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Opinions about EQ pedal or rack setup

How should I handle EQ?

  • EQ rack in FX loop of amp head

    Votes: 2 16.7%

  • EQ pedal at end of signal chain

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • EQ pedal at beggining of signal chain

    Votes: 1 8.3%

  • EQ pedal somewhere in the middle of the signal chain

    Votes: 5 41.7%
  • Total voters
    12
K

KoRnKloWn420

Dec 7, 2019
6
1
#1
Currently my amp is a Peavey Mini Mega, and even though I'm sure it would sound good for certain styles, I really just can't get a tone out of it's EQ that I actually like. I've gotten really frustrated with it, and really can't afford a new amp.

I am also currently building a collection of pedals, I got a Tech 21 Sansamp, and it helps tremendously (it's EQ is already better than the one built into the amp). So I'm thinking of getting either a EQ pedal or rack, and my thought process is that if I can fine tune my tone as much as possible without the amp even being a factor, then in the future it won't matter as much what I'm plugged into (whether DI for recording, straight into a PA, etc).

So my question is what are everyone's opinions about this? Do you think I should get an EQ rack to just substitute the amp EQ? Should I get a pedal instead and if so where in the signal chain should I put it? (I'm going to be getting a fuzz distortion and a volume/wah pedal, as well as some other pedals down the line).

For full disclaimer I know there is no substitute for a good amp, and the amp will always have a pretty significant effect on the bass tone. But until I can afford a bass amp I really like I need to get more control over my tone, and I figure pedals are a good way to do that.
 
#3
bassbrad said:
Bitter pill on Christmas day - if your combination of bass, amp and speaker don't cut it already, adding ingredients will almost never make it better or fix it. It could be that your bass amp is simply too small or under powered for what you are trying to do, there is no substitute for horsepower.
Click to expand...
My issue isn't power, it's the EQ on the amp. I can get plenty of power, but I can't quite get the highs and lows how I like them. I'm looking for better fine tuning, that is all.
 
#5
bassbrad said:
Have you tried the Sansamp into the effect return, bypassing the preamp on the PV? Does that get you closer? Are your speakers capable of delivering the highs and lows at the volume level you need or desire? 1000 watts should certainly git er done!
Click to expand...
That's actually not a bad idea. My speaker can definitely output the highs and lows I need, my issue seems to be in the specific EQ of the amp head, I think it's just not a great quality EQ. I want to try to get as clean of a sound from my amp head as possible then do all my fine tuning of EQ (and other effects) externally. I might try using the effects loop to see if it improves things.

Also my question was originally based around how you would recommend me using external EQ, a pedal or EQ stack, and if a pedal where in the signal chain should I put it?
 
#6
KoRnKloWn420 said:
my thought process is that if I can fine tune my tone as much as possible without the amp even being a factor, then in the future it won't matter as much what I'm plugged into (whether DI for recording, straight into a PA, etc).

So my question is what are everyone's opinions about this? Do you think I should get an EQ rack to just substitute the amp EQ? Should I get a pedal instead and if so where in the signal chain should I put it? (I'm going to be getting a fuzz distortion and a volume/wah pedal, as well as some other pedals down the line).
Click to expand...

Why not take your SansAmp or some other preamp you like the sound of and plug that directly into your effects return jack. That will remove the entire preamp section that's built into your Peavey from the equation and turn it into a simple power amp. Just treat the outboard preamp as if it's the front of a different amp and you should be set to go.

I've got a collection pf preamps that I'll often plug into my main amp's effect return when I want a totally different sound. Some days my amp thinks its an SWR SM-400, or an Acoustic 360, or an Ampeg B-15N, or a jazzed up version of a 70s era Bassman, or a what have you. Why settle on one amp when you can have a collection of them for the price of a few pedals?
 
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#7
With out clamping ears on it is all a guessing game, honestly I don't know what you hope to achieve that the Peavey preamp section is not delivering. Fwiw the amp you have is a substantial piece of gear, well designed with plenty of power. I have used one on several occasions and had no complaints.

As far as an external EQ goes dual 15 band or 31 band rackmounted are pretty cheap and should offer you plenty of options. But beware too much boost with 1000 watts can damage your speakers.
 
#8
KoRnKloWn420 said:
Currently my amp is a Peavey Mini Mega, and even though I'm sure it would sound good for certain styles, I really just can't get a tone out of it's EQ that I actually like. I've gotten really frustrated with it, and really can't afford a new amp.

I am also currently building a collection of pedals, I got a Tech 21 Sansamp, and it helps tremendously (it's EQ is already better than the one built into the amp). So I'm thinking of getting either a EQ pedal or rack, and my thought process is that if I can fine tune my tone as much as possible without the amp even being a factor, then in the future it won't matter as much what I'm plugged into (whether DI for recording, straight into a PA, etc).

So my question is what are everyone's opinions about this? Do you think I should get an EQ rack to just substitute the amp EQ? Should I get a pedal instead and if so where in the signal chain should I put it? (I'm going to be getting a fuzz distortion and a volume/wah pedal, as well as some other pedals down the line).

For full disclaimer I know there is no substitute for a good amp, and the amp will always have a pretty significant effect on the bass tone. But until I can afford a bass amp I really like I need to get more control over my tone, and I figure pedals are a good way to do that.
Click to expand...

The best location for an EQ will depend upon what type of EQ you get. If you get a pedal it will work best in front of the amp. The correct place in your effects chain varies. Experiment and see where it sounds best with your effects and how you like to run them.

If you get a rack EQ it will most likely work best in the effects loop. The reason has to do with signal level. Pedals are instrument level devices and rack EQs are typically line level devices. Most effects loops are also line level.

Before you buy anything I think you should confirm you really need an EQ. Either borrow an EQ or take the amp to a store and demo EQs. Honest the amps built in EQ looks pretty powerful and it sounds decent in the video demos I listened to, so maybe you should save your money in order to buy an amp you like faster.
 
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#10
Getting an external preamp(-pedal?) is probably your best bet. Dedicated external (rack) EQs can be costly, you really do not want a cheap flimsy, noisy EQ in an effects loop.
And like other people said, you first need to identify your EQ needs before you try to fix it; is the problem somewhere in the mids? Need more sparkle? Is the centerpoint of your lows where you’d like it? Et cetera...

Edit: I used a Source Audio Programmable EQ in the past whenever I needed to augment my sound, like with rented amps in rehearsal spaces. That pedal is good quality and low noise, and simply goes in front of your amp. If you can’t get an acceptable sound with that, then the problem might be something else than EQ (maybe all you need is some compression, for example).
 
Last edited:
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#11
One's bass guitar, strings, and amplifier should give one A sound. If one can find no sound that one likes from these pieces of equipment one should substitute one or more of those pieces until one gets A sound one likes.

That being said, if you're trying to sound like Korn, then you need to do some serious EQ-ing. Kill all the mids to start, and then I would think 2 or 3 bands of parametric EQ would work nicely. Which still can be done, and cheaply:

Parametric EQ
 
#12
active bass .? various onboard bass preamps all have different eq points on their bass/mid/treble knobs ..!

if 'active' that's where i'd start ...

if passive ... get a outboard pre/eq pedal to use before whatever amp ... they also all have different eq points ..!!

find the pre/eq with that has the ability to boost/lower the freqs you want ..
 
#13
What are you using for a cabinet? I did not see one mentioned in your post. Could it be what you do not like? If that is the case take your amp to a music store and try other cabinets before going the eq route. Your amp has a pretty robust eq section from what I can tell. My statements do not affect your pedals going direct as you discussed but I did want to address cabinets if they are part of this.
 
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#14
Have you tried your bass straight into the Peavey head and into the cabinet? How does that sound? Is the problem you are having coming from the pedals and Peavey head interacting with one another? Best to separate your gear and see what combinations sound most pleasing to your ears BEFORE spending more money on gear.

Also, is the head you have? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...pcyOehaub0tLtjwPGEAaAtTlEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

What are your current settings? Have you read the manual on this one yet? Maybe you overlooked something.....there are plenty of controls on here. However, I have never used it so I cannot comment on the actual tone.
 
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#15
Always kind of not completely in love with the EQ on my markbass head.. but I still use the EQ's at the amp for my bass guitars with only tone/volume.

The pre-amp in my Sire has some serious booty and I simply leave the EQ's on my amp flat when I utliize the Sire's pre-amp.

You might get along with something like the Sadowsky SPB-2 pre-amp pedal if youre tech21 pedal isn't taking care of your EQ needs. Or there might be another DI pedal out there that "does it better" for your ears.
 

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