DO I really need an EQ pedal?

Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

Probably not but maybe... nobody really "needs" anything but a righteous guitar and amp.

I've got an old black label Boss EQ in the pedal bin... sees occasional use but its rarely on a pedal board these days. Last time I pulled it out for a gig it was with an acoustic guitar.

I used to use it as a boost... turn the output all the way up and maybe goose 800Hz or something to help conjure melodic feedbeek. Probably the best application... still magic for that.

At times I'll toss it front or in the FX loop of an amp while tracking if a sound needs more/less bottom end or some sort of shaping, but all too often I'll just move the mic around and twist knobs on the head to get a sound to tape.

Most of the time it sits in the bin awaiting those occasions where its really needed.
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

J Moose said:
Probably not but maybe... nobody really "needs" anything but a righteous guitar and amp.
Click to expand...
Debatable, but as correct as saying the opposite, in the broad strokes. Certainly, for live use, the more EQs you have available between the guitarist and the FOH, the better, no?


Most of the time it sits in the bin awaiting those occasions where its really needed.
Click to expand...
That's the way it should be. EQ is powerful stuff and can ruin an otherwise fine tone. But when it IS needed, there is nothing that can substitute for it!
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

you dont really NEED it...

i have never used one, and i like my tone (most of the time)

but im sure it would make things a hell of a lot better/ easier
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

I thought I HAD to have one.... so I researched them and finally got one.....
used it for a week solid, trying to sculpt the sound.... tweaking it here and there...
eventually I just sold it and moved on.... never lookin back.
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

I'm running an EQ in the loop on my DSL and it's a pain to hit the channel switch button THEN the EQ button. It's not impossible, though.
What is is good for though, seems to be like a mid boost for a lead, or an uncolored volume boost after the preamp.
I use a cheap danelectro fish n chips EQ. Not really noisy, sounds fine, gets the job done, etc. It's worth experimenting with, absolutely.
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

TwilightOdyssey said:
Debatable, but as correct as saying the opposite, in the broad strokes. Certainly, for live use, the more EQs you have available between the guitarist and the FOH, the better, no?
Click to expand...

Usually not... too many filters can really screw things up when they start to work and 'ring' against each other. Sometimes its cool but usually its a mess.

Most of the guys I've worked with over the years figure that their job ends at the cabinet. When that's making a sound they like its up to the person hanging the mics to do the rest. Most of the time they don't say anything unless its not coming across the way they want, and that's when the suggestions start.

Having said that the most powerful EQ for electric guitar is the microphone followed by the EQ on the amp head. If it doesn't sound right, move the mic as little as an inch and the sound changes dramatically. If that still ain't right, try another mic.
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

Even if you like your sound without it, an EQ pedal is a great insurance against going somewhere and for some reason it just sounds too harsh, or too muffy, or all of the above.

Can also be useful to defend against mad keyboarder syndrome. The singer is dead at that point but hey :)
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

TwilightOdyssey said:
Certainly, for live use, the more EQs you have available between the guitarist and the FOH, the better, no?
Click to expand...

No, the filters screw with the phase of your signal around the cutoff points.

If you would put two EQs one after another, one in a "V" and the other exactly reversed you'd make an audible mess, depending on how many bands, how sharp the bands are and how deep the V.
 
Re: DO I really need an EQ pedal?

They can be useful. I dont like to use it in the effects loop tho - especially if you use it as a bass boost. They are not a very good sounding or organic way of changing your amp's basic tone. Amps are built to sound a certain way for a reason - and every part of the circuit is interdependent. Trying to make a marshall sound like a mesa just makes it turn into undefined mush. Also, the more filters or effects of any kind in a loop is often just overcomplicating the signal path which can lead to a lack of responsiveness and harmonic presence.
As a swiss army knife of front end booster pedal they can come in handy tho. Some guitars/amps/speaker combinations have a particular frequency they accentuate so you can tailor your lead boost to fit. The trick is just to make subtle changes in the frequency bands. a nice lead sound with any amp can be had by just pushing up 200hz a scratch. 400 and 800 a scratch more. 1.6 just a hair. Use the level to taste - but again - don't overdo it.
The higher frequencies as mentioned by mr. Twilight can cause squeal at high gain - and they hurt your ears anyway.
If you think of them as a clean boost pedal that you can tweak a bit then you are going to get pleasing results.
 
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