Cheap Amp-Like EQ For Dark-Sounding Amp

maggot · Post by **maggot** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:49 am

I just got a Quilter Tone Block 200 which looks like a power amp, but sounds like a guitar amp with insufficient EQ. It's really dark with my setup. I can dial it in nicely with the 3-band EQ on my Boss ME-70 Multi-FX, but I want something that will fit on my small pedalboard as well. The 3-band EQ on my Quantum Mystic doesn't seem quite up to the task (plus I want to use it as a distortion). Even if I roll off a bunch of the lows, I need to crank the highs and I start getting weird artifacts that are cool for a distortion, not that great for an EQ. My Joyo fake Marshall pedal also works, but sounds stupid with pedals going into it.

I'm looking for an EQ to go last in my chain after my dirt, and I want it to be relatively cheap. I've used MXR 6 and 10-band graphic eqs in the past, and I've never gotten a good sound, but I'd consider a simple graphic EQ. My preference is knobs like an amp, though. I don't necessarily need to go parametric because I want to keep it simple, and I'll mainly be cutting lows and boosting highs. A Tone Job by Earthquaker seems like what I want, but it's expensive. Old Blood Noise Endevors has a buffer with a 3-band EQ that's cheaper. Has anyone tried it? Would a boost pedal with a 2-band EQ like a TC Spark Booster (or its Joyo copy) have enough headroom? Any suggestions?

BoatRich · Post by **BoatRich** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 12:11 pm

Try an Empress Para EQ or like a Sansamp character series. Also run the EQ in the quilters loop and you might like it a lot more.

maggot · Post by **maggot** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 12:19 pm

BoatRich wrote:Try an Empress Para EQ or like a Sansamp character series. Also run the EQ in the quilters loop and you might like it a lot more.

Mine doesn't have a loop. It'll be fine in front. Sounds sweet with the multi-FX EQ. Empress is out of my price range (if I was gonna spend that amount of money, I coulda bought an amp with EQ!), but I could consider some of the less gainy Tech 21s. I already have a Joyo copy of their British pedal, and I'm looking for something cleaner.

GardenoftheDead · Post by **GardenoftheDead** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 12:52 pm

maybe one of these?

https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/tone-job

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Two-Stroke

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Giggity

actual · Post by **actual** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 12:56 pm

If it's going at the end of the chain, then why not go for a rack eq? There's this TC 1140 that should be pretty good (and cheap). Some dudes on youtube use it as a guitar preamp.

maggot · Post by **maggot** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 1:51 pm

Too many knobs on the TC 1140! Tone job, Giggity & 2-Stroke all seem reasonable. Tone Job is the most compelling, but only if it's voiced correctly.

Strange Tales · Post by **Strange Tales** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 1:53 pm

Have you taken a look at the Boss EQ or Parametric EQ pedals? Probably really cheap.

maggot · Post by **maggot** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 2:05 pm

Strange Tales wrote:Have you taken a look at the Boss EQ or Parametric EQ pedals? Probably really cheap.

Isn't Boss Parametric out of production and expensive? As I said, I've had bad luck with graphic EQs in the past, but it was a long time ago. Probably wouldn't get an MXR again, but in the interest of economy, I may try a graphic EQ first. It's just that the regular old knobs on my multi-FX worked so well that I wanted to find something that could replicate that.

I wonder if this would work. The price is right!

https://reverb.com/item/4270030-xvive-v ... nce-50-off

Strange Tales · Post by **Strange Tales** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 2:06 pm

I just assumed they were cheap because Boss, but yea apparently they're pretty damn expensive. Cheapest I could find really quick was $150 BIN on eBay. Didn't realize they were so sought after.

actual · Post by **actual** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 3:31 pm

maggot wrote:Too many knobs on the TC 1140! Tone job, Giggity & 2-Stroke all seem reasonable. Tone Job is the most compelling, but only if it's voiced correctly.

The TC was just a suggestion. There are a lot of other cheap rack eqs.