Need advice for preamp / tone shaping with graphic EQ

If you want the most featured EQ currently available in a pedal format...then look up the Source Audio EQ2. Currently, the State of the Art.

 

IME, it's not adviseable to stack premps. I would sugest either overdrive or EQ. You already have the latter (Empress)

 

If you like the sound of the TH, I would suggest simply getting a small board and adding an EQ pedal for an alternate tone and a mild dirt. A tuner, pre, EQ, and mild dirt is a very common small board setup. And it's no harder to set up than your TH has been. Plug and play.

 

The reason is gain staging. Your amp already features a preamp section.

Let me put this way: when you are cooking, you should not put too many spices in the pot. It might spoil the dish.

You already own two pedals which are capable to give you the ability to change tone and colour. You do not need to buy any new devices.

 

Darkglass Micro Tubes X Ultra or Alpha/Omega Ultra

 

No first-hand experience but I thought the Darkglass was supposed to be the bees-knees!

Riis

 

I have no first-hand experience either...but from videos I saw online, it seems to me that it's possible to get some useable tones from B3K in lower settings...

I agree that there are other devices better suited for mild overdrive on the market though.

 

I have a problem with the more heavily colored character pedals (...I'm a Tech 21 fan boy) which is that, once bypassed, the host amp sounds so anemic. Okay, now it becomes an "always on" device and now you have to stick a neutral / transparent boost pedal in front of that. We can keep this up forever and the pedal manufacturers know this...it's a conspiracy, I tell ya!

Riis

 

I hear ya..and I feel the same.

 

Aguilar - Official 'Tone Hammer 500' 3.8lbs 500w Megathread!

Don't be afraid to use the Drive, it is not a traditional OD, more a variable low and high pass filter. If you haven't seen these graphs they are worth a look. I use a Messenger or Radial with my TH for more tone shaping but for the most part use them very judiciously.

 

try something like this

 

I'd get a multi-effects unit like the Zoom B1 Four.

They'll have graphic and parametric EQs, multiple compressors, multiple distortion / OD / fuzz / preamps, and the usual suspects (chorus, flanger, delay, reverb, auto-wah, octaver etc).

The Zoom also has an HPF, a frequency splitter, an exciter and so on. Plus, it's ridiculously affordable.

They're not quite as easy to change on the fly as a graphic EQ pedal, but still pretty easy. Plus, the units are usually fully programmable.

 

+1 for the MXR M108S Ten Band EQ

 

A graphic EQ and a parametric EQ are both EQs. Graphic is easier for beginners and parametric is more flexible.

A multi effects pedal may be your best bet as it gives you lots of options.