EQing Your Amp

[TS808]

Just something I thought I'd bring up as a discussion as well as to get some valued feedback from everyone.

Alot of times, when I visit other forums to look at user patches for their amps, whether it is a Vox Valvetronix or even some of the user settings on Customtone.com for the Line 6 Flextone, I notice the following:

Alot of folks are really CRANKING the bass on their EQ's, while not emphasizing much in mids or treble. I know tone is subjective, and I usually emphasize the mids and treble and roll back the bass as the amp volume goes up.

Just wondering...does this make sense? My thought is if I wanted more bass, hey, I'll go play bass :D

How do you EQ your amps?? I know too that every amp is different, but for example, on my AD50VT212 and Flextone III XL...the JCM 800 model is bassy enough, yet I see people diming the bass very often, and setting mids and treble at 12:00 or sometimes even lower.

Any thoughts? Or what is your preference?

[markb]

Maybe they're playing at bedroom volumes. That might explain the need for more bottom end.

[Spudman]

Maybe they're playing at bedroom volumes. That might explain the need for more bottom end.

Exactly. That makes it sound full when turned down.

Probably at a gig level it wouldn't be right. However, my Marshall JMP50 sounded best with the bass and mid cranked and the treble at 3 or 4. That was just the way the amp worked. The eq section can push the amp on that model. Maybe it can on others as well. If your models are true to form then they might work this way as well.

You really just need to experiment to find what works. I'll use the same amp in different venues and eq it differently just because of the area's acoustics. So whatever it takes to sound good is my approach.

[tot_Ou_tard]

I find EQ'ing very confusing.

Add pedals to the mix & you've got many places to adjust the EQ.

I'm a basement player who is concentrating on country blues fingerstyle for the moment (I can only learn one thing at a time).

I like the bottom strings to sound as much like bass strings as possible, that works well with the style. I just back the bass off from where they get ratty, flubby, or muddy.

I'd use a totally different EQ for a different style.

[ShortBuSX]

I find EQ'ing very confusing.

I find tone stacks on modlers to be voodoo like...I was dependant upon patches to get my mojo werkin.

Now with my Deville, its pretty much set it and forget it, season to taste.

[Robert]

I set my amps fairly bright, then use the tone knob on my guitars to compensate. I am hardly an innovator though... look what I found while Googling:


The tone settings on Jeff's amp were premarked on the face of the amp to allow for consistent settings by the setup crew and revealed some interesting information. Jeff uses no reverb, middle or bass on his amp settings. Only treble was used with the knob positioned at the one o'clock setting. Both volume setting knobs, ultra and classic gain, were positioned at eleven o'clock. The Deep switch and Tone Shift buttons (a Marshall amp feature) were also frequently employed by Jeff while playing.
Source: http://www.ainian.com/jb6.html

[tot_Ou_tard]

I find tone stacks on modlers to be voodoo like...I was dependant upon patches to get my mojo werkin.

Now with my Deville, its pretty much set it and forget it, season to taste.
I have you beat with my Fender Champion 600, it has no tone controls whatsoever. I skip right over "set it" & move straight to "forget it".

[TS808]

I set my amps fairly bright, then use the tone knob on my guitars to compensate. I am hardly an innovator though... look what I found while Googling:


Source: http://www.ainian.com/jb6.html

That's my train of thought too...even at bedroom volumes, my amps are fairly bright sounding, depending on the model, etc. I like a fat midrangy sound, but also with some top end to it. I play either the neck pickup on my strat or either pickup on my Agiles.

Maybe it's just individual preference or the style of music played.

[Tone2TheBone]

For the longest time I liked really bright amps. Now I don't like them as bright. I dial in the tone enough on both my amps so that some brightness is there and of course I still like a lot of bottom end.

[sunvalleylaw]

Honestly, on the only real amph I own, I put bass, mid and treble all at 5. Once in a while, I dial back the mid, but really only because I have typically "scooped" the eq a bit on my stereos over the years. I think I like it better flat and using the guitar knobs.