Maxon PAC9

The initial impact of the Maxon PAC9 is its ability to shape an immensely thick and fat chorus. Loaded with a set of very special IC chips (the kind of chips found in high-end audio gear), this little lilac-coloured stompbox houses nothing but high-end sound. Compare this chorus with other pedals of its kind, and the intensity and presence of the PAC9 is immediately noticeable, since it's able to maintain the low and mid-low frequencies that most chorus pedals tend to filter out.

Besides the standard 'Speed' and 'Width' controls, the PAC9 offers an extra pair of switches. The 'Pure' switch amplifies the delayed signal to produce a dramatic, tremolo-style chorus effect, while the 'Bright' switch subtly filters out the lower frequencies to leave more of a classic sounding chorus. The pedal casing comes fitted with a standard-issue output alongside an output with reversed phase, so that it can be set up in either stereo or mono, or even mono with reversed phase. The PAC9 circuit also comes with masses of headroom, making it just as possible to place this stompbox front-of-amp as it is to place it through an FX loop.