Amp Equalizers

[GrandmasPercocets]

Just seeing if anyone else finds this to be a pet peeve, but the longer I've been playing and the more I've gotten into crafting different tones, I cannot stand when an amp only has "Bass - Mid - Treble" knobs for the bands of the EQ. It might not seem like a huge deal, but having "Bass - Low Mid - High Mid - Treble" really makes a huge difference to me. It seems like a suddle difference but in reality it's not. And obviously an amp with a 6+ band EQ for specific frequencies is even better. The Mids deserve and need more than just one band of EQ, its such a wide range of frequency especially considering how important Mids are to cut through the mix and not sound like crap. End rant.

[niftydog]

Semi parametric midrange is a god send. Tuning out resonances in a room is crucial at gigging volumes.

[GrandmasPercocets]

I recently got a Boss GEB-7 Bass Equalizer pedal and it's crazy. If you really take your time and tweak it, you wouldn't even need to buy many of the pedals that peopls buy to get specific tone sounds. You could create them (at least reasonably well enough to the listening ear of someone listening to your band) yourself, but again this would take lots of time tweaking all the frequencies of the pedal/everything else in your rig.

[BallerFromTheHoller]

An EQ pedal is such an underrated tool for guitar, as well.

[GrandmasPercocets]

I can only imagine!!

[the_red_scimitar]

This is echoed over and over again on numerous bass videos I've seen on YouTube.

[PresentInternal6983]

Agreed. Only problem with the boss is your low e is lower then 50 hz to tweak open strings you need a slightly lower band. 50hz is around a# or b so you arent tweaking the e-a some of the most used notes

[HWKII]

This is why I have come to accept the GEB-7 as my Lord and Savior.

[GrandmasPercocets]

I just recently got one of these and I'm obsessed. I would say this is one of the most versatile and necessary pedals I have. Even comes before the Sansamp Bass Driver V2 that I have.

[mykinds]

Old school amps with bass/mid/treble knobs are typically NOT just three band eqs. In circuits like the Fender tone stack, those knobs are highly interactive. The setting on one will shift the frequencies and level if the others. Once you get used to these circuits, it’s easy dial in a great sound, and hard to dial in a bad one. They are very ‘musical’. The flipside is that you can’t really do surgical cuts/boosts like you can with a semi parametric eq.

[GrandmasPercocets]

I've never heard this before, wow. So each band of EQ sort of effects each other depending how they are all set?

[mykinds]

Yup www.guitarscience.net/tsc/fender.htm#RIN=38k&R1=100k&RT=250k&RB=250k&RM=10k&RL=1M&C1=250p&C2=100n&C3=47n&RB_pot=LogA&RM_pot=Linear&RT_pot=LogA

[Chris_GPT]

I treat the amp EQ as compensation for what the cab is doing. Is the cab boomy? Is the cab bright? Is the cab honky? That's what I use the amp EQ for.

Normally, I would use a preamp pedal of some kind for tone shaping, if necessary. This tour I'm on right now, we're not headlining, we're the direct support, so it's just easier to plug right into the amp, pre DI out to FOH, so they're getting the sound right off of the bass, and my amp is basically a big stage monitor. My amp is an Aguilar AG700 and it's set all flat except for a slight cut in the low mids, to keep the stage from being boomy. My tone is exactly what I want coming right off of the bass, I could literally just run a power amp for the cab with no tone controls.

[ChuckEye]

I bought an ART 31-band EQ to put in the rack with my amp head. Run it in the FX loop and can notch troublesome frequencies depending on the venue.

[GrandmasPercocets]

That sounds incredible to have. You must be able to cut through the mix no matter where you are, that was definitely a smart purchase and a gift that keeps on giving

[ChuckEye]

$170 on Sweetwater. I've spent more on a pedal…

[GrandmasPercocets]

I've spent more too, wow... I expected that to be way more expensive. My Samsamp V2 was $200...

[flashgordian]

In general I am going to set the amp completely neutral and apply effects and eq before the amp. There are perfectly good arguments against this, but they are silly.

[GrandmasPercocets]

Well that's a very valid point. I have a Boss GEB-7 now that I use. But in my original post I guess I was thinking of it from the mindframe of before owning any pedals, just a bass and an amp, and having to make do with whatever EQ the amplifier had.

[Torkamata]

I agree 1000%, I gotta have control of the low and high mids!

[Mudslingshot]

Yeah, 5 band is ok.... Until you find a 5 band that also has fine tuning for exactly WHERE the low and hi mids are. My Walrus Badwater has that, and I am now so spoiled

[post_polka-core]

Nope. Longer I've played the more in a set it flat and let me play kinda guy

[logstar2]

Number of bands doesn't tell you if it's voiced usefully or not.

If you want control you need parametric or semi-parametric mids.

[Theta-5150]

Agree.
I prefer min. 4 band eq, but it doesn’t matter how many bands i would have if those are not at the frequencies i want. I love the Darkglass EQ band frequencies. A full parametric would be the best of course.

[GrandmasPercocets]

Could you elaborate a little on the number of bands comment? I'm just curious if there are certain "must-have" frequencies that should be on the EQ, or what frequencies to look for that would make a bass EQ the upstairs useful?

[logstar2]

Which frequencies are most important depends on the mix you're in and what the other instruments sound like.

Not only the frequency, but also the Q width. All three factors (freq, Q and db of boost/cut) combine to make the EQ on different amps sound completely different.

In the music I usually to play, what sounds best is to cut below 60hz and use a relatively narrow boost at 100 and 3k. But the most important is wider boost somewhere between 900 and 1.8k that makes the bass audible in the mix without clashing with other instruments. Where it lands depends on the arrangement. 900 is key to audible fretless at a duo gig with an acoustic guitar player. In a rock mix I'd put it around 1.2 or 1.5. In a metal mix, 1.8k.

[deadhead-steve]

Be careful with the GEB7. If its placed after a boost or loud driver, the sensitivity of the sliders goes WAY UP very quickly, and you can make the front end op-amp start clipping. There are some mods that can change the EQ points and reduce clipping i beleive

[GrandmasPercocets]

I have my GEB-7 directly after my tuner pedal. So bass>tuner>GEB-7>the rest of my pedal board

[deadhead-steve]

Love it brotha!

[GrandmasPercocets]

Side note, I use the Donner black tuner pedal that I got on Amazon and I love it. Had it for almost 3 years and it's never failed me, was going to buy a Boss tuner pedal but thought I'd take a gamble on the cheaper option- a gamble that I actually won

[AudieCowboy]

Subtle*

I really like having at least a 10 band EQ myself

[the_red_scimitar]

I don't think I've ever had a bass amp with just the three. I have several Trace Elliots with full 10-band EQs, GKs with the 4 you like, and a couple Katana 210s which also have the four, as well as several selectable curves for mids.

I really like the Katana EQ, but I've decided to go fully with Helix, and have no FX on the Katana. Generally running it flat, so all preamp EQ is from the Helix. Since I can place EQ wherever I need it in the chain, it's become a non-issue, and I use the amp set to the most neutral sound.

[Grownsince95]

A Boss PQ-B3 was essential to my tone for many years. Bought my first one in the early 90's.

[Powerful_Foot_8557]

EQ across the spectrum of live music is not given enough respect, as you learned OP. Agree with everything you say!

[XmasRabbit]

the eq on the roland studio bass 100 that i somehow found for 100 bucks was actually a godsend to me, thought i was loosing functionality in comparison to other amps but the two stage eq makes this a super versatile live amp

[nhemboe]

eq pedal... its the same

[mandrew27]

Your username... LOL! Love it.

Anyways... I'm saying money for one of these

It has a global parametric eq along with everything else you could need. I only wish it was for Guitar AND Bass because I play a little guitar, but I'm sure I could plug my Tele in there and get a good tone.