I own both, and they both have good qualities. In my rig the MXR KRK 10, (it has two outputs) in the effects loop adds less noise. It's transparent, EQ's are supposed to be. But the Boss GE-7 works really well as a pre EQ. I use it after my Pigtronix compressor. I use it to beef up my strats without changing its tone,
I run both of these in my chain. On my Marshall YJM100 I run the MXR in the loop and its always on.To many uses to name here but mainly I use it to thicken and shape the tone. The drive on it is very strong but I do not need any more. I run the GE7 at the end of my chain after all my overdrives.I tweaked with the sliders for hours until I got a killer,bluesy scooped out tone with some grit.I use it like a second channel.One could also set it up to sound great with a single coil guitar.So when you set the LP down and grab a Strat,simple hit the EQ and have your tone of choice ready to go.If you can only have one get the MXR.IMO its a must on any board and one of the top 10 pedals ever.
I use BOTH of these (Not at the same time or both NOT on my board) I'm a solo artist and play various instruments. So when it comes to EQ's I use both for multiple reasons: 1. Boss GE-7 shares with guitars and keys. 2. Mxr eq shares with Bass and guitars. So it all depends on how to use them and when to use them. If you own both and have the owners manual you'll see that it specifically tells you that BOSS eq is for both guitar and keys and MXR also for Bass and guitar. So these eqs can do a lot for you.
The MXR makes the BOSS sound cheesy. It seems as if, everyone just wants to use eq to boost frequencies. The art of eq is subtracting the "Bad" frequencies, this clarifies your tone, and allows the sweetness of your sound to come through."Muddy" sounds? Eq is the cure. You want boost? Get a couple of nice OD's and run one into the other, using a little gain from each. There are few eq's which sound good for boosting frequencies. Unfortunately, these eqs (Pultec is a great eq for boosts) cost $2000 and up! On the other hand, most any eq will work for making cuts, which is where the magic is anyway. Trainning your ears maybe more vital than finger dexterity.
i agree, adding frequencies means increasing volume in certain areas, which will generally increase distortion, as you said make your tone muddy, using it as a cut is a smarter choice, like for example dropping some of the 200-400 range as that makes the tone woofy, ditch a little 2khz if the tone is too fuzzy and you want a more aggressive lead tone.
Totally agree with you. I started to damage my ears when boosting frecuencies, then i remember what people said about the correct use of eq, like you said and OMG. Great tone
I would put it in the loop and maybe boost the mids. I use a boost in the loop because my preamp pedal is weak, and boost some highs also. Maybe a ten band can do it better. Some amps has tube powered loop that doesn't have this problem. Absolutely I think some frequencys would be cut also to make it better. Essentially I want more marshall out of my Engl fireball 😂 and that's why I use a kraken preamp. But the fireball on the clean is quite marshall sounding.
It depends on How and Even More Importantly- WHERE you use EQ (especially in a chain or loop). There's more than just one function in an EQ. Use it to Boost volume or kill Feedback. Totally reshape your sound or use it to help protect your speakers from dangerous Spikes in your mix.
For anyone who plays with a Marshall, I cannot recommend using an EQ enough. Marshall onboard EQ is "British", which basically means "not a whole lot of frequency response". Although British EQ is considered more "musical", if you really want to shape and control your Marshall's tone, you need an EQ. This is how Kerry King gets his JCM800 to sound like it was made in hell.
They both are good.... But the boss seems to impact the sound (in a positive way) a lot more. But the MXR gets the bonus for looking a lot cooler. For me 7 band is better because once I get past 7 I don't know what to do with all the sliders. Less is better
I just ran my Japanese boss GE-7 vs my MXR m109s 6 band, the new silver one, and there is no noisefloor difference. I even cranked 3 over drives in front of them. I did not hook them up at once. I used just one, unplugged, and then switched to other, recording the results. There was 0 difference or maybe the MXR 6 band was noisier. The noise should have been uper apparent with all the gain. I'm really disappointed I bought the MXR. I use the silver 10 band in the fx loop. Haven't compared it. Either way, the silver ones are supposed to be less noisy than the old black units, but there was no noticeable difference compare to the BOSS. Crankkng 1.6k sounded a bit different but it was a noise floor issue. No mods on any of the pedals.
I have had both. The boss is really great except there are not quite enough bands for classical guitar. I can’t quite take the ear biting trebles down without taking too many surrounding frequencies. I would prefer a little more bass control so am thinking of adding the bass version. I got rid of the mxr almost as soon as I bought it because it coloured my sound when it was flat!
I used to have the 10 band mxr running through a peavey 6505+ and it turned that head into a death metal machine. I'm thinking about picking one up again for my bass rig now.
I've had both and they we're always in the effects loop and I used the boss to brightened up a peavey which sounded better IMO. Just like I used the MXR to give the Marshall a slight deeper tone which also sounded better IMO.
Setting them flat O will not be a test. It’s the same as if the were bypassed. 🤷🏼♂️ 6 of 1. A half dozen of another... Anyway, they both sound good, so it’s a matter of preference. A brown egg's as good as a white egg, as long as you give your chickens the same feed.
I think the MXR clears up the sound abit, and the GE-7 does the opposite. The MXR has more frequencies to tweek and seems less fuzzy. The question is if it's worth paying almost double for.
More frequencies doesn't matter. What matters are the frequencies you need. Either pedal will sound better in different applications. Sometimes one will sound better, with the same amp, depending if it's in front of the amp or in the loop! For example, I much prefer the GE7 in a 5150 loop. About to try the new silver version of the MXR in the loop to see if it's any better. The black version tone sucks in the 5150 loop.
@@XChristianNoirX Amps like the 5150, the 6505, most Peavey’s or Solid State amps would likely benefit from the Boss because it tends to pull away some of the inherent treble spike associated with those types of amps even when the pedal is off. The MXR on the other hand would only accentuate the spike making it sound worse than it already does. It’s not that the MXR doesn’t have the right frequencies, it’s that the Boss pulls away some top end when added to your signal chain before you even switch it on, whereas the MXR adds slightly to the higher frequencies.
@@dannyharvey7398 the reason is because most boss pedals have a 500k input impedance while MXR is 1M. This is the BOSS buffer that does this. More accurately, it's 470k I believe. The Maxon od808 has the same. Something like a Fortin 33 has 5M, which gives it the crazy high end extension/brilliance, which people either love or hate! 😂
There is a noticeable difference , but it is in the highs. I think any difference here is due to the buffering in the boss pedal. I did like the mid-boost in the boss, but I'm guessing if you have some buffered pedals around the mxr, the difference would be eliminated
Iván Martín Maybe my pickups just suck, but i found that if you have it plugged in the fx-loop you have full control over all the frequencies your amp is capable of. When if you plug it between your guitar and the amp some sliders hardly have any effect over the tone at all because the pickups lack the frequency range. Either way, having the MXR in the fx-loop just sounds much more solid.
I use an Over Drive pedal and found having it before the OD rather than after was way better so basically ends up in the same place in the signal chain as using an FX Loop. Mine broke though and will be buying another.
CRMcAuliffe Dude, placing the EQ in the loop means that you put it AFTER your amp's preamp section and dirt, which means that if you use pedals you put it after the OD.
MrFuckingDeath What I meant was I use it before pre amp or in my case (as I have no FX loop) before my valve/tube driven OD pedal rather than after sounded better to me.
In my opinion, i found the MXR a little bit « Electronic/fizzy/frozen » in quality of sound. But it’s minimal. The Boss tone i found it more warm and pure. I find the sound from Boss more...true and more analogic.
if i close my eyes and pretend like im listening to an record when he plays the notes through the pedals, I feel the mxr is better quality like im listening to a more pro sound. but i could just be tripping, i like the mxr quality better but the style is great on both
I own the MXR and i like the way i can control the tone, i have still playing with the settings so i can find the correct for myself, the thing i don't like is the hum it adds, other than that, a very useful EQ. Great comparission.
Yeah I agree, but the MXR colors the tone beautifully. I don’t have the boss eq yet, but I think the compact size would make it worth it. Also boss is simply the boss
The Boss takes some of the life away but the MXR is way less transparent IMO. Overall the Boss seems warmer and better coloration but both these pedals hurt the tone too much
JIMJAMSC Its interesting that you have a marshall yjm 100 and using the mxr . I have been trying to use mine with the same setup with the yjm in the fx loop. Mine colours the tone slightly but adds more push . Basically the unit flashes like mad and it ends up blowing the valves this is at low settings too the volumes maxed out but attenuation on at about 11 o clock . What are your settings ? Compared to my blackstar ht5 the marshall doesn't cope with this pedal at all . Im suprised yours works . I got in touch with marshall and they said that the yjms fx loops wont accomodate anything like that . Unlike modern amps the yjm is linear and so only basic modulation effects will work in the fx loop .
So it's really old school then. I tried that amp 2010 and it sounded fantastic. I know this thread is old, and I'm also old. The new Friedman plex is also linear. I like batteries wich is to the favour of the boss.
I know this is 3 months late... but a compressor is always welcome, and a nose-gate is paramount aswell. Those are the basic pedals of any guitarists rig. I won't recommend any because everyone wants a different sound :P
I love how everyone always has a hard-on for true bypass. Seriously, if you're actually considering an EQ pedal, you probably are playing through a high gain amp. You don't have country and jazz guys shopping for these. When you're running a noise gate, AND a compressor, AND an overdrive, AND maybe a reverb, into a Rectifier, or a 5150, or an Uberschall, or a Fireball, does it really matter that much if the pedal is true bypass? Just pick one you can afford and play the damn guitar already.
Sounds like you mean distortion . A lot of that heavey metal sound is the line 6 m series . Other metal dist boxes I know are Boss mt3 , zvex box of metal is great . If your on a budget danelectro makes some cool metal dist boxes for like $20 . Lots of others . Hope that's helpful .
The bottom two bands on the 10 band aren't even used on a guitar (low e string is about 80 hz) and 16 kHz is almost to high to hear. So it's really a 7 band.
Well, the bottom two bands are there even on a standard tuned guitar and could cause clarity issues because low frequencies clip earlier than highs, making a distorted sound less focused and more muddy. Cutting under the frequency of the lowest tone you can produce on a guitar allows you to boost the volume more before distortion occurs, it helps tighten up the sound and prolong the life of the cab/speaker of choice and makes sure the kick drum and bass have all the space they need in a band context, both live and in the studio. This can be done at every stage, as the first thing in your chain (makes gain-based pedals and compressors work more efficiently), in your fx loop (clears up some pre-amp woof), between a head and a cab (same as before plus it preserves the speakers and transmits a better signal to a mic in front of them).
@Master Exploder very wrong when im doing palm muted chugs in standard e my tuner registers down to 32hz even though the e string is like 73hz, so increasing or dropping bass in that area would definitely be noticeable.
The Boss sounds warmer to my ears. I've owned the MXR and it had a lot of feedback when I kicked it on. I'll find out if the Boss does too when I buy one this week. Hopefully it doesn't. Playing it through a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL and Gibson Les Paul w/ EMGs.
no you absolutely can use a eq for a boost. just leave the levers in the middle and push up the volume level lever up so when u step on it u get a volume boost. alot. and in the lop is best. infront the amp is a waste
That works best when the loop is wired right before the power section. At loud volumes, it makes the amp roar. I used to have a rack EQ in the loop of a Marshall Silver Jubilee, which is wired that way and that setup gave me lots of chunk and feedback on demand to the point where I could play melodies with feedback on each note. I was getting all of my distortion from the amp, not from a pedal and pushing the power amp section with the EQ. Of course, it was noisy, but the noise was undetectable when the band was playing! I used a gate to silence it between songs, but with the on/off switch on the EQ pedal, the gate isn't necessary.
so which one do you think is better of the 2? Which one has better tone? Hey, can you do an instructional video on the boss e q 20, advanced equalizer> It has 10 bands and 9 pre sets.. I think you can re-program the pre-sets, but I need more info about it. I bought one used, and they did not know anything about it, I just got a good deal on it.. so I am trying to get the info.. can you do it? and you did not show much about these 2 either..
+Michael Craig I'm not doing pedal videos anymore, can't afford to :/ Of these two, I think the MXR is the overall better choice, but the Boss seems to be less subtle, which works great when I want a mid boost for a solo, for example.
i legitimately prefer the mxr 10 band it gives you a varaity of tone and it looks better than the ge 7 not saying the ge 7 is bad its great but mxr seems to drive your amp in a different direction it makes you high end higher and your low end lower its great FACT : randy rhoads used the mxr on all his work (quiet riot and ozzy) evh used it on van halen 1 , diver down , and 50150 steve vai used it on flexible and for the love and the whole passion and warefare album ( he used the ge7 on erotic nightmares ) and jerry cantrell used the mxr on the whole dirt album and man in the box ( especially man in the box)
I hardly notice any difference. And usually when you play you have other instruments that mask up any difference between the tone. MXR is a bit more clear, but eh.
I personally like the Boss a lot better. Seems to me that the Boss is a lot beefier because it is a 7 band. I've always seem to get better sounds out of stuff in which you have less to work with. If that makes any sense, haha, but for the most part they both sounded quite similar. I like them both, but the Boss slightly more.
Boss is better depending the gear that you have, the tone in my guitar is nice with Boss Eq everything is better than mxr.. sorry but you have to buy both a compare by yourself. Boss is the best!
eh, that's not entirely correct. yes, the distortion pedal is going to have its own eq curve which is going to shape the overall tone. however that's not necessarily a bad thing. putting eq before distortion affects the flavour of the distortion, more than the overall eq. it's not "wrong" to do so.
Funny enough I've own both of this pedals before I still have my mxr 10 band I mainly use in the effects loop with my od channel. I basically scoop the lower mids and bring up the upper mids for that clean punch type of tone between my Les Paul and Marshall head.
The Boss sounds warmer...thought the MXR is a bit clearer. The MXR seems to affect the tone when turned off, whereas the Boss doesn't. A good EQ pedal should not affect the tone when its turned off and also should not affect the tone with all sliders set to 0 with the pedal on. I prefer the Boss...buts its all depends on what sound your after.
Actually you shouldn't compare these pedals at all you should use them together as they don't cover the same frequencies, you have a seventeen band EQ if you use them together And they work better in your effects loop
If you get fuzz and/or hiss from an amp then you will need a noise gate pedal. Most tube amps have annoying noise you can hear when you are not playing any notes if you don't use a noise gate pedal.
to my ears, the boss sounded terrible during the clean comparison. it somehow removed something from the sound, whereas the mxr sounded basically the same. they sounded pretty similar with distortion though, maybe the boss with a slight advantage with that lo-fi-ness.
Just a question.. I had a ge-7 before and got some cool results putting it before the distortion pedal (between it and my guitar), thereby basically eqing my guitar before the sound went anywhere.. I thought it sounded good for a more controlled sound.. but I was wondering how do most people use it.. right after the distortion pedal (assuming the distortion pedal is all that I'm using)?
I think of eq pedals as clean boost or outboard active electronics for your pickups. Nothing at all wrong with putting it first in your chain. The only thing you need to be aware of is that if you boost too much , the pedals downstream may have a hard time handling it. I bought a ge7 when they first came out, still works great (lost a couple of those white knobs over the years lol).I boost 200 400 and 800 w/ humbuckers and it turns my musicman hd130 into a beast. No distortion pedal necessary, as you are feeding the front end of the amp a very hot signal.
This is a eq pedal . It boosts or cuts certain frequencies in your sound . It changes your tone . The best way to get into effects I think is download a guitar software package . Native instruments guitar rig is great and I believe they have a free version . Or demo the full version . Going into your nearest guitar store and messing around is also good . Hope thats helpful .
Eduardo Cassiano-_ Yeah, your right. All Boss pedals make you sound like "cheap plastic". For instance, David Gilmour is a huge fan of the Boss GE7 and has used them for years. He sounds really "plastic". right? I am sure you sound much better than him.
+cookie zztest True.. only because he had all his modded.The normal person wont want to buy a cheaper Boss, then pay more to have it modded in order to not suck tone and sound like a more expensive eq pedal. If anything they would just buy the more expensive eq pedal. Dave was using moded boss eq's back in the day cuz that's all that was readily available on the market. He has since gone mainly to rack units for the ease of multi-effect. What's more is Dave was using Zoom products back when they where shit before their upgraded DSP and 32 bit floating point conversions. For the record I am not hating on boss, or modded boss pedals, I prefer the DM2 for my delays, they even have a wazacraft modded one on the market now. Though I achieved the same sound with the same chips through a clone from a better company which uses higher quality resistors and boards - at a cheaper price point.
He was using the pedals long before anybody started modding them. Chat room guitar players will always bash Boss pedals while working pros use them and sound great doing it.
cookie zztest I cant speak for "anybody" else or when they modded their specific pedals. Its a moot point because David had his modded and now uses midi controlled rack units. Had you read the whole comment, you would have seen where I stated that I wasn't hating on boss, just stating facts. Though for the record - I couldn't get rid of my boss eq fast enough. It was a tone sucking, hiss machine. I have no problems with my mxr 10 band. Happy user for years. Of course I can only speak on my experience.
+Suyash - Options. Amp EQ usually only has 3-4 bands, the Boss has 7 and the MXR has 10. They also allow better control, especially if you put them in the FX loop (or otherwise after the distortion).
I'm getting a 6505 this weekend and looking at a good eq pedal.i use 7 and 6 sting. would MXR be the way to go? I have a Mark V normal version so an extra eq could be interesting
Ya know I have a peavey Valveking. a really killer amp for what it's worth. However that MXR has a horrible squeal from it that my gate barely takes care of. The squeal is so annoying I just stop using it. I have heard that's an issue with these 10 bands. Also have heard they're ways to mod the squeal away.
okay guys im getting the MXR M-108 10 band graphic EQ anybody recommend a pedal that words good with that (i'm looking for a emo, screamo/metal and/or extreme metal sound, bands for example being Suicide Silence, Atreyu, Hawthone Heights, Slayer, Slipknot, Black Veil Brides, ect)
I see people are very misled by this video. Many people believe BOSS sounds better. Thats not true. These two pedals are very different. Boss have its own que and its own frequencies, just as MXR have its own que and frequencies. You cant dial these pedals the same way no matter how you try. Most people i seen in comments believe that the pedals are dialed the same, but that is impossible. If you like EQing guitar signal, why not get both? I had Boss and I sold it, and now I would like MXR instead. Its not that Boss was bad. It was just ugly, so I got rid of it ;) .. Get both pedals guys. They are both great. Having 2 EQs give you allot of possibilities. You can have EQ in front of your amp, and after your amp, and thats just giving you hundreds of great posibilities. You can use EQ pedal as a boost pedal. You can use EQ after your map to shape your tone before it goes in to FX, or after FX to shape the tonality of your FX. Posibilities are endless.. There is no better or worse when it comes to these two EQs. They are just difret, and even if you try hard to dial them both the same, it is impossible because they have very difrent QUE shape. This video should not exist on the first place, because it is misleading. People dont know what to listen to. They just assume that boss is sounding better because it is brighter. Its not brighter, Its not tighter, You just cant dial these two the same way no matter how hard you try. I hope this message explains everything, and new viewers who bump to this video read my message instead of assuming that one sound better then the other, because this is not the point. You are supposed to listen to the que, but most people who bump to this video probably dont even know what que is, and therefor they come up with wrong judgement, assuming that one pedal is better then the other. Cheers! Thanks for video, thanks for reading my explanation, and enjoy your sound!
