The pastel lilac‑coloured Japanese CS9 Stereo Chorus was made for Ibanez by business partner Maxon between 1982 and 1984. The early 1980s saw a boom in analogue chorus pedals including classics from Electro‑Harmonix (Small Clone), BOSS (CE‑2) and MXR (Micro Chorus). Chorus is a modulation/delay effect part of a group including vibrato/tremolo, phasers, flangers and echoes. Times have moved on significantly and there is now a plethora of sophisticated and great sounding chorus pedals. However, there is something singularly authentic about simple early analogue effects like the CS9 and its predecessor, the CS‑505. After the ‘9’ series pedals ceased production in the mid‑1980s, Ibanez seemed to lose their mojo and were never quite the same again. Perhaps that’s why they are now reissuing their classics for a new generation. Whether the reissued models will ever match the originals for sound and desirability, only time will tell. Vintage values can only increase for this great analogue chorus pedal.
Pedal Description:
Well, here’s a pretty cool 1983 Ibanez CS9 . Not mint but perfectly working.No box or papers. It was manufactured close to the end of the ‘9’ series’ production run, as indicated by the silver ‘Made in Japan’ label on the base and the serial number. The CS9 produces a relatively subtle effect (compared to some!); warm, lush, swirly and shimmering, epitomising some key sounds of the 1980s – think Nirvana and The Smiths amongst many others. One unusual aspect is that the chorus effect can come from either of the ‘stereo’ outputs. Most ‘stereo’ effects of the time worked by separating the ‘dry’ (i.e. original) signal from the ‘effected’ signal, and routing them through separate outputs. Here, the chorus sound is slightly different from each of the outputs and it’s a matter of taste which you prefer.
Features:
- Made in Japan by Maxon in 1983
- The ‘Speed’ knob controls the rate at which the effect cycles
- The ‘Width’ knob controls the amount of effect applied to the original signal
- LED indicator light to show when the effect is in use
- Ibanez treadle footswitch turns the effect on and off
- Standard ¼” single mono input and dual stereo output jack sockets
- 9V DC power supply input or 9V battery
- Silver ‘Made in Japan’ label on the base of the pedal
- ‘Maxon’ battery compartment cover