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How important is an EQ pedal to a rig?


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I use mine to boost the mids on my Monsterpiece FF clone to help it cut through. Without it the FF gets lost pretty easilly in the mix. So I'd say it's very helpful in situations like these but as iodine74 said I wouldn't call it essential (altough I read somewhere that EVH or his sound tech thinks it is).

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I probably would never have thought to get an EQ had I not seen Adam Jones' Rig (tool). He's got (4) Pedals and only one of them is probably on all the time, the EQ. Then I noticed how many people use the Boss GE-7 and I figured it was pretty important. I considered purchasing the EHX Graphic Fuzz but really wanted a NYC Big Muff. So I got an MXR 10 band and placed it after the Fuzz. The EQ shapes and changes the Fuzz. I can make my highs high and my lows even lower (Booming Low).

Sure you could do this with your amp (and I still do as well), but it's in my chain before I modulate. Which, IMHO, makes a huge difference. Wouldn't you like a 10 band EQ in your car stereo to shape the sound exactly how you like it? Why wouldn't you want the same control on your rig. Aren't Studio Mixing boards to a certain extent, gigantic EQ's?

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I probably would never have thought to get an EQ had I not seen
Rig (tool). He's got (4) Pedals and only one of them is probably on all the time, the EQ. Then I noticed how many people use the
and I figured it was pretty important. I considered purchasing the EHX Graphic Fuzz but really wanted a NYC Big Muff. So I got an MXR 10 band and placed it after the Fuzz. The EQ shapes and changes the Fuzz. I can make my highs high and my lows even lower (Booming Low).


Sure you could do this with your amp (and I still do as well), but it's in my chain before I modulate. Which, IMHO, makes a huge difference. Wouldn't you like a 10 band EQ in your car stereo to shape the sound exactly how you like it? Why wouldn't you want the same control on your rig. Aren't Studio Mixing boards to a certain extent, gigantic EQ's?

 

 

adam actually only uses his eq to boost the high and the volume a little bit for a little extra kick on some things, so he only uses it every now and then:thu:

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I have two on my board - a Catalinbread VariOboost Pro for more extreme EQs (cocked wah, lo-fi radio, etc) and an Antelope MDEQ for your basic Bass/Mids/Treble tweaks. I consider them both to be pretty essential since I play vintage tube combos with single tone controls.

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I was thinking about using it as a boost to push my tubes over the edge which would require me putting the EQ in the input and not the effects loop. I thought that it would be a nice feature to fine tune my tone. I love my distortion but fine tuning won't hurt. Would I have to keep my EQ on my amp flat for it to work? Or would I just be better off getting a clean boost?

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I'm on my second one. I had one for a while and just didn't really have a good use for it, so I got rid of it. I found an old mij Boss GE-7 for $20 recently and gave it another whirl. Really glad I did... works wonders on my valve jr. and for when I switch between guitars with other amps. If you have a good use for it in mind, then it's great to have. If you're just picking one up for the hell of it, you might not get a whole lot of mileage out of it.

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I was thinking about using it as a boost to push my tubes over the edge which would require me putting the EQ in the input and not the effects loop. I thought that it would be a nice feature to fine tune my tone. I love my distortion but fine tuning won't hurt. Would I have to keep my EQ on my amp flat for it to work? Or would I just be better off getting a clean boost?

 

 

If you want the volume boost for more saturation, put it out front - if you want pure volume, loop it.

 

Leave your amp EQ where it is.

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I was thinking about using it as a boost to push my tubes over the edge which would require me putting the EQ in the input and not the effects loop. I thought that it would be a nice feature to fine tune my tone. I love my distortion but fine tuning won't hurt. Would I have to keep my EQ on my amp flat for it to work? Or would I just be better off getting a clean boost?

 

 

I want my EQ right after my guitar so I can immediately shape the tone. Imagine having an EQ built right into your guitar (like some Acoustic/Electrics). If I got a boost, I'd place it before my Fuzz, and have my EQ follow the Fuzz. OD > Fuzz > EQ. Theres some videos on YouTube where this guy explains pedal chain order and how to build a pedalboard.

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If you want the volume boost for more saturation, put it out front - if you want pure volume, loop it.


Leave your amp EQ where it is.

 

 

And I can still shape my tone? People have told me that sticking an EQ through the input makes it sound bad and EQ's are best for in the effects loop.

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So I can get the saturation and fine tune my sound as well?

 

 

Depends on how much headroom your amp/speakers have but usually, yes.

 

EQs you can put anywhere, but they will affect a greater portion of your signal the further on down the line they go.

 

If you put it directly after your guitar but before say, a Tube Screamer - you're basically funneling that wide EQ spread your just dialed in down through the TS's tiny little treble roll-off Tone knob. Seems kinda pointless to use one there IMO.

 

After your drives is a great place because you can then boost or cut anything that needs tweaking before it hits your amp or modulation pedals, and if the EQ has boosting ability you can then use it to drive your preamp too.

 

In the loop, it will have the greatest overall effect because you are EQing your 'final' tone before it hits the speakers - it will provide the cleanest boosting in this spot.

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play vintage tube combos with single tone controls.

 

 

works wonders on my valve jr. and for when I switch between guitars with other amps.

 

 

Actually, I would consider them pretty much essential for these types of situations.

 

I'm not in either of those, so that's why I didn't need/care for mine.

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Depends on how much headroom your amp/speakers have but usually, yes.


EQs you can put anywhere, but they will affect a greater portion of your signal the further on down the line they go.


If you put it directly after your guitar but before say, a Tube Screamer - you're basically funneling that wide EQ spread your just dialed in down through the TS's tiny little treble roll-off Tone knob. Seems kinda pointless to use one there IMO.


After your drives is a great place because you can then boost or cut anything that needs tweaking before it hits your amp or modulation pedals, and if the EQ has boosting ability you can then use it to drive your preamp too.


In the loop, it will have the greatest overall effect because you are EQing your 'final' tone before it hits the speakers - it will provide the cleanest boosting in this spot.

 

 

How would I place it with a Trem and a Wah. After both?

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