Aguilar Chorusaurus: Premium Bass Chorus Across the Spectrum

Founded in 1995, New York City-based Aguilar Amplification is one of the world’s premier bass-focused audio companies. Their high-end products are known for their outstanding build quality and premium tones – and their Chorusaurus Bass Chorus pedal is a classic example. Today we’re breaking down this pedal to find out what makes it one of the best chorus pedals available for bassists.

Features

In keeping with Aguilar’s ethos, the Chorusaurus offers standard functionality with a set of additional premium features. First and foremost, this pedal is made with classic analog bucket-brigade technology, which is the same tech used in vintage choruses like the Boss CE-1 and CE-2. The fully analog build ensures players can achieve warm, authentic tones with ease.

While the Chorusaurus contains only one output jack, this is a fully stereo pedal – with a Y cable plugged in, the pedal can provide true split stereo without missing a beat. The pedal can run on a 9V battery, and it features Aguilar’s ‘gig saver’ bypass technology.

If the battery dies during the middle of a gig, the pedal will still pass your signal through the rest of your pedalboard. No need to worry about your sound cutting out in the middle of that bass solo!

Finally, the input and output jacks are both located on the top of this robust all-metal stompbox. While it may seem like a small detail, the top alignment can save precious pedalboard space when compared with the more traditional side I/O jacks.

Controls

The four knobs on this pedal control blend, width, rate, and intensity, respectively. While these may be fairly standard controls for a chorus pedal, here they have some unique and intriguing applications.

Unlike many blend dials, which offer only a limited spectrum, the blend knob on the Chorusaurus can go from 90% dry, 10% clean at the far left to a 90/10 wet/dry split when maxed out. The width control adds space and air to any signal. Keep this turned down for a tight and focused sound, with punchier emphasis through the midrange. If dimed, it extends the bass and opens up some cavernous space in the signal chain – awesome for more ambient, textural styles.

The rate control, as on most choruses, adjusts how fast or slow the sound ‘wobbles.’ With this around 9 o’clock or below, the effect remains unobtrusive, adding only a bit of extra spice. At full power, the oscillations are much faster and better suited for more slappy, focused playing.

If misused, however, this can easily take on an annoying bouncy ball sound – players should take care not to go overboard with this one! Finally, the intensity dial controls the strength of the chorus tones in your sound.

Performance

The Chorusaurus excels at providing wide-open, spacey chorus with a distinctive pulse. Cranking the width and intensity controls creates a massive chorus sound with plenty of openness for both rhythm and melody.

Moving the rate control up in conjunction with those will tighten the sound and introduce a throb effect. While it may not be for everyone, bassists looking for off-the-wall lead tones will certainly appreciate that sound. This pairs well with more single-line focused playing or funky, fast rhythms.

At the other end of the spectrum, pulling the rate back and moving the intensity and width to about noon gives a more standard, unobtrusive chorus effect. With the distinctive warble gone, this tone is well-suited for rhythm and accompaniment. It can add some serious flavor to any sound without overpowering the rest of the mix or sounding wacky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4HyiP3Hark

Conclusion

The Aguilar Chorusaurus is undoubtedly one of the best bass chorus pedals on the market today, well-suited for both backing, always-on chorus and extreme, swirling sounds. Aguilar’s innovation and commitment to quality definitely shine through here. Bassists looking for a thoughtful and durable new chorus should add this unit to the shortlist.