The MXR Wylde Audio Chorus is an analog chorus pedal from MXR, built around bucket-brigade circuitry for what the maker calls "rich vintage-style analog tones"1. It was released as part of the Wylde Audio series marking the 20th anniversary of the collaboration between Dunlop and Zakk Wylde, alongside a Wylde Audio overdrive and phaser23. MXR describes it as delivering "lush modulation that adds body and atmosphere to the full spectrum of passages, from monstrously distorted riffs to soft, moving melodies"1.
According to Delicious Audio, Zakk Wylde uses the chorus to enhance his distorted tones and introduce a fluid dimension and texture to clean sections3.
Controls: Rate, Depth, Level and High and Low cut
The pedal carries the three core chorus controls, Rate, Depth and Level, plus a pair of tone filters that Delicious Audio calls "rather peculiar (for a chorus)": High and Low cut filters for fine tuning the tone3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate | Sets the speed of the modulation |
| Depth | Sets the intensity of the modulation |
| Level | Sets the effect level |
| High cut | 660 Hz to flat, 6 dB/oct shelf2 |
| Low cut | 70 Hz to 800 Hz, 12 dB/oct shelf2 |
The High and Low cut shelves let you trim the top and bottom of the modulated signal, which is useful for keeping a chorus from thinning a high-gain rhythm tone or muddying a low one. The single footswitch toggles the effect on and bypass, with a blue LED indicating the effect is on2.
Power and connections
The Wylde Audio Chorus runs on a single 9-volt battery, installed by removing the bottom plate, or on a 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003, or an MXR Brick Series power supply1. Current draw is 13mA6.
The bypass is buffered, not true bypass2. With the effect on, the noise floor is -96 dBV; in bypass it is -106 dBV (tone controls centered, all others max clockwise, A-weighted)2.
For stereo, run an additional cable from the THRU OUTPUT jack to the input of a second amp, which engages stereo mode. When the effect is on, using this jack sends the delayed signal only to the MONO output and outputs a buffered copy of the input signal through the THRU jack2.
Is it the same circuit as the MXR Analog Chorus?
MXR does not publish a circuit comparison, but the Wylde Audio Chorus uses the same bucket-brigade analog approach as the MXR Analog Chorus. Writing at Guitar Pedal X, Stefan Karlsson said14:
"I believe the Chorus and Phase are mostly just the corresponding MXR Analog Chorus and Phase 90 in different enclosures"4
Guitar World reported that, aside from the new cosmetics, the Wylde Audio pedals are identical to their forebears7. The Wylde Audio Chorus does add the High and Low cut filters, which the standard Analog Chorus does not have3.
History: the Wylde Audio 20th anniversary series
The Wylde Audio series was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the collaboration between Dunlop and Zakk Wylde23. The initial release comprised three pedals, the Wylde Audio Chorus, Overdrive and Phase, launched together73. The Wylde Audio Rotovibe Chorus/Vibrato later joined the series as another 20th anniversary edition5.
Guitar World called the Chorus enclosure "psychedelic" in its expanded throwback aesthetics7, and Guitar Pedal X noted the series features new geometric designs and color-coordinated LEDs, with clear knobs as on the recent MXR Hybrid Fuzz4.
What reviewers said
Stefan Karlsson at Guitar Pedal X took a measured view of the anniversary editions4:
"I feel these Wylde Audio 20th Anniversary editions are for sure priced right - and they're really cool to have in your collection"4
His overall take was that they are a nice-to-have rather than a needed purchase4.
Who uses it
Zakk Wylde is the pedal's namesake player. Dunlop's artist page for Wylde lists the MXR Wylde Audio Chorus WA38 among his gear32, and Delicious Audio reports he uses the chorus to enhance distorted tones and add texture to clean sections3.
Videos
Leigh Fuge
TONE WARS
The Pedal Picassos
News
Questions
Is the MXR Wylde Audio Chorus the same circuit as the MXR Analog Chorus?
MXR says the Wylde Audio Chorus is built around bucket-brigade circuitry for vintage-style analog tones, the same technology as the MXR Analog Chorus. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson believes the Wylde Audio Chorus and Phase are mostly the corresponding MXR Analog Chorus and Phase 90 in different enclosures, possibly with slight tweaks. No official statement confirms the circuits are identical.
Does the MXR Wylde Audio Chorus run on a battery?
Yes. It is powered by a single 9-volt battery, installed by removing the bottom plate. It also runs on a 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003, or an MXR Brick Series power supply. Current draw is 13mA.
Is the MXR Wylde Audio Chorus true bypass?
No. The manual lists the bypass as buffered. The footswitch toggles the effect on and bypass, with a blue LED indicating the effect is on. In bypass the noise floor is -106 dBV, compared with -96 dBV with the effect on.
How do you use the MXR Wylde Audio Chorus in stereo?
Run an additional cable from the THRU OUTPUT jack to the input of a second amp, which engages stereo mode. When the effect is on, using this jack sends the delayed signal only to the MONO output and outputs a buffered copy of the input signal through the THRU jack.
What other pedals are in the MXR Wylde Audio series?
The series launched in October 2023 with three pedals: the Wylde Audio Chorus, Overdrive and Phase, marking 20 years of the Dunlop and Zakk Wylde collaboration. A Wylde Audio Rotovibe Chorus/Vibrato and Zakk's custom Cry Baby Wah followed, for five pedals in total.
Sources (7)
- MXR® WYLDE AUDIO CHORUS, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- WA38.pdf, Dunlop (jimdunlop.com), 2023
- MXR Wylde Audio Chorus, Delicious Audio, 2024-01-08
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-10-05
- WYLDE AUDIO ROTOVIBE® CHORUS/VIBRATO, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- Wylde Audio Chorus by MXR, RockBoard (www.rockboard.de), 2026
- “All the ingredients I needed to make the soup”: MXR celebrates 20 years of partnership with Zakk Wylde with 5 pedals that promise his Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society and Pantera tones, Guitar World, 2023-10-02
