Done with overdrive pedals... EQ's are the way...

[anomaly]

This little blue MXR 6 band EQ I just got has shown me the light! It's one of the really old vintage ones and it seems to have some serious mojo to it. I put this thing in a frown shape in front of my amp and it sounds seriously very good...it's more clear sounding than a tubescreamer, and without the unnecessary frequencies, shit coating and clipping that come with a overdrive pedal. Anyone else use EQ pedals for boosts??

 

[serpiko]

interesting topic, looking forward to read some opinions

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Useless without clips. haha No, kidding.

Lets hear though.

 

[Racerxrated]

Yup. Danelectro fish n chips. 20 bucks. Better IMO than Boss or MXR, both of which I've tried. Those two are noisier to me, and less transparent. I boost everything with the same slight frown curve like you...SLO, MK III, D120....sounds great. Marshall's also, but currently marshall-less ATM....

 

[rottingcorpse]

Dimebag secret sauce.

Gary Holt did it too, but with a presonus eq3b parametric just boosting the mids in front of his engl.

Lots of people hit the front with an eq and don't use an o.d. I have never used an o.d. up front. I understand why people use one, I just don't think I need one.

 

[anomaly]

Useless without clips. haha No, kidding.

Lets hear though.

Wish i could. I sold my Shure sm57 a while back.

I've been a/b'ing this MXR against my sd-1 and od808 and it does sound better to my ears. It's a much more clear sounding pedal. OD's sound good but they always seem to thin my guitars sound out a bit. I don't know why this particular pedal sounds so good?... i've owned other MXR eq's and none sound as good as this thing does. It is really old, like from the late 70's or early 80's, maybe they were built better back then??

 

[anomaly]

Dimebag secret sauce.

Gary Holt did it too, but with a presonus eq3b parametric just boosting the mids in front of his engl.

Lots of people hit the front with an eq and don't use an o.d. I have never used an o.d. up front. I understand why people use one, I just don't think I need one.

Yup, not only Dimebag, but quite a few players used them. I think they are a good alternative to boosting with a overdrive.

 

[MrDowntown]

I've got a joyo 6 band on the way.....supposed to be "like" the old blue 6 bands, but cost much less.

And from what I've read, the small frown shape Is the go to setting.

Can't wait.....more toys!!

 

[fearhk213]

Overall, I'm more into using an od when boosting, but eq's are just as good for boosting up front and are more flexible. The only downside is boosting with an eq is more prone to noise than boosting with an od. Particularly if you dial in more extreme eq settings. I've had great luck using an Empress ParaEq, Furman PQ3, and the TC 1140. I've gotten killer tones hitting various heads with each of them. The Furman has a really cool gnarly character, but dang it if that thing isn't nosey as all get out haha. The TC is my favorite for tone and is also the quietest, but the Empress is very sweet considering the size and a noise floor that rivals the 1140. I really want to try the new Mesa graphic eq pedal.

 

[Stumplegriltskin]

I use one of these with a 3 switch TS mod I did. Thing sounds great as just a clean boost. I'm going to break out my MXR 10b EQ and try it out.

 

[Bloodrock]

I like the mxr 10 band in the loop. Slight gain boost and a double frown "m" shape. Its like taking a blanket off your cab for every amp I've tried it with.

 

[glip22]

The Byang EQ is super quiet. Quietest EQ I have heard.

 

[nitro]

MXR 6 Band EQ is a great unit especially for early Van halen,which Edward did use one(blue version).I bought a new MXR 6 band EQ and the difference between the old blue version and the new version soundwise is slight.I like the new versions led lights on the sliders and the opinion of the foot switch to turn it on and off.There is a mod done by Griffin Effects called the silent night mod which takes out some hiss/noise, anyway its a great pedal

 

[paulyc]

The old blue ones do sound awesome, but they're noisy as hell...full of hiss.

 

[Shask]

I like to use an EQ to boost in modelers and SS amps. OD pedals can over-compress in these situations.

But, with tube amps I generally still prefer a Tubescreamer based OD. The compression they add along with the mid boosting makes a tube amp sound and feel like I want.

 

[bwgintegra]

The Byang EQ is super quiet. Quietest EQ I have heard.

Hey Gary,

You use this eq in front of the amp or in the loop?

 

[overthemountain]

The old blue ones do sound awesome, but they're noisy as hell...full of hiss.

That was my experience with the old blue MXR I tried. My fave has been the Boss GE-7 with a sniper mod, which noticeably reduced the noise. Still have an old Boss 10-band too which sounds great but not footswitchable. Tried a Danelectro and DOD ala Adam Jones and like the Boss best. Regardless of which pedal I agree it's a great way to boost.

 

[Spaceboy]

What frequencies do you guys boost to 'take the blanket off'?

 

[Shask]

What frequencies do you guys boost to 'take the blanket off'?

The highest one you got

I will boost 3.2K and 6.4K if I want to brighten up a sound. This works better if the EQ is in the loop.

 

[AndyK]

I agree! I recently dragged my Boss GE7 out of the closet, and used it in front of my JTM50 clone, to tame the flubby low end. Cut the 100 freq down, also cut some of the 200, boosted the 400 mids freq, and increased the overall level. Turned flubby lows tighter, and aside from the slight hiss, sounds killer. Add a TS as a tone shaper/boost, and I get instant early VH tone!