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Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus
Voodoo Lab guitar effect pedals are faithful recreations of the most sought after pedals of the '60s and '70s. Handcrafted from the finest modern and vintage components, these pedals are housed in rugged, die cast aluminum cases with heavy duty metal switches. All Voodoo Lab guitar effects are 100% analog, handwired, and feature true bypass switching.
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Strikingly vocal with a distinctive organic tone, the Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus is the only true sonic replica of the most sought after chorus of all time– the 1976 CE-1. Its lush, focused tone is the standard by which all other chorus effects are measured.
The Analog Chorus is capable of a wide range of sounds from a thick analog doubling, to an ultra-lush chorus, and even a Leslie rotating speaker.
"The Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus is a faithful sonic clone of the old CE1...warm, pulsing and sexy” -Guitar Player
“Warm where many other products are seemingly sterile and cold” -Guitar World
“This is the best chorus I’ve ever used” -Tim Pierce, L.A. session player
Guitar World Magazine Analog Chorus Review
The Magic Is Back
By Mike Bieber
Once upon a time (the Ronnie Reagan years, to be precise), the almighty chorus pedal was the hippest, most happening stomp box you could find–its lush, three-dimensional textures ubiquitously ensconced in airwaves and record grooves. And, if its popularity can be attributed to anyone in particular, then former Policeman Andy Summers--stand up and take a bow! Arguably more than anyone, Summers foisted the chorusy guitar sound into the pop landscape, with everyone–including six-string demigods like Eddie Van Halen and even jazzbo Pat Metheny–soon incorporating the effect into their own tonal palette. Also, combined with a boatload of high-gain distortion, the chorus was tantamount to that Rocktron-esque guitar tone equally omnipresent in the Eighties.
Of course, we ain't in Kansas anymore, and perhaps that chorusy tone seems as hip as a Yamaha DX-7, "Der Kommisar" and Sonny Crockett. At least, the much-copied tone Summers deployed on a tune like "De Doo Doo Doo" seems a bit out of sync in the high-gain Nineties. Does this mean the chorus pedal is irrelevant in these vintage-inspired times? Hardly. The Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus pedal, in fact, more than ably demonstrates myriad uses of the chorus effect, far beyond the way it's been exploited in the past.
The Voodoo Lab chorus pedal is bare-bones simple, with only two parameters–speed and intensity–and an on/off footswitch that completely bypasses the effect's circuitry. Interestingly, it's a faithful recreation of the world's very first chorus pedal–the boss CE-1, which was unleashed in 1976 and quickly scooped up by Senor Summers. (Actually, all the Voodoo Lab pedals are pretty accurate reproductions of sought-after pedals of the sixties and seventies.)
Powered by either a 9-volt battery, or an optional AC adapter, the Voodoo Lab pedal has only one input and one output jack, and unlike more sophisticated chorus pedals on the market, its monophonic. Lack of stereo capability is nevertheless keeping with the less-is-more approach here. In fact, it sorta paves the way for you to find some decidedly more adventurous tones than the typical, lush, chorus sound.
Nevertheless, the Voodoo Lab chorus indeed pulls off the lush thing, most prominently with the speed set at 3 o'clock and intensity at 12. At its most subtle, the effect provides a sultry depth and dimensionality that isn't there otherwise. While at its most obvious, the effect yields a throbbing, otherworldly vibrato reminiscent of the thing that inspired chorus pedals in the first place–the Leslie speaker cabinet.
The Bottom Line
Whatever the application–whether for sprucing up otherwise lack-luster guitar tones, or for providing a dramatic contrast when used sparingly–Voodoo Lab's replica of the godfather of chorus boxes proves to be a no-nonsense device that's warm where many other products are seemingly sterile and cold, at a come-hither price.
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