MXR M 234 Analog Chorus

I am not really a modulation effect player, however, I wanted to try out something new to me. Although chorus is a classic type of effect, I never really played one. This little pedal sounds very nice, and can come near a leslie-type of sound if you crank the rate know all the way up, which works quite well with a bit of overdrive. Otherwise, classic chorus sounds I've heard during the years in numerous classic songs, if a classic chorus is what you want, you got it. Handling is easy, has all the knobs I would want in such a thing. Works better with clean guitars, obviously, rather than distorted, however, still is quite musical with moderate drive. Which is great, because I usually don't play clean but always rather crunchy. Built quality seems great, have been using MXR pedals for years (mixed club touring and rehearsal use), not a single problem ever, and I think this one will follow suit as well. Particularly I like that the knobs are heavy to turn, so probably you won't turn a knob by accident - I love this in a pedal as these do get kicked around occasionally. Price is a bit on the high side, however, I wouldn't say it is overpriced - it's okay, but if you are on a budget probably a more suitable option can be found.

Unboxing, this pedal was smaller and lighter than I expected, which is nice as it doesn't take up much pedalboard space. Despite this, the construction still feels very solid and I shouldn't think it would be less than tank-like.
The chorus effect itself is very warm thanks to its analogue circuitry, and has a much more natural, sparkling feel than other chorus pedals I've used. An added bonus is the inclusion of EQ knobs, which allow you to change the tone of the chorus with ease so that it can sit back in the mix or sound very bright. The Low knob can also warm up the sound of single coil pickups when pushed up.
No noise that I can hear and nice to include the option of stereo output.

This is a great sounding chorus and the controls gives you a lot of tonal options to shape the type of chorus you want. You can go from very subtle "reverbish" type of chorus to way more than I would ever use. I also found that if I turn down both the depth and rate then it will slightly color the sound, in a good way. Almost like a good clean boost can.

I bought this because I got hooked on the Zakk Wylde chorus from MXR but I'm not very keen on signature products and after some research I found out that this is the exact same pedal but with a different paint job.

As far as quality its built like a tank like most MXR pedals. Tried and true. As with most pedals with blue LEDs you will definitely not have any problem seeing if its on...

So this pedal is capable of generating some fantastic chorus sounds from deep and wavelike to thin and springy like on thin lizzy 's "Sarah". But the problem with it is that once you place in your fx loop, it straight away changes the tone coming from your amp before its even turned on, which since its true bypass, it shouldnt do. This side effect is a deal breaker for me since I want my dry signal to sound the way it does and I dont want The addition of a pedal to change it in anyway unless its after the pedal is turned on and I get a nice chorus tone out of it. But when its not turned on it leaves your tone sounding thinner and in my opinion, worse. I know Its the pedals fault because when I remove it from the fx loop the tone goes back to normal. I'll just say that its something you should try out before purchasing so youre not disappointed, it might be the pedal for you but is definitely not for me, ill try and swap it for something that doesnt alter my tone at all.

I use this before my overdrives going into marshall dsl40c.

pros:
-construction is very solid, it should last for many years.
-the sound of the effect is nice, it has that analog warmth
-the dials give a large range of chorus styles
-sounds good for clean sounds (especially on single coil pickups)
-sounds surprisingly terrific on high gain tones

cons:
-the led light is really bright, its actually a little bit irritating
-the power socket is at the side instead of on top (not that big a deal)
-there is a slight 'whoosing' sound at very high chorus levels but its not that noticeable, it is a little more noticeable when the effect is placed in the fx loop of my amp

overall:
it is a pedal with personality, i have grown to love it but it has its quirks so i would strongly recommend that you try before you buy if possible