EQ pedals enable guitarists to fine-tune their tone by altering the volume of different frequencies, making them an invaluable asset to their sound. A great choice for anyone seeking to expand upon their sound.
Pedal designers are getting inventive, packing studio-quality effects into compact stompboxes to expand your musical palette like never before. Here are a few of our favorites.
Parametric EQ
There is an array of equalizer pedals on the market, each offering distinctive features to help improve your guitar tone in specific ways. Parametric EQ can help create custom frequencies not available anywhere else while graphic EQ excels at eliminating feedback or targeting specific frequency ranges. Your choice will ultimately depend on which sound you desire and your instrument setup needs.
The Whirlwind Perfect Ten parametric equalizer pedal offers high-quality sound and precise control, featuring six bands of equalization to allow you to shape your sound in numerous ways. Plus, this pedal features an easy stomp switch and LED indicator for seamless operation – an indispensable piece for any professional guitarist’s pedalboard!
BOSS’ GE-7 parametric EQ pedal offers excellent parametric EQ capabilities with its wide array of controls and digital display screen that displays how your adjustments affect frequency responses. Furthermore, this pedal offers up to eight preset storage slots – perfect for guitar players looking to fine-tune their sound without spending an fortune.
If you’re searching for an EQ pedal that offers more versatility than most on this list, take a look at the Wampler EQuator (available for sale on Sweetwater and Amazon). While different from most on our list because it utilizes knobs rather than faders, the Wampler EQuator remains an outstanding option for anyone wanting to add additional EQ into their setup.
EQuator features a high-quality signal path as well as three bands of equalization that cover frequencies between 40Hz and 15kHz, each featuring adjustable center frequency, quality factor and gain settings – giving you complete control over your guitar tone!
No matter your budget or needs, there are countless affordable EQ pedal options to meet them. Selecting an effective pedal depends heavily on individual needs and personal preference; also take into account how much control over frequency spectrum control you want as well as number of bands to control – more bands means greater details in control over frequency spectrum control.
Graphic EQ
With an EQ pedal, you can create a more distinct and specific tone that blends more naturally with the rest of your band. Furthermore, these pedals give you control of frequency spectrum allowing you to boost or cut certain frequencies; but remember adding too many frequencies may muddy your sound and lead to distortion.
The best EQ pedals provide precise control of each frequency band, giving you greater ability to create subtler tonal adjustments and lessen feedback in live environments. Furthermore, good EQ pedals will come equipped with both additive and subtractive modes; additive mode boosts frequencies louder while subtractive cuts them down for quieter sound quality.
An EQ pedal is essential to creating any guitar tone you imagine; from thick and heavy to bright and jangly. Unlike boost and overdrive pedals, an EQ pedal will enable you to shape your tone so it stands out from the music and seems more natural and clear than ever.
There are various EQ pedals on the market today, but only certain models have become classics over time. One such pedal is Boss GE-7; its powerful feature set and easy user experience have earned it its place as one of the all-time great EQ pedals. Furthermore, its construction ensures long-term usage.
The Brian Wampler EQator pedal offers both additive and subtractive techniques for shaping your tone, with boost/cut frequencies in either high/low ranges as well as Q control to fine-tune how wide its reach will be. Ideal for live environments as well as vocalists/drummers looking to reduce volume volume EQators also help reduce noise from recording equipment!
Direct Input
These pedals allow you to customize the tone of your guitar setup to meet your precise preferences, with intuitive controls such as gain and Q waveform enabling precise changes without diluting its authenticity. Furthermore, some EQ pedals offer preset EQ settings which can be quickly recalled during performances; making these types of EQ pedals great tools for bringing out the unique character of an instrument while making it stand out among a mix.
Consider whether or not an EQ pedal can also function as a preamp when selecting an EQ pedal. Preamp pedals offer additional levels of control by enabling you to alter frequency response and add crunch or crunchiness to your guitar’s sound; additionally they may add harmonic distortion for vintage and natural tonality.
EQ pedal that serves both preamp and EQ functions is what you need, and the Source Audio EQ2 delivers. Featuring 10 customizable bands for precise sound sculpting and built-in chromatic tuner plus 27V functionality, as well as noise gate, limiter, noise freeness control and 8 user presets that are easily recallable, this powerful device makes a strong impression in its compact package.
Whirlwind Perfect Ten EQ pedal is another top choice. This model was specifically created to accentuate dynamic elements of your playing while giving greater control over its subtleties and tone. Boasting high-quality construction and being powered by an 18 V power supply for optimal headroom.
Not all equalizer pedals are created equal, though many features and functions will remain consistent between pedals. No matter which kind you select, it is crucial that you understand its terminology as well as its various functions for optimal tone production.
Noise Reduction
An equalization pedal is an invaluable way to shape the tone of your guitar and achieve the sound you’re after. But before selecting which EQ pedal best fits your rig, it is important to learn about its various types and their functions – as well as keeping size and weight into account when making a decision. Once you understand how EQ works and the type of tone you are seeking to create, finding your ideal pedal should become easy!
The Empress ParaEQ MKII is a studio-grade equalizer designed to offer effective tonal shaping in an easily transportable pedalboard package. Boasting parametric EQ bands with adjustable Q and frequency settings, this equalizer gives you full control of your guitar’s frequencies to manage harsh or tubby ones while emphasizing those needing more focus.
This 10-band EQ pedal, created in partnership with Slayer guitarist Kerry King, provides all of the functionality you need to shape your tone. Offering various frequencies and the option to cut or boost up to 12dB per individual band. Furthermore, its high-pass filter helps remove unwanted frequencies for an unblemished sound quality.
Another unique aspect of this pedal is its use as a low-pass filter, allowing you to reduce bass content in your sound and thus creating lo-fi guitar tones or simply removing any muddiness in the form of distortion or muddiness.
Though not equipped with as many frequency-specific knobs as other models on this list, the Haunting Mids pedal still packs a punch. It was designed specifically to work well with overdrive and distortion effects – especially helpful for guitarists who use grit based effects as Haunting Mids can elevate their sound to another level.
Another excellent aspect of this EQ pedal is its versatility: you can combine it with other pedals to form an entire effects chain. This feature can be especially helpful for guitarists with limited pedalboard space who are working with limited effects chains; saving space on their boards by consolidating pedals into one pedalboard can save them plenty of space! Unfortunately, however, its separate power supply may become an inconvenience in such circumstances.