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Thanks to a lot of folks on this forum I was turned onto the idea of running a graphic eq thru the effects loop of an amp to better fine tune the sound. My Boogie DC5 has a built in 5 band graphic eq that sits between the preamp and poweramp that does wonders for the sound.
I borrowed a friend's old school Ibanez GE9 6 band graphic eq and put it in my Recto's effects loop. 15 db's of cut and boost. Wow. What a difference. More sparkle. More thump. Cuts mids in ways most amps just can't do. My friend didn't know if he wanted to sell it to me so I decided to buy my own EQ. I thought about the Boss GE7 but heard it's a bit noisy. The Ibanez is SUPER quiet, but very difficult to find in good condition. So then I found out about the new MXR M-108 10 band eq thru Guitar Player:
http://www.jimdunlop.com/electronics/mxr.html (scroll down to see it)
http://www.guitarplayer.com/0703_BenchTests4.htm
NOBODY in my area carries this pedal. It's either special order or they just won't carry it. So I ordered it thru Musician's Friend...$130 out the door.
This thing is built like a tank. Heavy duty metal casing, 18volt power supply. The input/ouput jacks are so tight that they warrant sexual metaphors. The on/off switch is typical old school MXR. The frequency range for the sliders is great. Ultra low to ultra high. Volume AND gain controls. True bypass switching.
I ran it thru the Recto's loop this morning and did an A/B test with the Ibanez EQ. The verdict: IbenWHOOO??? The difference is dramatic. I could easily get that ultra scooped Pantera tone. Raising the mids felt like I cranked up the amp a few notches. When my wife walked in the room I played some old Metallica w/o the eq, then kicked it in and played the same song. Her reaction: eyes wide open, "why didn't you buy that thing sooner?!" It's ultra quiet, just like the Ibanez EQ.
The pedal comes with a handy little chart that demonstrates starter settings for metal, sparkling clean, mid boost, and AM radio. Interestingly, on the metal setting, the low low frequencies are cut a bit but it still has balls.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/manual/M-108_Manual.pdf
Yes, balls is the perfect word for this pedal. Imagine the fun you'd have with another set. You'd be Balldor, Lord of the Nuts. Extraballio of the Testicular Lands. He Who Swings Mightily In His Pants.
I did run the EQ in front of the amp with the gain cranked. I got more gain, but not a lot of difference in tone. More gain = more noise as well. In my loop, I leave the gain and level at a neutral position.
Any of you out there with tube amps and an effects loop should really try an EQ in there. You won't regret it.
My friend and I jammed tonight; he had his 5150 combo and kept staring at my amp in amazement. We ran the eq thru his loop. Big difference. After 2 chords he told me he was going to order one.
I borrowed a friend's old school Ibanez GE9 6 band graphic eq and put it in my Recto's effects loop. 15 db's of cut and boost. Wow. What a difference. More sparkle. More thump. Cuts mids in ways most amps just can't do. My friend didn't know if he wanted to sell it to me so I decided to buy my own EQ. I thought about the Boss GE7 but heard it's a bit noisy. The Ibanez is SUPER quiet, but very difficult to find in good condition. So then I found out about the new MXR M-108 10 band eq thru Guitar Player:
http://www.jimdunlop.com/electronics/mxr.html (scroll down to see it)
http://www.guitarplayer.com/0703_BenchTests4.htm
NOBODY in my area carries this pedal. It's either special order or they just won't carry it. So I ordered it thru Musician's Friend...$130 out the door.
This thing is built like a tank. Heavy duty metal casing, 18volt power supply. The input/ouput jacks are so tight that they warrant sexual metaphors. The on/off switch is typical old school MXR. The frequency range for the sliders is great. Ultra low to ultra high. Volume AND gain controls. True bypass switching.
I ran it thru the Recto's loop this morning and did an A/B test with the Ibanez EQ. The verdict: IbenWHOOO??? The difference is dramatic. I could easily get that ultra scooped Pantera tone. Raising the mids felt like I cranked up the amp a few notches. When my wife walked in the room I played some old Metallica w/o the eq, then kicked it in and played the same song. Her reaction: eyes wide open, "why didn't you buy that thing sooner?!" It's ultra quiet, just like the Ibanez EQ.
The pedal comes with a handy little chart that demonstrates starter settings for metal, sparkling clean, mid boost, and AM radio. Interestingly, on the metal setting, the low low frequencies are cut a bit but it still has balls.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/manual/M-108_Manual.pdf
Yes, balls is the perfect word for this pedal. Imagine the fun you'd have with another set. You'd be Balldor, Lord of the Nuts. Extraballio of the Testicular Lands. He Who Swings Mightily In His Pants.
I did run the EQ in front of the amp with the gain cranked. I got more gain, but not a lot of difference in tone. More gain = more noise as well. In my loop, I leave the gain and level at a neutral position.
Any of you out there with tube amps and an effects loop should really try an EQ in there. You won't regret it.
My friend and I jammed tonight; he had his 5150 combo and kept staring at my amp in amazement. We ran the eq thru his loop. Big difference. After 2 chords he told me he was going to order one.
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