Guitars: Dimension-C by Boss

Dimension-C

Review By:

Seth Carmody on 6/22/06 1:00 AM

Reviewer Background:

Purchased From:

Price:

$150.00 USD

Features:

Sound Quality:

This pedal is made to be used in stereo. It's a dimension effect designed to create a feeling of spaciousness, and obviously this will come across much more convincingly with two sound sources than one. In mono it just sounds like a subdued, airy 'Police-type" chorus. Nice, but in no way worth the US$150+ asking price it commands on the used market these days. In stereo it sounds quite different - better - it creates the impression that your playing environment has expanded (say from a room to a plain), adds a chorusy/dreamy touch, but sounds nothing like a reverb. Each preset drops the dry signal further back in the mix, increasing the feeling of spaciousness (i.e like your speakers are dropping back from you a few dozen meters, but (thankfully), there's no volume drop). If you own one and have never used it in stereo you have not heard this unit performing to its full potential. If you had more control over the effect it'd have given it a 10.

Reliability/Durability:

Typical Boss quality.

Ease of Use:

There are 4 buttons to cycle through 4 stages of effect depth. Toddler toy ease of use. This is a compact "sequel" to Roland's famous Dimension D rack unit.

Customer Support:

Overall Rating:

The Dimension C forms a major component of my "sound". It's very complimentary to ambient/shoegazer music. I think it's somewhat overpriced for what it is, but the demand is high because there really isn't anything else like it in the market (besides the Rack Dimension D on which it's based, but that unit is many times more expensive again). Although I've never played either, word on the street is that the Boss DC-3 Digital Dimension or the Dimension D model on the CE-20 don't come close to matching the warm sound of the analogue Dimension C. If you can find one under $150 you're doing well.

0 Comments Tags: brand#boss tax#aqb

Dimension-C

Review By:

Dave-FDl4p on 2/13/06 1:00 AM

Reviewer Background:

Purchased From:

Price:

$178.00 USD

Features:

Sound Quality:

I use a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectafier and a Fender Strat. This pedal is incredible if you are looking for a warm chorus with your clean tones. I don't really like it for the distortion side. It is a bit deep to me for the distortion. It is hard to explain how this pedal sounds but it is definately different than digital. I have a GT-6 and a Roctron Intelifex. This pedal added to the GT-6 chorus or Intelifex chorus and added delays is the Bomb!!! You can't get the special deep sweep of this chorus in digital. It would be too wobbly. But when you add it to a mild digital it excels! Just what I've been looking for to get those glassy shimmery chorus tones. Oh, and it has a great way of cutting through the mix when playing live that I never could get with digital and doesn't get an out of tune chorus tone. I am going to give it a 9 in this category only because with the amp set to clean I get a slight ever so slight distortion from the pedal (when it is running). Definately not that noticable though and would never keep me from buying the pedal. You can't reproduce that sound with anything else.

Reliability/Durability:

I thing you could throw it off a three story building and it would still work.

Ease of Use:

Very easy to get a great chorus tone.

Customer Support:

N/A

Overall Rating:

I play rock and jazz. Yes, I would replace it if it were ever stolen

0 Comments Tags: brand#boss tax#aqb

Dimension-C

Review By:

Mike-qhynh on 6/14/04 1:00 AM

Reviewer Background:

Purchased From:

Price:

Features:

Sound Quality:

Fender strat/home-made jazz->home-made volume boost->Boss OS-2->Boss ME-50->Boss DC-2->(double amp) Vox Cambridge 30R and Yamaha G50 210. Not noisy (except for single coil hum-not Boss' fault). Beautiful. I hate chorus (so very, very 80s) but this is much more subtle than any other chorus I've used so it fattens out the sounds without making it sound too 'chorus-y'. Brilliant. I use the first preset and it beautiful. The others I found to be not quite as subtle as others have said. But on the 1st setting in stereo, it sounds like the music is coming from 360 degrees.

Reliability/Durability:

What do Boss to make all their equipment so reliable? Seems like every other company (not just efftecs...mobile phones, home stereos, microwaves etc) could really take a leaf out of Boss. If I wasn't religious, I would worship them in a ceremony facing towards Tokyo.

Ease of Use:

If you can spell 'button', you can use it; on the other hand, if you cannot spell 'retard', you may have some difficulty. Jap.

Customer Support:

I, noe anyone I've ever known, have never need Boss customer support. The only thing I am in a position to comment on is the webpage. Great if you want to find out a pedal that they still manufacture (or about 4 'classic pedals') but your stuffed if you want anything else.

Overall Rating:

We play indie guitar pop and it suits our style perfectly. It's so good that I leave it on for most songs and it's more of an effect when I DON'T use it!!! I've been playing for about 15 yrs and this is the 1st chorus I have liked. Even compared to the 3 varieties on the ME-50 (which is a fan-bloody-tastic unit!). Gold, I say.

0 Comments Tags: brand#boss tax#aqb

Dimension-C

Review By:

Al Natanagara on 4/13/04 1:00 AM

Reviewer Background:

Purchased From:

Price:

Features:

Sound Quality:

Reliability/Durability:

Ease of Use:

Customer Support:

Overall Rating:

I reviewed this pedal a few years ago, when I would write stuff before I knew what I was talking about. I thought it was digital, and I've since A/B'd it against a Voodoo Labs analog and whole bunch of digital choruses. It's most definitely NOT digital--very warm and deep. And I'm using it in mono! I have tried it in stereo and it's even better in that application. Many of the reviewers here say that the sounds are very subtle. My experience is quite the opposite. Setting 2 is deeper-sounding than the Voodoo Lab on max! Maybe it's my setup (SSS guitar > Teese Wah > Guyatone compressor with output at 3:00 > Keeley Modded Sparkle Drive > Dimension C ...)? So it must be the compander that keeps this pedal so quiet! I wondered how something so lush could be so quiet. I looked it up and found this definition: "a system for improving the signal-to-noise ratio of a signal at a transmitter or recorder by first compressing the volume range of the signal and then restoring it to its original amplitude level at the receiving or reproducing apparatus." I wonder if this is common in pedals made today? I've been putting this pedal in and out of my chain for years now, never sure if it was the right pedal for thickening and swirlifying my sound. I think it's finally got a permanent spot.

0 Comments Tags: brand#boss tax#aqb

Dimension-C

Review By:

Anonymous Reviewer on 9/15/03 1:00 AM

Reviewer Background:

Purchased From:

Price:

$70.00 USD USED

Features:

Sound Quality:

I play mahogany planks, usually a PRS Santana SE (the cheap one) with a GK-2a pickup attached. I usually use a Boss GT-3 instead of an amp, but my guitar amp is a JC-90. Most of my old pedals are in semi-retirement, ever since I got the GT-3. (Why take your vintage pedals out of the house?) I've been able to model almost all of my pedals with the GT-3, but I can't nail the Dimension-C sound, no matter what. The Dimension-C really does sound different from any other chorus effect I've used, and the model in the GT-3 isn't even close. (The Line 6 Modulation Modeler has a Dimension setting that's very cool, but it's still not the same.) I can't say that it has "Pristine Sound Quality." You can hear a little LFO swirl in the background, but it's a nice sounding box, otherwise.

Reliability/Durability:

Bought it used, had it for years, I'd say it's pretty damned dependable; the real problem is that it's not exactly replaceable, since Boss hasn't made them for years. I give it a 7, for that reason.

Ease of Use:

Push one of the buttons . . . make sure the little red light is on. If you can't figure it out, you shouldn't be using electrical appliances without adult supervision.

Customer Support:

Have gotten great online support, and great tech support from Boss/Roland in-store clinics. I haven't had anything from Boss/Roland break down on me, so I don't know how helpful they are with damaged/defective gear. I wouldn't expect much help with a long-discontinued product, especially since the main chip is no longer available.

Overall Rating:

I play experimental guitar, using guitar synths, loopers, delays, and lots of effects. The Dimension-C has a unique sound, which I really appreciate. I use near the end of my signal chain, but not in an amp's effects loop. I agree that it really stands out as a stereo effect, but don't dismiss it if you have a mono rig; you won't sound like you're using just any chorus pedal. I've been playing since Surf Guitar was young, and I have a bunch of pedals underfoot, along with some silly stuff, like an Alesis AirSynth, for example. If my Dimension-C got lost or stolen, I'd look for another one, but I wouldn't want to pay more than $60-70. I love the sound, and I don't really know what I'd add to it. The only thing that sounds at all like it is the Dimension setting on the Line 6 Modulation modelers. The Line 6 Dimension sound is a great sound, but it's not the same as my Dimension-C. Oh, FYI, the Dimension-C is an analog pedal; Boss made a digital version, called the DC-3 DigitalDimension, but it had rotary knobs like all the other Boss Chorus pedals. One trick I'd like to share; try running a pitch-shifted signal through the Dimension-C for some analog warmth. It's really nice with a clean guitar signal.

0 Comments Tags: brand#boss tax#aqb

User Reviews Details

Dimension-C

Reviews

Dimension-C

Dimension-C

Dimension-C

Dimension-C

Dimension-C

Comments (0)

Post a comment

Actions

More Like This

Popular Topics

Keep in Touch

About HC

Advertise on HC