Behringer, German builder of outrageously affordable guitar pedals, has released images and preliminary details on its latest stompbox, which appears to be a clone of Boss’s beloved CE-1 Chorus Ensemble.
Judging from images posted to the Behringer Facebook page, accompanied by the caption “Time for testing…”, the company is sailing remarkably close to the original’s wind, employing the same Chorus Intensity, Vibrato Depth and Rate, and Level controls, along with the high and low preamp slider – all housed on a new downsized chassis, complete with a very familiar Chorus Ensemble font.
Mono and stereo outputs are, of course, onboard, as are the chorus pedal’s twin footswitches (which are, curiously enough, swapped around, with Vibrato/Chorus on the left and Normal/Effect on the right), but the unit also features a 9V power jack, as opposed to the original’s hardwired AC lead.
Further details are scarce, but from the comments section, we know the pedal will have true bypass switching. And yes, it is an all-analog design.
The arrival of these images seems particularly timely given the Boss original is a favorite of John Frusciante, who employed the pedal on new Red Hot Chili Peppers album Unlimited Love, which dropped on April 1.
First launched in 1976 and renowned for its lush BBD shimmer and spacious stereo effects, the long-discontinued chorus has been a mainstay of the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist throughout his career and appears on both his current pedalboards, while Alex Lifeson and Andy Summers are also known to have made use of the unit on several classic recordings.
Behringer is infamous for taking popular designs from other companies and making its own more affordable versions. The company has recently focused its efforts on discontinued vintage favorites, such as its take on the Mu-Tron Octave Divider, which launched in December for $99.
There’s no word on a price or release date for Behringer’s take on the Chorus Ensemble, but we’ll keep you updated as and when.
