Retro-Sonic Chorus Vs CE-1

[FlankinspanK]

Both sound great. Im looking for a CE1 clone. The Retro sounds a bit like there are more mid frequencys present and the CE1 is more transparent/brighter in comparison. Maybe with an EQ and some mid scooping, the Retro may sound near identical to the CE1.

[CosmicXRay]

excellent A/B demo – thanks!

;~)

[DaMusicMan203]

what a size difference XD

[theclanmorrison]

Hey Geoff, I used to come and see you play at the Espy with Colours and then The Truth of course,Yes i still have your first album and still play it. Anyway I'm lucky enough to own a CE-1, but wow this Retro-Sonic is kick arse! Of course it's not a CE-1 but a great alternative to carrying the the big fella on a pedal board.Thanks for the Demo,Really handy.

[petejt]

The CE-1 sounds more "gooey" in the mids, more syrupy. As I said 3 months ago, it's slightly more thicker and swirly. The Retro Sonic is still good though, probably the best substitute.

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

Hey guys. This has got me thinking. Perhaps the CE-1 has a buffering circuitry? That could explain why many are hearing more of the highs coming through. The Retro-Sonic Chorus only has true bypass, and the patch cables may affect the tone a little. Granted, having a pedal with good buffering circuitry before the Retro-Sonic Chorus should help things along...

[petejt]

The CE-1 sounds so much more thicker and swirly. I prefer it to the Retro-Sonic

[timmybass69]

if you guys couldn't see what pedal was engaged you'd never know the difference. the retro-sonic is just as good as the ce-1.... and yes, i own them both.

[jasoncee123]

ce1 lets more highs through. really sounds great. the other one is trying too hard; has too much vibrato.

[alexjamess]

CE-1

[AlembicVapor]

The Ibanez FL99 "Classic Flange" blows both these pedals out of the water.

[alpine5909]

totally different animal

[skurtix]

Very little perceivable sound difference to my ears. The Retro-sonic is a hair brighter, but it'd be hard to tell in a mix

[davidtheguitarman]

how can you recording and playing guitar at the same time?

[ghaibboy]

anyone here know.. how much mA this pedal need power ?

im searching every where but i dint find information about it.. :(

[FFGG22E]

Best chorus: DOD FX60. Can't go wrong.

[BluPup8]

Great demo method, well done mate. Yeah they are soooooo different sounding lol. Sheesh that nails the CE-1 amazingly well. If you want that sound just get the retro sonic and stop stressing people. Also don't rule out a used Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus if you are thinking along the lines of the CE-1 style.

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

@BluPup8 To add further, IMO, I've A/Bed between the Retro-Sonic Chorus and Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus, and the former sounded more lush and shimmery...

[gtrslgr]

I had a Retro sonic and it cut all my high end. I had to sell it. The original you have sounds warm and still keeps the high end. GOTTA HAVE IT!

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

@gtrslgr I take it you've run buffers through the signal chain. Cause the Retro-Sonic Chorus is true bypass, and any extra cable you added to the signal chain will inherently cause the high end to be attenuated. Could try better quality cables as well. Hope that helps...

[smelliot95]

Boss just beats the retro sonic in chorus mode, but the real difference is in the vibrato mode. Boss is just so much more authentic sounding.

[brandon672008]

theres definitely a difference. the ce-1 is brighter (and nicer sounding). ive read and heard so much about the retro sonic being an EXACT CLONE of the ce-1. its still extremely good though.

[bingefeller]

To my ears the Boss CE-1 is brighter sounding.

[joepye]

I agree , but ever so slightly , not much in them at all , Retro sonic have done a great job in trying to replicate the CE-1 sound .

[6stgsamurai]

I'm sold! Selling several crappy old units on ebay to buy this one! In your experience does it seem a bit deeper on its bass response? Checked out your band btw, and you have awesome tone!

[Ilovemyfender2]

I am so jealous of your pedals! Good stuff.

[adam79adam79]

chorus sounded equally as good, but the ce-1 killed in vibrato mode.

on another note, it sucks that all the chorus demos are just on the clean channel.. it would be nice to see how they sound with some distortion.

[fullmetalfunk]

Thank you. That's one of my main concerns in a chorus pedal, how it handes gain.

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

It handles gain quite fine, even for 80s hair metal tones...

[fullmetalfunk]

Cool. I think I'm going to end up getting a Japanese made CE-2 though. The CE-1's are just so hard to find and so expensive.

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

80s hair metal anyone???

[ItaloBen]

I have listened to this demo at least a dozen times, and I honestly can't tell a difference. I'm going to order a Retro Sonic this coming week. They sound wonderful!

As for the comments, I can't say having an older and more noisy chorus would be worth the tip-top high end.

[KyleM43]

the CE1 has a little more sparkle and higher mids but they both sound fantastic

[ChickenRapist]

The Ce-1 sounds nicer with the high end..

[kuzinit]

Ce1-rules but its close. the leds on the retro are backward. That would take me awhile to get used to. Ive had my ce-1 for 20 years. Built like a tank!!!!!!

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

@kuzinit Yeah, the LEDs are "backwards" purely because everything including the inputs and outputs are reversed, as most pedals generally have the inputs coming from the right. Just different conventions really...

[vegunited06]

Retro Sonic wins

[carltonluke]

Ce-1 is far superior IMHO, but for the money they cost...

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

Not sure where you came up with that one btw...

[Kitarist88]

retro sonic has less bas but i'm sure this could be adjusted

[nissanskyline16]

the retro sonic has more bass actualy i have used both i own a retro sonic wish i owned the real thing lol

[jdiuurdfsds]

Do you know a (clone) pedal that is close to the CE2? Or is the "Retro CE1" close, soundwise?

[Ombrenuit]

The only pedal that I think sounds anything like the CE-2 is the BBE Mindbender; unfortunately no clones

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

Those Analogman choruses are pretty similar to the CE-2s I reckon...

[schemingdemons]

The Boss sounds better to me.

[stratoman725]

Retro Sonic wins! Smaller more compact, runs on a standard power supply, and has true bypass. Is this pedal good for live use?

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

It's definitely a reliable pedal for live use. I've personally never heard from other Retro-Sonic Chorus users that theirs has ever broken down, though I only know a handful of people that have told me so. None the less, I own one, and I reckon it's built very well for live use. Also, if it breaks down, you can get it serviced (except maybe the IC, which has been discontinued for some time), and not worry about breaking a vintage pedal that you love ie Boss CE-1 Chorus...

[subinbar]

the CE-1 has more shimmer in the high end. But the space of the retrosonic makes it a winner.

[amarr1]

no noticeable difference at all

[davidtheguitarman]

MAYBE, the ce-1 it's a little bit more trebly...

[dancehallc]

Wow, the R-S chorus sounds great, VERY close to the CE-1. The vibrato is kinda disappointing though, maybe it was just your settings but it sounded muddy and more artificial.

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

Not sure, maybe you might have found the Retro-Sonic Chorus depth setting for the vibrato a tad too high. None the less, I have the Retro-Sonic Chorus, and I love that pedal, possibly the closest sounding replica to the CE-1...

[soundgardener75]

Great demo dude! It's your fault for giving me GAS! JK!

That Retro Sonic is a great alternative, tone and size wise for the gigging musician. I wish more demos were done this way.

[Macmax7077]

when i listen to you guys talking about the difference i wonder, i mean , it is too small to be noticed in a band environment.

I think the Retro-sonic sounds great!

[rjetpereira]

I'm thinking about getting a loop master. Can it put the same pedal in more than one loop or can only one pedal stay in one loop?

[lafayetteHH]

great shootout, thanks man! I got the Retro Sonic some days ago and love it. It adds somme mids to the sound and makes it warmer, which the original didn't do. I prefer the original CE-1 , but the Retro Sonic is as close as it gets.

[sexysmoking18]

i have the rs chorus too its great its best chorus ive ever used it reaslly is soo close to ce-1 i could only spot one difference bewteen them

[thehunjo2]

the boss ce-5 sucks

[OddArneOseberg]

I rally hoped I wouldn`t, but I really prefer the original. PLease tell me yo tried to trick us with the camera movement. lol

[wahwahwells]

Hehe...no, there were no tricks! I prefer the original too, but the Retro-Sonic is a lot more 'gig friendly' and close enough to that classic sound to do the job. Now the CE-1 is enjoying its retirement at home!

[Samesama]

@wahwahwells Agreed with you both. But it's... close.

[ScottFairley]

Great clip, many thanks.

The difference between the two is incredibly small. Had I not seen you switching, I doubt I'd have been able to tell the difference. So I tip my hat to Retro-sonic for bringing the holy grail chorus sound to the masses

[REMchout]

nice comparison...diggin' the retro-sonic stuff.

[massdoll]

CE-1 is the first, classic, exelent but Arion SCH-1 is better

[razorbladesonata]

The CE-1 IS the holy grail..nothing even comes close, not even this copy. I will always use the CE-1.

[discotechwreck]

really? I would say the Retro-Sonic is a little bit brighter but it's pretty much spot on and it's a third of the size plus true bypass.

the only thing as good is the Diamond Halo Chorus - which I'm getting!

[razorbladesonata]

Well, the reason I use the CE-1 is for it's warmth. Run in stereo through 2 stacks plus another line out from a DL4 into another stack is pure heaven. Only when you fully crank it can you hear the true difference. I have tried out others but they can't compare. Try out a Double Beat AD-50 with the CE-1 and you'll see what I mean.

[discotechwreck]

I can't believe my previous comment got marked down - it's an opinion!

The Diamond Halo Chorus I find equally warm. I don't think you can be subjective about pedals. The sound you have described using stacks, a DL4 and an AD-50 I just wouldn't like. I hate wah and fuzz.

Just my opinion.

[stratojetb47]

The CE-1 sounds more natural at the fastest rate. I own one but it is not on my pedal board. Too heavy and bulky (and not true bypass). It is a 1976 in 10/10 condition and I still have the original box!

[Andronicus2007]

The Ce-1 sounds a little muddier, but can you muddy up the retro-sonic by turning down the brightness a bit? Retro sonic sounds great I think! I've heard people describe the CE-1 as "organic" sounding, muddy and warm perhaps, but there are alternatives out there these days! Not that theres anything wrong with the CE-1, but its not some holy grail!

[KHGuitarFreak1988]

There's no tone control on the Retro-Sonic Chorus. So unless maybe you change certain components on the pedal, no, you can't change the tone per se...

[exharvester]

the CE-1 still sounds a little nicer but the retro sonic sounds soo close to it and so much smaller