Fender Hammertone Chorus

I've used chorus effects as part of multi-effects units (the boss GT-1 and GT-1B) but I've always found it difficult to get just the right tone. I've tended to find a fairly dry chorus sound and then leave all the settings the same. I wanted to explore chorus effects a bit more, so I bought this Fender Hammertone chorus.

Pros:
- You can get lots of tones out of the unit, the dials are all there in front of you, there are no multi-effects menus to scroll through.
- The "type" switch allows you to choose between 2, 3 or 4 voices, adding an extra layer of effect level.
- I personally like the fact that there's not much in the way of EQ/tone modification, so you don't need to worry about adjusting EQ in other places in your effects chain.
- The "tone" switch adds a bit of high-mid / treble boost but you can bypass this without any dramatic effect on your tone.

Cons:
- The only cons I can come up with are the same as those you'll find with any chorus effect - it's very easy to tip over from a good chorus sound to an awful one!
- No facility for battery power. Not specifically an issue for me, but might be an issue if you don't have a nearby power source.

I've had a bit of a play around with this and you really can get it to make some of those mad sounds from the classic era of Dr Who. Full-on wibbly-wobbly sound effects from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop! I turned everything up to maximum and started playing around with an E-Bow for some great Tardis-y noises.

Turned down to more sensible levels you can get some good modulation effects out of the pedal. Balancing off rate with depth shifts things from a 60s psychedelic London sound (think some of the weird party music from Randall & Hopkirk Deceased, slightly reminiscent of a Lesley speaker or the spooky-surf-rock of the Cramps / theme tune of The Munsters) to a dark dry-ice post-punk sound. You can go wet and get that 80s cheese sound if that's you bag too. I tried this out on my Sterling SSS guitar and got really nice sounds from each of the single coil pickups. I'm not sure if Fender have made this with their single coils in mind, but the chorus effects sounded really good whichever coil I selected - the chorus sounded particularly lush with the neck pickup.

The unit itself looks robust and the dials and switches have a satisfying feel. The plug sockets and power supply socket all feel sturdy and secure. It looks simple and uncomplicated without feeling stark or minimalistic.

If you're looking to move from multi-effects chorus to a single-pedal chorus, I don't think you could go wrong with this one. You get lots of easily-adjustable sounds in a good quality single piece. Very happy with my purchase.