# Cloning the Rare Boss CE-1 Chorus... Well... Kinda!



## Fingolfen (Jul 31, 2022)

One pedal design I've always wanted to clone is the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, largely because (I'm sure you'll be _shocked_) Alex Lifeson used one at one point. However, there hasn't been a decent DIY clone out there - largely because the original uses obsolete Panasonic MN3002 BBD chip, and these are getting increasingly hard to find. Lectric-FX recently released a PCB which is "heavily inspired by" the Boss CE-1, but uses the MN3007 chip called the Karaoke Chorus. While I find the name a little cringeworthy, it was my only DIY option to try and get something like a Boss CE-1 on my board, so I decided to give it a whirl!





The Lectric-FX board is a little different in a lot of respects. First off it uses all 1/8W resistors - largely for space considerations - and the recommended BOM used Tayda as a source for the 1% metal film 1/8W resistors. The leads all seemed a little thin, and honestly if I end up building another one, I think I'll probably go to higher quality 1/4W 3.2mm or 3.4mm length resistors. Otherwise the components are fairly standard for most of my builds - WIMA / KEMET film capacitors, Nichicon electrolytic capacitors, etc. There are several ICs, including the aforementioned MN3007, which I just happened to find an original of at my FLES (Favorite Local Electronics Store).

There is no daughter board for the 3PDT switch, so it has to be hand wired. The audio input and output wires are on the north end of the board and trace around the outside to shorter wires that then attach to the stomp switch. There are two LED's - one for the chorus / vibrato rate and one for the bypass. On the original one of the indicator lights is tied to the clipping level, but that doesn't appear to be the case with the clone.





For the enclosure, I've decided to stop doing "interim" enclosures and start going straight to enclosures like I'd want to use going forward for all of my builds. Some will be a mix of licensed art (Adobe stock and other), but some, like this one and the Dimetrodon Distortion, will feature unique and original art by my wife who is painting up several dinosaurs in the style of marginalia found in medieval illuminated manuscripts. At this point she's done about nine of them, with I think three more in progress.





In terms of the sound of the pedal, because it's controls are a little different than the original, you have to dial in the sound a bit differently. That being said, when it is set to Chorus mode, I'm able to get sounds just like the CE-1 demos I've seen online - including taking it straight to "seasick" mode if you crank the depth and rate. I'm still struggling with the Vibrato mode (and the mixed mode, which is also an option on this pedal). It's not that I don't think it is working properly, it seems to be just fine based on what I've heard, it's just I'm struggling to figure out when I'd use it. That being said, if I throw a compressed signal into this Chorus, I can get a nearly perfect Rush "Time Stand Still" sound, and honestly, that's one of the places I wanted to go with this pedal anyway!

Tiny bit more at the blog (mostly going on about PastFX cornering the MN3002 market): https://steggostudios.blogspot.com/2022/07/cloning-rare-boss-ce-1-chorus-well-kinda.html


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## Scruffie (Jul 31, 2022)

Fingolfen said:


> While I find the name a little cringeworthy


 That one was my fault! BBD's were originally used heavily in Karaoke units and it just kind of worked for the Chorus sound. Naming is honestly the worst bit of the whole PCB affair.

I'm glad you're digging what you've heard out of it so far though and it sounds like you're another vote for the 'big boy' edition later on more in-line with the original.

Very nice build 

We do offer a 3PDT daughterboard at Lectric though by the way!


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## Fingolfen (Jul 31, 2022)

Scruffie said:


> That one was my fault! BBD's were originally used heavily in Karaoke units and it just kind of worked for the Chorus sound. Naming is honestly the worst bit of the whole PCB affair.
> 
> I'm glad you're digging what you've heard out of it so far though and it sounds like you're another vote for the 'big boy' edition later on more in-line with the original.
> 
> ...


Yes - I'd LOVE a full version - must have missed the daughterboard, or wasn't sure it was set up for this particular unit...

Only downside at this point is I do get a little bit of LFO noise coming through with the audio out, no appreciably more than my Electric Mistress clone, though.


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## Scruffie (Jul 31, 2022)

LFO noise as in tick or more a swoosh?

If it's tick, try poking your ground wires around a bit, they're dangling over the 358 LFO op amp.


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## Fingolfen (Jul 31, 2022)

Scruffie said:


> LFO noise as in tick or more a swoosh?
> 
> If it's tick, try poking your ground wires around a bit, they're dangling over the 358 LFO op amp.


More the swoosh than the tick


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## Scruffie (Jul 31, 2022)

In that case, try poking the wire away from the 4011.

I will say though we've been having issues with more recent production LT1054 chips introducing heterodyning (which can appear as a swoosh), we thought the Karaoke had been immune with the heavier filtering but perhaps not the case for everyone's set ups... the frequency can be adjusted by tacking a small capacitor across two of the pins which can help take it out of the problem range, check the LT1054 datasheet. Trying other power supplies could help, or to remove it from the equation, you can always omit the LT1054 and go with an 18V supply.

Just to double check, you didn't get your tantalum capacitor from Tayda, did you? That's the clock power filtering and Tayda tantalum's aren't very good for the job.


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## Fingolfen (Jul 31, 2022)

I'll give that a try, and I'll double check my LT1054, if I remember correctly that one may be a bargain basement source... and honestly it's barely noticeable, but it's there...

All of my tantalums are from Mouser or Pedalhacker.


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## MichaelW (Jul 31, 2022)

Fingolfen said:


> One pedal design I've always wanted to clone is the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, largely because (I'm sure you'll be _shocked_) Alex Lifeson used one at one point. However, there hasn't been a decent DIY clone out there - largely because the original uses obsolete Panasonic MN3002 BBD chip, and these are getting increasingly hard to find. Lectric-FX recently released a PCB which is "heavily inspired by" the Boss CE-1, but uses the MN3007 chip called the Karaoke Chorus. While I find the name a little cringeworthy, it was my only DIY option to try and get something like a Boss CE-1 on my board, so I decided to give it a whirl!
> 
> View attachment 30143
> 
> ...


That's one of my favorite Rush songs....well, I have many "favorite" Rush songs and that's one of them

I just saw on my TGP feed someone mentioned that Behringer of all companies, is releasing a CE-1 clone.

Awesome build as always, we need a demo.....


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## Bricksnbeatles (Jul 31, 2022)

I'm building a Karaoke Chorus because of my Lifeson obsession as well. That looks great!


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## Fingolfen (Jul 31, 2022)

MichaelW said:


> That's one of my favorite Rush songs....well, I have many "favorite" Rush songs and that's one of them
> 
> I just saw on my TGP feed someone mentioned that Behringer of all companies, is releasing a CE-1 clone.
> 
> Awesome build as always, we need a demo.....


I'll see if I can get something together later this week.


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## Deperduci (Aug 1, 2022)

Looking through the supply hoard I found some resistors that may or may not be up some builders alley. I had 2 bags of KOA Speers, 2k and 68k, carbons that are 1/4w but 1/8 watt size and have the leads are about same thickness as my Kemet film resistors. check your suppliers for 400mW and 600mW's, they are 125(1/8w)mW sized but have the thicker leads, usually. 
Very tasty execution, do look forward to any demonstrations, I have yet to decide on whose board to use for a CE-1 build, already have a modded SC for chorus so I will be picky


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## zgrav (Aug 1, 2022)

I really like the dino art, including the iconography.  Great name for the pedal too.


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## Bucksears (Aug 1, 2022)

I'm building a Karaoke as well, but have been slow going as I have multiple builds in progress.
Yours looks great!


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## Feral Feline (Aug 24, 2022)

Cool build! 

The art-work is great, can't wait to show it to my nephew. Especially loving the in/out dino-icons. 
If you squint, you can kinda see Cory Wong in the Corythosaurus.


I'll have to build this as well, because of a friend's Lifeson-obsession. 
Oh, and...
For myself, I'll have to build this 'cause Gedde used the CE-1 as well.


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