Ibanez CS-9

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.

If you cannot get this thing running consider giving yourself up for braincell extension.

Wanted to have one because of the nice shimmery sound. Took a while but I got one finally.

Bought it (and knew that beforehand) broken as a box with loose parts. The prevous owner seemed to have attempted some tweaks but got lost. Took me three hours but I'm sure it's reliable now.

Ibanez isn't famous for support over here in Europe. Apart from that, the unit is some 15 to 20 yrs old.

Get yourself one before they're as booming as the tubescreamers do. These are wannahaves!

Two knobs...easy on the brain cells.

Hmm.Very nice!The CS-9 isn't as natural soundig as the CS-505.It has it's own high end shimmer which makes it just as useful.I think Funk/R&B and Acoustic people will like the CS-9 more.Jazzers and Rock dudes might perferr the 505.I use it for everything!
Tough choice...The CS-9 can get a nice vibrato,but not as powerful as the MXR(yellow).It's very quiet and friendly to most dist./od boxes.The 505 isn't as friendly.The CS-9 has an Andy Summers/Adrian Belew type of vibe.Beautiful sound!!

You won't need a backup.Very sturdy,just clean the switch once in a while.Light purple color,looks like boysenberry yogurt...YUM!

???

The CS-9 has a great reputation!It has an advantage over the Boss CE-2(Think I'll get one of those too)cause it's STEREO!!It's also more tweakable.The CS-9 is EASY on batteries and only needs ONE.The 505 needs TWO batteries and is kinda GREEDY.But I use a power supply anyway.CS-9's can also fatten up solos or add MEAT to chords,just turn down the depth and speed rates.Sometimes I can't decide on which chorus to use...CS-9 or 505?? That's how good it is.

Two knobs - come on!

Superior to everything I've heard. It has the ULTIMATE Leslie Sound, warm, very analog- Just cranck it. Listen to John Scofield's "Bump" or "A GOGO" to get the idea!

I rate this unit 8 because of the stupid switch - you gotta kick it real hard. Otherwise, it seems very(!) reliable

What do you exspect?!?! They Don't build them anymore, they are VINTAGE - Oooh baby!!! Prices are going up, if YOU want one go and get it today! Go! HURRY! ?HARHAR?

This box is THE BOX! It has unique, thick, very warm and analog Sound.
Plus: it has a certain charisma of plain coolness. AWESOME, and I got mine so cheap, HARHAR. IF I'd loose mine ( which i won't do) OR somebody would steal it I would replace it ( 100%).
This is the best - period

Two knobs - boss sized box, it doesn't get any easier to use

Great sounding chorus. Lush and warm and a slightly rough edge. Most 'warm' sounding effects are muddy and this never is. Unlike some other (like Visual Sound) choruses, this doesn'nt block out any frequencies. All the highs and lows are there. There is a tinge of roughness and very slight metallic top end. But to tell you the truth, this adds character and does'nt detract from enjoying the pedal. These can be picked up for very little money as well. 9.5 for sound.

Well the switches on these are not up to Boss quality. Sometimes you have to depress it a couple of times to engage the effect. Otherwise its solid.

I don't doubt there are better choruses out there. But not at this price. I've owned the Boss CE -2 (nice pedal), the Visual Sound H20 (not bad but overrated) and a Yamaha GW 10 multieffects ( not as good chorus as any of the above).

Chorus is not my favourite effect but I would concede that it is the most useful (I've played in a lot of top 40 rock bands). This is the best chorus that I have used.

very easy to get a good sound the best chrus i own u can get nirvana come as you are adds dimention to your i aleaws use it at the end of my efects chain

not noisy at all effect sound great the best chorus i own ibanez really outdone them selfes with the 9 series

these pedal are made to be around until the 2nd ice age

they need to improve in this area big time they hardly have any way for you to get spare paRTS

I LIKE THIS PEDAL IBANEZ 9 SERIES PEDAL ARE THE BEST SERIES IBANEZ EVER MADE ive been playing for 20 years and own over a 100 pedal this ranks as my fav

Very easy to use; only two knobs...

This is the most beautiful sounding chorus out there, true ecstasy to the ears. It'll make a flat sounding guitar or amp sound rich and textured. I bought this chorus pedal back in 1983 for the specific purpose of reproducing Alex Lifeson's sound on Permanent Waves. For warmth, analogue beats digital hands down. And amongst the 'stomp' effects that were put out during the '80s, I really rate Ibanez higher than any other---right across the board (except for many of their distortion pedals).

With solid cast-metal construction, this is about the most solid stomp-type effect I've found. Too many of the stomp pedals available during the '80s were made of non-durable plastic. These Ibanez effects swallow up batteries pretty good, so get an AC adaptor.

I have a number of these old Ibanez pedals, and so far this is the only one to give me any kind of trouble. I have to stomp on it a couple of times to get it to come on, and the nuts attaching the input/output jacks like to come loose. But this is mainly a factor of age, as the pedal is about 20 years old. I may go in there at some point and see if I can fix it. The sound is just incredible, however, and that's a testament in itself as to why I've held on to it for so long. It's my most treasured effects pedal.

Two knobs . . . monkeys could use it effectively.

I haven't heard too many choruses - the big ones, of course - like Boss, and the Electro-Harmonix stuff. But I guess I haven't really shopped around too much 'coz I've had nothing but good times with this pedal. Like most of the other guys said, there's a bit of a volume boost, but it's hardly enough to complain about, and I find that putting it through a compressor dulls the shine a little bit, so I put up with the boost. It gets a little sharp when the distortion is on, but I like it - others might not. I love the sound of a full chord when both knobs are cranked - it's just so . . . dizzying. And acoustics sound FANTASTIC through this pedal.

Umm . . the 9 series switches, of course. I'm lazy or I would have dumped the $15 into having it fixed. That's the ONLY thing that I think has given me a problem. It's built like a tank.

Never dealt with them.

I play a lot of Progressive/Grunge rock, and also a lot of classic rock stuff. It fits them all. I'll probably never get another pedal. If this one dies on me, I'd kill to get another one.
I play through Morley Dist/Wah/Volume > Dunlop Crybaby > E-H Big Muff > Boss CS-3 Compressor with the CS-9 and a Boss PH-2 through the effects loop on my amp (it's a neat old JMF Electronics Spectra 125 that needs a new speaker) and it sounds really great all the time.

2 knobs!! hw hard can it get! but then again...there are some people out there......

i own plenty plenty effects...have been through most choruses like e.h small clone, boss various models, arion fat chorus,dod's and i have stuck with my cs-9.the analog sound is just so sweet! sounds gd with distortion too but i do notice a change in volume when the effect is engaged but it's not a big prob..

totally reliable!solid metal case...this would survive a plane crash but the switch has probs though...one way to solve it is using an adaptor...

never dealt with them....

this is a great chorus pedal...you sure can get kurt cobain's sound thru this but seriouly...music is more than kurt...play it clean and it sounds really gd...try it with a accoustic..you would be surprised...i feel this has to be one of the better chorus out there and as usual, it is discontinued and from the 80's..for the price it's a gd buy...if i lost it i would definitely try to fins another one....the analog sound is just so essential to me but i heard the voodoo lab is greta too...tried it once...but a voodoo lab analog chorus at $20-$35?? get outta here.......

Very easy to get a good sound, just two knobs, tone and width. Pedals don't get any easier to use than this one.

i use a ton of pedals, here we go: boss tu-2> ibanez CS-9> dunlop Cry baby>Vox Valve Tone 810 > Maxon OD808 > Ibanez SD-9 > Boss MZ-2 >Maxon AD-80 > Boss Eq-7. This chorus sounds very thick and rich and is much more natural sounding than the boss CH-1 which I compared it against. I am using a Marshall DSL401 40 Watt combo. The settings on this pedal are kind of limited, but I get plenty of chorus from it.

Its the 9 series, The pedal sounds great but the switch is finiky. I hope cleaning the switch will help

why don't they reissue all of the 9 series pedals?

This is a great chorus pedal, I have not compared it to the boss CE-1, but I think this is a great pedal. I want to check out the maxon CH-505 reissue pedal, Maxon is the parent company to Ibanez and Maxon is reissuing the orginal line of Ibanez pedals, the line before the 9 series, so far I have the AD-80 and the OD808 and they sound great. If you can't find one of these used get a maxon CH-505, I am sure that it will be just as good as this one.

Only 2 knobs, the simpler, the better

Excellent Sound quality. I have tried many choruses and found this the best.I readed that it's a 20 years old model and it's an Ibanez, so do I have to say more?? I get my own sound with it. the only thing I didn't like is that when I pump in the effect, it affects the volume a bit, but I think is because I dont use a good amp (I have a crate GX15), or have a compressor/limmiter.

It's solid like a rock.

haven't deal.

I have been playing about a 1 year. If stolen, I will buy it again

Easy to use. Two knobs. No bad sounds but gets a little funky at the extreme.

Analog chorus - stereo outs. My rig changes daily but since I found this pedal it has never left my setup. I have a POD with built-in chorus and a Boss ME30. Although both have usable chorus there is absolutely no comparison to the sound that this old CS9 makes.

This is, and has been used, constantly over the past 17 or so years. I have never had a problem (not even with the switch). I always have some type of chorus available as a backup but this is the one that gets switched on without fail.

Huh?

A pawnshop gem. Beat up and not so flashy - I stole it for 35.00 CDN.
If you ever have the opportunity to get one of these do so. I have seen them on e-bay for over 150 US and they are worth every penny.

There's two knobs for speed (rate) and width (depth). the fact that the pedal has stereo outputs is nice as well. It's simple because it has no reason to be anything else.

I'm using this pedal in several setups which include crate and peavey amps (both tube and solid state models). The pedal sounds great for just about everything. It is certainly replacing my previous chorus (A Boss CH-1), it's a million times better. Nice thick and warm ANALOG chorus, and quiet to boot. Much better than anything digital made these days.

Ibanez 9 series pedals have a rep for bad footswitches. I own an SM-9 that gives me trouble all the time with the footswitch (I have to stomp on it sometimes 4-5 times to get it to switch on, going off there is no problem). However, there is no such problem with my CS-9. This is probably an issue that varies from pedal to pedal, so hope you get a good one.

It's a vintage pedal, and I've never dealt with Ibanez for anything else (I've never had to, their stuff is pretty reliable).

I've played many chorus pedals, owning a Boss CH-1 a Boss CE-3 and a Danelectro cool cat before I settled on this. This pedal blows the other three straight out of the water (especially the Boss pedals, the Dano is actually a good pedal). The smoothness and warmth of this pedal are simply undeniable and the sound would apply to any style of music,

Easy, two knobs speed & width.

Setup: Yamaha Pac812W, CS-9, Fender Hot Rod Deville.
Sweet, warm and clear Chorus. One of the best chorus around.
I compared it with a Boss CE-5, the CS-9 sounds much thicker, clearer and is easier to adjust.

No problems.

Never dealt with ibanez.

I play 70's funk en 90's rock and roll, but I think it is a great chorus for any Style

2 knobs, speed and width(depth). I got it used, so it didn't come w/ a manual (Or a battery cover, for that matter). turn the knobs about anyway ya like, there's a useable chorus in there somewhere for someone. Only gripe I have about it is that teh switch sometimes develops an attitude, but that's not all that uncommon w/ this series of pedals...not to mention it's like 15 or 20 years old... so the fact that it's still working good amazes me enough!9 for the switch.

My setup: Charvel and Gibson guitars, Fender twin-reverb amp(1980 silverface)... as for other FX: Rockman Wah, Cryababy Wah, Ibanez SM-9
Super Metal, TS-9 Tubescreamer, and the CS-9 Chorus...
It doesn't hardly add any real audible noise...if any at all...impressive for an old pedal!!! It doesn't have true bypass, but I can't really notice any tone sucking. The effect doesn't have a "level" knob, but the effect is set about just right, I think... it's noticable, but it's not overwhelming on your sound...nice!
As far as favorite artists... it does a fairly nice "Fake" or Kurt's Small Stone or whatever... but screw that, there's mroe to chorus than Nirvana.... Zak Wylde! I can get a pretty darn good emulation of the "No More Tears" album tone...spacey, and great sounding! It's not as "Dark" as Zak's (DOD?) chorus, but it still sounds good! Let's see: LOL, the 80's are full of chorus.... I can get a good Andy Summers tone, adn also a good "Glam Rock" tone...it's a good pedal! It also works well in my band..we play originals, and I can get a nice tone to my ears with it...it's nice!
Since someone can argue otherwise...

Well, it's a solid-steel tank!!!! I use this and my TS-9 as hand grips for push=ups, and it never even feels "wobbly" at all!!
The main gripe everyone(including myself) have with this series is the switches.... most of the time, it works great, flawlessly, perfectly..sometimes it takes a good stomp or two.;) But I generally leave it on pretty much all the time, so it's not really that big of an issue for me...but others could have a problem.
This replaced a Danelectro Cool Cat... I liked the Danelectro's sound, but htat %^&(%) thing at batteries soemthing awful, adn 2 at a time on top of that!!!! This one uses a single 9 volt, and it hasn't shown signs of "Power-Guzzling" yet...I will update if I'm wrong.
I could live w/out a chorus if it died live, so I dont particularly need a backup(Although I'll probably get one anyways;) ...
Again, the switch is the main issue here...so.....

I doubt they'd care too much about these old pedals...unless it was a tubescreamer...they need to re-issue the rest of the 9 series, these are some cool-ass pedals!!(Not to mention my "Originals" would be worht about as mucha s a tubesceamer;)
I've heard that you can get manuals from Ibanez, but I haven't tried yet. Since they havent doen anything bad to me yet..

It's a good chorus, get one if you can!

ONLY TWO BUTTONS. WOW HARD!!!! NO MANUAL!!!

THIS CHORUS IS VERY STRONG COMPARED WITH THE BOSS CH-1. VERY NICE CHORUS!!! TESTED IT WITH A DOD GRUNGE PEDAL AND IT SOUNDED GOOD.VERY RICH CHORUS.

YOU COULD DEPEND ON IT FOR SURE!!!!

VERY GOOD CHORUS.THE ONLY PROBLEM ON THIS PEDAL IS THE SWITCH. YOU REALLY HAVE TO STOMP THIS THING HARD!!!! I USE THIS FOR NIRVANA ETC. I ALWAYS BORROW THIS PEDAL FROM MY BANDMATE.

if you can't use this you're an idiot. 2 buttons! pretty easy. don't have the manual, but who needs it?

the chorus on this pedal is nice. it's not weak at all.this pedal is a lot nicer then the boss ch-1 which is very weak. i used it with a DOD metal and that sounded pretty good. you can get pretty close to the nirvana chorus. don't really need this for what i play(sonic youth, improvs) but it's still a good pedal.

yeah pretty dependable. dropped it a couple of times,stomped on it. i don't really abuse it,but it looks very strong. i don't use a backup when i gig. put in a new battery though.

i dunno! got it for free.

i ussualy borrow it to the other guitarist in my band. as i said,i don't really need it. if it where stolen i don't think i'd buy a new one since i don't use it that much. a good overal pedal though!

It only has 2 knobs so...

I am running my Mexican fender Strat through A Boss DS-2 Distortion first and then the CS-9 Into a Peavy Studio Pro 50 watt and a Fender BXR Bass Amp. I use it all the time just for the stereo output, and for the ocasional Nirvana Song. It doesnt make very much noise, exept the slight chorus shimmer. It very closely duplicates the sound of Kurt Cobain's Small Clone.

I can kinda depend on it, exept that it takes a couple stomps on the ol' box before it clicks on. I wouldnt use it at a gig without backup.

Never delt with em, but I plan on calling and asking about the footswitch

I play Grunge mostly, it is a pretty good match for Nirvana. If it was stolen, I would say "fuck it" and buy a Boss Chorus or a E-H Small Clone. I wish it clicked on right away without having to do it a few times.

This pedal is very simple to use. It has only 2 controls: Speed and Width. It is comparable to the early Boss CE-1, but I think it is much warmer sounding.

I think the sound quality is great (for the age of this pedal and the price I paid for it. I do notice a slight volume drop when this pedal is engaged.

This pedal has been very reliable, providing that a fresh battery is in the unit, or it is being powered by an adaptor. Otherwise, the pedal will not switch on very well. I sometimes have to stomp on it repeatedly before it will turn on. If the juice supply is hot this is not a problem. I have noticed this with all Ibanez effects built in the early 80's, and the reissues as well.

I would buy any "vintage" Ibanez pedal that is priced under $60. These pedals are well-built, they usually look and sound cool, and they provide a great deal of satisfaction. I usually use rack gear, and it is often nice to haul out my basket of effects when I get tired of the processed bullshit that my rack gear generates.