it. i bought it used though. even so, i was kinda disapppointed. i unscrewed the back to see if anything was wrong, and didnt notice anything, but when i screwed it back on it didnt do it anymore and hasnt happened since. other then that, i havent had any problems.

I listen to a lot of metal(pantera, cryptopsy, slayer etc) but i also listen to a lot of other stuff like the mars volta, red hot chili peppers, led zep, rush and others. i really like how this thing sounds. the sounds really help get those great chorus sounds. if it were lost or stolen i would definitley try and get another one. if not, i would prolly just get a newer boss pedal. a lot of the time i forget this thing is on, and when i turn it off, there just seems to be something missing from my sound. ive been playing for about 4 years, and this is one of the best choruses ive heard, especially for the price.

It pretty much sets itself. No sound on the unit is 'bad'. Some settings might be too extreme for some, but they still don't sound bad.

TOTALLY AMAZING! The best chorus I've ever heard. Sounds like my favorite artists (Fripp, Belew, Summers). Doesn't sound "lame" like most choruses do. Doesn't suck tone. It's not noisy at all. I've tried a couple Boss choruses, and I was also using the "detune" function on the Boss PS-5 for a chorus sound. This is better than all of those. My ONLY gripe is that I wish there were a volume control, just to compensate for any volume loss that might occur by being moved around in the pedal chain. But overall, still the best chorus I've ever heard.

I've never ran it in stereo. I imagine that tone mixed with reverb and delay would be the shoegaziest soundscape ever produced by a guitar.

I've only had it for a day. I played with it for about 5 minutes. The switch bothers me a bit. I tend to like a "click" when I turn things on and off. But, I've heard good things about Ibanez pedals, so I'm not too worried.

No idea.

Amazing chorus pedal! I've been playing 12 years and this is the best. If this was stolen, I'd buy another in a hearbeat! I wish it had a volume knob as well, but it doesn't really need it. I chose this because I got a good deal on eBay, and it's analog and I love analog tone. It definitely is going to help me create more soundscapes with my band. Within 5 minutes, I had written a riff just using this pedal, a riff which sounded dull and lifeless without the effect. Overall, pretty amazing chorus pedal!

Just two knobs: choose speed and width of your effect and you're ready to go. Cakewalk.

Current setup:
Fender Stratocaster (Mexican) > Crybaby > TS9 > Fulltone DP-1 > CS9 > DE7 > Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp.

The sound quality is exellent. You can get a really effective 80's chorus tone (a-la Police or italian Vasco Rossi early songs) and the pedal does not affect your overall tone. It appears to me that the CS9, when activated, does boost your clean volume a little bit, but that's good in any case.
Another interesting sound solution is pulling the speed knob fully anti-clockwise and the width knob fully clockwise... you'll get an hypnotich flangering chorus effect (you may want to try it combining an overdrive also).

Seems very tough and well-made.

Never had any need.

I play with a Pop / Rock band and this pedal is very important in my setup. I can get tones from Police to John Scofield with ease.
Overall, this is a recommendable effect and it is very versatile: it's adapt for almost every need.

easy. I found this used ( not a re-issue ) in really good shape
( even the switch is nice ) for $60 in 2003.

strat >>> compressor >> sparkle drive >>>> chorus >>> tweed bassman re-issue. Not noisy - I hear no effect on tone when not engaged
( although I guess it is not true bypass - whatever that means ). After a few weeks messing with it I found one good setting speed at 2:00 and depth at 10:00 and it's been on my board ever since - same settings. slight volume increase when engaged - also slight treble boost - I like this volume increase ( it's subtle unlike the voodoo chorus which blows your brains out of your nose when you turn it on ) This pedal gives THE CHORUS SOUND - AS IN 1980's. I use it on maybe 5 songs in my cover band ( more than 5 and they stop dancing and start puking ) -No other chorus pedal ( or even amps with chorus ) give me this sound.

3 yrs heavy use.

pop - R+ B - rock , rockabilly - played a long time - like I said - this is a real chorus sound ( it has the shimmer ) - other boxes don't have the shimmer. If you want something other than chorus go get a voodoo chorus, fulltone, TC electronics, Boss, etc...I would try to find another one if I needed to.

After Seven Years of Scrolling through the Multi-Effects Menu mayhem, this is a sweet relief!!! Two knobs and a Footswitch - Dosen't get any more simple.

American Strat & Tele w\ Noiseless PU's > Maxon CP 101 Comp > MXR 10 Band EQ > Radial Tonebone Trimode > IBANEZ CS9 > Ibanez AD 9 > Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue.

Sound is totally subjective and I know what sounds good to me. I just ditched a Boss CH 1 at the Local Music Go Round for this pedal. I haven't tried many other Chorus pedals and now I don't feel the need to. This pedal is sweet from a mild Chorus to extreme; it's all there. Compared to the Boss: Ibanez sounds thick not thin. It's like the difference between Skim Milk and Pure Heavy Cream! *But you can dial in a light Chorus effect also. Great Stuff Ibanez!!!

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Play at Church \ Play 60's & 70's Stuff \ Mostly I'm a Juke Box Hero type player sitting in my Living Room

Very, very simple with just two knobs but the controls do have a very good range.

JJ guitar to effects to ampeg valve amp. The CS9 does the sound of Ali Farka Toure playing through his Roland Jazz Chorus amp. This pedal will give you everything from warm and rich to eighties kitsch to John Scofield and more. Mine is an original black label. I've noticed a little static hiss everytime the effect is played - put this down to the age of the pedal. It is not noticeable at gig volumes. I understand that the second output "INV" is an inverted signal out and you can hook up the pedal straight to another amp. The sound is always warm and highly musical even at its most modest application. Adds a lovely space to chords at its lower settings.

The guts of this pedal are in a very robust casing - much heavier than boss. The pedal has been gigged heavily and has withstood the ravages of time and stomping feet. The led is nice and bright. I would gig this without back-up.

Never dealt with Ibanez. I wonder if they would be happy to support a twent-five-odd year old pedal now that they've had the good sense to reissue it? For that alone, I'll give this section an eight for bringing the CS9 back. I consider this customer support of a kind.

One of the best chorus pedals out there for the money. Still cheaper than buying the reissue. Warm, rich and musical sounds only from this little fella. Even at the extreme and silly end of its range the sounds have a twangy and flutey rather than too metallic a quality to them. Unbeatable sounds and value from a stereo chorus.

Two knobs, speed and depth - and that's it! There's a little pamphlet in the box with instructions in multiple languages, but I just glanced at it.

I have all types of amps, but I'm basically using it to cover gigs where I'm playing in the studio or small rooms, so I'll probably be using it with a small Fender amp for the most part. It sounds fine though just about everything.

There's a pretty low noise floor for a stomp box, so that's good. The chorus effect isn't
over the top - the depth setting is subtle, so you can't make it warble uncontrollably. It's very musical. It's definitely got the Andy Summers/Police thing going on.

Just got it, so it's too early to tell, but if it's like my old TS-9 tube screamer, then it'll be around for decades...

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I do a lot of recording, and occasionally gig out. Lots of gear options here. The CS-9 sounds so 80's - can you say "skinny ties?" - and that's what I was looking for. It's not the most radical sounding chorus, but I have other stuff to get wacky warbling and flanging effects, if needed.

I have to say that the CS-9 sounds pleasing - it's not fatiguing to listen to, even after using it for an extended period. There are other modulation pedals and rack effects that are more versatile and tweakable, but the CS-9 is nice and small, and I can toss it in a gig bag and go. Between a good overdrive and an analog or digital delay, the CS-9 fills the modulation slot nicely.

If there's any drawback to it, I'd say that it could use a greater range for the depth knob. But that's really a minor quibble...

I've seen it priced at $120, which seems a little high. Fortunately, I caught this one on clearance, brand new at $75 bucks, which is about right.

easy

I have owned mine about 30 years. What's strange is that after reading all the reviews NOBODY mentions making use of the 2nd output ( labeled "inv out") !! I had tried different ways to get a 2 amp set up for gigs - Have tried the delay box thing where one amp gets only the dry and the other the wet+dry - also tried a simple Morely ABY and run 2 amps. Neither of these sounded right. A few years ago I tried this with the CS9 - It's now the last box in my pedal board chain - I send it to 2 small class A amps ( Gibson GA15R and a Badcat cub) (you don't need big amps for this deal) It gives me a wonderful large sound-stage effect - fills up a room and also great outdoors. It's sort of a stereo "emulation" I guess. I'm spoiled and would not be happy to return to the one amp sound. It works when the CS9 is switched on OR off. I actually only use the chorus effect in 3-4 songs but I have the pseudo-stereo thing all the time -

Like I said - 30 years.

don't know

have played 40 years - now in a poprock/R+B cover band - parties - dancing - I would need to replace this if it went bad - I suppose the reissues would be ok.

2 Knobs...speed and depth. It can't get much easier than that.

I should note that this review is for the CS-9 reissue. I bought this pedal along with a Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus and a Boss CE-2 and am writing this review because the Ibanez is the pedal I chose to keep. I a/b'd all of the pedals live with my band for real working conditions.

First off, the Voodoo Lab pedal was highly dissapointing. The chorusing is nice but not as nice as the Ibanez or Boss. But what was most frustrating about the Voodoo Lab pedal was the strange volume/treble boost the pedal gives when engaged. It was not as big of concern if I was playing straight out clean but with any OD it started to get annoying. Also, the Voodoo Lab pedal is probably the weakest quality construction of the bunch.

The Boss CE-2 is an excellent pedal. The chorusing is very warm and lush and there is no volume boost at all when engaged. I only decided not to keep the Boss because I liked the shimmer of the Ibanez better, others may like the vintage quality of the Boss over the Ibanez. Actually, if I could have my way I would use the Ibanez for all clean tones and the Boss for OD tones.

As for the CS-9...like I stated, it has a very nice shimmer to it for clean chording. No volume boost but there is a slight treble boost which actually enhances the tone IMO. Arpeggios sounded the best to me through this pedal as oppossed to the others. Not as much vintage quality as the Boss which some may like others not.

Seems well built!

I give this pedal a 9 because a 10 would be the best of the best and I am sure there are probably other high end chorus pedals out there that provide as good if not better chorusing. For the money this pedal is excellent and provides lush shimmery analog chorusing. It is a little more modern sounding than some of the other analog pedals but that was what i was looking for in the end.

Hmmm...... two knobs, one pedal. Go figure.

Sounds great. I'm always a big fan of suttle, yet resonant chorus. Something that is barely there, but makes a huge change in the feel. This does that to a tee. Does not interfere with your sound at all. This is a really great pedal. You can get that really warbly sound, but don't expect it to jump in volume or anything. Leaves your tone, but just layers it. I don't think this thing can get a super uber worldly sound, but that's not why you buy a vintage pedal or a reissue of a vintage pedal. I don't know if it is true bypass, but it sounds close. I use to have a small clone analog chorus pedal by Electro-Harmonix. That thing kind of colored your tone, and kind of did things with the volume. It sounded good, though, but it also only had a very limited range of chorus that I could tolerate. It went from too little chorus to too much chorus. This is a great pedal. You can really nail that classic 80's chorus. Think along the lines of The Police. I don't know exactly what a Leslie speaker is, or what it's supposed to be like, so I don't know if that's what people are looking for.

Had it for about 4 hours, played for 4 mins.

Read above.

This is a great chorus pedal. Don't think I'd buy another except for some $300+ vintage, fulltone, or lovetone pedal.

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.