Each step in your signal chain, whether it’s a pedal, amp setting, pickup selection, or even string gauge/type, brings in variables that affect your overall tone. Along the way, those variables can introduce unwanted resonant frequencies, too. Without equalization, or EQ, all of these elements can collide, overwhelm the listener, overshadow each other, or interact in unpredictable ways.
If the frequencies produced by your signal chain are a flock of sheep, your EQ is the shepherd… and you’re the landowner of the pasture? The analogy doesn’t stretch very far, but you get the point.
At first, balancing EQ with a pedal may seem like an unnecessary process with too many settings to worry about for something so “subtle.” However, once you dial it in, the improvement in tone and character can be significant, even if it’s sometimes hard to explain. The contrast is often best demonstrated by toggling the EQ on and off, similar to compression in that way.
In studio recordings, EQ is a given. Just about every DAW includes built-in parametric EQ control, allowing audio engineers to surgically shape specific frequencies with precision. That level of control can take time. In a live setting, the luxury of time is mostly gone, and this is where an EQ pedal becomes invaluable.
When playing with a full band, instruments that sit too closely together in the frequency spectrum can lose their clarity. This can become especially apparent if you're playing something with some gain, which is when tackling this muddiness or imbalance with a few knobs can become very useful. Feeling lost in the mix? Try boosting the mids a little. Is your treble too bright and masking the keys? Try notching down the highs.
Yes, front of house is there to adjust frequencies during soundcheck or throughout your set. But by setting your own standard tone with an EQ pedal, you’re communicating exactly what you want from your rig and filling in the blanks before your signal ever reaches the board. This is especially useful when working with an in-house sound person rather than traveling with someone who already knows your preferences.
Even outside of live use, that tonal control can go a long way when punching in recordings. With a pedal, you have immediate control over your tone’s characteristics and can recreate that sound anytime.
What does EQ do?
Unsurprisingly, the way we understand and interact with variable equalizers in music can be traced back to the film industry in the 1930s. This isn’t the first time the music world has taken inspiration from film audio.
It was born out of necessity. Audio playback for early films was rough at best, and John Volkman, an RCA employee, is credited as one of the first people to address this issue with an external variable equalizer: a device with a set of frequencies that could be cut or boosted. Simple fixed filters had already been integrated into circuits for phonographs and audio receivers, but those would no longer be enough.
Similar to how EQ can help your guitar come alive, the same was true for improving audio via EQ in early film days, helping the medium become a true immersive audio/visual experience.
Really, if you wanted to understand the crux of EQ, you could almost stop there. EQ is all about cutting or boosting sonic frequencies, whether those frequencies are fixed or adjustable by the user.
Of course, the history of EQ did not stop in the 1930s. Equalizers would continue to evolve in the decades that followed. Graphic equalizers introduced a familiar slider-based interface for adjusting several fixed frequency bands, while parametric EQ took things further by allowing control over center frequency, bandwidth, and amplitude. Both are still widely used today.
Which brings us to the EQ Pedal. We’ll use our EB-10 EQ//Boost Utility pedal for reference.
EB-10 EQ//Boost Utility
EB-10 EQ//Boost Utility
When talking about “frequency bands”, there are technically countless opportunities for bands between the lowest and highest frequencies, (the range humans can hear is commonly cited as around 20Hz - 20kHz); but at its simplest, the range of frequencies can be broken into three sets: Low, Mid, and High. It sounds intuitive… and it is! When applied to the EB-10, adjusting the “Low” knob will adjust frequencies centered around 80Hz, “Mid” will control frequencies centered around 600Hz with a wide band, and “High” will control frequencies centered around 3kHz.
The EB-10 allows you to cut or boost these three frequency bands in 3dB increments, with a range of up to +/- 12dB. This process is streamlined for quick tone shaping, helping keep you present in the mix while still giving you meaningful control. Even with that simplified interface, there are still hundreds of possible combinations across its features.
If you’re looking for a more apparent boost in your tone, the EB-10 also features a Boost switch, adding a 10dB MOSFET boost to your signal. Paired with the wide range of frequency control, this Boost switch can make for some very interesting tone-shaping possibilities across the frequency spectrum.
As with any category of pedal, presets can be tremendously useful for EQ. The EB-10 features three preset slots in Preset mode, in addition to the settings used in Live mode, which sets it apart from many EQ pedals. These presets allow for three different gain stages, different settings for different instruments, or backup settings for venues with unusual acoustics. Whatever the reason, preset capability adds a layer of versatility and confidence.
What about amp EQs?
Many amps already have a typical three-band EQ. So, is it redundant to use both your amp’s EQ and an EQ pedal?
No, although tone ultimately comes down to preference. If you love the tones you get from your amplifier using only its EQ controls, there may be no reason to add anything else. That said, it also doesn’t mean your tone couldn’t be shaped further.
In short, using both your amp’s EQ and an EQ pedal together can create a rich and powerful tone. Using your EQ pedal as a full-frequency boost, for example, especially with the Boost switch on the EB-10 engaged, can work in tandem with your amp EQ to create a strong, pushed sound with added overdriven character. Add this to your existing effects pedals or gain settings, and you’ll have a tone to be reckoned with.
You may also find that the frequency adjustments you make with a pedal sound different from those made with your amp, largely because of where each EQ sits in the signal chain. An amp’s EQ typically makes broader, sweeping adjustments, which can be less useful for troubleshooting specific frequency issues. Tone differences from amp EQ adjustments are certainly present, but they can be harder to isolate than adjustments made with an EQ pedal.
It's also worth pointing out that an amp's EQ is better suited to dialing in your amp's characteristics, while a pedal is better for sculpting your actual guitar's sound, or even dirt pedals in your signal chain. For example, with some fuzz pedals you may lose some low end, but you can place an EQ pedal right after to boost that low end and retain.
Why do I need one?
With EQ pedals, once you try one and dial it in, it’s difficult to go back.
You can add body to frequencies your amp tone may lack, complement effects pedals, shape the breakup of dirt pedals, troubleshoot frequency issues on stage that you'd otherwise have to live with, better complement your bandmates on stage, boost certain frequencies into overdriven territory, and more.
Then you consider the preset capability, which lets you switch tones between song parts, seamlessly switch guitars with different pickups that introduce different frequencies, and overall gives you an added layer of confidence.
Dialing in an EQ pedal can feel like unlocking a whole new layer of possibility. It gives your tone a new dimension and more space to move around, or less space, if that’s what the song calls for.
So, why do you need an EQ pedal?
“Need” may not be the perfect word. But aside from a tuner, it might be one of the most useful pedals you can have on your board for almost any style of playing.
Shop the EB-10 EQ//Boost Utility