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How to set a 7-band eq

bassweedwizard

bassweedwizard

Jun 14, 2025
52
51
#1
i recently got a 7-band eq for my bass (a behringer BEQ700) and i was wondering what are some tips for getting a good sounding tone for doom/stoner and punk/thrash
i play a a fender squier p bass, so should i roll the tone fully off on top of what i set my eq to?
 
#2
bassweedwizard said:
i recently got a 7-band eq for my bass (a behringer BEQ700) and i was wondering what are some tips for getting a good sounding tone for doom/stoner and punk/thrash
i play a a fender squier p bass, so should i roll the tone fully off on top of what i set my eq to?
Click to expand...

just set the bass freaks to 4, the mid freaks at 2, and the trebs to zero....JK ;)

it's gonna mostly depend on the room, and the where the guitar player(s) freaks hang out,
and then just trial and error after that

:bassist:
 
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#3
Personally, GEQ had never done for me what I think you’re trying to do.

GEQ is good for shaping elements of your chain that are upstream but not so good downstream.

What this means is your amp will always sound like your amp. The GEQ will be on your bass and well, you’ve got a p bass and a pick which are the right tools for the music you wish to play so unless there is something specifically needing adjustment at that point in the chain, you don’t really need to GEQ there.
 
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#5
bassweedwizard said:
i recently got a 7-band eq for my bass (a behringer BEQ700) and i was wondering what are some tips for getting a good sounding tone for doom/stoner and punk/thrash
i play a a fender squier p bass, so should i roll the tone fully off on top of what i set my eq to?
Click to expand...
P-bass by itself should be more than enough for any of those genres.
What you can do with your EQ is shape your distortion/od/fuzz to have more tonal options. Put it before your choice of distortion unit and boost what you want to hear and cut what you don't want to hear. Often you can cut some harsh upper frequencies and maybe boost some low mids, but I don't know your room, your distortion, your amp or anything. So, try stuff. If it sounds good, its good.
For your tone pot: use to taste. I like mine open for hardcore punk, maybe I'd back it off for doom, but you know, you can play with it.
 
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#6
You got an EQ for your bass - what did you want from it, why buy the pedal? What about your current EQ do you want the change?

Any advice here is ‘double deaf’ - we don’t know your current sound, or your desired sound.

Best thing - play with it and see if you find something you like. My suspicion is that you might find more time on the bass (tone control) and amp (basic EQ shaping) and less time on the EQ pedal will get you headed in the direction you wanna go. But - I have no idea!!
 
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#7
Close your eyes, then move the sliders until you get a tone you like!

I'm only partly kidding. Point is, you definitely want to use your ears first. It can be easy to dial in a certain visual shape that you think will work... which is OK, but make sure your ears confirm that it's a good result.

For starters, listen to each band individually -- cut and boost -- to hear how it affects its particular frequency (narrow band of frequencies). Once you become familiar with what each band does, it'll be a bit easier to know how to use the EQ as a whole to enhance the tone of your bass*.

*Speaking of which, keep your expectations in check. EQ can't turn a P-bass into a Stingray... but it might give it a somewhat similar zing and mid punch.
 
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#8
EQ is something that needs to be adjusted to the sonic situation. You can't just be given a bunch of numbers for the settings and have it be good on every bass, and every amp, for any particular genre, in every room.

You have to listen to your bass through your amp without EQ and determine what frequencies it needs more of, and which ones it needs less off, and then adjust the EQ accordingly... and then understand those settings will probably change when you need to fit in a mix with other musicians... and change again when you take your rig to a different room/venue/space and play it there.

And if you haven't developed an ear for which frequencies sound like what yet, don't worry, that comes through experience and experimentation. So like @Fuzzbass said, start moving the sliders up and down and listening to what they do, and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Also, pro tip: boosting all EQ Frequencies is the same as just boosting your gain. (Same goes for cutting everything: It's just lowering the gain.) So if you think it sounds better with all the bands up, bring them back down to 0dB and just turn up your amp. Use the EQ to selectively add and remove just enough of the bands that need it.
 
#9
There are no "settings" as such as they will change according to the conditions of the venue, genre, technique being applied to your bass.

However, I will get the best sound from my amp first then use the eq by making slight adjustments for the room I'm in.

I run two different eq pedals.
GEB-7 and GE-7B. One pre effects, for my "room" shaping and one after effects for effects shaping.
 

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