Recommendations for a good eq pedal
 

My amp's eq is ok, but it doesn't really go from deep bass to extreme twangy brightness. I know my bass can produce that kind of sound, because when I run it through my DAW's eq, I can get really extreme differences in freqencies. Can anyone recommend a decent eq that will allow me to go from deep motown tone to punchy highs without having to slap and pop?

I actually don't really care about the deep lows because I can just turn it off. What I need is extreme highs that sound really bright.

What are you using for cabs? Maybe that's the issue here.

I've got a nice fEARful that's totally capable of producing bright and punchy tones. And I can dial it in close through my amp, but I'd rather have a pedal to do it so that I can easily switch it on and off.

The Boss EQ 20 sounds great, but way too big for my pedalboard.

Dang, fEARful and eything! Ok!

Well, an EQ is an EQ. But if I needed one I might save my pennies for the programmable Source Audio one. YMMV.

That one definitely looks interesting. I kind of like the Whirlwind as well. The youtube vid was definitely impressive.

Source Audio is a great company to work with. They're very active in these forums and I am a fan of their other products.

Honestly I love the boss bass EQ. It's pretty cheap and it gets the job done. There are def. better EQ pedals out there but for the price I think the boss is the way to go. It;s also not some wild effect you need to be top of the line. It's equalization, I wouldn't want to pay more than 125 tops for an EQ pedal. I guess it depends on your budget. If you have the money i suppose there are way superior options to the boss.

That's a pretty fair point. An EQ is an EQ.

On the other hand, I myself have an EQ control on my envelope filter, on my distortion pedal and on my preamp/DI-- to say nothing of the one on my amp head. So the whole idea of getting a dedicated pedal for EQ changes is ... not very compelling to me. Again, your mileage will vary.

The problem is, all pedals are different, even EQ. I need one that really cuts and boosts very noticeably. I've heard older eq pedals where you can barely hear any tone change. I don't want to end up with one of those, so I'm hoping to get a recommendation from someone who has experimented with several... or knows the difference between the good ones and bad ones.

I would recommend a parametric eq like the empress paraeq. If you want really noticeable changes in eq, you need a narrow Q as well as large amounts of cut/boost. A parametric will allow you to do both.

MXR M-108 10-band EQ. 18v operation. plus or minus 12 db on each band. plus or minus 12 on the input gain. plus or minus 12 on the output level. Crank 'em up!

I'll check that one out. I have the Empress Compressor and love it! Thanks

WMD Parametric
Correct Sound Parametric

I'm happy with my Boss GEB-7. Was able to get the Matt Freeman punk rock midrangey sound and that deep & bright slap tone with it

Go with Boss for an industry standard and affordable EQ, but feel free to take a hear around other EQ pedals if money is not your #1 concern :)

$30 fish and chips by danelectro, works fine.

A simple boss bass Graphic Eq (or clone thereof) may do the job nicely - I have 2 on my board. But a decent multiband parametric will give you infinitely more control. I cannot begin to count the number of times I've needed to cut or boost a frequency that isn't available on my eq pedal or amp, for which reason I have also been investigating parametric eq's.

I'd definitely say check out the WMD Utility Parametric. It has a lot more crossover of frequencies than the Empress, and more 'Q' control, and often found cheaper.

I'd also say check out the BYOC parametric eq. It has similar frequency ranges as the Empress, but with 'Q' control similar to the WMD. It's a lot cheaper than either, even if you buy one already assembled.

If you are wanting to switch different tones on the fly, get something programmable. Zoom's B2 and B3 both have graphic and parametric eq's and they both play well with other pedals.

So far, the one that has the best dynamic range to my ears (based on youtube vids) is the Yamaha Nathan East NE-1 Parametric EQ. Unfortunately, they are discontinued. :(