-
Im thinking of getting one of these. I would be using it with my Superblock US.
Its not that really NEED one but I think Id like the fine tuning.
So...is the best place for controling overall tone to put it in the effects loop? I am currently using no other pedals.
I know I can also put it in front of the amp but I really dont have any experience with these.
Also, If I get one and put it in the fX loop where do I put the Bass, Treble and Mid settings on the superblock. My thinking is to leave it set in a general area where I already like the tone so I dont have to got to extremes on any setting.
Im happy to take suggestions if you have a minute.
I can also be talked out of spending the money if there really isnt much use in them.
thanks in advance
-
02-21-2026 10:35 AM
-
Try both and use the one you like better. Trust your ear.
-
I have a Boss EQ pedal that I acquired about 30 years ago as lagniappe when I bought an amp. It is sometimes useful. I've always just put it in front of the amp, because the FX loop seems to add hiss and noise. I also use a Superblock US, and while I don't really use the EQ pedal that often, it's convenient to use it as a boost pedal for solos. You can also use it in reverse, for a lower volume for comping when on, and louder for solos when off, depending on where you need the EQ adjustment. As @omphalopsychos said, try it in both locations and see what you prefer. Personally, I wouldn't spend the money, but I'm not you, and it's not my money.
-
Im not sold on the idea of getting one. Id say its GAS at this point
Its probably just smarter to practice instead of playing with toys.
-
No comment on FX loop vs input positioning. I don't have an FX loop on my Twin. I will say I kept my preferred amp EQ settings and worked from there though I suppose you could also set the amp to neutral and adjust that way. You want fine tuning, a good EQ will definitely give you that although just my two cents I would select a Parametric or Pultec style EQ over a graphic, because they actually offer more control. In the case of the Pultec you can cut and boost frequencies in the same basic band treble/mid/bass, which for me, was a fix for a rather messy top end at high gig volumes. My amp EQ was limited in effectiveness since I run maxed treble with no mid or bass i.e there was really nothing I could do but use an EQ. It did the trick in my case.
Originally Posted by Sigmund451
Im not sold on the idea of getting one. Id say its GAS at this point
Its probably just smarter to practice instead of playing with toys.
-
EQs pedals can serve other purposes, but I find mine (a Boss GE-7) most useful in boosting mids and slightly higher frequencies to help cut through when soloing in louder environments or when keys are comping in or close to ranges where I'm playing. There are other ways to get a boost (simplest/cheapest being turning up the guitar volume control), but I like the targeted boost from the GE-7 better in those situations. The GE-7 works well with my Superblock US and tube and solid state amps (with tone controls set to what I like when nobody else is playing).
GE-7s and other graphic EQ pedals aren't that expensive, and they are easy to sell if you decide it isn't for you.
-
I have an Empress Para Deluxe EQ and a GE7. I find them most useful with Fender style amps to more accurately control the mid bands. For jazz, that scooped Fender thing isn't always the best. I find I boost a bit with a broad EQ curve in the low mids, and use the high and low shelf (Empress) to fine tune the lows and highs. This is after getting a good basic sound from the Fender. I believe the Superblock has a Fender voice?
I could live without, but it's nice to have.
Beyond that, there's a lot of creative stuff you can do for other styles, and for recording.
-
Source Audio EQ2 has presets and memory.
-
I bought a para EQ (Empress) pedal once to finally get my perfect tone. After spending 30 mins in my room dialling it in, I was there. Originally Posted by Sigmund451
Im not sold on the idea of getting one. Id say its GAS at this point
Its probably just smarter to practice instead of playing with toys.
I then took my guitar, amp and peddle to a rehearsal and to my shock, it sounded awful. I then had to spend 30 mins dialling it in.
The room is more important. Sometimes you're going to sound good, sometimes not. Ignore the times you don’t. I immediately got over my need to ‘eq’ things.
-
Those look great and I would love to give one a try sometime. Originally Posted by bluejaybill
-
The Empress is great, but a bit of overkill for my needs. Originally Posted by DawgBone
I mostly use the Baxandall type high and low shelves for bass and treble, and one band of parametric for the mids. I rarely use the high and low parametrics. Used this way it's very simple and transparent.
I mostly use it to adjust the mids on scooped Fender amps for jazz playing. Or to cut mids when playing lead with an OD on a neck pickup.
I also use it to boost 800K to get a bit more "cut" with an OD. I have seen EQ's set this way on many Nashville pedalboards with Nobles and other pedals. You can get the tube screamer type "poke through the mix" without the awful nasal tone of the TS.
Or you can make clean sounds "glassier". Or make an LP sound like a Gretsch. But I haven't gotten too much into that.
Anyway, an EQ is a very useful tool, especially if you know a bit about frequencies. And they can help teach you that as well.
Besides those mentioned, Sine Effects EQ's in Europe look promising, some are just one band parametric midband controllers!
-
Thanks for the details. I was pretty intimidated by EQ pedals because I am sort of a plug in and play guy that likes easy/simple rigs and an EQ definitely adds some complexity in terms of options. I actually photographed my settings cause if they got knocked out of whack at a gig I'd be completely lost, lol. Originally Posted by bluejaybill
Anytime I would raise the mid control on my Twin it just started getting flubby sounding so I've kept it dialed all the way down. I guess I could do some additional experimenting with the midrange of my EQ moving forward and maybe fine tune it a little more. It's one of the pedals I've owned that I won't be selling just because vs a lot of other FX it is really helps me get a handle on the final tone with my setup.
-
I can say that I never liked the Mid control on Fenders BF or SF, and some later models. It just seemed to add something that was definitely in the Mids band, but just not useable for me. "Cardboard" was the term I used to describe it! Flub or mud would also suit.
So I finally bought a Boss G7 EQ pedal and I think it's great. Instead of changing amp settings when needed, or when switching guitars, I can (without having to bend over to see the little dials on the amp's front) tweak the EQ pedal. And the beautiful part is: the 7 bands alter the tone more precisely and selectively than the amp's tone controls, in fact, very little adjustment is necessary - the controls one the Boss are so efficient.
Plus having learned more about frequencies and how they affect things, which is why I like "Graphic EQ's" And yes, they are photographable! ;-)
-
New toys make music more fun. The more fun it is, the more you will practice. Originally Posted by Sigmund451
Im not sold on the idea of getting one. Id say its GAS at this point
Its probably just smarter to practice instead of playing with toys.
Some thoughts on EQ pedals:
- Some of the best are made by Empress. Expensive. Well made. Quiet and solid. Parametric.
- Why it's worth it: In addition to bands, has Hi and Lo pass filters. Q settings that make sense for guitar. Parametric is the perfect tool for getting rid of feedback and nobody makes a better parametric pedal. Will last forever.
- Graphic EQ's offer visual feedback that may be useful. The sliders represent the frequency spectrum.
- One of these days when the sliders are gritty and the pedal gets noisy you will throw it away
- The EQ on digital MultiFx units can be quite good and these can be cheaper than a decent EQ pedal.
My suggestion would be get a Valeton GP-5. Use it for EQ either in the FX loop or in front of. You can figure out how you like your EQ to work with hi pass, lo pass, graphic or parametric. After that there's all that other stuff to play with. You can even have speaker IR's (using the Quilter for preamp tone then direct out) if you have to run direct to a PA. For $80 you can play with it then donate it to someone else down the line.
Amazon.comLast edited by Spook410; 02-23-2026 at 04:51 AM.
- Some of the best are made by Empress. Expensive. Well made. Quiet and solid. Parametric.
-
The Empress Parametric Deluxe is especially resplendent and useful since it is fully parametric as it lets you choose your active centerpoint frequencies, and continuously vary the bandwidth of the chosen freq boost or cut. The regular Empress is still very good in this respect as it gives you three center-frequency affective bandwidths on a switch. And these pedal are studio grade with respect to low distortion, phase linearity and transparency.
In the used, no-longer-made market, you can look for the Tech 21 Q\Step, which is semi-parametric in two mid-band controls. You don't get to control the affective bandwidth for your chosen frequency, but the audio quality is very high. I use one. It's also sonically toneful as it is a MOSFET-powered emulation of the built-in tone density of a '60s Rupert Neve console EQ.
Another approach I found useful with a broadband guitar headphone tube amp is to use a compound pedal, in my case, the Universal Audio Enigmatic. It says it's a 1982-inspired pedal because it is nominally a Dumble amp emulator, but forget that for a moment. You get standard bass-middle-treble EQ plus low/mid - presence - bright additions to that tone stack. Aside from that, it has really good sounding speaker/cab sims, jazz-rock-custom tone profiles, and a really excellent room simulation that could have you using reverb less. Aside from what's on the amp, you can download more profile sims via an iOS or Android app. I haven't bothered with that yet. What's on the box is great by itself. Jazz tone, some room dialed in, tweak the EQ to my liking, use OD or not, I'm there. I use the Jazz tone profile, the Electro Voice EV 12 cab sim, tweak tone controls and it makes my broadband FRFR guitar headphone amp sound awesome. With somewhat different EQ I can run it into my 5W tube head and ext cab, or use it to get more sounds out of my Henriksen.
You can even use EQ pedals to simulate cab simulations and cut any interest in digital modeling.
I fully endorse diving into parametric or semi-parametric (rather than graphic) EQ and discovering how judicious application can help virtually anyone chasing a sound. Just don't overdo it. Explore and be subtle. It's a relatively cheap way to perhaps not buy as many amps, or even guitars -- if that prospect appeals to you.
Phil
-
Sometimes I get across rooms which make it almost impossible to get just a halfway decent sound. Therefore a good EQ pedal is a necessity for me.
I've been using a Carl Martin 3 band parametric preamp for decades on most of my gigs. It's easy to set and generally helps me to tame the lows and the highs.
At one point I used a Mega Para which has more possibilities. It helped me to precisely dial into a couple of very awkward rooms, but with its 10 knobs and 4 switches this is much more difficult and time consuming to handle than the Carl Martin.
Another advantage of these EQ's: they buffer the signal, which I found out to be necessary in order to use the TC Ditto Stereo.Last edited by JazzNote; 02-24-2026 at 10:01 AM.
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions