Furman pq 3 & 4 ???????

[axe dude]

Hey guys whats going on? Just trying to get some info on the Furman PQ 3 & 4 & wondering if there is any "Major" difference between the two? Green Face Red Knob/Black Face Red Knob Etc/Etc? I know Dime actually used both of them to help shape his sound Etc. I am not trying to "Copy" Dime's tone (R.I.P. Buddy) Etc I am just wanting that "Heavy" Old School M-e-t-a-l Tone of my own! LOL! Anyone who has one has it really helped out that much? Trying like always for the HEAVY M-E-T-A-L SOUND! LOL!! Looking to use it with my Randall RG100ES. Any info would be great! Thanks!

[straycat]

Never used any of those but Rocktron made some great EQ's.
The one I used was a mAXE its an AGX gain/EQ and aural exicter,hush rack unit.
It has some mean overdrive I will say that.

[axe dude]

Never used any of those but Rocktron made some great EQ's.
The one I used was a mAXE its an AGX gain/EQ and aural exicter,hush rack unit.
It has some mean overdrive I will say that.

Is this the one your talking about???? Good Unit Huh? I take it would work pretty good with my RG?

[markD]

i used to have the green face version. i thought it processed the sound too much for guitar. it found better use in my studio. i sold it for crazy money to a dime bag freak....

[axe dude]

i used to have the green face version. i thought it processed the sound too much for guitar. it found better use in my studio. i sold it for crazy money to a dime bag freak....

Yeah I am coming to find out that "DIME" Fans will pay some BIG BUCKS FOR IT! Either it works Killer or they just want to have all of the Gear that Dime used all those years! After some reading & looking around the net some people will give their right lung for something that "DIME" used on Stage! TOTAL RESPECT TO DIME (I AM A BIG FAN TO! Black Tooth Grin!) It's crazy what some will shell out.....period! Hell I just want a Unit/E.Q. that is going to help me achieve the Tone I am after with my RG100ES!!

[Hellbat]

You have a 6 band eq already. A para eq isn't going to give you anything you don't already have. If you want to go eq crazy just go to a 10 band, or crazy 8's bonkers, get a 30 band rack eq.

[axe dude]

You have a 6 band eq already. A para eq isn't going to give you anything you don't already have. If you want to go eq crazy just go to a 10 band, or crazy 8's bonkers, get a 30 band rack eq.

LOL! No man I am not looking to go "E.Q. Crazy"!!! Just wondering about the Furman & being that I have never used one just wanted to get some "Input" on it & see what it was all about. If Brother DIME used it all those years for his Sound/Tone there must be something good to it! Here is a very good read on the Parametric...http://www.astralsound.com/parametric_eq.htm

[markD]

Yeah I am coming to find out that "DIME" Fans will pay some BIG BUCKS FOR IT! Either it works Killer or they just want to have all of the Gear that Dime used all those years! After some reading & looking around the net some people will give their right lung for something that "DIME" used on Stage! TOTAL RESPECT TO DIME (I AM A BIG FAN TO! Black Tooth Grin!) It's crazy what some will shell out.....period! Hell I just want a Unit/E.Q. that is going to help me achieve the Tone I am after with my RG100ES!!

the best way i can describe the PQ-3/4 is that it is essentially a channel strip EQ like you'd find on a large format mixing desk. it was good at smoothing out tones. granted, i was using it with a totally different type of amp than a solid state randall. think about the EQ as doing something similar to post-production tone shaping. when the input was maxed, you would get it to overdrive - but it wasn't a very pleasant sound. the biggest advantage to a parametric is that you can pick the frequencies you want to tweak and how wide you want to ephasize/de-emphasize that frequency. while it can be used to push extremities, that often causes a loss of the "musicality" in the tone. that is what i experienced with the furman in a guitar rack.

now, moving it to my out-board effects rack in my studio, it was great for smoothing vocals, tweaking bass guitar tracks, etc...

[slowhand66]

I have an old green face PQ3 that I sometimes use with a '78 Marshall JMP. Like Dime (and other guys like Warren D), I use it in the front of the amp, not the loop. The PQ3 has a preamp and will produce its own gain. Used this way produces some vary warm gainy tones with a real nice mid range, 80's all the way. It's a very cool tone,but you will need a noise gate because it's noisy when used this way.

[markD]

never tried it in front of the amp, i always had it in the loop.

[dannyr]

I've had some experience with the PQ3. I believe the green face is the reissue and the black face is original? Slowhand66 is right on...run it in front of your amp. For example: Use the PQ3 into the low gain input of your amp. Set preamp very low and master way up. You will need a noise gate after the PQ3 because it's noisy. This was a popular set up in the 80's.

[axe dude]

I've had some experience with the PQ3. I believe the green face is the reissue and the black face is original? Slowhand66 is right on...run it in front of your amp. For example: Use the PQ3 into the low gain input of your amp. Set preamp very low and master way up. You will need a noise gate after the PQ3 because it's noisy. This was a popular set up in the 80's.

("This was a popular set up in the 80's.") That's Killer I am all about 80's M-E-T-A-L! \m/
Thanks Danny & Slowhand66 & (Everyone!).....Yes I have read from others about using it in the Front & not in the loop. Everyone has said to run a gate with it being that it does produce some Noise! Sounds like a decent unit that I would like to try with my Randall @ some point. Are there any "problems or issues" with the "Re-Issue" units? So far I have not read anything bad or negative about them. Just that the Furman's are some good ol' units & that they have been around for a long time. Thanks again to everyone for all of the Comments & Info! I appreciate it...Steve

[straycat]

Is this the one your talking about???? Good Unit Huh? I take it would work pretty good with my RG?

Mine is the older version but its a nice unit .
Just under the Juice Goose is what mine looks like.
If you are looking for some nice added gain find a Jackson JX-3 OD pre amp I love mine it screams 80's( unit just under the tuner).

[slowhand66]

("This was a popular set up in the 80's.") That's Killer I am all about 80's M-E-T-A-L! \m/
Thanks Danny & Slowhand66 & (Everyone!).....Yes I have read from others about using it in the Front & not in the loop. Everyone has said to run a gate with it being that it does produce some Noise! Sounds like a decent unit that I would like to try with my Randall @ some point. Are there any "problems or issues" with the "Re-Issue" units? So far I have not read anything bad or negative about them. Just that the Furman's are some good ol' units & that they have been around for a long time. Thanks again to everyone for all of the Comments & Info! I appreciate it...Steve

The green face with brown knobs is the original run Furman did of the PQ3 in the mid/late 70s, made originally for Jerry Garcia. Furman (who is female) was a "fan" of the Dead and also helped with the electrical egineering of their growing stage shows. The black face came in the early 80s. As I recall, Dime used a blackface one. I don't think I have ever read that there were issues with either. I believe (?) there was also a re-release the green face one at some point, that had red knobs.

[axe dude]

The green face with brown knobs is the original run Furman did of the PQ3 in the mid/late 70s, made originally for Jerry Garcia. Furman (who is female) was a "fan" of the Dead and also helped with the electrical egineering of their growing stage shows. The black face came in the early 80s. As I recall, Dime used a blackface one. I don't think I have ever read that there were issues with either. I believe (?) there was also a re-release the green face one at some point, that had red knobs.

Thanks for all the info! I would like to try & get my hands on one in the near future & try it out with my Randall to see what it's all about!