How you use your EQ?

[VonBonfire]

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.

 

[RaceU4her]

i would probably put that in the loop if you have one. boost 100hz and add some sweet mids in the 3-4-5K

 

[TheGreatGreen]

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.

 

[VonBonfire]

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.

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.

 

[Metlupass2]

Loop

 

[rsm]

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.

 

[Greazygeo]

Best place for my eq is sitting on the shelf.

 

[jb44]

Guide To Effects Pedals 10th Ed

 

[stephen sawall]

I like EQ after overdrive / distortion. Could be pedals or the preamp.

 

[Techdeth]

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.

I use mine first mostly as well . It just works better for me that way .

 

[Smash]

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.

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

 

[ewill52]

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.

 

[thegame]

I think the OP’s Emotional Quotient is set pretty scooped. In fact he notch filtered most critical frequencies right out:

 

[crankyrayhanky]

There are at least 3 spots to consider:

1st in chain
think of it like Overdrive boost with drive on 0. Cut the low end, boost the mids. I don't think you really need an overdrive and an eq in this situation (unless you're a clean amp pedal distortion player).
Also can think of this as a pickup frequency manipulator

in the loop of amp
amazing tone shaper
cut the lows around 100
boost a narrow Q at 160 for Ride the lightning thump
pick a mid range to slightly cut
*400 Diezel-ish (my fav)
*500 typical/most popular
*750 Mark-ish

or boost 400 for some soaring Santana lead tones

Amp> TNL> EQ> DAW
In a recording setup: this sounds similar to loop, but seems to offer more clarity? I stumbled into this as I was trying to use some of my stereo delays/reverbs in this spot and was super stoked at the eq being in there too.
There was a recent article or video of someone wiring up their stuff this way live with the mixing desk, but yikes that sounds like I'd have to count on other people lol


I'm using an EQ2 which is fantastic, but curious what others are using? Like would that Mesa graphic pedal, while being more limited, yield better tones?

 

[stratjacket]

Mr obvious here but try a few options and see what you like best.
I’ve tried a bunch and for years I’ve settled on this. These are always on and never touch them. 2 EQ’s, one first before OD pedals in a frown (boosting mids) and one post (in the loop or after a reactive load) in a smile boosting lows and highs cutting mids.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

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.

In the case of a clean pedal platform amp with no effects loop, I'd arrange the effects like:

Guitar -> Compressor -> EQ -> Boost -> [time based effects] -> Amp Input

The reasoning is that if your boost has any built-in gain of its own, I'd want to preserve that character in the delay repeats. If you go [ guitar -> delay -> boost ], then the echoes won't hit the boost as hard to generate the gain texture you're using the boost for. Your repeats will sound anemic. Also, putting the boost pedal last will compress the dry tone and the repeats together and make it really tough to balance the mix of your delay repeats.

Above in the thread I said that it's best to put the boost right before the amp's input. That advice is usually for amps with effects loops. In the case of a pedal platform amp, I'd treat the boost itself more like a standalone preamp. If you throw in an amp-in-a-box pedal to serve as a preamp in a clean pedal platform rig, I'd put that pedal right after the boost but before the time based stuff.

 

[VonBonfire]

In the case of a clean pedal platform amp with no effects loop, I'd arrange the effects like:

Guitar -> Compressor -> EQ -> Boost -> [time based effects] -> Amp Input

The reasoning is that if your boost has any built-in gain of its own, I'd want to preserve that character in the delay repeats. If you go [ guitar -> delay -> boost ], then the echoes won't hit the boost as hard to generate the gain texture you're using the boost for. Your repeats will sound anemic. Also, putting the boost pedal last will compress the dry tone and the repeats together and make it really tough to balance the mix of your delay repeats.

Above in the thread I said that it's best to put the boost right before the amp's input. That advice is usually for amps with effects loops. In the case of a pedal platform amp, I'd treat the boost itself more like a standalone preamp. If you throw in an amp-in-a-box pedal to serve as a preamp in a clean pedal platform rig, I'd put that pedal right after the boost but before the time based stuff.

This makes sense to me. So since my amp EQ is as good as it gets now with treble on 10 and bass and mids all the way down I just wanted to be able to fine tune it, mostly for my lead sound. If I raise the mids on the amp's control at all it just starts to gets muddy, same with the bass. The balance of ES-Twin is good with those settings and my VonBonfire pedal is working great with it. It's basically invisible blended with a cranked Twin. The pedal has a bass and tone control on it but I feel like I might be able to clean things up with the pedal's current settings if I have an actual EQ pedal where I can fine tune any of the frequencies that seem wrong to me.

I ride my guitar's volume for pretty much everything and the pedals sit on top of, or in front of the amp, always on. Unless I am reading you wrong it seems like I should try it before the boots first in that situation? Or do you think what I am describing sounds like it should go after the boots? Thanks for your help.

A thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge in here and @thegame for his accurate assessments. I've read every post. If this works out rig talk will have taught me how to wire a guitar and how to use an EQ so again, thank you!