GEAR REVIEW
MAESTRO COMET CHORUS PEDAL | Doug Doppler
• Depth , Speed , and Mix Controls
• True Bypass
KEY FEATURES
• Mini Toggle for Chorus or Rotary Speaker Mode
• Internal Trim Pot for Additional Rotary Speaker Attenuation
As much as worship guitar players love adding modulation to their delays and reverbs , you don ’ t tend to see many stand-alone Chorus pedals on their boards . Noting that when you hold long notes or chords using modulation on Delay and Reverb , the end result is very close to the vibe you get with Chorus , it has always been a bit of a mystery as to why more Worship guitarist have not found the lush goodness that a Chorus pedal has to offer !
Like the rest of the pedals in the newly launched Maestro line , the Comet Chorus has its own unique ( and very cool take ) on this classic effect . The first thing I noticed is that this pedal is mono , which is unique for a number of reasons , hence opening an interesting can of worms …
MODULATION 101 The nuances that separate the various types of modulation were enough to confuse even Leo Fender , so let ’ s start by setting the record straight . For starters , modulation traditionally refers to a variation in pitch or volume . Fender errantly titled the Tremolo effect in their amps as Vibrato , and perhaps as an homage to Leo , they ’ ve never changed it . Tremolo modulates
the volume of your signal and has no impact on the pitch . Akin to a Vibrato bar ( often errantly referred to as Tremolo ), Vibrato modulates pitch . Both Tremolo and Vibrato tend to offer control of both the depth and speed of the effect .
Chorus pedals utilize a short Delay in combination with pitch modulation to deliver their gooey goodness . The Boss CE-1 is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of Chorus pedals and I ’ m included to believe it . This is the same circuit found in the Roland JC- 120 which has been famously used by bands likes Metallica , King Crimson , and Duran Duran . While you can run the CE-1 in mono , like the JC-120 , it was designed to run in stereo with one side being the direct signal , the other the modulated one . This adds tremendous depth the lush sound of this circuit , but if you only hear the modulated side , it could be described as the sound of seasickness per the way it warbles up and down . Blended with the direct signal it creates a sonic bliss that is very hard to recreate in mono , hence why most Chorus pedals give you the option of stereo out . Akin to using a dotted 1 / 8 th note delay on one side