In this article we’re going to be discussing the best guitar EQ pedals that exist in December 2023.
Although usually overshadowed by guitar effects, EQ pedals are among the most important ingredients of a proper guitar sound. Simply, most amps come with a relatively simple EQ section, so it’s not always easy to accentuate certain frequencies and get the desired sound, especially when you have to adapt to different environments, different guitars, other instruments etc. That’s why EQ pedals are essential.
What is an EQ Pedal?
An EQ pedal is every pedal that features an equalizer. In other words, it gives you access to adjusting specific frequencies, so you can do more detailed tone shaping. In most cases, EQ pedals come with multiple sliders, where each one has a dedicated frequency. Some pedals cover a frequency that is typical for guitars, while others go way beyond and can work great with other instruments as well.
Traditional EQ pedals feature analog circuity, while modern ones are usually digital. While analog pedals usually offer better sonic quality, digital units are often way more flexible, as they offer lots of extra features, such as the ability to simultaneously feed different amps with different channels, save your favorite settings, connect with a computer or smartphone and access to digital editor etc. In some cases, EQ pedals come with extra features, such as a booster, chromatic tuner etc.
Today’s market is full of quality EQ pedals and while some manufacturers come with a pretty conventional and straightforward design, others tend to offer more features, innovative technical solutions etc. All of them are great in their own way, so the choice is mostly about personal preferences.
Best EQ Pedals
Boss GE-7
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In today’s world of extra features and advanced technical solutions, pedals like Boss GE-7 feel quite refreshing. This unit has been around for a very long time and it is still one of the first choices of many players, due to its simple but quite powerful design. It is a straightforward pedal with nothing more but EQ in mind and that’s definitely not a bad thing in this case.
In terms of controls, this is a quintessential EQ pedal, which comes with 7 old-school sliders that let you control frequencies between 100 and 6.4 kHz. More precisely, there are 7 specific ranges to control – 100Hz, 200Hz, 400Hz, 800Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz and 6.4 kHz. With each of these sliders, you can boost a specific frequency with ±15dB and that makes this pedal an excellent tool not just for guitars, but for other instruments as well, due to the pretty wide frequency range. Finally, there is the Level control, which also comes in the old-school slider design.
The pedal features a typical Boss housing design, which hasn’t changed for decades. Considering the company’s reputation for building super-solid and reliable units, there’s nothing less to expect from the GE-7. The pedal feels rock-solid and promises years of successful exploitation. The sonic quality is also pretty impressive, especially if we consider the asking price. The pedal runs either on batteries or a power supply, which is sold separately.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
This pedal is designed for musicians who appreciate simplicity and straightforward designs but don’t want to sacrifice sonic quality. This is a great-sounding pedal with pretty impressive sound-tweaking potential and if you don’t require extra features, you definitely won’t go wrong with it.
MXR Ten Band EQ
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While most MXR pedals are compact and straightforward, that’s not the case with this unit. As the name suggests, it comes with a ten-band EQ, which is more than you get from most other pedals. What’s particularly great is that these 10 sliders cover a pretty wide frequency range, between 31.25Hz and 16kHz, which clearly indicates that this pedal will work great not just for guitars, but for basses as well.
The MXR Ten Band EQ is designed to be versatile and therefore, it’s more than just an EQ pedal. Of course, its tone-shaping abilities are great but the extra Gain and Volume knobs bring the pedal to the next level of functionality. Not only that you can tweak your guitar tone very precisely, but you can also use this unit as a highly flexible boost pedal.
Speaking of functionality and versatility, there is more. Not only that this pedal features great sonic characteristics, but also comes with two outputs, which means that you can feed two amps at once. Also, the pedal runs on 18 volts, which ensures enough headroom, even if you use it as a part of your signal chain. The 18V power supply is also included, and that’s another reason why we see this pedal as an excellent value for the price.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
If you are looking for a highly flexible and versatile pedal but don’t necessarily want to spend a fortune on it, the MXR Ten Band EQ is the right choice for you. This pedal sounds great and offers plenty of features – all that with a pretty attractive sticker price.
Boss EQ-200
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While the GE-7 offers a straightforward design and simple operation, this Boss product takes a little bit different approach. In this case, the focus is on versatility and for that reason, the EQ-200 offers a level of flexibility that you will hardly find in any other place, at least in this price range.
One of the things we really like about this pedal is that it offers adjustable settings regarding frequency range. With 10 sliders, you can control different ranges – 30Hz to 12.8kHz, 32Hz to 16kHz, or 28Hz to 14kHz, which is highly convenient if you plan to use this pedal with different instruments. This pedal works great with guitars, basses, keyboards and pretty much any other instrument. What’s also a great thing about this pedal is that there are four slots where you can save your settings and easily dial the perfect setup depending on the instrument, venue or something else.
Boss engineers managed to expand EQ versatility even more with this pedal. Practically, this pedal features two 10-band EQs, which can be run simultaneously, in series, in parallel, or in stereo. For electric guitar players who use two amps, this is highly beneficial because they can use different settings for each amp and enjoy a perfectly balanced sound in that way. The pedal can run either on 3AA batteries or a power supply, which is sold separately.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
With such an impressive level of functionality, the EQ-200 is an excellent choice for professionals and all other musicians who need to adapt their sound to different situations and deal with all kinds of issues with ease.
JHS Haunting Mids
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The JHS Haunting Mids is not a typical EQ pedal. Instead, it offers a super-simple layout and puts focus on middle frequencies. With such a design, it is a perfect tool for players who need to boost their solos, whether it’s about distortion or clean sound. The pedal is super simple but does come with a couple of extra features that make it quite versatile.
The overall layout is pretty simplistic. You can notice that there are just three knobs. Besides the typical Volume knob, there is the Mids knob that offers a 15dB scoop or boost. Finally, there is the Sweep control with which you can adjust the mid-range center, anything between 400Hz and 7.5kHz. Finally, there is a small toggle switch that lets you choose between a broad or narrow bell curve.
Besides standard functions, this pedal also offers a couple of extra features. One of them is the ability to engage a cocked-wah tone, while you can also set all controls flat and get 10dB of clean gain. The pedal is completely analog and comes with a true bypass. It requires a 9V power supply, which is sold separately.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
The JHS Haunting Mids is a halfway-between boost and EQ pedal, so we think it’s a perfect choice for guitarists who want to make their solo parts more prominent in different ways. With a couple of extra features, this pedal is actually more capable than it looks.
Source Audio SA-270
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This two-channel EQ pedal has so many great things to offer, starting from a 10-band EQ that allows you to scoop or boost any of the ten bands by 18 dB. Instead of featuring 10 separated sliders, everything is controlled with a simple and intuitive knob, while the nicely-designed indicator ensures excellent transparency. If that’s not precise enough for you, you can also download Neuro software editor for mobile and desktop and enjoy even deeper customization.
Once you find your perfect sound, you can save your setting on one of eight user preset slots. Moreover, the pedal also features MIDI input for switching presets, controlling parameters, and engaging/bypassing the effect. Another feature we like very much is the +12dB clean boost, which is a perfect tool if you need to push your amp further and get a more prominent tone for your solo sections.
This pedal also comes with a few more extra features that increase the level of functionality significantly. For example, the pedal features an optional dynamic limiter as well as a noise gate, while the built-in chromatic tuner is another handy feature. Finally, the ability to choose between buffered and true bypass is another part of SA-270’s flexibility. The pedal runs on a 9V DC power supply, which is included in the package.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
This pedal is a great choice for musicians who don’t need just a capable EQ that can feed two amps at the same time, but also the ability to save their favorite settings, as well as to enjoy a respectable number of extra features that will make their life easier.
Wampler EQuator
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One of the main issues with traditional EQ pedals is that they feature sliders that are fixed to certain frequencies. That’s not the case with the Wampler EQuator, which features a pretty smart layout that allows you to focus on more specific frequencies. With such ability, it is much easier the get the desired sound from different instruments and amps, which all come with their specifics.
The overall layout is rather simple. Instead of classic sliders, the pedal features rotary knobs. Two of them are reserved for Bass and Treble, while mid frequencies are controlled by two knobs. Each one comes with another dedicated knob that allows you to focus on specific frequencies. Both of these knobs come with labeled frequencies, which makes operation super easy.
Each knob offers 18dB of scoop and boost, while you may also count on a nice 25dB clean boost, to feed your amp with extra presence. The overall sonic quality is pretty impressive, thanks to the analog circuity that provides three-dimensional depth to your signal. The pedal can run on a single 9V battery, but we recommend an optional power supply, which is sold separately.
Who Should Buy This Pedal?
The Wampler EQuator is designed for musicians who prefer simple and intuitive layouts but still want perfect control of mid-range frequencies. With its analog circuity and excellent sonic qualities, this pedal can satisfy even the most demanding users.
Our Number One Choice
The Wampler EQuator may not be a conventional EQ pedal but that’s exactly the thing we like about it. With rotary knobs instead of more conventional sliders, this pedal feels more common to most guitar players, while the fact that mid-frequencies aren’t fixed gives the level of flexibility no other pedal on this list can reach. There is also a respectable 25dB boost you can use in front of an amp and get extra presence. To summarise, the EQuator is easy to use but a very capable unit at the same time and that’s what we call a perfect mix for any piece of guitar gear.
Our Premium Choice
It may be expensive but the EQ-200 has so many great things to offer. Of course, there is a capable 10-band EQ but this pedal is much more than that. It offers unmatchable versatility, due to the fact that there are practically two EQs in a single housing, which can be run simultaneously, in series, in parallel, or in stereo. Another fantastic feature is that there are three frequency ranges you can control, which makes this pedal suitable for pretty much every instrument you can plug in.
Buy On AmazonBest Value For Money
Many pedals on this list offer better flexibility and functionality but none of them combines it with great sonic qualities and attractive price. The MXR Ten Band EQ offers a capable EQ section that covers a wide frequency range and offers more than a decent scoop and boost. Besides tone-shaping potential, this unit can also be a powerful boost pedal.
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If you found this roundup of the best guitar EQ pedals both enjoyable and informative. Comment below your own review or any questions you may have regarding this product. If you have an questions recommendations of guitar pedals that your would like to see us review, also leave a comment and we will get them covered for you.
Here at Guitar Effects Pedalz we also provide full reviews of the best online guitar services so you can learn guitar online with our Guitar Tricks Review.
Last update on 2023-12-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API