Best Chorus Pedal for Bass (our top pick)
MXR M83 Bass Chorus Deluxe
There's a flanger mode and a hi-pass filter (cuts modulation out of the lower frequencies) to go along with three ways to tweak the effect. An additional two-band EQ gives you the baseline control. The M83 gives you more flash than expected, but also keeps the simplicity intact. We found nothing to complain about.
Technically you can use a lot of regular chorus pedals for bass. But we'll highlight bass chorus pedals specifically, that are designed to handle the low frequencies.
These would apply to low guitar tunings and baritone tunings as well.
The M83 is our top bass chorus pedal recommendation as it's easily the most flexible of the top four options. While there are some boutique bass chorus pedals, we're going to compare the top four options in the table below, then list the lesser known boutique brands in a second table, though without the comparison button.
You'll be able to click through and check out the specs and details of those pedals using our orange buttons.
Bass Chorus Comparison Tables
In the first comparison table we've listed the M83 with three honorable mentions from mainline brands. These are some of most reliable and popular bass chorus pedals, though we don't like them quite as much as the M83. If you want to go a little deeper, check the second table below for some boutique brands.
Pedal | Name | Rate | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| MXR M83 | n/a | |
 | Boss CEB-3 | n/a | |
 | EHX Bass Clone | n/a | |
 | Aguilar Chorusaurus V2 | n/a |
In the above table we're using Sweetwater partner links, via the orange buttons. If you click through and make a purchase, we might receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you all for your continued support.
Compare more pedals
You can add more pedals to the comparison bar at the bottom of the page, by launch our search window below. Search for what you want, then add it and see the pedals side by side. Note that we're adding to our database of products on a regular basis.
Boutique Bass Chorus Pedals
Pedal | Name | Rate | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Aguilar Chorusaurus Original | n/a | |
 | Carl Martin Bass Chorus | n/a | |
 | JAM Pedals WaterFall | n/a | |
 | Bass-Mosphere Chorus/Reverb | n/a |
Methodology
We make recommendations based on first-hand experience and an in-depth knowledge of the musical instrument market. In this case, we've consulted with bass players that have used and tested the gear recommended in this article. All of the people that contributed to this article are musicians with real experience.
Guitar Chalk does not use AI or third party marketing services to generate our content or recommendations.
We also stick close with brands we know and trust, that have been around for a long time.
In this case, MXR, Boss, and EHX are reliable brands that have been around for a long time.
The market sustains them because they're high value.
If they weren't, we would avoid those brands.
Know that our methodology is real, sincere, and well thought out by all who are involved.
Price Guide for the MXR M83
This table pulls live prices for the M83 from multiple popular vendors, for easy comparison. Note that it does not include used options. We recommend checking Reverb or eBay if you want to dig into the used market for an M83. You can get anywhere from a 10 to 30 percent discount, though it varies depending on where and when you look.
Prices updated Tue, March 28th, 2023.
Features we like in the M83
We covered some of the features above, but we'll also summarize here.
The M83 is a nice balance of simple modulation and more complex or "out there" sounds. While the intense sounds (usually high speed) are harder to use as a bass player, it's a nice option to have if you're someone that likes tinkering with effects.
Even with those settings, the sound is still really good.
Most of those more aggressive tones come from the flanger mode, which you do not have on the other three pedals in our table.
Here's a more comprehensive list of features we like.
The good stuff
- Modulation layers sound great with the low frequencies of a bass
- Flanger mode is a unique add
- Lots of EQ options (five total)
- Switchable hi-pass filter (reduces modulation on low end)
- Decent price point
- MXR is a reliable and reputable brand
- Bucket brigade analog circuit
Video demo
We usually include a cons list, but there's honestly nothing that we can complain about with the M83.
To give it a listen, we'd recommend MXR's own demo, which is really solid. Usually we try to do third party demos from reviewers, but MXR did a great job with this one. All the tones are covered.
Conclusion, questions, and comments
A good bass chorus doesn't need to be fancy, but the M83 actually gives us a little bit of fancy while keeping the simplicity intact. We really like this pedal and can easily put it forward as the best bass chorus pedal we know to recommend.
If you know of another option that's worthy of inclusion here, drop it in the comments section below.
Boutique and/or mainline pedals are both fine.
Questions are welcome there as well.
Thanks for hanging with us.
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