Does the TC Electronic June-60 Chorus Pedal deliver on its vintage-inspired promises? Read our full review below…
If you’re an old fart like me and grew up with the sounds of the Roland Juno line (Juno 6, 60 and 106), then those glorious yellow/orange buttons on the far end of the front panel occupy a magical place in your memory. Yes, the famous (some would say infamous) Chorus I and Chorus II buttons on Juno synths would instantly transform a boring old waveform into a lush, rich ocean of beautiful sounds, ready for pad work, bass sequences or lead solos.
Guitar players have had their own chorus fun over the years, but TC Electronic has meticulously recreated the famed Juno Chorus in their new June-60 guitar pedal. Even recreating the same analog bucket brigade circuitry of vintage units. So, let’s dive in.
Soundwise, you’re given two (well, really three) options. You’ve got Chorus I, which is pretty lush as-is, and can instantly add some slight movement and modulation to a clean Strat part, for example. You’ve got Chorus II, which is a bit more extreme, and really dials in the warble the Junos were known for, especially on arpeggios and clean chord work. Then you’ve got the most fun of all, engaging both buttons at once for full-on swirling textures. And yes, before you ask, this thing does bring the authentic noisiness of the original Juno synths.
One of the nice touches here is the ability to use the pedal in stereo mode, so you can take full advantage of the chorus effect in both left and right channels of a mix, making for a much wider and expansive guitar part than ever before. The only real downside here, is that while the chorus effects are good, there are no control parameters. It’s either all or nothing. Now, this was true of the original Juno synths, of course. You could either turn the effect on or off, but it might have been nice to include even a small rate or depth control knob. But, alas, it’s hard to gripe about a pedal that was designed to do something very specific, that does it well, and comes in around $50. I mean, can we really complain?
Well, maybe. The dang battery compartment was a chore to find – you’ve got to remove the wood end panels completely to take the thing apart. At first, we were convinced the unit didn’t even take a 9v battery, until we found the answer online. Then we felt suitably dumb for not figuring it out. You’ll thank us for that tidbit when you’re trying to figure it out, too.
Kudos to TC Electronic for putting these iconic sounds in the hands of today’s guitarists at a ridiculously low price. Highly recommended.
PROS:
fantastic and iconic chorus sounds, super cheap
CONS:
not very versatile (but that was never the point)
STREET PRICE:
appx $50