Vahlbruch Effects Stereo Chorus

The Vahlbruch Effects Stereo Chorus is a chorus pedal with a fully analog signal path, built by hand in Germany. It is a compact, two-knob effect aimed at players who want classic analog chorus character with the option of stereo output, and it carries true bypass switching plus a built in unity gain buffer¹.

The pedal is a guitar effects pedal from Vahlbruch Effects². The main published record of it comes from a review that found it "sounds great with any decent guitar, humbuckers or single coils"¹, and the same review notes it has a rate L.E.D.¹.

A 100% analog stereo chorus

Chorus works by mixing your dry signal with a slightly delayed, modulated copy of itself, which thickens the sound and adds movement. The Vahlbruch Stereo Chorus does this entirely in the analog domain, with no digital conversion in the signal path¹.

That places it in company with other analog stereo chorus designs. The MXR Stereo Chorus is another analog stereo chorus from Dunlop, described by its maker as delivering "lush analog chorus" with controls that preserve low end frequencies³. The Jackson Audio New Wave is billed by its maker as a "100% analog, stereo chorus/vibrato pedal"⁴. The Electro-Harmonix Stereo Polychorus goes further, offering mode-selectable analog chorus, flange, double track and filter matrix effects⁵. The Vahlbruch is a simpler proposition: one effect, two knobs, analog throughout.

The controls

The pedal keeps its control set minimal, with Speed and Depth knobs governing the modulation¹.

The reviewer found that dropping the Depth to around 10 or 11 with the Speed backed off produced "a sparkly shimmering chorus also very pleasing to the" ear, so the pedal covers both subtle, glassy territory and deeper modulation from the same two knobs¹.

The pedal also features a rate LED that pulses with the modulation speed. The reviewer was candid about it¹:

Kelly K, Pedal of the Day¹

On the sound itself, the reviewer reported that it "Sounds great with any decent guitar, humbuckers or single coils"¹.

Power and connections

The Stereo Chorus runs on a 9 volt power supply and has no battery compartment. The reviewer explained the reasoning: the designer wanted to keep the pedal compact, and the circuit draws enough current that a battery was left out entirely¹. This is a pedalboard pedal, meant to sit on a powered board.

On the output side, the pedal has a stereo output that can also be used as a signal splitter, and mono operation works fine. According to the review, there is no signal loss through the stereo output, and the built in unity gain buffer helps the signal hold up¹. That gives you three practical setups:

• Mono: one output to one amp, chorus as usual.
• Stereo: two outputs to two amps for a wide, spread chorus image.
• Splitter: the second output used to split your signal to a second destination.

The review notes the pedal has a rate L.E.D., which shows the speed setting while the effect is running¹. The same reviewer found the overall sound held up with humbuckers or single coils¹, so the pedal's connections work with a range of guitars rather than one pickup type.

Where it comes from

The Vahlbruch Effects Stereo Chorus is made in Germany by hand¹. Among stereo chorus pedals, hand-built production is not unusual: the PastFX Stereo Chorus PX65 also lists true bypass and stereo outputs⁶, and Vertex builds its Landau Stereo Chorus with "100% Analog Circuitry" modified and handcrafted in California. The Vahlbruch sits in that same small-builder tradition, with German hand assembly as its distinguishing origin¹⁷.

How it compares

Against the wider field of stereo chorus pedals, the Vahlbruch's pitch is simplicity: analog signal path, two knobs, true bypass, and a splitter-capable stereo output¹. Pedals like the MXR Stereo Chorus add more tone-shaping controls aimed at preserving low end³, and the Electro-Harmonix Stereo Polychorus adds multiple effect modes with feedback and tune controls⁵. Players who want a single, well-made analog chorus without a deep control surface are the audience this pedal was built for.

Questions