John Frusciante’s Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble

John used the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble from around 1990 until his departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2010 and again during the Unlimited Love tour in 2022. In the studio, the pedal was primarily used as a splitter, with John plugging his guitar into it to split the signal between his Marshall Major guitar amp and a Marshall Bass head.

For live performances, the CE-1 served the same purpose, but in this case, it split the signal between a Marshall Major and a Marshall Silver Jubilee amp—John’s typical live setup.

I use a Boss Distortion pedal, an Ibanez wah-wah, and a big old ugly Boss chorus pedal.

Guitar Player (USA), April 1990

Another pedal is a Boss Chorus Ensemble, which I use to split the signal in my rig.

Vintage Guitar (USA), April 2009

The pedal was also likely used on many tracks featuring a chorus effect, such as the ending of “Under the Bridge.”

What Does the Boss CE-1 Do?

The CE-1, released in 1976, was the first standalone chorus pedal ever made and became a favorite among guitarists. It combines two effects: chorus and vibrato.

The Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble can also be used as a splitter. It has two outputs: the main output provides the modulated signal, while the direct output sends the clean, unaffected signal. This allows for stereo setups, where you can send the wet and dry signals to separate amps or audio channels.