The Maestro Comet Chorus is the only modulation effect in the 5-pedal series released by Gibson in early 2022 to relaunch of the legendary Maestro brand. Although Maestro did release a chorus pedal in the ’80s, it doesn’t sound like the Comet’s circuit is in any way inspired by it.
Like all the other stompboxes in the new Maestro line, the Comet is mono, fully analog and has a simple 3-knob + one toggle switch layout. Knobs for Depth and Speed provide classic BBD-based chorus tones in two flavors, selectable through the toggle switch: Earth and Orbit, while the Mix knob allows the reintegration of the clean signal, a feature no modern chorus should miss.
Earth mode delivers the classic analog chorus effect, while Orbit adds some amplitude modulation to the chorused sound, simulating the sonic complexities of a rotary speaker – this added effect can be tweaked to taste through an internal trim pot.
Hear the sounds of the Maestro Comet in the videos below – we added it to our article about the best chorus pedals (mono and stereo).
Maestro Comet Chorus, Builder’s Notes
The Comet uses iconic analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver warm, classic chorus tones. This all-analog pedal boasts a Mode toggle switch for increased sonic versatility. The Earth mode provides an optimized, shimmering chorus effect, while Orbit mode adds some amplitude modulation to the chorused sound, more accurately simulating the sonic complexities of a rotary speaker. An internal trim pot lets you adjust the level of the rotary speaker Orbit effect to taste. The intuitive 3-knob layout lets you quickly dial up the Depth (amount of pitch variation), Speed (modulation rate) of the chorusing, and adjust the amount of pitch modulated signal that is blended in with the dry signal by using the Mix control. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active.
