EQ pedal?

Kevin Quick · Post by **Kevin Quick** » 4 Sep 2023 2:29 pm

So I ordered the MXR 10 band which seems to be popular. I've never used an EQ Pedal before so asking for some tips.
Thx

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 6 Sep 2023 4:58 pm

Kevin, there is no hard and fast rules with a EQ. Strictly trial and error. Usually no extreme boost on any band, mostly cuts and use sparingly. Steel Guitars are typically harsh in the mids around 800hz so focus on the mid area. You have probably seen the smiley face EQ curve and that has been the normal case. Experiment with that in mind but a little goes a long way. Your ears will tell you what's best.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Sep 2023 7:09 am

I've never really understood the need for an EQ pedal.
It seems like there are more than enough knobs on the amp to take care of EQ.
Erv

Noah Miller · Post by **Noah Miller** » 7 Sep 2023 10:25 am

A typical EQ pedal such as the MXR is capable of much more precise and much wider changes to EQ than the controls on almost any amp.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 7 Sep 2023 10:35 am

Erv, a good EQ pedal will give you sounds that you just cannot get with the standard tone controls on any amp. Even amps with a mid shift tone network (parametric) are limited in what they can do. The EQ pedals, graphic equalizers, give you the power to boost any part of the spectrum, and that's useful because many amps offer no boost at all. All the controls (or in some cases, just some of them) are passive or "cut" controls - they can't add anything to the frequencies the pickup is generating.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Sep 2023 11:00 am

That may be but I never saw the need.
Erv

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 7 Sep 2023 2:21 pm

Erv, I call it tone sculpting. It's a refinement of your tone. An EQ can help a decent amp sound great. It can't make a crappy amp good. I prefer not to use any external boxes but some amps just need a little trimming of the mids or high-end.