Top 9 Best EQ Pedals For Guitar & Bass Of 2024

A great EQ pedal set just right can really make a guitar tone shine through a mix and claim its piece of the overall sonic landscape of the music. The same is true for bass guitar (and every other instrument).

EQ (along with compression) is one of the most used tools in mixing and mastering. Why not bring this professional tool into the signal chain to improve your tone yourself?

In this article, we'll discuss the top 9 best EQ pedals in the world to give you a good idea of where to start looking when choosing your own EQ pedal.

The Top 9 Best EQ Pedals Are:

• MXR M108S Ten Band EQ
• Boss GE-7
• Boss GEB-7 Bass Equalizer
• Boss EQ-200
• Behringer EQ700
• Behringer BEQ700
• Tech 21 Q-Strip
• Free The Tone PA-1QG
• Aguilar Tone Hammer Bass

Any list of this sort is indeed going to be full of personal bias. Though these “top 9” are subjective in my opinion, I truly think they are the best choices for an EQ pedal. I completely expect your own top 9 to be different (but I hope there is significant overlap)!

Let's discuss each pedal on this list and the reasons why they are the best.

Related My New Microphone articles:
• The Ultimate Effects Pedal/Stompbox Buyer’s Guide
• Top 11 Best Guitar/Bass Effects Pedal Brands To Know & Use

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What Are EQ Pedals & How Do They Work?

EQ pedals are designed to provide equalization to the audio signal.

They work by altering the amplitude (boosting or cutting) at certain frequencies within the signal.

Many pedals, especially gain-based pedals (boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz), will have bass, treble and sometimes mid-frequency control. This is a type of EQ.

Dedicated EQ pedals give us much more control than a few hard-set bass/treble controls.

There are a few different types of EQ pedals we should be aware of:

• Graphic EQ: graphic EQ pedals have set frequency points (typically octaves apart) with amplitude sliders to adjust the boost or cut of each set frequency.
• Parametric EQ: parametric EQ pedals allow us to adjust the frequency points that are to be boosted or cut along with the “Q” or “sharpness” or the boost/cut. Generally, we can set one or more frequency values for each band (lows, low-mids, high-mids, highs, etc.)
• Semi-parametric EQ: semi-parametric EQ pedals allow some of the same functionality of parametric EQs but not all. The typical “bass, mids and treble” adjustments can be classified as semi-parametric.

EQ can be put anywhere in the signal chain but is often placed near the front or immediately after a pedal that negatively alters the signal's frequency profile.

Related article: How To Order Guitar/Bass Pedals (Ultimate Signal Flow Guide)

With that being said, let's talk about some EQ pedals!

For a more in-depth article on EQ pedals and EQ in general, check out the following articles:
• What Are EQ Pedals (Guitar/Bass) & How Do They Work?
• Complete Guide To Audio Equalization & EQ Hardware/Software

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MXR M108S Ten Band EQ

First up is the MXR M108S Ten Band EQ ten-band graphic EQ pedal.

The visual nature of the MXR Ten Band EQ lets us EQ our instruments quickly. Ringing out a new venue can also be done with relative ease from the pedalboard itself, although this task is typically left to the front-of-house mixing engineer.

The Ten Band EQ pedal from MXR has superb noise-reduction circuitry, true bypass switching, lightweight aluminum housing, and bright LEDs to show the graphic EQ positioning in darker environments.

The bands can be adjusted by ±12 dB and are centred around the following frequencies:

• 31.25 Hz
• 62.5 Hz
• 125 Hz
• 250 Hz
• 500 Hz
• 1 kHz
• 2 kHz
• 4 kHz
• 8 kHz
• 16 kHz

To learn more about decibels (dB), be sure to check out my article What Are Decibels? The Ultimate dB Guide For Audio & Sound.

The pedal features a second output, allowing us to run 2 separate signal chains.

We can quickly dip problem frequencies and make up for the lack of important frequencies with the M108S. The pedal sounds great and has both input gain and output volume controls.

The Ten Band EQ is great. There's really not much else to say!

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Boss GE-7

Second on the list is another graphic EQ called the Boss GE-7.

This pedal's 3 fewer bands than the aforementioned MXR graphic EQ.

However, when it comes to electric guitar (and the strings, pickups, amplifiers and cabinets), we're really only working with a frequency range of about 80 Hz to about 7 kHz on the high end (lower tunings and guitars with additional strings have extended lower ranges).

The 7 bands of the GE-7, then, work perfectly fine to cover the guitar's frequency range. The bands are:

• 100 Hz
• 200 Hz
• 400 Hz
• 800 Hz
• 1.6 kHz
• 3.2 kHz
• 6.4 kHz

Each band is adjustable by ±15 dB. The overall level is also adjustable by ±15 dB. This allows the GE-7 to double as a boost or a pad along with its EQ duties.

The Boss GE-7 is durable, small, and easy to use. It's an excellent choice for a guitar EQ pedal.

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Boss GEB-7 Bass Equalizer

The Boss GEB-7 is the bass version of the aforementioned GE-7.

Like the GE-7, this pedal has a 7-band graphic EQ and overall boost/cut. Each band and the overall level is adjustable by ±15 dB.

The 7 bands of the GEB-7 are better suited to affect the frequency range of bass guitar (typically between 30 Hz to 5,500 Hz in 5-string basses in standard tuning).

Each of the bands is centred at a commonly EQed frequency in general practice. Here are the band frequencies (and the typical character they're involved with):

• 50 Hz: the low-end thump and energy of the bass guitar.
• 120 Hz: the sometimes problem frequency that competes with the thud of a kick drum.
• 400 Hz: body of the bass that may cause boxiness.
• 500 Hz: body of the bass that may cause a nasal-like sound.
• 800 Hz: upper body of the bass sound.
• 4.5 kHz: the high-end clarity of the bass sound.
• 10 kHz: above the typical range. Acts more as a control of brilliance and airiness in the signal.

The Boss GEB-7 sounds great and is very easy to use. Its small footprint and durable design make it an excellent choice for a bass guitar EQ pedal.

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Boss EQ-200

The Boss EQ-200 is yet another graphic EQ with additional functionality, including EQ recall.

The EQ-200 from Boss is one of the most flexible EQ pedals ever produced for guitar and bass guitar. This pedal is actually 2 highly adjustable 10-band EQs in one. Use the pedal to affect two mono signals or a single stereo source's left and right channels.

Each band of the 10-band EQs is adjustable by ±15 dB. The overall output of each channel is also adjustable by ±15 dB. There are 3 options when it comes to centring the 10 bands. The bands' range settings are:

• 30 Hz to 12.8 kHz
• 32 Hz to 16 kHz
• 28 Hz to 14 kHz

The A and B channels are selectable via a push button on the pedal. User-selectable signal flow structures can configure the channels for stereo, parallel, or series operation.

It features two wide-ranging 10-band EQ channels, plus an onboard graphic display that shows the current EQ curve at a glance. Going further, the frequency centers of all 10 bands can be set to three different types, letting you optimize the EQ-200’s performance for different instruments.

The EQ-200, like all of Boss's 200 series, has 32-bit AD/DA, 32-bit internal processing, and a 96 kHz sampling rate for high-resolution sound. It also supports additional controllers (external switches, an expression pedal, or MIDI).

128 preset EQs can be accessed from the panel, MIDI or external footswitches. A graphic display shows us the EQ of the current setting even if the physical sliders are set elsewhere. Panel Lock function disables controls to prevent unwanted changes.

These external controls can jump between presets and even be set to cause pre/post tone shaping.

It also has a Micro USB port to upload free periodic software updates to the pedal. This pedal keeps getting better, even after purchase.

For a more advanced and programmable graphic EQ, the Boss EQ-200 is a fantastic choice!

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Behringer EQ700

The Behringer EQ700 is a superb budget option that has found itself on pedalboards around the globe.

The Behringer EQ700 is essentially a copy of the aforementioned Boss GE-7 pedal with a few modifications and a cheaper price tag.

It's an awesome and affordable 7-band EQ for guitar.

The Danelectro Fish & Chips is another affordable copy of the Boss GE-7.

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Behringer BEQ700

It would be silly to mention Behringer's EQ700 without mentioning the bass version in the Behringer BEQ700.

The BEQ700 from Behringer is pretty well a clone of the aforementioned Boss BEG-7. Again, there are slight differences, but the Behringer model is essentially a cheaper version of a great 7-band graphic bass guitar EQ.

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Tech 21 Q-Strip

The second parametric EQ to make this list is the beautifully-designed Tech 21 Q-Strip.

The design of the incredible EQ pedal is based on the EQ, preamp sections and channel strips of the world's best mixing/recording consoles. Tech 21 has successfully designed a durable and cost-effective EQ channel strip to be placed on our pedalboards and taken on the road.

The pedal is produced in a DI (direct inject) box format. The footswitch sets it apart and gets it into the pedal category. It has the following I/O:

• Input: 1/4-inch, 4.7 MΩ instrument level input.
• Parallel Output: 1/4-inch unbalanced (TS) direct/unaffected output.
• Balanced XLR Output: balanced XLR to drive a low Z input. A –20dB pad is available if driving a mic input.
• Output: 1/4-inch unbalanced (TS) 1 kΩ affected output. A +10dB boost is available if driving a mic input.

The pedal has 100% analog MOSFET circuitry that mimics the warm, larger-than-life tones of vintage consoles.

Let's move on to the EQ section. The EQ circuit is rather involved. Let's discuss this portion in the same order as the signal flow. The signal will follow this path through the EQ, from input to output:

• High-pass filter: preset point at 45 Hz with –12 dB/octave attenuation.
• Mid 1: cut or boost ±18dB with a Q of 1. Sweep the centre frequency between 40 Hz – 700 Hz.
• Mid 2: cut or boost ±18dB with a Q of 1. Sweep the centre frequency between 300 Hz – 6 kHz.
• Level: active level control that allows a cut or boost of ±20dB.
• Low & High shelves: cut or boost ±18dB from unity gain at 12 o’clock, with the pivot point at 1 kHz (high shelf boosts above 1k, low shelf boosts below 1k).
• Low-pass filter: preset point at 453 kHz with –12 dB/octave attenuation.

This pedal sounds incredible, is highly functional, and is built to last. What else is there to want from an EQ pedal?

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Free The Tone PA-1QG

The Free The Tone PA-1QG is an all-analog graphic EQ signal path with a programmable digital brain.

The PA-1QG is a superb programmable 10-band graphic EQ that gives us rich analog sound with the ease and versatility of digital control. While the signal path remains analog, the effect is adjustable via digital means.

Though we'll discuss the PA-1QG in this article, be sure to check out the other PA-1Q equalizers from Free The Tone:

• PA-1QB for bass guitar
• PA-1QA for electro-acoustic guitar

The pedal has onboard controls and can also be controlled remotely via MIDI. It works well with instrument and line levels, so it can have a guitar plug directly into it or be used as an insert in a mixing console.

Each of the 10 bands allows for ±12 dB level adjustments. The centre frequencies vary in the 3 different PA-1Q pedals. The guitar version of the pedal has the following centre frequencies:

• 50 Hz
• 100 Hz
• 200 Hz
• 400 Hz
• 800 Hz
• 1,500 Hz
• 2,500 Hz
• 3,500 Hz
• 7 kHz
• 10 kHz

Rather than having physical sliders, adjustments to this graphic EQ are made with a knob and scroll buttons. This makes it a bit slower to dial everything in but makes the pedal more durable with fewer moving parts and slots for dust to collect.

The graphic representation of the EQ is shown on a digital screen. The level of the selected band and the current preset are shown on separate screens.

Speaking of presets, there are 99 user-defined presets available on these pedals. These presets can be accessed directly from the pedal or remotely via a MIDI controller.

Periodic firmware updates are made available by Free The Tone. This means the pedal continues to improve after its original purchase if we choose to update it.

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Aguilar Tone Hammer Bass

To wrap things up, let's talk about the awesome bass EQ pedal known as the Aguilar Tone Hammer Bass.

The Tone Hammer is another borderline EQ pedal. It's marketed as a preamp/DI. However, its EQ section is worth noting.

Sure, the EQ's only got a bass, treble and sweepable mid-frequency control. However, on bass guitar, this 3-band EQ really hits the mark. The following specs define the EQ section:

• Treble: ±18 dB @ 4 kHz
• Bass: ±18 dB @ 40 Hz
• Mid Freq: sweepable from 180 Hz to 1 kHz
• Mid: ±17 dB

The 18-volt operation gives this pedal plenty of headroom and the proprietary Adaptive Gain Shaping (AGS) circuitry, when engaged, produces a “vintage-voiced” EQ that adapts as you adjust the gain knob.

We pretty much get two EQs in one with the added benefit of two gain structures and DI functionality. If you ask me, that makes the Aguilar Tone Hammer one of the best “EQ pedals” for bass guitars!