A GUITARIST’S GUIDE TO EQ

EQ might not be the sexiest subject when it comes to the universe of things like pedals and tone-shaping for guitarists – but it’s probably the most overlooked. We know what you’re thinking – you’re looking at the EQ controls on your amp and wondering what we’re on about.

Okay – most guitarists have a pretty good idea of how to set up their amp, but how does that translate to what the audience hear? Guitar amp EQ tends to be quite a blunt instrument, with EQ filters that are either shelving or with a wide Q – that is, affected range of frequencies.

Ever wondered what the sound engineer is tutting about at your gigs? Or why that studio engineer is making so many EQ adjustments to your already perfect-sounding guitar tone? Well, it’s a subject that could involve many years of study, but we’re going to break it down into some