Review of the Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus

15 Oct 2009

"The Danelectro Cool Cat series is smaller than the Danelectro FAB series but retains the cool Cadillac-tail-fin design..."

Features of the Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus

Construction - The Chorus is housed in a lightweight metal case that is moulded with the cool ridges so reminiscient of 1950's car design. The underside has a rubber non-slip pad and the whole base is removable via four screws should you ever need to access the electronics. The battery is accessed easily through its own clip-in hatch. The controls are set on the front vertical face of the unit, this is good for safety but not so good for mid-gig alterations of the settings. The large footswitch on the topside engages and disengages with a robust click and a bright blue LED indicates that the unit is engaged. It's worth noting that when the unit is disengaged it gives true bypass so your signal is not degraded.     

Ins and Outs - One jack input, one jack output and an input for a 9v power supply.

Power - One 9 volt battery (supplied) or a 9v power supply (not supplied)

Controls - The  Cool Cat Chorus is controlled by three knobs. One dictates the Depth of the modulation, another controls the Speed that the modulation travels from "peak" to "trough". The third knob is the Mix. This controls the level of "wet" (effected) signal that gets mixed with the "dry" (uneffected) signal. The Mix control is a stacked knob, meaning the top part of it has a different function. In this case it gives you an EQ control to be used as a top-end roll off to take the edge off the sparkle inherent in the unit. 

Sound of the Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus

I'm a great lover of good Chorus and with the controls all set at 12 o'clock this is a really good, lush Chorus. This setting is what Danelectro call the "Classic". They provide another two sample settings in their manual, the "Blue Sky" which is a lovely subtle chorus effect that just fattens your sound for rhythm playing and the "Spin Cycle" which is a fast rotating speaker sound for trippy lead breaks.
   

Overall Impressions of the Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus

Every guitarist needs a Chorus pedal and there's an argument to have a subtle level of chorus as part of your overall guitar sound. The Cool Cat delivers a gorgeous Classic chorus for not much money. The stacked knob is a bit fiddly until you get used to it, but other than that the Cool Cat is highly recommended.  

Reviewed by The Man in the Jar