Is it possible to dial out "muddy" tone with EQ?

Have you tried filtering out the bottom end using a high pass filter? You still get the higher harmonics and the implied fundamental.

Well I dont know much about wave lengh, and diferent frequincys, and EQ settings, but I know a lot can be diled out right from the source. My Epi LP tends to pruduce a lot of muddy tones from the neck pickup, that I have been able to adjust out with adjusting pickup hight, and also if its real bad, slightly rolling back the Vol on the guitar will help.

Thanks, Alan. That gave me a term to look up and boy oh boy, it's a whole other topic on it's own. I've found much info and opinions on what to use, when and/or where to use and how often to employ a high pass filter.

Just curious, what do you use as a high pass filter? (If you do indeed use or have used one.) I am trying all of this from within my Boss GT-10. There are tons pf places to set EQ parameters, but it's not infinite. I think my thinking before has been global where as I probably need to think local, as in at the patch level. I see a good bit of chatter about cleaning it out even before the distortion and then again after the pre-amp in the case of distortion before pre-amp.

Thanks too, s1120 - My main and favorite is my Epi LP Custom, but I do have a small stable of double humbucker equipped units. The Epi LPs I have are the most brutal to that end. I have lowered the pickups on each a bit and am quite comfortable with their placement. I normally play in the 2-3 range on the volume knob on my LPs, but I do like the effect that going up to 10 has on the vibe when I use it. It adds a dimension to the tone that is more aggressive in nature. Good for a few things. Unfortunately, it also helps to add mud by the bushel.

I've used high-pass filters in software, meaning that it's a post-prod tool.

Adobe Audition has a Filtering function - you create your own high- or low-pass filter by setting the frequency at which the volume goes from 0 to 100 or vice versa. Audition has a good Crackles & Pops eliminator too, which is terrific for cleaning up old recordings with constant background hiss. Audition's probably been superseded by more up to date software now.

There's a high pass filter in Audacity - play around with the cut-off frequency and see what results you get. As a guide, 1st string 5th fret A is 440 Hz, 3rd string 2nd fret A is 220 Hz, open 5th string A is 110 Hz - give or take some decimal points, and multiply by the twelfth root of two to get the frequency one fret higher. The "Undo" function will reverse whatever you do but don't forget to start with a securely backed up copy.

I just had a look for one in Cubase LE - couldn't find it but that doesn't mean it's not there and called something else.

Hmmmm, I bet Reaper has a filter available as one of the plugins. That'd be good for some already recorded stuff if I feel the urge.

One of the many options I've found in the GT-10 is to set the frequency to be adjusted and then adjust it up or down. I think I want to do this within the GT-10 so that I don't have to fiddle with it much from my keyboard/PA amp or the recording software in my PC or in the headphone jack from PC that uses a non digital feed from the GT-10. (it's nifty being able to record loud distortion and not have to hear it loud while I do it. Saves much pain for the ear.) Anyhow, one of the frequencies I can set to adjust is that 110Hz (and below) you just illustrated. I think I'll start my fiddling from there.

I can do this as early or as late in the effects chain as I want on the patch level, but only the output globally. This will probably be an as needed type of thing as I want to clear up some of my overdriven tones.

Thank again for the tips and thoughts! 8) 8)

One other thing to consider Roy. Mike positioning IS EQ. Pointing the mike at different parts of the speaker (and different speakers) will emphasize different frequency curves. Distance matters too. Close miking will pick up just the speaker area you're pointed at, but as you move the mike away, you pick up larger areas of the speaker. Then as you get increasingly farther from the speaker you start to get comb filtering, nulls (reduction of certain certain freqs) and nodes (reinforcement of certain freqs) from reflections of sound waves within the room.

it will be well worth your while spending some time playing with mike positioning. It can really get the mud out for you.

One other thing to consider Roy. Mike positioning IS EQ.
Interesting. I've played around with various positions and combinations of positions and volume. Not just for this, but for clipping and head-room type of issues. I never thought it to have an effect on tone.

Thanks for the tip. 8) 8)

Roy is this for recording only or areyou talking about just playing with guitar>GT10>Amp?

I really don't recall exactly, but I was probably talking about playing through my GT-10 into various outputs. (PA or head-phones or recording)