JackBootedThug
MURDERATOR
I know this will count as heresy on here….but I have never used an eq pedal….up front or in the loop….digital versions on effects units but never a dedicated pedal….
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ZEEGLER
Well-known member
Jesus yes. An EQ in the loop can do wonders.
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Deleted member 21113
Guest
nope
rsm
Well-known member
I used EQ in the loop for an earlier Vox valvetronix amp to "repair" the sound - i.e., "remove the blanket". These days I use my EQ pedal in front of some single channel tube amps for a lead tone.
IDK if I had to use an EQ in the loop to change the sounds of the amp, I'd probably sell the amp. The reason I own the amp in the first place is because of how it sounds; the less I have to add to signal chain the better.
Hoping to find time this weekend, to configure my HX-Effects in the loop of my JP-2C in 4CM. Once I have that, I plan to make three HXFX patches, one for each JP-2C channel, and use the MIDI in the HXFX to change the JP-2C amp channel.
IDK if I had to use an EQ in the loop to change the sounds of the amp, I'd probably sell the amp. The reason I own the amp in the first place is because of how it sounds; the less I have to add to signal chain the better.
Hoping to find time this weekend, to configure my HX-Effects in the loop of my JP-2C in 4CM. Once I have that, I plan to make three HXFX patches, one for each JP-2C channel, and use the MIDI in the HXFX to change the JP-2C amp channel.
kmanick
Well-known member
that's always in the loop of every amp I've used in the past 15 years except for a Mesa mark IV, the on board EQ on that amp is so powerful , an external EQ is not needed.Mine is always on.
I use it to dial out some of the bass in my Splawn.
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MusicIsLife
Well-known member
I used a Peavey Autograph II in my loop for years. EQing things AFTER your various gain/overdrive stages is an almost completely different set of tone shaping options versus what you do before your gain/overdrive stages. I love a lot of mids in my lead tone, and for the longest time I used a GE-7 as my primary boost into the amp, but too much mids before a gainy amp seems to get me a lot of pick thump. Now I only boost the mids a little into the amp, and do the rest with the EQ in my loop. Ditto for bass. I like a lot of bass in my higher-gain rhythm tones, but too much in front of the amp gets flubby, so I cut a bit of low end up front, and bring it back (and then some) in the loop.
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CarlF
Well-known member
Back in the early 80's I had a guitarist friend, who whenever we jammed smoked me, tonally. Granted he used a Les Paul, I used a Strat. We both had Marshalls. We both used a MXR Distortion+.
I figured it was his old MXR 10 Band EQ. I got myself one and ran a Boss DS-1 into it. That EQ was the key.
In '82, when I had the band I used the same setup. Not thru a Marshall, but a small SS H&K amp into a Marshall 4x12. People were looking for my "Marshall" That's how good that setup sounded. Take the EQ out of the equation, the tone was unusable.
I figured it was his old MXR 10 Band EQ. I got myself one and ran a Boss DS-1 into it. That EQ was the key.
In '82, when I had the band I used the same setup. Not thru a Marshall, but a small SS H&K amp into a Marshall 4x12. People were looking for my "Marshall" That's how good that setup sounded. Take the EQ out of the equation, the tone was unusable.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
Agreed. The only time I've ever thought an amp sounded better with an EQ in the loop, is when I had the craptastic Randall RD 100. That was the only way I could tolerate the amp.
Any other amp I've tried an eq in the loop with, took away from the tone vs adding something. Sure, I could shape the sound better but it also made the amp sound smaller, narrower or similar....just sounded somewhat worse overall.
EQ out front for me.
romanianreaper
Well-known member
I guess I might have to dabble. I have band practice this weekend and will get to crank the Super Crush 100 and see if I even need one.
RaceU4her
Well-known member
i thought those empress's sounded a little off in the couple demos ive seen. I have a Ashly 6 band parametric and have had a pq3 and pq4 in the past, i have a GE7 and mesa 5 band here too. they are all cool, i just like the tweakability of the parametrics to really fine tune for recording.
RaceU4her
Well-known member
they can get a little tricky but its just so nice to be able to hit those sweet spot frequencies like 1.2K that most graphics dont have.
MetalHeadMike
Well-known member
The empress did sound weird to me, not natural like the the MXR. The TC1140 sounds very natural (not clinical/processed) but it is a way different animal to dial in compared to the graphic MXR. When I first got the TC1140, I almost listed the same week, but with more time and experimenting found some crazy good settings. It can make amps sound HUGE and 3D. But I still use my MXR 99.9% of the time because it's so intuitive. I'm lazy and prefer the easy/familiar route...LOL!
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mesa4x12er
Active member
Thanks for that I was just looking at one of those.
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mesa4x12er
Active member
Think about all of the amps we've all tried but ultimately didnt like or passed on because of something in the EQ, right? It amazing to be able to just dial out whatever those things are when unfortunately an amps 4 EQ knobs can only get you so far.
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braintheory
Well-known member
If you want a good PQ check out the vintage Ibanez PQ-401 or various rack PQ's like a Furman PQ-3, Audioarts 4100 or Intersound PRV-1
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braintheory
Well-known member
I don't think I've actually passed on amps or any gear for those reasons. It was generally because of the inherent tone itself just not being up to par or as good as something else as a reference point. EQ's won't fix that. I don't even use my PQ or GEQ pedals/racks much even though I have so many lol. I really use them to get other cool sounds that the amps don't get on their own rather used as something to "fix" them
For example, if I use dial in my Ibanez PQ-401 the right way (basically scooping out all the low mids and boosting the treble) it can make my iic+ sound almost like my Hermansson's
RaceU4her
Well-known member
its definitely a tool i at least want to have around.
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mesa4x12er
Active member
I definitely have. I mostly do heavier tones and there are lots of amps with fizz or harsh top ends or wooly low ends that you have to make large compromises with if you're only using the Bass, mids, treble and presence on the amp. How many people boost when they could also just EQ out a lot of what they don't like or accentuate the parts they do like? In any case I appreciate the recommendations above!
romanianreaper
Well-known member
The Orange has some noticeable mids but as we all know, those mids cut thru the mix, so I think I would do some subtle eq adjustments.
You guys were mentioning eq in the loop or eq up front. Can you have the eq up front without it boosting?
You guys were mentioning eq in the loop or eq up front. Can you have the eq up front without it boosting?
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braintheory
Well-known member
I get that, but if I hear that amp can do some things especially well over others yet has fizzy or harsh top end or wooly low end or any issue like that, I wouldn’t pass on that amp. Any piece of gear that does something exceptional is something I want and then like you said do what I can to fine tune those issues whether it’s using an eq, boost, the right speakers, pickups, etc. The amps I pass on are the ones that don’t do anything better than 7 or 8/10. They could be very solid across the board, but nothing really special about them aka most recent gear sadly, JMO