Standard Boss Chorus versus Zombie Chorus?

[jimbob]

I own a few diff chorus pedals. An old but mint boss ch-2 and a Rolls Rfx- twin spin. Both sound good but i keep hearing about how great this Zombie Chorus is supposed to be. Any opinions or comparisons? I dont wanna start a new build if its just the same ol chorus. Ideas for other chorus pedals that are Diy that may make for a nice full lush sound?

[Samuel]

The SmallClone, er, clone over at Tonepad.com is beautiful sounding (although perhaps a bit subtle for some?)

[Mark Hammer]

For anyone on a tight budget who wants to make a cheap, compact chorus, the Zombie cuts a number of corners to deliver reasonable sound for low cost.  The sound is not all that fabulous, but the simplicity of it and the number of easy mods make people constantly smack their foreheads and mumble "I can't believe how good this sounds for what was involved in making it!".  That second half is the important qualifier.  Once you address all the little things that Zombie owners wish were just a *little* less problematic, you end up with a CE-2 or a Small Clone.

The best small-box analog chorus you can get is a Boss Dimension C, largely because it uses a pair of BBDs to reduce audible "wobble".  That can be, and has been cloned, (I've seen it with my own eyes), but it's a BIG job.

Many chorus pedals do not have any way to manually adjust minimum delay.  As a result, a number of the differences between them in terms of user-rated "thickness" or "lushness" can have more to do with the specific fixed minimum delay the manufacturer selected.  Fortunately, that minimum delay is easily alterable via a single inexpensive capacitor.  It is the low-value (usually between 33pf and 680pf) cap immediately beside the MN3101 or MN3102 clock generator chip (which most chorus-makers use).  If there is a 4047 or 4046 rather than an MN3101/3102, there will also be a small value cap beside it.  Make the value bigger, and the delay range will shift towards longer delays (out into Pat Metheny territory).  Make it smaller and it starts to sound more slow-Leslie-ish.

Despite its shortcomings, one of the nice features of the Zombie is the availability of two switch-selectable time-delay ranges, though that can be easily mimicked in any commercial pedal.  I did it years ago with a cheap Rogue Chorus and it sounded great,

[jimbob]

thanks!