Boss CE-2w vs Fulltone Choralflange

[Jack Clayton]

I'm considering upgrading to a chorus that can do something more akin to that lush CE-1/Roland jazz chorus sound. My price range is $150-200-ish. I've demoed the CE-2w in shops, and I've been impressed, but the Fulltone Choralflange sounds very impressive in demos, and has some nice vintage flanger sounds which would also be useful to me. Has anyone played both? Any thoughts?

Also, are there any other chorus options with that vintage tone that I should consider?

 

[Guitarteach]

I like my mxr analog chorus. Got bass and treble and mix controls to cover loads of vintage sounds.

Not tried the Fulltone chorus but like his other pedals I have.

if i was buying again, something with a lush 80’s multi chorus or Dimension C sound be good. i use the lexicon multi-chorus patch a lot in my rack based rig... lush is the word.. no detuning.

 

[Jack Clayton]

I like my mxr analog chorus. Got bass and treble and mix controls to cover loads of vintage sounds.

Not tried the Fulltone chorus but like his other pedals I have.

if i was buying again, something with a lush 80’s multi chorus or Dimension C sound be good. i use the lexicon multi-chorus patch a lot in my rack based rig... lush is the word.. no detuning.

I've used digital chorus before. It's good for what it's good for, but I'm looking specifically for analog in this case. I've used the mxr, and actually found it to be really muddy and inarticulate. I've heard so many good things about it, I wonder if I just had a bad unit.

Anyway, I do specifically want that CE-1 sound, which narrows things down considerably.

 

[The-Kid]

Id go CE2W here as good as Fulltone products. And they are good and I enjoy my OCD I cant Imagine anything replacing my CE2W.

 

[Jack Clayton]

Id go CE2W here as good as Fulltone products. And they are good and I enjoy my OCD I cant Imagine anything replacing my CE2W.

On further checking, I'll likely go with the CE-2w. After hearing more demos, the Choralflange seems to have a slightly less boutique sounding flanger, which means I'll likely just eventually get myself an Electric Mistress or something.

 

[D_Malone]

I’ve not tried the Fulltone, but I had the Boss and I thought it sounded gorgeous. My issue with it was the lack of a mix control. Way too much of a good thing for me.

 

[Jack Clayton]

I’ve not tried the Fulltone, but I had the Boss and I thought it sounded gorgeous. My issue with it was the lack of a mix control. Way too much of a good thing for me.

For a lot of applications, that's a big drawback. The main sound I use chorus for is that lush 80's New Wave sound, so subtlety isn't a big priority for me.

 

[E5RSY]

Mix? What's that?

 

[bluesholyman]

I'm considering upgrading to a chorus that can do something more akin to that lush CE-1/Roland jazz chorus sound. My price range is $150-200-ish. I've demoed the CE-2w in shops, and I've been impressed, but the Fulltone Choralflange sounds very impressive in demos, and has some nice vintage flanger sounds which would also be useful to me. Has anyone played both? Any thoughts?

Also, are there any other chorus options with that vintage tone that I should consider?

I tried the CE-2w but couldn't fall in love with it - sounded a bit on the bright side to me - maybe it was just "too much" in the mix for what I wanted. I can't comment on the full tone as I haven't had one of those. I went with a Digitech Nautila because I liked how it sounds and I can mix the how much is there with a few other tweak able things too. Its a bit warmer, less in your face than the CE-2w. Depends on what you want I suppose.

Best chorus I ever heard was a Coppersound Polaris - I aim to get this in the future....

 

[Jack Clayton]

I tried the CE-2w but couldn't fall in love with it - sounded a bit on the bright side to me - maybe it was just "too much" in the mix for what I wanted. I can't comment on the full tone as I haven't had one of those. I went with a Digitech Nautila because I liked how it sounds and I can mix the how much is there with a few other tweak able things too. Its a bit warmer, less in your face than the CE-2w. Depends on what you want I suppose.

Best chorus I ever heard was a Coppersound Polaris - I aim to get this in the future....

Not familiar with the polaris. I'll look it up. Thanks for the tip.

 

[soundchaser59]

Rivera 3D Chorus Shaman

I've seen a few used in very good condition for under $200. Built like a tank, hard to find because people keep them, they don't part with them.

 

[Jack Clayton]

Rivera 3D Chorus Shaman

I've seen a few used in very good condition for under $200. Built like a tank, hard to find because people keep them, they don't part with them.

That looks and sounds pretty sick. Looks like they generally go for a bit more though.

 

[Jack Clayton]

Mix? What's that?

I've heard some mixed reviews of this one. Some say it's brilliant, but others say it's noisy. I've had the mxr analog chorus, and was bothered by the noise on that one, which has kept me from ever giving this a go.

Gotta love a one knob design though.

 

[soundchaser59]

Looks like they generally go for a bit more though.

Yeah, looks like they have gone up in the last few months. I shoulda bought the one I saw last fall for $180, darn it.

 

[Jack Clayton]

Well folks, fate has made my decision for me. Today I found a CE-2w locally for $140. Since that's fifteen dollars cheaper than the cheapest I've ever seen one, I had to pull the trigger.

Only spent twenty minutes with it into my 68 custom Princeton, and I'm in heaven. Maybe I'll cross paths with a Choralflange one day, and I'll let you know how it stacks up. For now I've got absolutely no regrets on this pedal. Thanks for helping me make up my mind.

 

[jamesepowell]

Well folks, fate has made my decision for me. Today I found a CE-2w locally for $140. Since that's fifteen dollars cheaper than the cheapest I've ever seen one, I had to pull the trigger.

Only spent twenty minutes with it into my 68 custom Princeton, and I'm in heaven. Maybe I'll cross paths with a Choralflange one day, and I'll let you know how it stacks up. For now I've got absolutely no regrets on this pedal. Thanks for helping me make up my mind.

I'm looking to pick up a chorus pedal and I'm wondering how you feel about the CE-2W now that you've had it for a while.

I had a Boss CE-5 that was pretty old and it just up & died on me.

 

[ICTRock]

I'm considering upgrading to a chorus that can do something more akin to that lush CE-1/Roland jazz chorus sound. My price range is $150-200-ish. I've demoed the CE-2w in shops, and I've been impressed, but the Fulltone Choralflange sounds very impressive in demos, and has some nice vintage flanger sounds which would also be useful to me. Has anyone played both? Any thoughts?

Also, are there any other chorus options with that vintage tone that I should consider?

I built a clone of the retrosonic chorus (modded ce-1) ... got to be honest, pretty badass as chorus goes but I find running a decent analog flanger as a chorus pretty satisfying as well

 

[Jack Clayton]

I'm looking to pick up a chorus pedal and I'm wondering how you feel about the CE-2W now that you've had it for a while.

I had a Boss CE-5 that was pretty old and it just up & died on me.

Well, several months in, my opinion of the CE-2W hasn't soured. Again, I've never played a vintage CE-1, so I can't say how well it captures the sound, but I play my 335 through it on the CE-1 setting with rate and depth both at about one o'clock, and its just perfect. I've demoed some other choruses in the last few months as well, including the mxr stereo chorus and the walrus Julia. Nothing has knocked the CE-2w off my board yet. If you're looking, and you can afford one, I'd absolutely suggest it.

 

[artdecade]

^
Glad to hear it is working out for you!


I have a CE-1 - and although it is a nice unit - I think people over-value them. They are no more lush than CE-2, but you need to put up with their odd impedance issues, noise, power requirements, etc. The CE-1 has a tendency to attenuate the highs a bit so the lushness comes from the chorusing of the lows and mids. A chorus with a tone control will get you most of the way there.

The Fulltone is pretty cool too. It is more like the EHX EM or DMM than a typical CE-1/CE-2 type sound because the modulation sets it apart.

 

[jamesepowell]

Well, several months in, my opinion of the CE-2W hasn't soured. Again, I've never played a vintage CE-1, so I can't say how well it captures the sound, but I play my 335 through it on the CE-1 setting with rate and depth both at about one o'clock, and its just perfect. I've demoed some other choruses in the last few months as well, including the mxr stereo chorus and the walrus Julia. Nothing has knocked the CE-2w off my board yet. If you're looking, and you can afford one, I'd absolutely suggest it.

Thank you for the reply. I've been leaning toward the CE-2W and mostly the price has held me back. I got most of my pedals some time ago and I think all of them were bought used. I don't remember paying more than $100. I'm trying to keep spending down in these trying times.