The Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble is a Roland chorus pedal. Close alternatives include the Maxon ASC-10 and the Behringer UC200 Stereo Chorus. It pairs well with the Marshall Super Bass and the 1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead.
Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Roland · pedal
The Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble is a stereo chorus from Roland (Hamamatsu, Japan), delivering smooth, warm BBD-voiced chorus with Rate, Depth, and Filter controls for clean and classic rock guitar. The CE-5 is one of Roland (BOSS) most beloved chorus pedals, known for its lush stereo chorus and convenient filter controls for shaping the chorus character.
What stands out
“The Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble is a stereo chorus from Roland (Hamamatsu, Japan), delivering smooth, warm BBD-voiced chorus with Rate, Depth, and Filter controls for clean and classic rock guitar”
— from the listing
“The Roland CE-5 delivers stereo chorus at Roland Japanese quality for clean, ambient, and classic rock players who want lush stereo chorus from one of the most beloved chorus designs”
— from the community notes
“Stereo output”
— from the reviews
“The CE-5 is one of Roland (BOSS) most beloved chorus pedals, known for its lush stereo chorus and convenient filter controls for shaping the chorus character”
— from the listing
“Use-case wise it suits clean and classic rock players who want chorus at Roland quality”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“In the signal chain modulation sits after drive”
— from the community notes
- stereo chorus
- lush
- filter
- classic rock
- warm
- digital
- modulation
- stereo
Genres the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble is commonly used in
- Alternative Rock
- Classic Rock
- Ambient
- Neo Soul
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Post Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Post Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Marshall Super Bass
Marshall
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Marshall Super Bass leans bright right where the warm tone needs it
Comes later in the signal chain
1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead
Marshall
24% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead's bright balances out the warm tone
Comes later in the signal chain
Laney Richter
Laney
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Laney Richter after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Mesa Boogie Subway D-350
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans warm, Mesa Boogie Subway D-350 answers back bright
PRS DG
PRS
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
PRS DG leans bright right where the warm tone needs it
Vox MV50 Brian May
Vox
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans warm, Vox MV50 Brian May answers back bright
Fuchs ODH
Fuchs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Fuchs ODH's bright balances out the warm tone
Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo
Soldano
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans warm, Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo answers back bright
Pedals that stack with the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Tech 21 SansAmp
Tech 21
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, Tech 21 SansAmp answers back bright
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea
EarthQuaker Devices
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Run EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Chase Bliss Automatone CXM 1978
Chase Bliss Audio
14% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Chase Bliss Automatone CXM 1978 after Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Neunaber Wet Mono Reverb Pedal
pedal
14% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Neunaber Wet Mono Reverb Pedal after Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Alchemy Audio HBE Detox EQ
Alchemy Audio
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Where this leans warm, Alchemy Audio HBE Detox EQ answers back bright
CALIFORNIA WUB Continuum EQ Galaxy Man Edition
California Wub
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Where this leans warm, CALIFORNIA WUB Continuum EQ Galaxy Man Edition answers back bright
Free The Tone ARC-53M Audio Routing Controller
Free The Tone
tonal matchFree The Tone ARC-53M Audio Routing Controller's bright balances out the warm tone
Friedman Gold-72 Wah
Friedman
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Friedman Gold-72 Wah in front of Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble: a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Maxon ASC-10
Maxon
71% similarityShared character: stereo output, stereo, modulation
Behringer UC200 Stereo Chorus
Behringer
67% similarityShared character: stereo output, stereo, modulation
Eventide TriceraChorus Tri-Stereo Chorus
Eventide
65% similarityShared character: stereo, ambient, modulation
Strymon Ola dBucket Chorus
Strymon
65% similarityShared character: stereo output, stereo, digital
Source Audio Gemini Chorus
Source Audio
63% similarityShared character: stereo, ambient, modulation
JAM Pedals Waterfall
Jam Pedals
62% similarityShared character: ambient, modulation, warm
DigiTech CF-7 Chorus Factory
Digitech
62% similarityShared character: stereo output, stereo, digital
Wampler Nirvana Chorus
Wampler
61% similarityShared character: stereo, modulation, warm
Maxon CS9 PRO Stereo Chorus
Maxon
61% similarityShared character: warm, stereo, digital
Maxon CS-550 Stereo Chorus
Maxon
61% similarityShared character: stereo, modulation, alternative
Behringer Chorus Symphony
Behringer
60% similarityShared character: stereo, digital, modulation
MXR M134 Stereo Chorus
MXR
60% similarityShared character: stereo output, filter, stereo
See all alternatives to the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble?+
The closest matches in character are the Maxon ASC-10, the Behringer UC200 Stereo Chorus, the Eventide TriceraChorus Tri-Stereo Chorus.
What pairs well with the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Super Bass, 1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead, Laney Richter — Marshall Super Bass leans bright right where the warm tone needs it.