The Fender Competition Chorus is an analog chorus pedal, part of the Competition Series of pedals Fender released in 2013. It takes a monophonic input and offers a choice between mono or stereo outputs, adding a modulated, doubled voice to the guitar signal in the way any chorus pedal does1.
Delicious Audio's reviewer Gus Green described the effect this way: "This adds an nice shimmery sound to the source and is great for an arpeggiated chord or adding thickness to a strummed p"1. He summed the pedal up as "a Chorus that rivals that of all basic choruses"1.
Controls
The pedal keeps things to three knobs, each governing one part of the chorus effect1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Depth | Governs the depth of modulation; the more it is turned clockwise, the richer the chorusing becomes |
| Speed | Sets the speed of the modulation |
| Mix | Blends the wet and dry signal |
How it sounds and where it sits
Fender's Competition Series was positioned as bringing "good value and unobtrusive designs to the firm's (once limited) effects range," according to MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen2. Within that series, the Competition Chorus is the chorus entry, and Green's review places it among the basic choruses: a single voice of modulation shaped by the three controls, rather than a multi-mode stereo design1.
On noise, Green wrote: "I was very impressed with how quiet this analog chorus pedal operates. They made the noise level suitable for studio an/"1, a noise level he described as suitable for studio and live stage use1.
The Competition Chorus dates from Fender's 2013 Competition Series. Fender has since released other choruses, including the Fender Bubbler Chorus unveiled at NAMM 2019 and the Hammertone Chorus introduced in 2023.
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Questions
Is the Fender Competition Chorus analog or digital?
It is an analog chorus pedal. Delicious Audio's reviewer, Gus Green, noted that he was impressed with how quietly the analog circuit operates, with a noise level he described as suitable for studio and live stage use.
What controls does the Fender Competition Chorus have?
The pedal has three controls: Depth, which sets how much modulation is applied; Speed, which sets how fast the modulation runs; and Mix, which blends the wet and dry signals. Turning Depth clockwise makes the chorusing richer.
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal Reviews: Fender Competition Chorus Pedal, Delicious Audio, 2013-04-17
- Fender Distort Pedal review, MusicRadar, 2013-08-08
