Is there any purpose for an equalizer pedal if my guitar amp already has bass, treble and mid control?

Question

Is there any purpose for an equalizer pedal if my guitar amp already has bass, treble and mid control?

Answer 1

Absolutely! EQ is great, especially before and after distortion. Pre-distortion you can use it to do things like cut bass or mids, post-distortion it becomes a voicing/shaping tool to accentuate or cut certain frequencies. You can even use EQ pedals as solo boosts or makeshift acoustic simulators (start by cutting sharply around 400hz...).

Cutting bass before your distortion is probably the most practical use, as far as I'm concerned. Bass before distortion makes for flabbiness and mud, cutting it = a tighter, more defined tone with more clarity and "cut". This is especially noticeable in a band context - lows and low-mids in the guitar put a whammy on the kick, toms, and bass guitar, at least if they aren't managed well. Pull back on these frequencies and you give those instruments greater clarity. Since that's where so much of a band's power comes from.... you get the idea.

I prefer a rack-mount EQ, as it gives way more bands then even a GE-7, but the idea is more control over your tone. 3 k***s just doesn't cut it!

And yes, a great setup may not need EQ... but usually the difference between a 'good' piece of equipment and a 'great' piece of equipment is how well the mfg tweaked the EQ. Seriously. Well, that and noise control. Whatever, you get the idea. =)

Saul

Answer 2

Sure, it allows you to further shape the tone of the signal.

Answer 3

an equalizer will make the world of difference.

a Boss GE-6 or GE-7 has much more control over just the 3 k***s, and you can shape your tone anyway you want.

Also, you can boost part of the signal right after another effect, and before something else.

Try experimenting with an equalizer right after a dirt pedal

Answer 4

depends on the quality of your amp....if you have and average amp an equalizer pedal will do great.

but if you have an awesome amp with great quality and onboard effects you probably wont need it.

i play guitar myself and i have a kustom dfx100 with 2 celestion speakers and a couple of onbored effects and it sound great without the pedal

Answer 5

An equalizer will boost certain range of the spectrum and diminish unwanted overtones on whatever instrument you are using it on.

The bass, mid, and treble are generalized features. In between each know is a variant of frequencies which are more subtle than the standard k***s, on the guitar or on the amp.

Eq are especially usefull on voices where the person lacks depth or has too much of a tinny voice.