Do any of you guys still do this for rhythm tones???

angelspade

angelspade

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I was just watching a rig rundown with Alexi Liaho again and he mentioned that he keeps a light chorus effect on all the time. They then said that Zakk Wylde does this as well. So I looked into it and yes, in fact he always has a mild chorus on for rhythm playing as well. I dig both of their tones, and I have noticed that John Sykes seems to do this with some modulation also when I listen to the tracks he did with Bob Rock for Whitesnake (one of the greatest hard rock / metal tones ever recorded). This technique is a little before my time...But is this a thing still today? I'm thinking of acquiring a boss chorus and trying it with the Marshall I recently acquired. Thoughts appreciated.



 
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I’m not sure about the others you mentioned but anything that Bob Rock produced has the AMS chorus engaged. He said in an interview, he basically has it on all his guitar tones at varying levels. But it’s there.
 
angelspade said:
I was just watching a rig rundown with Alexi Liaho again and he mentioned that he keeps a light chorus effect on all the time. They then said that Zakk Wylde does this as well. So I looked into it and yes, in fact he always has a mild chorus on for rhythm playing as well. I dig both of their tones, and I have noticed that John Sykes seems to do this with some modulation also when I listen to the tracks he did with Bob Rock for Whitesnake (one of the greatest hard rock / metal tones ever recorded). This technique is a little before my time...But is this a thing still today? I an thinking of acquiring a boss chorus and trying it with the Marshall I recently acquired. Thoughts appreciated.



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I think many many guitarists out there are running a very low chorus or detune in their tones, it's just not as overt as Zakk or Sykes. It's addictive in a W/D/W setup to always have some small amount going in the wets. You def feel/hear it when it's turned off after playing like that for a while. It's a great way of filling out the sound with a subtle bit of swirl in the background. Vai always has some going on in the background, esp when I play 'Die To Live' I need it on, with my SPX90.
I hear it everywhere. Even Cobain/Vig was using a subtle detune on Nevermind, the EHX pedal for the obvious thicker Chorus stuff and a subtle detune seems to be often on his other guitars.
 
ive done it with two amps kind of like bob rock did, put chorus on one amp and use my mimiq pedal and its cool as long you keep it subtle.
 
it's fun, if you haven't tried it, it's worth playing around with. Not sure you would like it if you're going for tight metal, but it can be a blast for hard rock tones and leads.
 
RaceU4her said:
ive done it with two amps kind of like bob rock did, put chorus on one amp and use my mimiq pedal and its cool as long you keep it subtle.
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still love that stupid pedal. I can't force myself to put it on my board, but it sits at the end of the signal chain to play with amps. Having way more fun with it than I should. TB lets it sit pretty transparent unless you want it.
 
When I played a TriAxis, I'd use the Mark III mode for Rhythms which was scooped and more treble.. Seemed to give it articulation in the background. Then I'd use Mark IV for leads which was bold and filled out..
 
Problem I have is there is no such thing as “subtle” chorus at manageable volume. Richie Faulkner does it as well with the MXR Micro Chorus…….always on and set at 1:00 (I think).

I have several chorus pedals and every time I try it, it sounds overwhelming. I wish more modulation pedals had a mix control. I have the Super Chorus but it kills my tone. The Waza CE-2W is nice…..but no mix control. The closest I’ve come is the MXR Micro Chorus, but again, no mix control.

I’m always trying to nail the Screaming For Vengeance album chorus vibe at home and haven’t figured it out yet. I can get close with amp cranked and Micro Chorus out front…….but playing at home volume sounds awful.
 
i've done it for all the bands where I was the only guitar player.

Most of the time with a cheap marshall supervibe

The trick is that it has to be subtle, and you have to spread the two amps out - if you don't it doesn't work and sounds like shit.
 
angelspade said:
I was just watching a rig rundown with Alexi Liaho again and he mentioned that he keeps a light chorus effect on all the time. They then said that Zakk Wylde does this as well. So I looked into it and yes, in fact he always has a mild chorus on for rhythm playing as well. I dig both of their tones, and I have noticed that John Sykes seems to do this with some modulation also when I listen to the tracks he did with Bob Rock for Whitesnake (one of the greatest hard rock / metal tones ever recorded). This technique is a little before my time...But is this a thing still today? I'm thinking of acquiring a boss chorus and trying it with the Marshall I recently acquired. Thoughts appreciated.



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Yep.
I use the Eventide Micropitch.
 
I just started do this by accident then other day . Then was likey hey I think I really like this . Jamming live where I play with a drummer I have my Stealth 6l6 100 running with an original big clunky H20 on chorus only lightly . With my gate tight on red channel . The chorus did fatten it up at tab with out losing highs
 
I've experimented with it on & off over the years, pretty much exclusively when jamming at home. I've never been able to dial in that sound, in a way that I thought was particularly useful.

Some of the Zakk Wylde live recordings from the 90's have a lot of it going on, and it worked quite well.
 
I've been using an EHX Epitome with subtle chorus, flanger, and reverb for always on modulations in my desktop stereo home rig. Love it. Sounds great with high gain even.

This pedal was a joke with a MSRP of $420 but at the price I paid I really like it. The octave side seems to come on when it wants to even when off in stereo mode. Sounds cool too. May have been stoned at the time.

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I do it. A very subtle chorus is part of my rhythm tone, it fattens things up and adds some aggression if used right. Again, subtle is the key.
 
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