Today in Plague Scythe Studios, I show you how to unleash the underappreciated power of the EQ pedal, and prove every metal guitarist needs a 10-band or two! Subscribe: / plaguescythestudios
Back in 1984 I bought a 50 watt Jcm800 half stack. Not enough gain in the preamp to get what I needed for gigs I was playing and most distortion pedals at that time I didn't like.. I noticed the boss ge7 I had had a level control..I thought hmmm..let's try this to see if it gives the preamp the sound I need to play the harder stuff like Scorpians Judas Priest Van Halen etc..There was this other guitarist I knew that was running a power attenuater after his Marshall's so he could crank them up then lower the volume to a manageable level onstage..It sounded great but he was burning through tubes alot and that was expensive and added the problem of tubes blowing out during shows. Anyway I tried boosting the signal a bit and experimented with boosting certain frequencies until a had it dialed in..Nobody ever suggested this to me and there was no RU-vid in the 80s..haha. So got the killer rock tone at stage volumes that were manageable without buying the expensive power attenuater..And the tubes lasted for over 2 years of constant gigging...I found out later that Kerry King was doing pretty much the same thing..Thanks for the video..It validates what I have been doing for many years
@@PlagueScytheStudios By the way, about something you said...try an eq in a parallel loop with mix control, you'd be surprised. You can also do it in reaper (it has a mix control). I have done it in a boogie as well, no problem. In fact in marks, it's not absolutely serial (there is some minimal bleed depending on the circuit).
I love moving my looper to the front of my chain and playing with pedal settings while it’s going to dial in perfect sounds or try to find new ones. Then I move it back to the end. Such a useful tool.
Well, you young whippersnapper... us... ahem... 'grandpa' metallers tend to boost the 750-1000hz before distortion, and scoop the 400-600hz after distortion. Boring yes... but us old farts like it that way. Now get off my lawn!
An MXR 10-band EQ first in my pedal chain used to be my secret weapon back in the day. It's like turning your guitar into an active preamp-equipped instrument, hugely versatile. These days I'm using a Line 6 Helix which has the MXR 10-band modeled, and I start and finish each preset with an MXR. First, to shape the tone and level of the guitar, and last, to shape the final sound and adjust the level going into the DAW. It's the most versatile pedal I've ever owned.
If I have an amp (Diezel VH4) should I use the Parallel or Serial loop? I had a credit with a store so I grabbed 2.... one for the clean (clean is not great on a VH4) and one for the main OD channel (channel 3). EditL The Parallel loop has a blend knob on the front of the amp as well where I am running it now. I have one in the parallel and so far it sounds pretty good. Curious on your opinion. Thanks for the videos!
Hey man, thanks for justifying me buying a 31-band EQ rack unit, now I definitely know I haven't made a mistake. Great content, keep it up. SUBSCRIBED!
I used to play in a band where one guitarist had all the gear because he had a job and the other had the bare minimum because he wasn't old enough to even have a job... The first one had a 7 band MXR EQ pedal and man it made a WORLD of difference in his sound
ChaosPotato those lower band mxr's seem suspect to me, but I got a 10 from a buddy, unsure if the connections needed cleaned, but it put a lot of noise in my signal. The 7 band boss I have is Rad though.
Hell Yeah! I just got one and used it yesterday for the first time on my Orange CR120. Completely blown away and will always have one going through the loop now. You gave me the idea of getting rid of the clean boost I'm using, maybe the EQ can have a better sound on it's own. You Rock!
I've been using the MXR 10 band eq pedal for years and it's amazing. Especially live because I can cut or boost certain frequencies without killing my overall sound based on the type of venue.
Doesn't work that well with Boss EQ. It kinda sounds like the electronics can't take the gain and the distortion sounds like it's falling apart past a certain point. Plus it's noisy as hell. I would say don't jump all over that one & go with the MXR or something equal or better.
I disagree that the Boss EQs can not take ‘this’ that well. My RGE-10’s and RGE-10’s both do the in-front-off and in-the-loop sound shaping very well, also with extreme high gain, compressed signals and very hot signals coming from the FX Send output.
I’ve used an EQ right behind my Tube Screamer on my Zoom G1XON to see what happened, and it really tightens up the low end in a way that you don’t get with a regular tube screamer while also pronouncing that midrange frequency even more.
it makes the mix sound better in the studio too. instead of tryna use post proccessing eq to make everything fit in the mix, you can just put the eq before the amp and have the distortion emphasised naturally in the frequency range that you want it to fit into. then you wont need to do so much eq when you go to mix the song. similar ethos with the drums, if your snare is sounding dull its better to use a brighter mic on the snare rather than resort to eq-ing it after.
I just want to give a plug for the new MXR 10 band. It's the newer silver one with two outputs. That thing is completely noiseless. I use it in the loop of my tube amp and it totally improved the tone. Saved me from wasting my money on a speaker change out.
@@alvarg Basically the fact that Mesa Boogie Mark series have traditional tone controls like every other amp out there, that shapes the tone in the preamp stage (bass, treble, mid, etc), but then also puts a graphic EQ in the effects loop stage before the power amp, and after the preamp, which allows you to dial in and out frequencies before it gets amplified. It provides a great range on control over your tone, and allows you to really smooth out your tone to a degree that traditional amps do not allow
A noisegate in front of the Amp and in the effects loop at the same time is really useful in a 5150. If you just put it in the loop, the fx loop still bleeds direct signal. The noisegate built into the overdrive actually wolves a problem a lot of people don't know they have. That's why Periphery (when they used amps) and KSE use two noisegate at the the same time. One in the loop, and one around an overdrive, both at the same time. There are other things that make an overdrive not just an EQ pedal. Sure, some of the features are like high pass and carefully selected frequency boosts (in the djent world that is around 1.4k), but a boost does more. Take a Maxon for example... Even if you lower the volume below noon and actual have it set to less than the direct signal, you get increase harmonics that allow you to do stuff like better pinch harmonics and have longer sustain. This is because the extra gain stage adds a subtle compression effect. With an EQ pedal, you can get something similar, but it's more a function of raising the gain going into the Amp. I'm not saying an EQ is not useful.. It is very useful for shaping tone.. But it doesn't do the exact same thing as an overdrive. Similar, but not the same. I have all the overdrives and all the EQ's (well, I have at least 100 Pedals including all the usual suspects.. I had more but trying to sell some off because I don't have the time to use them all lol). They each have their flavors and uses. Some you won't be able to tell in a sound comparison that much.. Until you do harmonics it try to hold a note for as long as possible.
@@shadesofgold24 In theory, that is certainly true. However, in practice I have found the effect of the extra EQ on the Mark amps to be not that significant. Feel like it serves the merchandising more than anything else.
l never thought of using an EQ that way. Makes me think that if you had a guitar that had a very clear mid ranger mid output pick up you could fake a lot of different type of pickups, very cool video
I’ve been waiting for a video like this. I was wondering what the Grind and Precision Drive frequency range was. You saved a few people including myself some money. Awesome content!
No joke I bought an mxr ten band and it said 18v power supply so I plugged a laptop charger into it and it started to smell like smoke. Some people will always be dumb.
I have the same EQ. Playing guitar and synth was thinking about putting it on a mini board with tuner, compressor and Sonic Stomp so I can use all of them for either guitars or keys.
I'm a noob in recording and mixing, but one thing this video showed me, is that the character and tone of the used amp does not change the slightest bit with an EQ-Pedal.
I recommend any beginner starting out experimenting with pedals to buy an EQ pedal first because sometimes they make other pedals unnecessary.. you could save a lot of money just buy first getting an EQ pedal.
I used a maxon OD808 in front of my 6505+ and the EQ in the loop. It was really amazing. I ended up selling all of it and grabbing a Kemper. If I go back to a regular tube amps an EQ pedal will be the first pedal I get.
Haha I'm rewarding this video after a few years. Kemper has been long gone and I just got another 6505+ and just ordered a loop. My Ares, Skeleton key, and mark iv don't need it but the mxr in the loop of a 6505/5150 kills
Plague Scythe Studios , I have the evh 5150iii 50w, and a boss ns2 and mxr 10 band. I use the ns2 in 4 cables method. Should I put the mxr between guitar and ns2 or between effect loop and ns2?
If you're playing live or recording (unless solo at home). Usually the sound engineer has to EQ your amp or petal as well, to make it sound right. Every venue or setting will change frequency from your amp, mics, or even pickups... So when you're practicing in the garage with your buddies, you entered into a new realm going into any venue or studio. Invisible laser beams are bouncing around the room hitting the mics. High end touring groups usually do sound checks for nearly an entire day, jamming beforehand. To make sure the venue will resonate right. This takes some time even for good sound engineers. So.. sound check is pretty much the most important part. Can't go in, play one note and think the sound guy can adjust your gain and you're done. They will have to deal with every frequency you will produce in the show. Which is usually between 180-16,000hz from every instrument. Can take some time..
e flat tuning, custom j.c.m. 800 marshall, amp heads ,running more mids than a lot of other metal players , they dont scoop the crap out of the mids like everyone else. thats what i read somewere ,i could be mistaken and im sure someone will tell if i am lol.
The thing I like the most about the MXR as a boost is that it takes high output pups very well without distorting unlike some clean boosts. The RC Booster also takes high output pups well.
Invaluable! The boss 7 band pedal in the effects loop tightened up the bottom end of my Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 36 amp and now it's just a high gain powerhouse. Tailoring the mids and highs is much easier now. I wish I bought an EQ pedal before all the others I have bought.
Thank you for making this video and putting my mind at ease cause i thought I was going crazy with my axe fx 2 geq. I would put it before everything else and boost 2k and 4k cause I have nazgul pickups that have a high frequency range for the mids and some of the tone and it made it so tight that I didnt even wanna use an overdrive. Solid video dude
Using a grind in the front tried my Eq after it like you said but it sounded like crap I find it works better in the loop with the grind , currently running a 6505 MH
I had a boss eq pedal and dialed in a heavy tone I've never ever been able to replicate because I sold it and thought it was overkill. I regret selling it and I would definitely pick one up again if I was jamming live again.
If you really want fun, get an Empress Effects ParaEQ MKII and run that through the FX loop along with a ten band EQ, also in the loop...what whatever boost in the front AND another EQ... you're gonna be completely original.
I find that to be the best way to explain for my friends why they might wanna cut the lows for a more articulate distortion. Lows usually have the highest energy and compress first!
Man! I wanna start by thanking you for making this killer video, it really helped make up my mind on ordering one of these. It just showed up today. I can't even express how much I love this thing right now! Cheers man, much love!
Just bought my first ever 6 band eq pedal! Wow! I will never again ever play an amp with out a 6 band at least. I gotta learn more about the 10 band (hence why I’m here)
I've been advocating an EQ and a compressor into a killer amp instead of overdrive for years. I use rack stuff since it's out of vogue and super cheap rn,
I will always vote the Boss GE7 as the best boost/low gain OD ever made. The MXR 10 band is great as well, maybe even better for active pickups, but I just like the sweetness the GE7 adds to passive pickups
Cheers for this video. What I thought I was doing, was killing my tone. I have have a really good sound, can't wait to record in future. All my stuff sucks but still learning.
I was doing this 18 years ago. I had a boss gt6 and my tone stack through the loop was a sansamp gt2 with an MXR 7 band eq. It was through a Kustom KT100 tube head with an x pattern of unknown speakers and a couple of Lansings. Put that on top of a cab with 2 Scorpion 15s. Brutal as hell
Yes and no. Overdrives also give you subtle compression. On a Maxon, even if you turn the gain down so it's not boosted, but actually less volume, it will increase the sustain on harmonics. You can do that with an EQ pedal by boosting volume into the front end of your amp and trying to compress it that way, but essentially, you are basically doing something more similar to turning up the gain on your amp. Tone-wise, it's a great shaping tool though, and can give you a volume boost when needed.
Call me lazy but I've almost always just used the basic EQ knobs on the panel of my Katana Artist. I'll sometimes adjust the tone and bottom settings for the built in effects and that's probably it for EQ outside the panel knobs. Somehow I've gotten really good (to my ears) high gain tones from mainly using the panel knobs. The amp does have built in parametric and graphic pedal sims and you can use up to four of them at once, so maybe I'll finally try using them soon.
My MXR 10 band EQ is the most important pedal on my board. Without a doubt. It will shape your tone to whatever you need, gives you all the gain boost/cut and volume boost/cut you could ever want or need. It is like an OD pedal because it will push your front end to breakup at lower volumes. It also will quiet down noisy pedals in front of it and helps the pedals after it work better. It's magic in a box
If I ran a guitar company I would get rid of that fucking useless tone knob that pretty much nobody uses and instead have a one-band parametric EQ instead: three controls, frequency, boost/cut and Q. It kind of blows my mind that I've never ever seen this on a guitar, because it would be so incredibly useful. Perhaps you could even do it passively if it was just a sweepable low/hi-cut.
I have been using EQ's in my loop for decades. Nothing shapes tone better.. Plus it lets you hit the power tubes harder. The only time I go in front is for a low out pickup that im trying to boost essentially
Dig your channel man. Have a question for ya. A stupid one maybe since im fairly new to this. Im considering putting an eq pedal on my board. Im using the neural dsp stuff alot for cabsimulation with my powerball 2 through a captor. As you know some of them have an eq section. How will putting this mxr pedal last on my board infront of the amp differ from using the eq section in lets say the omega granophyre plugin? 😬
This is a good eq, the problems I had with this are the hiss and pop & crackles if your dont clean the sliders and even the 18v volt input monthly. the positive terminial of power input must be sanded down if it has a thin film of dirt due to aging. If you want a prestine sounding 10 band get the new version but if dont mind then hiss get this. Oh it's clipping.
I’m just not getting how to have your amp setup while you’re messing around with one of these. Should I try to dial in my amp as much as I can and then do the rest with an eq? Or should I just set all my knobs to noon and do ALL the tone shaping with the pedal. I’m using one of these in the effects loops of an amp I have that has a real fizzy high end. I love it, it’s working pretty good at dialing in the high end to be more pleasant but I just am confused on how to have my amp set up while I’m using the pedal
in my case I have a vinage jcm800 with no efx loop and I use both a ts9 and a ge7 in front...which one should go first? If I put the ge7 first will it have less effect since the ts9 has its own tone because the last pedal has always the major impact?
A cheap 30€ second-hand big racked EQ totally saves my tone in that chain: engageable OD just for extra boost> versatile fx pedalboard assuming pre-EQ/gate/OD or big muff/light reverb > mooer dual-cali preamp > that magic EQ > 60w public address power amp > old marshall cabinet. Post-EQ is really awesome to fix your tone exactly as you want
Been using one channel of a 2 channel, 11-band (per channel) 70's rack EQ in my effects loop for years now. Found it for $15, probably because the pots are dirty and sounded like hell if you adjusted them with the unit on. It really does turn my mediocre Valveking into a beast, it's always on.
EQ IS ESSENTIAL 4 EVERYTHING MUSIC. HISS IS THE ONLY DOWN SIDE EFFECT WHEN EXTREME SETTINGS USED BEFORE AN AMPLIFIER SET IN ITS WAY ( LIKE A MARSHALL SUPERLEAD ) A NOISE SUPPRESSOR REMEDIES IT.
Thank you for sharing a few curves - this is a great video with some good info. I have a dozen eq pedals, I think they're the most useful tool on a board.
Tried one out today and it makes a major difference because most amps lack a decent EQ with the exception of the Mesa Boogie Mark V that has a large EQ built in. Same for noise gate and compression pedal. Not flashy or fun but essential for tone shaping.
I have a GE-7 in my loop that I've always used and it makes a world of difference. For recording only, I go through a 31 band Peavey rack unit on the end of the chain just to handle the chug flub that sometimes happens and deal with it before it even gets to the DAW or I turn off the GE-7 entirely. It's funny how a recorded amp and one IRL are two different animals.
I've got the newer version of a Peavey Bandit, which to my ears is VERY bass heavy on the distortion setting. I do use an Ibanez mini tube screamer to help fix this, but doesn't fix it 100%. So to solve this I have been debating getting an EQ pedal, which by watching this video it sounds like getting an EQ pedal might help
Hi Ryan, I recently got a 7-string for the first time, and I'd love if you could give me some tips on how to eq for it, because I feel like I'm losing my mind. I'm using the Boss Katana 50 with the onboard graphic and parametric eqs. The guitar is 27" schecter banshee elite with their USA super charger pickups, and they're very, very bright, to the point that it's actually painful. I try to dial out fizz and tame some of the abrasive high end, and I can't seem to get it sounding good. Would you mind terribly if I sent you some screenshots of the eq, and gave me some advice? It would mean a tonne. Thank you.
Hello all, is there value to get one when I already have a Kemper and a Horizon Devices Precision Drive paired with a Revv 2X12 and Atomic CLR wedge? I watched a recent interview with Tosin Abasi and he said one of the reasons he went back to amp/cab is because he was spending more time tweaking than playing. Is there a best for high gain/heavy metal? Thanks all.
