How you use your EQ?

V

VonBonfire

Well-known member
I have a Griffin Analog Pultec EQ that should be coming in the not too distant future Stoked about it. I've never had an EQ in my chain, heck I don't even really have a chain 'cept for the dog. Do you like to run it before or after your boots pedal? Seems like officially it should come after but then I listened to some demos where it sounded more awesome placed before the boots. Any tips, tricks, or advice? It's just guitar-boots pedal-Twin right now.
 
If you’re not using the EQ itself as your boost pedal but want to put it before the amp, I’d put it before the boost so you can shape the tone of the guitar directly. Imo boost pedals sound best directly hitting the amp, otherwise you risk clipping whatever pedals come after the boost, or best case scenario you raise the noise floor of any post-boost pedals.

If you use a compressor, I’d put the EQ after the comp so you can shape the sound of the compressed guitar signal, and also so your EQ settings don’t mess with your compressor threshold settings.

If you put an EQ in the loop, I’d make it the first thing in the loop so you can directly adjust the core sound of the preamp without the EQ messing with your time based effects.
 
TheGreatGreen said:
If you’re not using the EQ itself as your boost pedal but want to put it before the amp, I’d put it before the boost so you can shape the tone of the guitar directly. Imo boost pedals sound best directly hitting the amp, otherwise you risk clipping whatever pedals come after the boost, or best case scenario you raise the noise floor of any post-boost pedals.
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Thanks for this. I don't have a loop, it's just a Twin Reverb. Are you suggesting that any time based pedals like delay or reverb go before or after the boost or EQ then? I was thinking about playing with some of that next, looking to build the fattest/biggest sounding OD tone I can but I haven't really used more than a boots since the 90's so I'm in the dark on that sort of thing.
 
My preference is to go straight into a tube amp. Most of my tube amps have two or more channels, so I don't use an EQ pedal or boost.

I use my EQ pedals in front of single channel tube amps, usually the only pedal; to get a different tone and/or lead boost.

In my modelers, I may use a pre and/or post EQ, but it's rare. I try to keep my modeler signal chains simple, like a real rig. My ISP Thetas have a pre and post EQ, like my old ADA rig had (MP-1 + MQ-1; or MP-2).

It really depends on what you want from the EQ pedal.
 
I like EQ after overdrive / distortion. Could be pedals or the preamp.
 
TheGreatGreen said:
If you’re not using the EQ itself as your boost pedal but want to put it before the amp, I’d put it before the boost so you can shape the tone of the guitar directly. Imo boost pedals sound best directly hitting the amp, otherwise you risk clipping whatever pedals come after the boost, or best case scenario you raise the noise floor of any post-boost pedals.

If you use a compressor, I’d put the EQ after the comp so you can shape the sound of the compressed guitar signal, and also so your EQ settings don’t mess with your compressor threshold settings.

If you put an EQ in the loop, I’d make it the first thing in the loop so you can directly adjust the core sound of the preamp without the EQ messing with your time based effects.
Click to expand...
I use mine first mostly as well . It just works better for me that way .
 
TheGreatGreen said:
If you’re not using the EQ itself as your boost pedal but want to put it before the amp, I’d put it before the boost so you can shape the tone of the guitar directly. Imo boost pedals sound best directly hitting the amp, otherwise you risk clipping whatever pedals come after the boost, or best case scenario you raise the noise floor of any post-boost pedals.

If you use a compressor, I’d put the EQ after the comp so you can shape the sound of the compressed guitar signal, and also so your EQ settings don’t mess with your compressor threshold settings.

If you put an EQ in the loop, I’d make it the first thing in the loop so you can directly adjust the core sound of the preamp without the EQ messing with your time based effects.
Click to expand...
This is 100% what you should do in your situation. You shape what sounds get boosted. @RaceU4her 's advice is what i would do with high gain. The eq is very powerful in the loop and can really make a huge impact on your tone, punch everything, but being that most of the coloration is in your boost, i would go with this method
 
mine is in the loop, but i have it configured so that when running into my Deluxe Reverb I can jumper my inputs to make a single chain of effects. in that instance, i'm basically running my eq after all my gain but before my reverb and delays.
 
I think the OP’s Emotional Quotient is set pretty scooped. In fact he notch filtered most critical frequencies right out:


IMG_3733.png
 
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