An excellent digital chorus/vibrato/preamp that has idiosyncracies but overall, a great add

To be honest, I had some doubts about this pedal. It’s a digital re-creation of the classic analog CE-1 Chorus, and by extension, of the Roland Jazz Chorus sound—basically the same thing. What I was actually looking for was a vibrato, not a chorus. Still, more options can’t hurt, so I went to try it in a shop.

Long story short: I didn’t like it. I couldn’t find a setting that worked for me and walked away empty-handed. But a week later, it popped up new at half price. That felt like a second chance—so I grabbed it. And I’m glad I did.

As a chorus, it’s excellent. Only one knob is active in this mode, but I actually love the simplicity. Within seconds you can dial in Purple Rain or the outro of Under the Bridge. Super straightforward, no headaches.

Switch to Vibrato mode and the second knob (Rate) comes alive. Here, it’s easy to find a sweet spot—there aren’t really any “bad” settings. Even when the controls are cranked, it never becomes unusable (though I’d recommend keeping Depth before noon—it’s more than enough). I’m not sure it’s a pure vibrato, though. To my ears, the dry signal isn’t fully removed, so it feels more like a chorus with a triangle wave than a true vibrato. Maybe I’m wrong—specialists can weigh in. Perhaps it’s because the pedal isn’t stereo, so the signals have to be blended. Either way, I really enjoy it.

Funny enough, my bandmates always call it my “chorus pedal,” even though I mostly use the vibrato mode. I guess that’s how an outside ear perceives it.

But here’s the kicker: my favorite feature isn’t the chorus or the vibrato—it’s the preamp. There are four options:

Preamp fully off + true bypass (just the modulation).

Preamp on, with a boost when the effect is engaged.

Preamp off, but buffer on—handy on big pedalboards or with long cables.

Preamp on + buffer on—this gives you a constant boost and coloration, whether the effect is on or off.

And that preamp? It sounds amazing. It adds presence, character, and just a touch of volume. In the studio, through a pretty lifeless solid-state Marshall, it brought the amp to life. Legend has it this is John Frusciante’s secret weapon—I can’t confirm that, but I asked my drummer to compare my tone with and without the preamp, and for both of us it was night and day. With the preamp on, the amp just woke up. So now, even when the modulation is off, this pedal is basically always on.

Of course, no pedal is perfect. Two downsides:

1) The LEDs. There are four different colors for the four options, but honestly, I’d prefer one LED for “effect off but preamp/buffer on,” and another for “effect on.” Right now, the pedal can be working while looking off, which could be confusing if the preamp ever failed—it’d be hard to tell. Not a dealbreaker, though.

2) The boost. With preamp + buffer on, you still get an extra volume bump when you engage the modulation. Do you really need that, since the preamp is already boosting the clean tone? Maybe not. But in practice, it helps the vibrato cut through the mix—which is actually a plus, since effects like tremolos and vibratos often bury the guitar. So what looks like a flaw can actually be an asset.

All in all, I paid about €90 for a multi-purpose, great-sounding pedal with a killer preamp section. For that price, it’s hard not to say: long live digital!

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