Thank you! I play bass and been on a hunt for a good tuner pedal that actually registers the low B. No luck yet. Korg is the closest to accuracy that I have found yet but nothing impressive. All boss tuners are not even close, i bought and returned 4 different boss types. Polytune didn’t impress either.
@@evzzs sonic research st200 is a strobe if you need something more accurate. However as a bassist just tune to the 12th harmonic. It's the best way to tune low notes.
A top tip for using an EQ to shape your tone: To avoid noise, rather than boosting certain frequencies, try cutting the alternative frequencies slightly.
This is a really good tip in the mixing world, not for avoiding noise but because a lot of the time you don’t need MORE bass, you need LESS treble, and vice versa. You can make things sound warmer and fuller sometimes by just pulling a bit of higher frequency down and sometimes all you need to get your tone to bite a little more is to clear up some mud in the lower frequency range. It’s a much more subtle way of fixing frequency issues and a lot of the time it kills a few birds with one stone, because there could be other inherent problems in those areas that you don’t even notice until you pull it out. So yeah, really good tip lol.
You could also get a noise gate pedal if you have noise. There is also some amps like ENGL amps that have built in noise gates which are super helpful.
EQs are just easy to use. You want a mid boost? Boost mids! Want less bass? Cut bass! You dont know what ya want? Boost random frequencies! Do what you want!
If you look at any pedalboard you see a broad mix of brands from donner to strymon, and everything between. Pedal companies know they can boost each other and not hurt their own business at the same time
On the Russian one under the first slider is written: Level Frequency Under the last slider: LEL' ep Equalizer parametric If you really want to read it, not just understand, here is a transcription: Urov'en' Chastota (lel' ep sounds nearly the same) Ekvalaizer Parametricheskiy Thanks for another great video, Josh!
Definitely. I currently own an AnalogMan TS9, a Danelectro overdrive, a Boss SD1, and an AMT O-Drive all because I wanted a hollowed out sound in my overdrive tones. EQ's are so under-rated and I've learned that while trying to make a good amp sound like crap on purpose. I bought a behringer EQ700 today because I can't afford the AnalogMan GE-7 at the moment, but I am pretty certain an EQ is going to hollow out my overdrive the way I want. I hate chunky distortion/over-drive tones. They leave a bad taste in my mouth and remind me of this awful Peavey amp I used to have that sounded like a PA system fighting an aluminum shredder with diarrhea.
I have a 10 band EQ modded with silent mod that is so good sounding I took my modded CS-1 off my board. Don't need any more restrictive devises messing with my sound. Now I use the compressor on my church set-up with another EQ pedal.
EQs can be a huge asset when you're playing in a live band. If you know how to use it, you can clean up your entire band's sound and make your guitar cut through the mix. In a studio, when the producer is mixing the instruments, they will change the EQ settings of certain instruments to ensure they "stay out of each other's way." This is accomplished by cutting frequencies out of certain instruments, and/or boosting them in others. For instance: If the main frequency of the snare drum sound happens to fall around 500hz, the producer will probably lower that frequency on the other instruments, particularly the guitar. The result is: the snare cuts through at 500hz. Even when the guitar is playing at its absolutely loudest, you can still hear the snare drum. Also, almost any producer will remove the very high end (10-12khz and up) and very low end (sub-100hz) from the guitar, because these aren't really relevant frequencies. They don't contribute to the "tone" of the guitar, they're just hiss and mud, respectively. These cuts clean up the cymbals and the bass. Many more cuts like this can be made, as well as boosts to ranges that are guitar-specific. The result is a cleaner overall sound, in which you can clearly hear every instrument doing its thing and not drowning anything else out. This isn't really something that can be accomplished with a guitar amp's EQ knobs. At most, you're going to have Low, Low-mid, High-mid, and High. Most of the time, the mids will be one knob. These boosts and cuts are way too broad to do any sort of specific cutting/boosting, like you would have in a studio. But, with a decent 7 or 10 band EQ, these cuts/boosts become possible.
I think of the on board eq for drive pedals and amps as like a method of tone shaping and approximating what you want (do you want a middy sound, or a bit more flat, etc) and the fine tuning is the pedal/daw. Notching certain frequencies can also be used to remove feedback because you can just dial out the range that is making it squeal.
Although I can see it making things easier for the one mixing the bands sound. But in a studio, I would have thought it was better to leave them a broad tonal spectrum to work with. You can easily cut what you don't need, but it's difficult to add what's not there.
I love how honest and true you are about other brands, even though they might be your competition. That's really embracing a mindset of community, and that's amazing. Also, you're doing us a favor for bringing forward some of the more hidden pieces of modern music history, and for that we are thankful. And for all of that I am really thankful. I just wish you sometimes would speak a little bit more about JHS, i thin we all would appreciate that. As always, wishing you all the best, Josh, you deserve it.
Being that "cool" takes truth, knowledge, and years in the trade / all aspects, \ his new found public swaggggar, and being in the right place,....etc. please don't stop. I Flippin' now look for them all.
In 80s and 90s there was a folk band in then Yugoslavia that completely reshaped music. Their producer and writer was also their bass player. He had very special bass tone, and he got it with insane eq settings. And EVERYONE tried to copy it, buying the same 69 Jazz Bass and Trace Elliot amp with no luck. It was all about that eq he had.
Another huge use for an EQ pedal is cleaning up nasty frequencies in different rooms.... gigging in a cave where the bass frequencies just BOOM and being able to notch that out is gold!
Right! ...sorta like any other ying yang concept of opposites in balance... We need those gnarly noises to be heard, so we can compare it to a so called "quality" sound and understand the difference so we can seek out our own personal preference on the sound spectrum
I realize this video is 4 years old but I just discovered EQ pedals and thoroughly appreciate your video. Thanks so much. This was super informative and helpful!
Regarding the Russian pedal, the writing from top to bottom is: Level Frequency Lel’-zp (brand, model name, I’m assuming) Equalizer parametric The sliders are for frequency peaks. The knobs are for boosts or cuts of up to +/-12 dB.
Make it even better. Add the silent mod Amazing. I can leave OD/distortion on with volume up and not very much noise. Turn them off and total silence. I really like that. I also bought a Rocktron 6 band modded by the ex-owner for silence. $16 couldn't pass it up. Just for my bass amp that I dont even use at this time.
I have a 10 band and a 6 band eq (both MXR) right next to each other in my signal chain. Together, they both allow me to tweak my sound in great depth. I highly recommend it.
Thanks Josh for the kind words and featuring the Massive FX Pedals G.O.A.F. We might just have to use your tag line "Greatest of All Fuzz!" Love the video series, Keep making great pedals and Rocking! Thanks
@@TheRealcdawg22 ahaha, Joshua! I must've been thinking about someone, I'll just go and check with my shrink :D (what a number I pulled there: hi praising someone while missing their name :)
Josh, I mean this with all the sincerity I can muster. Every single time I watch your videos I feel slightly cheated that I can’t apply your musical insight to university credits because, brutha, I’d have a PHD by now. Love your videos. It would be so fun to hang and talk shop. One day I hope. This is one proud subscriber saying PLEASE don’t ever stop making these vids.
EQ can turn a normal fuzz into an octave fuzz. I have found that by zeroing out all frequencies on my GE-7 and then boosting a single frequency into a fuzz I can get an octave fuzz.
This made me pull out my old GE-7. After I watch your videos I end up adding and subtracting things from my board. Thanks for making me keep things fresh!
EQ pedals are *AMAZING* Favorite uses: -On a bypass loop after a comp for cleans. I do this with a Gibson 335 into a Laney AOR 50 to cut mids and boost bass/treble. It's amazing. -After a fuzz. Holy shit -On any bypass loop after an odd pedal in the preamp -Normal pedals too -As a lead boost -In your amps FX loop to get different sounds recording I collect EQ pedals mainly to juice up my board any time I add a new bypass loop. It's addicting.
Eq pedals can be great ,however I've seen more people screw up their sound more than anything because they go to really radical settings. Great video, cheers!
For me it is often better to cut a freq (maybe with makeup gain from the level fader if needed) than to boost, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. One good trick, he talked about, is boosting the hell out of each band, just to hear what that band is doing (can be as simple as like it, that one should boost, or don’t like it, that one should cut to neutral) and THEN go back to neutral and slowly boost the freq you like until it “sits” nicely. Or if it is a freq you don’t want, neutral and slowly cut. But usually not huge steps...unless that is what one is after.
Because of your gear shopping Vlog a few months back, I got myself a Source Audio Programmable EQ. Love it. Took it to a gig that I thought was a simple overdub on one song, but it changed into 3 songs. Very different. I brought two guitars but only one Tweed amp. Now I can get different sounds from it in front of a mic, but having the EQ meant it sounded like different amps. I got rehired. Having a good EQ pedal got me paid, yo.
EQ's are fantastic! Here's a tip: If you flatten out the Eq and then boost the mids just slightly, you'll get a single coil to sound like a P90. No, really, go try it. 🎸🎸🎸
Thank you so much for such a great explanation of EQ and also saving me some real money. My ears first perked up when you were talking about lo-fi pedals and then my mind was blown when you showed how to get the sound I was longing for without a dedicated pedal. Best episode yet on the best pedal channel period!
Takes me back to a decade ago when I bought that Behringer EQ to make get an AM radio sound. also... You should do a round-up of your favorite plastic shell pedals. I nominate the Rocktek Distortion.
snap, best pedal buying advice I've ever heard. I put a cheap 7band eq onto my office floor, and it took my little modeling amp from "yeah, I guess that's an 80's marshall' and turned it into "hell yeah, that's what they were playing"! It pushed the tube pre-amp into a really believable tube drive!
Thank you so much. After watching this i remembered that 15 years ago i bought a Danelectro Fish and chips EQ that i had completely forgotten about after moving a couple of times. Well i found it practically new in its box in a drawer and with your guidance i'm going to spend the rest of the week experimenting. Can't think of something more fun than getting a new pedal Without spending a dime !
How can be you so candid and still so much in love with these pedals not one from JHS itself? Well, I just bought a Behringer EQ700 and added the top of my rest 12 pedal Behringer arsenal. It is giving me great results with vintage delay VD400 following it. I am a budget player from India and do not earn musically. Good information shared, I am still hungry for a bit more. Keep on that good work coming.
I loved this episode! Here's another great use for the GE-7 or something similar - you can use it to clear boost an instrument that would normally get a lot of feedback turning up the amp volume! I have an acoustic electric that would always get feedback when I faced the amp. Now I have the same volume and no feedback. On GE7 I put the first two sliders down one notch and the 3.2k notch up one, then turn the master slider up to 75%. On amp I just keep a clean signal, and voila! way louder. Also you can often "eq" out the frequencies that are causing the feedback and still have a decent tone.
One of my favorite bands with that bluegrass-inspired sound, including beautiful harmonies, great songs, and on-point, tasteful musicianship, is Lula Wiles. Both their albums - their self-titled debut, and "What Will We Do," which came out in January, are tight. It's a three-piece, and all three of them sing and write songs. Definitely recommended if you are a fan of that sound.
Your videos make me so happy. I watch 1 a day.. and after 30 yrs of playing - I’m finally starting to understand what all these buttons and flashy lights do.. My family cries.. but I just have to turn it louder to drown out all the whining.
I bought a GE-7 a couple of weeks ago and it totally sorted out the nuances in my tone with subtle tweaks. I place it after all other pedals (overdrive, fuzz, delay, chorus, flanger, reverb) because quite often I have most of it on. And the GE-7 is here to be on constantly.
My first pedal was that same Arion parametric EQ. I was 11 years old and knew what a graphic EQ was, but that thing confused me. Looking back I think I used it as a boost in front of my little Washburn distortion pedal that then went into my Peavey keyboard amp. My grandfather was a musician of some renown. He played Texas swing, early rock n' roll, and bluegrass. Mandolin, guitar, steel guitar, piano, upright and electric bass, and who knows what else. He was a very talented man and I miss him so much. I still feel close to him when I listen to his old records.
Yeah, if you're into mandolin orange, you probably watch enough Live From Here to already know about SJ and Aoife O'Donovan as well, but their records Follow Me Down and Fossils are pretty much perfect and really altered the course of what I was listening to in the mid-2010s
the section about creating another chan on your amp is so true. boogie has done this for years. having a switchable eq can, in essence, create a second(or third) channel on your amp. I would use it as the boost for my leads in my old boogie or, much like what you said about the fender/AC15 tone, try to make the boogie a little more marshall like. great vid as always Josh
I like to use the GE-7 as a volume reducer for my loud amps. This lets me keep my tones, without the neighbors complaining. Basically, just leave the eq flat, and drop the level slider (opposite setting of the first setting demonstrated).
I'd forgotten how much fun I used to have with an EQ in the extreme settings, setting the first slider full down, second full up, etc. Def going to play with that again.
Great video! I use my ge7 for getting clean tones from a cranked amp. For my live setting I like the overdriven tone I get from my amp alone, and it’s my main tone. I have a ge7 with gain turned down in front of it, (the opposite of clean boost you were talking about) when engaged, it cleans up the sound, like turning down the volume on your guitar but you have more control since you can dial in the eq. Almost like having a pedal for switching to the clean channel. Little trick I learnt from one of Paul Gilbert’s videos. If you have a small class a amp, with only one channel, comes in very handy.
makes sense.... i'm new at high amp volumes and i dont like the sound i get. Im used to playing at home at "low volumes" so its easier to get the sound you want. i've been practicing with friends at high volumes and i just don't like my sound! :( what can i do? i have a Roland JC-40 and a squier telecaster custom
@@carlos_al what do you not like about your sound when playing at higher volumes in a band situation? Most of the time when I play alone I tend to add a little more bass than usual but in a band situation too much bass just messes up with how you fit in the mix. if your tele custom has a single bridge pickup, it might be too bright sometimes. It all depends on the room and the other instruments as well, so there are a lot of variables. I have no experience with JC40 but sometimes an amp's eq knobs don't give the same versatility as an eq pedal, that's why it's such a handy tool to have. Definitely give it a shot, try and find what you like, searching for a great tone is one of the most interesting parts of being a guitarist anyways.
Maxwell Feinstein do you have an EQ you would recommend? (I won’t see a reply unless someone ‘likes’ the comment because I turned off all reply notifications due to idiots trying to argue all the time)
Josh, it’s great that you are marketing not just JHS pedals, but also the whole markets of pedals and even guitar! I think that it’s brilliant. Modern record company music production has led to a push for making music cheaply and fast. The result has been that one or 2 people with a couple of computers are making complete songs that are played on radio. However, there is no cool factor whatsoever! Enter Josh of JHS to let people know just why playing guitar has always been so cool! In fact, with all the tonal possibilities, each guitarist can make their own statement in a quality way! Thanks for what you do!
@@juztinking8813 Did the same thing but first I covered the sliders w/ masking tape , trimmed excess,and then sharpie the tape black. I still get light out the sides ,just not in my eyes. Also my lights are blue cause my pedal has been silent-modded. It looks pretty cool to me, but what do I know.
hey, I love your shows. I'm a big Guitar fanatic who's getting back into it late in life. my favorite Bluegrass music is from my days back in Virginia listening to Emy Lou Harris and The Seldom Seen.
The perfect v is my favorite setting on bass and guitar pet!! Love you brother and have a blessed day!!! Also I have said that Carolina Tennessee mountain blue grass is the speed metal of country music!! Also I like the way it wakes up some of our favorite songs!!!
I have started using an eq pedal as a boost instead of my trusty 80s Tube screamer. I can get exactly the tone I want while pushing my amp into breakup. Being able to taylor it to a different amp/cab or room is awesome all thanks to this video. Thanks Josh
If you want amazing bluegrass you have to look at Tony Rice Manzanita. Some great traditional style and some jaw dropping instrumentals. After looking at the artists you can basically follow bluegrass to the present through some of it's most innovative periods. Darrol Anger my favorite fiddle player, David Grismon mandolin, Tony Rice guitar, Sam Bush mandolin/fiddle, Jerry Douglas dobro, Ricky Skaggs mandolin, and Todd Phillips on bass. Also Tony on lead and various artists on vocals. An allstar cast of musicians in their prime.
Hey there! I was just listening to the fantastic and broad uses of the graphic EQ and then, in the end you show that Record. And I just thought, hum, I have to tell him about this other Album from a American Band that I love called "The Onlies". I lived is Seattle from 2013/15, I'm a Portuguese musician by the way, and this teacher at my kids school told me I should listen to this kids, that used to be his students. This was in 2013, and they were like 14/15, and they apparently played together since they were 8 or 9 years old. And it was amazing. I saw them at Folklife and I was blowed away with the energy, the pleasure of playing and sharing music that they had. And then the nerd in me was very happy to listen to the record I bought from them. The sound is fantastic, the recording of acoustic instruments in this album is really good, and the real vibe of being in their teens and playing like having a lot of fun, it's still there. This album I bought it's actually from 2015, I bought them at the Folklife Festival before I left Seattle and came back to Lisbon. Have a listen! they are on spotify and this is their site: www.theonlies.com/the-day-that-never-was/ Keep on the good work with your amazing pedals and wise information! Peace! Shaka
Somebody needs to put a Furman PQ-3 into a pedal format. I’ve always used eq pedals and rack eqs for bass and guitar, the difference they make is incredible. I’ve never understood why so many guitarists ignore them. One of my faves in the BOSS GE-6.
Check out a Canadian band called the Duhks. They have bluegrass instrumentation with some interesting blends of styles with a bluegrass foundation. Their first album had traditional French Canadian bluegrass/folk tunes. Also check out the band Rail Road Earth.
I just want to thank you josh for taking the time to do these videos. The helped me bigtime, and I think they will be part of the historical record of these products. good job bro, rock on!
By far the most impactful pedal that I use for tone, even more so than IRs. Between EQ, amp modelling and IRs, there isn't a tone I can't get from my rig. It's even to a point, I started using my guitars with cheap muddy pickups again because they incredible now when EQ'd properly.
I like to smooth distortion tones with EQ by reducing 3.2k a little. Makes it sound smoother and less harsh. I also like to use it as a mid boost for lead work.
Which is a good point, I think when one first gets a graphic EQ you feel a little like you are supposed to adjust every fader. It’s just human nature, but really just have to use your ears and may well be just one fader does what you want. I try to do the least (unless going for a wild sound) adjustment. Often while playing ill boost each quite a bit to hear WHAT the frequency is actually doing, then a basic “like it!” Or “nope!” Tells me I may want the one but not the other. So I take it down again and start moving the good freq up slowly until I like it. Usually doesn’t take much. Also can cut a little.
After the vid explaining boosts and how to use them, I dug out the Dano Fish and Chips and had a ton of fun dialing in the specific sliders and that thing really works wonders dimed out in front of a fuzz.
At a party... EQ = the guy people don't understand Compressor = the guy people don't like Fuzz = the one that won't shut up Noise Gate = the one that won't talk
8:28 He's absolutely right. For instance, I use a Carl Martin Plexi Tone for crunch (think Bryan Adams) and late 70s/early 80s hard rock (e. g. Iron Maiden), boost it with a Boss SD-1 for some more modern high gain (Zakk Wylde direction) and then...add a Boss GE-7 or Source Audio Equalizer to turn everything in a Dimebag Darrell-type sound. Whenever I tell someone, I can get thrash sounds out of a boosted Carl Martin Plexi Tone with just an EQ, they won't believe it...
The obvious suggestion is stray birds but I’m sure you have heard them. By the way thankyou for this great vid on graphics I woke up this morning thinking I needed to put my ten band mxr graphic back on my board after a recent overhaul and am thrilled with the results and appreciate your suggestion of experimenting with unconventional settings. It was the coup de grace for my new rig….
I found my Les Paul (EMG pickups) to be far too dark, so EQ is very handy. If you record/produce music, the importance of an EQ pedal cannot be understated. It's far better than doing it in post. It saves time, it also means you can play all the parts with a single guitar, and it makes your mixes sound better.
Years ago I was gonna get an EQ and there are a lot of ways to make effects like fuzz go to another level. Good video. Really an EQ could make any budget rig sound better than than the big bucks rig without an EQ.
Loved this record time. Thanks for turning us on to mandolin orange. Kind of halfway between Gregory Alan Isakov and milk carton kids. Big thumbs up here, got that one and their latest.
I love my eq. Great clean boost, great for lofi guitar as you demonstrate (even more so with a fuzz in front of it), and to add a little upper shelf sparkle to your guitar-synth patches if you use multi-effect units.
I got the Harley Benton 5 band eq for home use through my micro terror which otherwise is boomey at higher gain. A very inexpensive fix for an amp without real EQ. In fact I prefer leaving the gain low and boosting with a compressor and EQ instead of a distortion pedal.
I know this is unrelated to EQ pedals. But after trying countless delay pedals, and almost concluding that delay isn’t my thing, I bought a minty used Lucky Cat today that I found on Facebook Marketplace. You nailed it, man. That’s the one. That unit churns my butter.
"My guitar may be out of tune, can you forgive me?"
Only if you do a 20 minute episode on tuner pedals.
In an age of Evertune bridges and Polytune 3's, is it really forgivable?
@@DJ7tringGuitar Polytune sucks balls...
Well, my polytune rocks.
Thank you! I play bass and been on a hunt for a good tuner pedal that actually registers the low B. No luck yet. Korg is the closest to accuracy that I have found yet but nothing impressive. All boss tuners are not even close, i bought and returned 4 different boss types. Polytune didn’t impress either.
@@evzzs sonic research st200 is a strobe if you need something more accurate.
However as a bassist just tune to the 12th harmonic. It's the best way to tune low notes.
A top tip for using an EQ to shape your tone:
To avoid noise, rather than boosting certain frequencies, try cutting the alternative frequencies slightly.
This is a really good tip in the mixing world, not for avoiding noise but because a lot of the time you don’t need MORE bass, you need LESS treble, and vice versa. You can make things sound warmer and fuller sometimes by just pulling a bit of higher frequency down and sometimes all you need to get your tone to bite a little more is to clear up some mud in the lower frequency range. It’s a much more subtle way of fixing frequency issues and a lot of the time it kills a few birds with one stone, because there could be other inherent problems in those areas that you don’t even notice until you pull it out.
So yeah, really good tip lol.
I love using an eq as a cut/ clean up pedal. Loud is more good... Except sometimes
You could also get a noise gate pedal if you have noise. There is also some amps like ENGL amps that have built in noise gates which are super helpful.
doesn't work with the ge7 unless you mod the pedal/upgrade the caps.
@@SpartanLaserCanonnoise gates only work when you arent playing
EQs are just easy to use. You want a mid boost? Boost mids!
Want less bass? Cut bass!
You dont know what ya want? Boost random frequencies!
Do what you want!
What do we want? Random frequencies! When do we want them? Whenever!
Boost random frequencies...
Just Do it!
@@CorkyK Randomly!
is it 'do what you feel like day?"
All way to play are in a good eq
I just love how JHS doesn't mind using and praising other brands
If you look at any pedalboard you see a broad mix of brands from donner to strymon, and everything between. Pedal companies know they can boost each other and not hurt their own business at the same time
I think so too. But maybe Josh is today making more money with his TH-cam channel than with his pedal company.
Today's lesson - "All EQ's are equal, but some EQ's are more equal than others."
That an animal farm reference?
@@caseyking8394 ;)
My Equalizer fights crime, like a vigilante!
Of course, they are meant to equalize...
Excuse me, Orwell
On the Russian one under the first slider is written:
Level
Frequency
Under the last slider:
LEL' ep
Equalizer parametric
If you really want to read it, not just understand, here is a transcription:
Urov'en'
Chastota
(lel' ep sounds nearly the same)
Ekvalaizer Parametricheskiy
Thanks for another great video, Josh!
I think many people spend a fortune on pedals looking for the effect a single eq pedal would give them.
Thanks for another great vid.
Definitely. I currently own an AnalogMan TS9, a Danelectro overdrive, a Boss SD1, and an AMT O-Drive all because I wanted a hollowed out sound in my overdrive tones. EQ's are so under-rated and I've learned that while trying to make a good amp sound like crap on purpose. I bought a behringer EQ700 today because I can't afford the AnalogMan GE-7 at the moment, but I am pretty certain an EQ is going to hollow out my overdrive the way I want. I hate chunky distortion/over-drive tones. They leave a bad taste in my mouth and remind me of this awful Peavey amp I used to have that sounded like a PA system fighting an aluminum shredder with diarrhea.
@@rockguitarist931 "aluminum shredder with diarrhea"... I loled hard
thats a good problem to have
I have a 10 band EQ modded with silent mod that is so good sounding I took my modded CS-1 off my board. Don't need any more restrictive devises messing with my sound. Now I use the compressor on my church set-up with another EQ pedal.
@@sparkyguitar0058 oh yeah wll i use an eq to eq my eq !
EQs can be a huge asset when you're playing in a live band. If you know how to use it, you can clean up your entire band's sound and make your guitar cut through the mix. In a studio, when the producer is mixing the instruments, they will change the EQ settings of certain instruments to ensure they "stay out of each other's way." This is accomplished by cutting frequencies out of certain instruments, and/or boosting them in others.
For instance: If the main frequency of the snare drum sound happens to fall around 500hz, the producer will probably lower that frequency on the other instruments, particularly the guitar. The result is: the snare cuts through at 500hz. Even when the guitar is playing at its absolutely loudest, you can still hear the snare drum. Also, almost any producer will remove the very high end (10-12khz and up) and very low end (sub-100hz) from the guitar, because these aren't really relevant frequencies. They don't contribute to the "tone" of the guitar, they're just hiss and mud, respectively. These cuts clean up the cymbals and the bass. Many more cuts like this can be made, as well as boosts to ranges that are guitar-specific. The result is a cleaner overall sound, in which you can clearly hear every instrument doing its thing and not drowning anything else out.
This isn't really something that can be accomplished with a guitar amp's EQ knobs. At most, you're going to have Low, Low-mid, High-mid, and High. Most of the time, the mids will be one knob. These boosts and cuts are way too broad to do any sort of specific cutting/boosting, like you would have in a studio. But, with a decent 7 or 10 band EQ, these cuts/boosts become possible.
I think of the on board eq for drive pedals and amps as like a method of tone shaping and approximating what you want (do you want a middy sound, or a bit more flat, etc) and the fine tuning is the pedal/daw. Notching certain frequencies can also be used to remove feedback because you can just dial out the range that is making it squeal.
Thank you for this, It explained a lot!
Great explanation
Although I can see it making things easier for the one mixing the bands sound.
But in a studio, I would have thought it was better to leave them a broad tonal spectrum to work with. You can easily cut what you don't need, but it's difficult to add what's not there.
I love how honest and true you are about other brands, even though they might be your competition. That's really embracing a mindset of community, and that's amazing. Also, you're doing us a favor for bringing forward some of the more hidden pieces of modern music history, and for that we are thankful. And for all of that I am really thankful. I just wish you sometimes would speak a little bit more about JHS, i thin we all would appreciate that. As always, wishing you all the best, Josh, you deserve it.
I Bleed Mercury I bet you are sad and lonely
@@Maodjrodnd "safe bet" is an understatement.
@@Maodjrodnd C'mon. That was funny, hahaha
Being that "cool" takes truth, knowledge, and years in the trade / all aspects, \ his new found public swaggggar, and being in the right place,....etc. please don't stop. I Flippin' now look for them all.
In 80s and 90s there was a folk band in then Yugoslavia that completely reshaped music. Their producer and writer was also their bass player. He had very special bass tone, and he got it with insane eq settings. And EVERYONE tried to copy it, buying the same 69 Jazz Bass and Trace Elliot amp with no luck. It was all about that eq he had.
What was the band called?
@@bluehole6019 juzni vetar, just search for mile i juzni vetar.
Another huge use for an EQ pedal is cleaning up nasty frequencies in different rooms.... gigging in a cave where the bass frequencies just BOOM and being able to notch that out is gold!
I can’t get over how perfect his personality and presentation is for a pedal based channel. Love JHS
I want a "sometimes guitar needs to sound crappy" shirt
Even the best gear can sound like shit depending on the state of mind you're in!
I second this statement
I feel like Jack White and Grindcore are prime examples of this ideology.
Right! ...sorta like any other ying yang concept of opposites in balance... We need those gnarly noises to be heard, so we can compare it to a so called "quality" sound and understand the difference so we can seek out our own personal preference on the sound spectrum
black metal
I realize this video is 4 years old but I just discovered EQ pedals and thoroughly appreciate your video. Thanks so much. This was super informative and helpful!
i just decided to get an eq in november 2024 and saw this video
Haven't even gotten past the intro yet but just wanna say I always always look forward to a new episode of this delightfulfulness mhmmmmmm
The entire time I was thinking "If only I had presets". Then he showed the eq-20. I am the person who needs it. Thanks.
Tip for the lofi! Throw on a tremolo after the EQ and offt 😍
offt?
Lol I think offt was an attempt of spelling out a sound expression haha
Rotary would be cool to add to that as well. Or maybe some vibrato
Harris Rihan exactly
I am still amazed at how many competitors pedals he hypes in his videos. You got class, Josh.
Regarding the Russian pedal, the writing from top to bottom is:
Level
Frequency
Lel’-zp (brand, model name, I’m assuming)
Equalizer parametric
The sliders are for frequency peaks. The knobs are for boosts or cuts of up to +/-12 dB.
nice work Mike
All correct exept one, that`s not "Lel -ZP", that`s "Lel -EP" (ЭП) Equalizer Parametric.
Randy Hayes lmao
Vadocci Martini Прекрасно!
Wow. One more than 11!
My mxr 10 band EQ is the best pedal I've ever bought. Hands down.
it is definitely a powerhouse
Make it even better. Add the silent mod
Amazing. I can leave OD/distortion on with volume up and not very much noise. Turn them off and total silence. I really like that. I also bought a Rocktron 6 band modded by the ex-owner for silence. $16 couldn't pass it up. Just for my bass amp that I dont even use at this time.
I've been changing a few pedals but never my baby mxr 10 band eq.
Fax
I ditched mine after 35 years. Had growths and tumors
I have a 10 band and a 6 band eq (both MXR) right next to each other in my signal chain. Together, they both allow me to tweak my sound in great depth. I highly recommend it.
Thanks Josh for the kind words and featuring the Massive FX Pedals G.O.A.F. We might just have to use your tag line "Greatest of All Fuzz!" Love the video series, Keep making great pedals and Rocking! Thanks
Thanks!!
thanks, as always.
(plus, if I may add, the absolute _class_ and beauty of -Jason- Joshua always praising "competitor" pedals... just _beautiful_ .)
Who is Jason?
@@TheRealcdawg22 ahaha, Joshua! I must've been thinking about someone, I'll just go and check with my shrink :D
(what a number I pulled there: hi praising someone while missing their name :)
Josh, I mean this with all the sincerity I can muster. Every single time I watch your videos I feel slightly cheated that I can’t apply your musical insight to university credits because, brutha, I’d have a PHD by now. Love your videos. It would be so fun to hang and talk shop. One day I hope. This is one proud subscriber saying PLEASE don’t ever stop making these vids.
EQ can turn a normal fuzz into an octave fuzz. I have found that by zeroing out all frequencies on my GE-7 and then boosting a single frequency into a fuzz I can get an octave fuzz.
Before or after The fuzz?
@@lamonet before
I kinda don’t get it, do you have any demonstrations for that like a clip or something? 😅
This made me pull out my old GE-7. After I watch your videos I end up adding and subtracting things from my board. Thanks for making me keep things fresh!
EQ pedals are *AMAZING*
Favorite uses:
-On a bypass loop after a comp for cleans. I do this with a Gibson 335 into a Laney AOR 50 to cut mids and boost bass/treble. It's amazing.
-After a fuzz. Holy shit
-On any bypass loop after an odd pedal in the preamp
-Normal pedals too
-As a lead boost
-In your amps FX loop to get different sounds recording
I collect EQ pedals mainly to juice up my board any time I add a new bypass loop. It's addicting.
Awesome that he shouted out the fish and chips. That's a great little EQ.
Eq pedals can be great ,however I've seen more people screw up their sound more than anything because they go to really radical settings.
Great video, cheers!
For me it is often better to cut a freq (maybe with makeup gain from the level fader if needed) than to boost, but it’s not a hard and fast rule.
One good trick, he talked about, is boosting the hell out of each band, just to hear what that band is doing (can be as simple as like it, that one should boost, or don’t like it, that one should cut to neutral) and THEN go back to neutral and slowly boost the freq you like until it “sits” nicely. Or if it is a freq you don’t want, neutral and slowly cut. But usually not huge steps...unless that is what one is after.
Because of your gear shopping Vlog a few months back, I got myself a Source Audio Programmable EQ. Love it. Took it to a gig that I thought was a simple overdub on one song, but it changed into 3 songs. Very different. I brought two guitars but only one Tweed amp. Now I can get different sounds from it in front of a mic, but having the EQ meant it sounded like different amps. I got rehired. Having a good EQ pedal got me paid, yo.
EQ's are fantastic! Here's a tip: If you flatten out the Eq and then boost the mids just slightly, you'll get a single coil to sound like a P90. No, really, go try it. 🎸🎸🎸
Yeah, I wonder if it would get a p90 to sound like a humbucker.
P90s is single coils.
@@feebypeels2883 only technically, but I'm sure you know exactly what he means lmfao
Joke's on you. P90 and single already sound the same.
@Constant K yeah.....no.
Literally the chillest intro music. You guys deserve a reward for that. Some people have some terrible intro tunes
I just bought a GE-7, so this is just right up my alley
Probably should have watched this video first, right? 🤣
They seem really useful, so I doubt you went wrong.
Thank you so much for such a great explanation of EQ and also saving me some real money. My ears first perked up when you were talking about lo-fi pedals and then my mind was blown when you showed how to get the sound I was longing for without a dedicated pedal. Best episode yet on the best pedal channel period!
Takes me back to a decade ago when I bought that Behringer EQ to make get an AM radio sound.
also... You should do a round-up of your favorite plastic shell pedals. I nominate the Rocktek Distortion.
snap, best pedal buying advice I've ever heard. I put a cheap 7band eq onto my office floor, and it took my little modeling amp from "yeah, I guess that's an 80's marshall' and turned it into "hell yeah, that's what they were playing"! It pushed the tube pre-amp into a really believable tube drive!
Yes you are correct I'm the guy who needed a Boss eq20. Thank you this video helped me make up my mind, I love this pedal.
I got one, no clue how to use it!
@@michaelcraig9449 Figure it out yet. It's fun to learn how ain't it.
Thank you so much. After watching this i remembered that 15 years ago i bought a Danelectro Fish and chips EQ that i had completely forgotten about after moving a couple of times. Well i found it practically new in its box in a drawer and with your guidance i'm going to spend the rest of the week experimenting. Can't think of something more fun than getting a new pedal Without spending a dime !
I hear that is a really good pedal. Are you a Soldano owner ? Ever heard of the band 999 ?
How can be you so candid and still so much in love with these pedals not one from JHS itself?
Well, I just bought a Behringer EQ700 and added the top of my rest 12 pedal Behringer arsenal. It is giving me great results with vintage delay VD400 following it. I am a budget player from India and do not earn musically.
Good information shared, I am still hungry for a bit more. Keep on that good work coming.
Growing up as a bass player primarily, a graphic eq was really integral in my understanding of tone. Thanks to old peavey bass heads.
I loved this episode! Here's another great use for the GE-7 or something similar - you can use it to clear boost an instrument that would normally get a lot of feedback turning up the amp volume! I have an acoustic electric that would always get feedback when I faced the amp. Now I have the same volume and no feedback. On GE7 I put the first two sliders down one notch and the 3.2k notch up one, then turn the master slider up to 75%. On amp I just keep a clean signal, and voila! way louder. Also you can often "eq" out the frequencies that are causing the feedback and still have a decent tone.
Sovtek episode? You teased it once. Patiently awaiting. Not that I don’t love everything else you’re putting out.
One of my favorite bands with that bluegrass-inspired sound, including beautiful harmonies, great songs, and on-point, tasteful musicianship, is Lula Wiles. Both their albums - their self-titled debut, and "What Will We Do," which came out in January, are tight. It's a three-piece, and all three of them sing and write songs. Definitely recommended if you are a fan of that sound.
Your videos make me so happy. I watch 1 a day.. and after 30 yrs of playing - I’m finally starting to understand what all these buttons and flashy lights do.. My family cries.. but I just have to turn it louder to drown out all the whining.
Cheers for the Mandolin Orange tip! Very redolent of the Welch / Rawlings vibe. Love it!
I bought a GE-7 a couple of weeks ago and it totally sorted out the nuances in my tone with subtle tweaks. I place it after all other pedals (overdrive, fuzz, delay, chorus, flanger, reverb) because quite often I have most of it on. And the GE-7 is here to be on constantly.
My first pedal was that same Arion parametric EQ. I was 11 years old and knew what a graphic EQ was, but that thing confused me. Looking back I think I used it as a boost in front of my little Washburn distortion pedal that then went into my Peavey keyboard amp.
My grandfather was a musician of some renown. He played Texas swing, early rock n' roll, and bluegrass. Mandolin, guitar, steel guitar, piano, upright and electric bass, and who knows what else. He was a very talented man and I miss him so much. I still feel close to him when I listen to his old records.
You gonna tell us his name at some point?
Always love the willingness to use non-JHS pedals in demos, for the sake of the message
Sarah Jarosz - Over The Edge. Best lap steel tone ever. Plus she's playing an Octave mandolin!
love that record!
Yeah, if you're into mandolin orange, you probably watch enough Live From Here to already know about SJ and Aoife O'Donovan as well, but their records Follow Me Down and Fossils are pretty much perfect and really altered the course of what I was listening to in the mid-2010s
the section about creating another chan on your amp is so true. boogie has done this for years. having a switchable eq can, in essence, create a second(or third) channel on your amp. I would use it as the boost for my leads in my old boogie or, much like what you said about the fender/AC15 tone, try to make the boogie a little more marshall like. great vid as always Josh
I like to use the GE-7 as a volume reducer for my loud amps. This lets me keep my tones, without the neighbors complaining. Basically, just leave the eq flat, and drop the level slider (opposite setting of the first setting demonstrated).
Same here. Kind of a cleanish channel. Love my eq for that
Been doing this a lot lately. I don't have to change my amp settings to quieten down. ✌️🇦🇺
i could listen to you talking about gear for days
Some very nice tricks I didn't thought after 20 years of playing guitar ;) Thank you so much for this :)
I'd forgotten how much fun I used to have with an EQ in the extreme settings, setting the first slider full down, second full up, etc. Def going to play with that again.
I didn't think I needed an EQ. After I bought one, it blew my mind. Changed my amp and sound. Now it's always on
Great video! I use my ge7 for getting clean tones from a cranked amp. For my live setting I like the overdriven tone I get from my amp alone, and it’s my main tone. I have a ge7 with gain turned down in front of it, (the opposite of clean boost you were talking about) when engaged, it cleans up the sound, like turning down the volume on your guitar but you have more control since you can dial in the eq. Almost like having a pedal for switching to the clean channel. Little trick I learnt from one of Paul Gilbert’s videos. If you have a small class a amp, with only one channel, comes in very handy.
makes sense.... i'm new at high amp volumes and i dont like the sound i get. Im used to playing at home at "low volumes" so its easier to get the sound you want.
i've been practicing with friends at high volumes and i just don't like my sound! :(
what can i do? i have a Roland JC-40 and a squier telecaster custom
@@carlos_al what do you not like about your sound when playing at higher volumes in a band situation? Most of the time when I play alone I tend to add a little more bass than usual but in a band situation too much bass just messes up with how you fit in the mix. if your tele custom has a single bridge pickup, it might be too bright sometimes. It all depends on the room and the other instruments as well, so there are a lot of variables. I have no experience with JC40 but sometimes an amp's eq knobs don't give the same versatility as an eq pedal, that's why it's such a handy tool to have. Definitely give it a shot, try and find what you like, searching for a great tone is one of the most interesting parts of being a guitarist anyways.
THIS. I teach workshops on eq use. This is where every guitarist should start with pedals in my opinion.
Maxwell Feinstein do you have an EQ you would recommend? (I won’t see a reply unless someone ‘likes’ the comment because I turned off all reply notifications due to idiots trying to argue all the time)
Josh, it’s great that you are marketing not just JHS pedals, but also the whole markets of pedals and even guitar! I think that it’s brilliant. Modern record company music production has led to a push for making music cheaply and fast. The result has been that one or 2 people with a couple of computers are making complete songs that are played on radio. However, there is no cool factor whatsoever!
Enter Josh of JHS to let people know just why playing guitar has always been so cool! In fact, with all the tonal possibilities, each guitarist can make their own statement in a quality way! Thanks for what you do!
Keep it up Mr JHS! Hugs from Argentina 🇦🇷
Thanks to this video, I just got myself an eq pedal (MXR 10) and am very glad I did!
me too! why didn't I do this a couple years ago???
i like the mxr 10 band you can get them pretty regularly for 75ish bucks and the faders light up and it has a few more bands than the boss one
That pedal is lighter than a spotlight right in the eyes. I took a sharpie and blackened all the LEDs because it was blinding me on a dark stage
Boss has a bigger each you it's called eq-20. That's what I use programmable up to 10 settings.
@@juztinking8813 Did the same thing but first I covered the sliders w/ masking tape , trimmed excess,and then sharpie the tape black. I still get light out the sides ,just not in my eyes. Also my lights are blue cause my pedal has been silent-modded. It looks pretty cool to me, but what do I know.
hey, I love your shows. I'm a big Guitar fanatic who's getting back into it late in life. my favorite Bluegrass music is from my days back in Virginia listening to Emy Lou Harris and The Seldom Seen.
I use my Danelectro fish n chips as my lead boost and I’ve used my second fish n chips as a tone change!!!! 🤘🏻🎸🖖🏻
Ade Horton I’m a boutique snob, but the Danelectro Fish n Chips is pound for pound the most valuable assembly line pedal on the market!
The perfect v is my favorite setting on bass and guitar pet!! Love you brother and have a blessed day!!! Also I have said that Carolina Tennessee mountain blue grass is the speed metal of country music!! Also I like the way it wakes up some of our favorite songs!!!
You pack a lot of helpful info in your vids and I/we very much appreciate that.✌🏼
I have started using an eq pedal as a boost instead of my trusty 80s Tube screamer. I can get exactly the tone I want while pushing my amp into breakup. Being able to taylor it to a different amp/cab or room is awesome all thanks to this video. Thanks Josh
More EQ examples!!! I've done a couple of those tricks but got new ones! Definitely will try the LO-FI thing 🤘🏻
If you want amazing bluegrass you have to look at Tony Rice Manzanita. Some great traditional style and some jaw dropping instrumentals. After looking at the artists you can basically follow bluegrass to the present through some of it's most innovative periods. Darrol Anger my favorite fiddle player, David Grismon mandolin, Tony Rice guitar, Sam Bush mandolin/fiddle, Jerry Douglas dobro, Ricky Skaggs mandolin, and Todd Phillips on bass. Also Tony on lead and various artists on vocals. An allstar cast of musicians in their prime.
This channel puts most guitar nerd channels to shame! I love it!
Hey there! I was just listening to the fantastic and broad uses of the graphic EQ and then, in the end you show that Record. And I just thought, hum, I have to tell him about this other Album from a American Band that I love called "The Onlies". I lived is Seattle from 2013/15, I'm a Portuguese musician by the way, and this teacher at my kids school told me I should listen to this kids, that used to be his students. This was in 2013, and they were like 14/15, and they apparently played together since they were 8 or 9 years old. And it was amazing. I saw them at Folklife and I was blowed away with the energy, the pleasure of playing and sharing music that they had. And then the nerd in me was very happy to listen to the record I bought from them. The sound is fantastic, the recording of acoustic instruments in this album is really good, and the real vibe of being in their teens and playing like having a lot of fun, it's still there. This album I bought it's actually from 2015, I bought them at the Folklife Festival before I left Seattle and came back to Lisbon. Have a listen! they are on spotify and this is their site: www.theonlies.com/the-day-that-never-was/ Keep on the good work with your amazing pedals and wise information! Peace! Shaka
Somebody needs to put a Furman PQ-3 into a pedal format. I’ve always used eq pedals and rack eqs for bass and guitar, the difference they make is incredible. I’ve never understood why so many guitarists ignore them. One of my faves in the BOSS GE-6.
I bought the JHS modded GE-7 FOREVER ago and it is essential to my rig. It made my tone so much better and added a ton more clarity
Was just thinking about that pedal (I believe Analogman made one too.) What exactly did the mod do, or change?
Check out a Canadian band called the Duhks. They have bluegrass instrumentation with some interesting blends of styles with a bluegrass foundation. Their first album had traditional French Canadian bluegrass/folk tunes.
Also check out the band Rail Road Earth.
I just want to thank you josh for taking the time to do these videos. The helped me bigtime, and I think they will be part of the historical record of these products. good job bro, rock on!
Thanks!
I just finished the episode and I need more. This is worst than waiting for GoT
By far the most impactful pedal that I use for tone, even more so than IRs. Between EQ, amp modelling and IRs, there isn't a tone I can't get from my rig. It's even to a point, I started using my guitars with cheap muddy pickups again because they incredible now when EQ'd properly.
I like to smooth distortion tones with EQ by reducing 3.2k a little. Makes it sound smoother and less harsh. I also like to use it as a mid boost for lead work.
Which is a good point, I think when one first gets a graphic EQ you feel a little like you are supposed to adjust every fader. It’s just human nature, but really just have to use your ears and may well be just one fader does what you want.
I try to do the least (unless going for a wild sound) adjustment. Often while playing ill boost each quite a bit to hear WHAT the frequency is actually doing, then a basic “like it!” Or “nope!” Tells me I may want the one but not the other. So I take it down again and start moving the good freq up slowly until I like it. Usually doesn’t take much. Also can cut a little.
Smart. I love that first idea.
After the vid explaining boosts and how to use them, I dug out the Dano Fish and Chips and had a ton of fun dialing in the specific sliders and that thing really works wonders dimed out in front of a fuzz.
At a party...
EQ = the guy people don't understand
Compressor = the guy people don't like
Fuzz = the one that won't shut up
Noise Gate = the one that won't talk
Delay = the guy that tells the same story, to everyone, everytime.
At the party...
Tube screamer = guy that bangs the hostess in the bathroom while putting her head in the 🚽
I guess Im an EQ/Noise Gate hybrid pedal. It can be called the "antisocial curmudgeon" pedal
I like compression. Am I the compressor. Aw crap...
8:28 He's absolutely right. For instance, I use a Carl Martin Plexi Tone for crunch (think Bryan Adams) and late 70s/early 80s hard rock (e. g. Iron Maiden), boost it with a Boss SD-1 for some more modern high gain (Zakk Wylde direction) and then...add a Boss GE-7 or Source Audio Equalizer to turn everything in a Dimebag Darrell-type sound.
Whenever I tell someone, I can get thrash sounds out of a boosted Carl Martin Plexi Tone with just an EQ, they won't believe it...
Old and In The Way & Uncle Tupelo “No Depression”, 2 bands I love
The obvious suggestion is stray birds but I’m sure you have heard them. By the way thankyou for this great vid on graphics I woke up this morning thinking I needed to put my ten band mxr graphic back on my board after a recent overhaul and am thrilled with the results and appreciate your suggestion of experimenting with unconventional settings. It was the coup de grace for my new rig….
I wanna see Josh's opinion on the multi effect stuff such as the Helix and the HX Effects!
Possibly the greatest quote of the 21st century: "It's a big world out there and there's just stuff I don't understand."
I found my Les Paul (EMG pickups) to be far too dark, so EQ is very handy. If you record/produce music, the importance of an EQ pedal cannot be understated. It's far better than doing it in post. It saves time, it also means you can play all the parts with a single guitar, and it makes your mixes sound better.
pickups dont alter the sound unless your talking single coil vs humbucker.. the amp was too dark not the guitar.
Years ago I was gonna get an EQ and there are a lot of ways to make effects like fuzz go to another level. Good video. Really an EQ could make any budget rig sound better than than the big bucks rig without an EQ.
Parametric EQ with the Q cranked is just a wah pedal without the foot control. I've learned a lot from playing with Ableton.
I think most people know that a wah pedal sweeps through the Q range of a guitar signal lol.
The humble EQ pedal - the BIGGEST secret in a pro guitarist's arsenal.
that “knobs” homage at 11:47 ..... well done
Loved this record time. Thanks for turning us on to mandolin orange. Kind of halfway between Gregory Alan Isakov and milk carton kids. Big thumbs up here, got that one and their latest.
I use A Boss GE-7 when I change from Humbuckers to my Strat. It keeps the level even.
I love my eq. Great clean boost, great for lofi guitar as you demonstrate (even more so with a fuzz in front of it), and to add a little upper shelf sparkle to your guitar-synth patches if you use multi-effect units.
Lol! Your joke about the player who needs presets with their EQ... that's me I cracked up because you got it
I got the Harley Benton 5 band eq for home use through my micro terror which otherwise is boomey at higher gain. A very inexpensive fix for an amp without real EQ. In fact I prefer leaving the gain low and boosting with a compressor and EQ instead of a distortion pedal.
Holy wow, that octave fuzz sounds amazing, and I'm not even that keen on them
I know this is unrelated to EQ pedals. But after trying countless delay pedals, and almost concluding that delay isn’t my thing, I bought a minty used Lucky Cat today that I found on Facebook Marketplace. You nailed it, man. That’s the one. That unit churns my butter.
“Sometimes guitars need to really sound crappy.”
That really needs to be your next limited t-shirt.
I discovered Mandolin Orange myself last week . good call .
Greetings from the Philippines sir JHS
I've always loved EQ! I use an EQ with a Pitchfork to help emulate bass a little more accurately for looping.