A simple EQ pedal will do wonders for your tone once you learn how to use it properly.
Wes, you are so right .. I just experienced this last night. Lately, I've been playing my Carvin (with H/B pickups) and my '51 a lot more, as I felt my MIM strat didn't feel "lively" enough. I was thinking maybe I should get some different pickups. Then, couple of days ago, I received a pedal board with a powersuppy that I bought from Ebay. So, last nigh I plugged my strat in with my Danelectro eq, and man I got beautiful tone out of it. I just needed to boos the mids a little bit.
--vink
"Life is either an adventure or nothing" -- Helen Keller
I just need to boos the mids a little bit.
Lots of classic-rock/blues players have a build-in midbooster in their guitar. For smooth soulfull leads a boost of the mid range can really do massive wonders. :)
PeaveyWolfgang5150
to wes.......i know that may not seem like a good tone to you..........but alot of people play that way, its just a different type of tone.....its all relative
I think I can across a little harsh in my comments, I am sorry for that. All I was saying is that a lot of younger players especially (but older players too) want the most distortion they can get. So you have super high gain pickups into a super high gain pedal into a super high gain amp with the gain cranked to max. Man, all you are gonna get is white noise with a setup like that. It actually sounds like tearing a piece of paper or air leaking out of a tire.
That kind of distortion sounds pretty great coming out of a practice amp at bedroom volume, but it is absolutely horrible at gig volumes. You will find when you play with others that no matter how loud you have your amp cranked, you will not be able to hear your guitar at all.
The secret to getting great tone is cutting back on the gain. If you have high gain pickups like the DiMarzio you purchased, you really just need to play through a good amp cranked up. The natural overdrive of the amp is what you want. The pros are not using all this hyper-gain at all.
A lot of players do not realize how horrible excessive gain sounds. Next time you play like this record it and listen back. Then turn the gain way down on your amp and record again. See which one sounds better.
With a pickup like that turn your gain way down on your amp. If you can, crank the volume. Then you will hear some great tones. You won't even need a pedal, you probably won't even need the overdrive channel of your amp. You will like what you hear.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Vink
Yes, EQ pedals are awesome. I can't believe how long I struggled trying to get great tones out of my amps with the traditional bass, mids, and highs EQ on an amp. Those controls are fine, but they cover too wide a range of frequencies. So you feel you don't have enough low end kick in your tone and crank bass up. But it just sounds horrible, your amp starts to rumble and fart (sorry, that's the term that is used). It sounds all muddy. You wonder why you can't get those great tones you hear on recordings.
The sliders on an EQ pedal are simply volume controls. Each controls a far narrower band of frequencies. So, you want a little more low end, push up the far left slider. But to really keep your tone tight, try pulling the 2nd slider down a little. This kind of isolates that low end without muddying up your tone.
On most EQs you get 15 decibels boost or cut on each frequency. 12 decibels is a doubling of volume, so this is lots of control. Most have hash marks every 5 decibels. The center is neither boosting or cutting a frequency or "flat".
An EQ setting I always seem to gravitate to is:
Boost 100Hz about 7.5 decibels- this will give you HEAVY low end. But... you need to cut the next frequency or you will have MUD. By the way, this is also the frequency most soundpeople will boost on a PA to give the kick drum real punch. Works for guitar too.
Cut 200Hz about 7.5 decibels- This isolates 100Hz and prevents muddiness. In my experience, this frequency will muddy your tone more than any other.
Leave 400Hz in the center, this is your upper lows, or lower mids
Boost 800Hz about 7.5 decibels- This is your midrange. This is the frequency that will really punch through a mix so that everybody hears your solo.
Leave 1kHz in the middle- this is your upper mids. This can be boosted too but can sound a little nasal if boosted too much.
Cut 3.2kHz about 7.5 decibels. This isolates 1kHz and 6.4kHz.
Boost 6.4kHz about 7.5 decibels. This will give you some sweet highs. Too much is harsh.
You end up with the sliders looking like the letter W.
Now, this is the settings I like to get a nice crunch tone with maybe 1/3- 1/2 gain on a pedal or overdrive channel. This is a super tight tone that doesn't sound muddy at all.
Every guitar is different too. With my Telecaster the tone can sound a little thin. So I will cut the highs a little, gives the guitar a little fuller and rounder tone.
But this is just me. You may love ice-pick highs and hate big bass. So an EQ pedal allows you to dial in the tones that turn you on. You just have to experiment until you find what you like.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
doubling volume is 10 db's, not 12. cool post.
Jason
I have seen figures from 8-12 decibels. I realize that 10 decibels is a bel.
Here are some interesting facts on decibels.
dB (SPL) Source (with distance)
194 Theoretical limit for a sound wave at 1 atmosphere environmental pressure; pressure waves with a greater intensity behave as shock waves.
180 Krakatoa volcano explosion at 1 mile (1.6 km) in air [1]
160 M1 Garand being fired at 1 meter (3 ft)
150 Jet engine at 30 m (100 ft)
140 Low Calibre Rifle being fired at 1m (3 ft); the engine of a Formula One car at 1 meter (3 ft)
130 Threshold of pain; civil defense siren at 100 ft (30 m)
120 Train horn at 1 m (3 ft). Perforation of eardrums. Many foghorns produce around this volume.
110 Football stadium during kickoff at 50 yard line; chainsaw at 1 m (3 ft)
100 Jackhammer at 2 m (7 ft); inside discothèque
90 Loud factory, heavy truck at 1 m (3 ft), kitchen blender
80 Vacuum cleaner at 1 m (3 ft), curbside of busy street, PLVI of City
70 Busy traffic at 5 m (16 ft)
60 Office or restaurant inside
50 Quiet restaurant inside
40 Residential area at night
30 Theatre, no talking
20 Whispering
10 Human breathing at 3 m (10 ft)
0 Threshold of human hearing (with healthy ears); sound of a mosquito flying 3 m (10 ft) away
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
You end up with the sliders looking like the letter W.
Do you use keep your amp's tone knobs at relatively flat settings, or do you goose the tone further with those? Just curious.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
slejhamer
I always try to get the best tone with my amp's EQ controls first (with the EQ off). I am always experimenting with different tones, but usually I will go about 4-5 bass, around 7 on mids, and 5-6 highs. Then I use the EQ pedal to fine tweak tone.
You could probably set all controls on the amp at 1/2 or center. The EQ pedal is gonna boost or cut the particular frequencies anyway.
I try all sorts of things with the EQ. Quite by accident I found a setting that sounds amazingly like Tush by ZZ Top. I call it Up and Down.
Here what it sounds like
Boost 100Hz to max
Cut 200Hz to max
Boost 400Hz to max
Cut 800Hz to max
Boost 1kHz to max
Cut 3.2kHz to max
Boost 6.4kHz to max
Now use an overdrive pedal about 1/3 gain. This will really get that Tush tone. :twisted:
Notice the LACK of gain. It is almost clean, just a good cranked tube amp. :twisted:
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Interesting; thanks! When I got my tube amp I was so impressed by the sound that I sold off my EQ pedal ... now I regret selling it because they add so much capability for tone shaping, as you've described. Fortunately, Dano Fish & Chips EQ pedals are inexpensive, so it's no big deal to grab another. :)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I have a "W" shape on my E.Q. too. It's a little Danelectro pedal I bought for about 20$. It's one of the best pedals I have.
