Ibanez Pentatone EQ vs Mesa 5 Band

dead-pan

dead-pan

Well-known member
20250826_092722.jpg


Just got this. Hoping it can stack up against the Mesa 5 band.

Will be testing it against the Mark VII EQ.

Any experiences?
 
These are the actual frequencies of the Mesa 5 band GEQ according to Fractal.

Frequencies:
87.61 Hz
371.74 Hz
723.43 Hz
1575.87 Hz
4822.88 Hz
Q:
1.414 (ideal for octave equalizer)
1.3 (actual,

Should be able to ball park the Mesa GEQ with this information. Easy to go beyond what the Mesa GEQ can do.

Every EQ has a inherit personality and sound. The Ibanez and Mesa do sound different. The Ibanez is working with a 9-volt and smaller capacitors so I would expect less saturation. But the fidelity is really good. Very natural sounding.
 
The Ibanez website claims a ±9v internal supply so 18v headroom, so it must have an internal charge pump. Which is good as 9v only would limit its use in hot FX loops.

I do like the level of flexibility it has, it looks like a pedal version of the kind of rack EQ’s people used back in the day.

Curious to hear your opinion vs Mesa 5 band
 
I can get pretty damn close to the Mark VII eq with the Ibanez. It’s not exactly…. But I chalk that it to the signal path being different. I hadn’t even considered running it with 18v . Reading above seems it’s a possibility. I will give that a shot. The Ibanez is good!
 
I can get pretty damn close to the Mark VII eq with the Ibanez. It’s not exactly…. But I chalk that it to the signal path being different. I hadn’t even considered running it with 18v . Reading above seems it’s a possibility. I will give that a shot. The Ibanez is good!
Definitely don’t plug an 18 v adapter into it, it is already converting the 9 v into a higher voltage internally with a charge pump.

And most charge pumps are not at all tolerant of over voltage, most die if fed 10 to 12 volts.
 
I can get pretty damn close to the Mark VII eq with the Ibanez. It’s not exactly…. But I chalk that it to the signal path being different. I hadn’t even considered running it with 18v . Reading above seems it’s a possibility. I will give that a shot. The Ibanez is good!
DO NOT RUN 18 VOLTS INTO THE PEDAL.
 
DO NOT RUN 18 VOLTS INTO THE PEDAL.
Got it! I misinterpreted what was being said.

On another note, I seen you laid out the exact frequency of the MB Eq. Regarding the Q…. 1.3. Where would the be found ? What’s the value of the Q knob at 12 o clock? Where about would 1.3 be? Thanks!!
 
Got it! I misinterpreted what was being said.

On another note, I seen you laid out the exact frequency of the MB Eq. Regarding the Q…. 1.3. Where would the be found ? What’s the value of the Q knob at 12 o clock? Where about would 1.3 be? Thanks!!
I can't remember. Seems to me it was in the manual. I put them about 10 o'clock I think.
 
I have the Mesa EQ and the Ibanez EQ. Never tried to match them. I use the Ibanez in front to boost the mids and the Mesa post to scoop the mids. I think you can get close or near enough, good options on the Ibanez to get great sounds.
 
I haven't played the Pentatone so this is only tangentially related but Master Effects in Canada makes a few very cool EQ pedals, including a 4 band Furman-style EQ pedal with overall level and adjustable Q for each band
 
Back
Top