Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus

Square, sturdy metal box, one switch, two nobs. I've got the early version which doesn't have a status LED, so it couldn't be simpler, except of course without the status LED and with other effects and a whole band making your ears bleed, it's tricky to tell when it's on sometimes. Apart from that, as previous posts.

I play either a US "67 Reverse" Stratocaster loaded with stock single coils or a Gibson LP Junior with P90 soap bars, into a Boss CS-3 Compressor/Sustainer, Morley Classic Wah, Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, into my Marshall TSL 122 amp. The Analog Chorus and a Yamaha FL10M2 Flanger are both in my FX loop, with the loop level set at 8.

This unit is an exceptional chorus pedal, but I got MUCH better results patching it through the FX loop rather than between the guitar and the amp. Between the guitar and the amp I noticed a significant boost in output volume, along with some increased highs (treble frequencies) that almost acted like a solo boost, which was quite useable to just raise you in a live mix, but not really what I wanted: why, I've got a compressor and tube screamer for solo boost?

Patched through the loop on the other hand was a different story: still the creamy, trebly chorus sounds which can sound quite convincingly like a Leslie rotating speaker effect when the intensity dialled back, and rich, lush chorus with the intensity up! Perfect. Also through the loop it was possible to moderate the volume boost... now I'm in sonic heaven!!!

I've not had any problems as such... it doesn't take your standard 9v external power supply, and to change the 9v battery means keeping a screw-driver handy so it can be quite a hassle. Also no status LED. My drummer reckons he's an electronics whizz (a sentiment I don't share) so he tried to fit an LED, but try as he might he couldn't get the switching right for on and off so the LED was either always on or always off... we disconnected it in the end when he gave up, and now mine does have a little LED, poking out of a little hole we drilled, but it doesn't to jack sh1t! Looks cool though!

I've not had any reason to have to contact the company, but it does look like they do some lovely pedal boards! I like their kit on the whole.

I play frequently (at least once a week) with my band, practices, fun sessions and regular gigs. This setup is damned near perfect for blues and blues-rock that we play (SRV, Clapton, Allman Bros Band, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, CCR, Stones, etc). For those that might be interested I'm still saving up for my Guyatone Digital Delay and MXR Micro Amp and I'm going to be sorted for effects for good. This is the best chorus I've tried, but if I hadn't got an FX loop I would have traded this in for a unit that didn't have such an obvious boost to the volume and highs.

this pedal is piece of cake, just two knobs: intensity and speed.

I love this chorus. I`ve read other reviews and I think that the guys who say it sounds bad and makes noises must have the new version which comes with led. Well, I`ve got the old one (but I added this one a led for 10 bucks =) ) and I can only say that it gives me the warm sound I was expecting.
When I use it along with my EH holy grail, BOSS CS-3 and my BOSS DD-3 it sounds amazing!!! I prefer using it in the clean channel, by this way you can appreciate more the sound. It works excelent with distortion anyway. I use it with my BOSS DS-1.

Its built like a tank. This thing will remain for years.

never deal with them

I think this pedal is one I will keep. Now I want to switch to another chorus, I want to try the Visual sound H2O and the TC Electronic chorus, but I will not sell my Voodoo Lab and I will usit FOREVER BECAUSE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CHORUS I EVER HEARD.

Two controls - the basics for chorus. Speed & Intensity.

I won't go inito detail about the stuff that most reviews have covered. I'll just say there IS a volume boost when engaged, but it can be modded to remain at unity (see 3rd review below). It is noisy, but most apparent when hit with overdrives pre or post.

I'm a guy that overdosed on chorus in the 70's and swore I'd never use it again. Well, the 21st century finds me using this pedal to get un-chorus like sounds. I find the extremes provide a thickening at min and a nice leslie at max. Here's the trick. The ONLY way I can do this is by sagging the volltage down on my VL Pedal Power unit. It sounds a bit more lush with a battery than a straight 9 volt power supply, but sagging the voltage really adds a dimension to this pedal.

Ok, I had the switch replaced by Voodoo Lab. It's their weakness.
Other than switches, I've had no issues.

I've had to send two VL pedals for replacement switches. In both cases, I've spoken to the tech that does the work beforehand. He's very helpful and has come through on his promise of turnaround time (about 1 week on the bench).

I use this pedal for color, not for chorus. It colors my sound in a way I find musical. I perceive it as generally warm, eventhough it boosts the highs a bit. Without the ability to sag the voltage, I think it would be too bland.

Two knobs, one switch, it doesn't get much easier.

Okay, my rig is usually, various teles, budda wah, hbe power screamer overdrive, akai phaser, some type of chorus, carl martin delay, boomerang, fender twin. This pedal is not what I was hoping for. I have or used to have almost all other voodoo lab pedals, and they were all fantastic boxes, very well made, and prestine sounding pedals. While this pedal is still built like a rock, the sound is less than pleasing. As others have mentioned, there is a significant treble boost when this pedal is engaged. It starts around 10 K, and ramps up from there, so that the high end of your tone is very sharp and brittle sounding. The fact that the pedal is true bypass only accentuates the high end boost. I think the idea was a good one, the leslie like sounds this chorus can produce are very cool, but they need to rethink the treble problem.

As I said, all my other vl pedals are well built, and I would trust all of them to be stood on without breaking.

They're very cool about answering emails, and they seem very helpfull.

I just want to say, try this pedal with a good rig in the shop before you buy! I made the mistake of just hooking it up, in the midst of the usual kids cranking away at their Korn music, and couldn't get a good feel for the boost, until I opened it up at a gig, and almost took the head off my singer. I like to think I have good ear for tone, I work in a recording studio, and I've owned about every brand of effect out there. I'd check out the rocktron sunamy, or the yamaha ud stomp.

This is an update to my review below. Afetr doing a fairly comprehensive shootout between this pedal and the Boss CE-2, Ibanez CS-9, and Ross Chorus I have determined that this pedal is the weakest of the four. It has the vintange vibe but there is definitely a lack of warmth that both the Boss and Ross have and a lack of shimmer that the Ibanez has. Also, the weird volume/treble boost is very annoying and makes the pedal unusable for OD sounds. For $169 new this pedal is a rip-off!!!

I also discovered that the 2 resistors on the back of the circuit board rub against the back cover plate and actually wore off the metal paint coating. This was causing the pedal to cut in and out when I pressed down on it. I easily fixed the problem by putting a piece of electrical tape over the area but this is a fix that shouldn;t have to be done in the first place.

Not nearly as good as a CE-2 or Ross which can be bought used for less than the Voodoo Lab.

This is an update to my January review. I was noticing a slight boost in volume when using this pedal. It got to the point where it was annoying, so I called Digital Music. The guy who answered was totally cool. He told me to send it in and they'd mod it for me at no charge! It took a few weeks, but I got it back and there's no more volume boost. I consider Voodoo Labs stuff to be the best bang for the buck, and this level of service just makes these pedals an even better value!

Very easy to use, there are two knobs: Intensity and Speed.

Well, I concur with a lot of the other reviews that say the chorusing can be subtle. Not until you turn the intensity to at least 75% do you start to get a prominent swirling sound. For users who like a more prononced chorusing, this pedal may dissapoint you. I, on the other hand, use chorus to less as an effect and more to fill out my sound so the subtleness works perfect. The actually chorusing is very nice and lush and defintely on the vintge side of things. As for the volume boost, I don't notice too much with clean tones but with OD tones it is more apparent.

Built very well with all metal casing. Should last a long time.

I can't compare it to the old boss chorus that it is patterned after because I have never p[layed that pedal but this pedal should meet my needs well. The chorusing sounds very nice but is on the subtle to medium swirling effect spectrum as compared to other pedals. IMO it is probably not worth the price new so buy it used!

Easy - Two knobs - Intensity and Volume. A monkey could work it.

There are two distinct versions of the Voodoo Lab Analag Chorus - the older one without a led and the newer one with a led. The older version blows the newer one away. The older chorus has greater intensity and is very lush and thick when played clean. The newer one lacked the intensity I was looking for. I tried the newer first and couldn't figure out why people liked these. Then I tried the older version and fell in love with the sound - lush and intense plus the speed can be set very fast for a Leslie sound.

Both versions leave your guitar's original tone unaltered. Neither of them brightens your tone like an Ibanez CS-9 for example. I do get a slight volume boost when I turn it on, but I don't have a noise pop when I turn it on. It runs fairly quiet although it seems I can detect a slight chorusing sound bleeding through when it's turned off, but only when the amp is at very loud volumes. The chorus sounds good with distortion as well, but really shines when played clean.

I run the chorus in the effects loop of my Peavey Ultra 212 with a Guyatone MD3 Delay and Mutron Phase II. It sounds good with my '76 Les Paul Custom and my 90s Japanese Strat. Ratings? The old version gets a 9 or 9.5. The new version only about a 6 or 7. It just lacks intensity.

Very reliable and built like a tank. I gig without backups.

Haven't used them.

I've been playing rock and roll since the mid 70s. I mainly play classic rock, but cover a variety of other styles in our cover band. It has a great 70s chorus sound; very analog. I've compared it to a Rocktron Tsunami (which is very good also just a different type of chorus sound), Boss CS-9, Boss CE-5, and some other newer cheaper choruses. I like how the older Voodoo Chorus doesn't alter my original tone and creates a lush, thick chorus.

This is a MONO chorus pedal. Know that before you consider buying it. I wanted a mono pedal, so I like it.

This is an easy pedal to use, with "Intensity" and "Speed" knobs. The jacks are mounted on top; I've had three Voodoo pedals in a row on my board, and they sit right up against each other. Wish all pedal makers would to this.

Current Setup: Musicman SSS Silhouette Special/HSS Silhouette > Boss TU-2 tuner, Guyatone ST-2 Comressor > Teese RMC-1 Wah > Proco Rat Douchetone > Voodoo Sparkle Drive > Voodoo Analog Chorus > Guyatone FL-3 Flanger > Ernie's Balls Volume Pedal > Mesa Boogie Mark I Reissue (set on "Tweed").

My Analog Chorus is not noisy, even on high settings. There is a slight volume boost, which is an intentional design feature of many modulation pedals.

The range of the effect goes from almost-nothing to a warm shimmer and sounds great with arpeggios, intervals and chords. There are no super-deep, extreme sounds on this one. I compare it to my old Ibanez C-series chorus: The tone is fantastic, but I wish I could get a little more of it.

It's definitely an analog pedal--when I A/B it against the different choruses in my Boss VF-1, it's like my tone is marinated in the Voodoo tone, and the digital tones are like a sauce was poured on my tone.

My Analog Chorus works well with mild distortions. I wanted a James Honeyman Scott sound, and I can get it with the Sparkle Drive in front.

I've never owned a CE-1--which this is supposed to be a clone of--so I can't say if it's faithful or not. I've downgrading a little because I would have liked a little more depth.

I own four Voodoo Labs pedals and a pedal power. They've all stood up well to rehearsal and live abuse. If this pedal fails at a gig, it'd be because someone hit it with a sledgehammer, in which case I wouldn't need a backup because I'd whup the guy's ass, thus ending the gig.

I've asked questions by e-mail and by phone, and the folks at Digital Music have always been friendly and cooperative.

My current band is hard rock, which I'm trying hard to keep from straying into the forbidden territory of prog-rock. The Analog Chorus is great for classic rock tones.

I've been playing for 21 years and have owned hundreds of effects. This one is definitly a keeper.

I love the warmth and the organic response. I wish it had more range.

Overall, this is an excellent pedal for analog lovers.

I recently ditched all my digital gear and replaced the EMGs on my guitars with medium-output Bill Lawrence pickups. Some pedals in my arsenal that I loved no longer sound as good. When people go on tirades about how a pedal sucks, is noisy, etc., a lot of the time it's because that pedal just doesn't work with their rig and/or playing style. When you're in the market for a new pedal, kids, take your axe to the store and try it out first.

Why is the company called "Digital Music" when they make analog pedals?

The Voodoo Lab Chorus is easy to use. Two knobs. Speed and intensity.

I'll note right off the bat, I didn't have this very long so read at your own risk. The chorus itself sounded quite good other than the fact that it did have a noticable amount of noise. I didn't have it long enough to really decide if it was going to pose a threat to my sound but it was a bit noisy. Also note that I bought this pedal used off of ebay so theres to telling what it went through. The owner said it was used very little even though he had it for 2 years. My main problem with it was that the speed knob didn't seem to do anything from about 11 O'clock position on the knob down to full counter clockwise. (Slowest speed) It's slowest speed wasn't as slow as some of the other pedals I've checked out. Boss, etc.. Obviously there was a problem with the pedal. There was a bit of a volume boost too. For some people that is a good thing. For me, I would rather not deal with volume levels in the middle of a solo. My feet are busy enough without having to resort to my Ernie Ball volume. Not to mention my hands being all booked up too. I read all of the reviews on this pedal before I bought it as with most of the other gear I buy. I see that most of the reviews concerning the volume boost and loud clicking sound when activated are pretty accurate but I had to see for myself. The true bypass is a very good thing. I think that has something to do with the boost and for the clicking noise, thats just the nature of the switch used. They do have good switches. This one pedal might very from the same ones just like it, but for me it just didn't cut it. I would like to check out some of the other Voodoo Lab pedals like the micro vibe, and the tremolo. These two are likely to be winners. I've read reviews on these too. But of course it boils down to if I like it or not. It seems as though people who have used this and is not happy with it's performance try chours pedals like Boss, Visual Sound H2O Liquid chours and echo, Analog man (A bit on the spendy side but the reviews on that thing are high numbers), Way Huge Blue Hippo, etc...

I see this in a lot of professional setups but who knows how musically demanding they are? Noise might just fit their bill! I didn't have it long enough to find out.

These guys are great to deal with! Very friendly, and professional. John Aycock and his staff are very educated in the field they are in. I talked with him and his staff on the phone as well as email and got fast responses. John told me that his personal Voodoo Lab chorus's speed will slow to an almost nonexistant speed. The boost issue can also be tailored also. They charge a minimal shop fee of $35 not including parts. I was told that the loud switch is normal for Voodoo Lab pedals. Now, the loud switch I mentioned earlier is just the switch itself not in the circuitry. I just got my money back for the pedal.

I have quite a diverse style ranging from Malmsteen type classical to country. Mainly in the Rock/Heavy Melodic Metal/Guitar instrumental 80's glam genre. I fool around with my own music mainly. I've never been the "Cover song" type. A chours pedal is useful in the music I play, but I don't think the Voodoo Lab chorus will cut it. I thought about giving Analog Mike a try.

I've been playing guitar since 1990 and piano for 15 years before that. I play a strat plus with all the goodies, and an Ibanez RG series. Currently I have this for gear but is always subject to change! Not in this order:: Boss Keeley modded BD-2, Keeley modded MT-2, Keeley modded DS-1 Ultra (and will soon have two Keeley modded TS9s, and a Keeley Compressor. Yes his stuff is really that cool!!) Morley Bad Horsie Wah, Ernie Ball 6165 stereo/pan volume pedal, Morley Sapphire Flanger, Boss DD-5 delay, FS-5U for the tap tempo, soon to have the Boss DD-6 and another FS-5U, Tech-21 midi mouse, for my midi rack devices, Morley ABY, and lots more rack gear, Peavey Delta Blues 210, and will have true bypass switching for ALL devices used, except of course for the already true bypass units,. Loooper will be providing the switching and means for routing pedals and other gizmos. It will actually be rather confusing for a while but well worth it. I'm building my own custom pedal board made with the best of the best supplies!! Titanium bases for rust prevention and corrosion resistance. Light weight, as strong as steel but 40% lighter, bullet-proof polycarbonate second tier for the less used pedals or the non true bypassed ones, stainless steel fasteners, rubber feet, onboard power supply, built in carry handles, etc.. I'm in the middle of building it right now but have most of the fabrication complete. I just have to get the rest of my gear together to put on it. The Boss pedals are fastened to the board by little metal clips and rubber grommets and stainless allen screws for a very secure, theft-proof installation. I have a cable lock system for the rare pedals. Yeah this thing is serious!! I'm going to build them on a custom order basis.

I didn't have the pedal long enough for it to be lost or stolen but would probably replace it with another type of chorus pedal. I did like how small it was, but couldn't justify having it in my rig.
The true bypass is a very good feature as with all of their pedals! Want the inside scoop on having the "Good gear"? Well, spend countless hours researching on the web, go to your favorite bands websites and see if you can read about or see what kind of gear they use, then go here to Harmony Central to find out what all the hype, if any, is all about, go to music stores and listen to awesome players play display gear and when there done go up and ask them questions. We love that. But don't just settle for others opinions, try it out for yourself. Also I have noticed websites selling rack gear, pedal boards, amps, guitars etc.. usually have a customers pics link somewhere. I do that alot!! If you want good stuff, be prepared to pay!! You get what you pay for most of the time!! Thanks for reading and feel free to email me danafoxx@comcast.net