Parametric EQ Guitar

[joeh68]

Hi All,

I am trying to dial in a parametric EQ pedal for guitar. I understand how it works, However, I am struggling to find a starting point. Does anybody have info on EQ settings for various guitar tones? I am using a strat and a les paul. If I could find reference tones and an explanation of the EQ that would help a lot.

Thanks

Joe

[brandondrury]

Does anybody have info on EQ settings for various guitar tones?

Sure! My favorite EQ setting for electric guitar is NONE.

EQ isn't something you do because you are "supposed to". It's something you do to fix a specific problem. If you aren't hearing a specific problem, don't use it. Grabbing an EQ when the guitars already sound great is similar to grabbing a pair of pliars just before washing dishes. In both cases, neither tool is necessary. (Bad analogy!.....sort of).

I'm trying to figure out what you are trying to acheive with EQ, Joe. Give us some more detail.

Are you talking about adding EQ during mixing to help the guitars sit in the mix better or are you talking about adding EQ on the amp itself to alter the tone of the amp?

Brandon

[joeh68]

Hi Brandon

Thanks for your response - I take your point.
I'll explain more about what I am trying to do.

This is probably more of a performance issue than a mixing issue right now but I am trying to get a specific guitar tone into a recording project. I am looking for a laid back guitar line - the closest thing to what I am looking for is Steely Dan, Two Against Nature - Shame About Me. The guitar solo sounds to me like a strat with boost in the mid ranges which overdrives the amp. So it sounds like a bright guitar with a thick growl in the mid range.

I have been trying to get this kind of tone with a parametric EQ pedal - boosting the mids. I understand that a PEQ would normally be used for issolating & cutting feedback frequencies etc. But I have found it really useful for controling guitar tones but with a lot of trial & error involved.

In the original post I was looking guidance on the frequency profile of different guitar tones as a starting point for further experementation.

So if I knew for example that a funky strat tone rolls off under 2KHz and has a boost at 6KHz, or a rock les paul has mid cut between 1KHz & 5Khz (made up) - that kind of thing - I would know where to start. I could of course be barking up the wrong tree.

At the same time I do need to know how to place a guitar in the mix as well - so any guidance on where to look for that would be useful too.

Thanks for any help again.

Best Regards

Joe

[brandondrury]

Hey Joe,

You didn't mention the amps, guitars, or other gear you are using, but at least it's clear now that you are talking about EQ before the amp.

This is a huge topic and completely dependent on taste, the guitar, the amp, etc. So while you are going for tonal control and not necessarily solving "problems", I think the same concept applies. You need to think about what sound is excessive and remove those.

It needs to be said that EQ isn't used in front of the amp THAT much. EQ is not a fundamental part of all great guitar sounds. It's the matching of the right guitar into the right amp. This guitar tone business is WAY more complicated than simply tossing an EQ in the middle of the guitar and amp.

So I'm not really aware of any list of "presets" that will have any actual relevance to your situation. I don't consider an electric guitar EQ pedal to be that complicated anyway so just jump in and play with it.

Brandon