EQ Pedal Placement: In the Front or in the Effects Loop?

I test 3 placements of an MXR 10 Band EQ pedal. Before a distortion pedal, after a distortion pedal, and in the effects loop. Tune in to hear how they sound through my Jazzmaster with an EMG81X active pickup.

[@chopperdeath]

EQ before=change guitar sound EQ in loop= change amp sound.

[@niallcampbell]

Middle of the night. Can’t sleep. Thinking about pedal signal chains and NS2 / EQ placement. Now I want to get up and get my EQ into the FX loop haha

[@niallcampbell]

Was that Eq before or after any effects pedals in the FX loop or does it not matter?

[@dnamusicchallenge5995]

Me too. Exactly this. Suddenly occurred to me where to place it in the chain.😂

[@newmexicosaint]

Exactly my situation right now. 1:55am

[@gryphon37]

Yep....

[@giuseppetuveri8039]

Me tooo😂

[@kevinmattie1121]

Great video. Helps me decide and the demo was just what I was looking for. Thanks 🎸

[@SermonFapple]

I have a 5 band in the front before the overdrive and a 10 band in the loop. Best of both worlds :P

[@timguitar862]

I’ll have to try that out too 🤘🏻

[@Patrickjohnphotography]

Thank you for keeping this consistent so we can judge apples to apples. I agree the location in the Eloop makes it sing.... or play....or shine.

[@nopphadoltannaphaiboon4957]

Awesome. Thank you for this test.

[@onemaster324]

Excellent, I do agree the best sound is in the effects loop. I did it, installed like this and the results are great!

[@timguitar862]

Thank you, I appreciate the watch

[@choplass]

Setting the EQ after the dirt pedals sounds best, and also makes more sense to me. Thanks for this experiment, I've been wondering this very same thing lately.

[@JRP3music]

My Mesa Nomad 100 amp had excessive mid range. I put an Empress Para EQ in the fx loop. It made a huge difference. I can quickly adjust brightness and low end as well as attenuate overall level. My Noise gate quiets noise in front and the fx loop as well. I use my Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8 to send signal to my stereo fx chain which goes to stereo Orange Micro Terrors and Two Notes Torpedo Cab M plus boxes. Sounds great. The Graphic EQ in the Mesa Nomad 100 is my solo boost for any of the three channels. I use a Maxon OD 808 in front. I got this amp fine tuned.

[@BlackMetalPidgeon666]

Thanks for the info, just bought a boss GE-7, cant wait to try it out :D

[@bluraynation5188]

Wow, I can’t believe how great it sounds in the fx loop! I could never figure out where to put my eq pedal before because my previous amp didn’t have an fx loop. My new amp has one so I’ll definitely put my eq in the fx loop from now on.

[@sinisterminister9920]

Always safe bet in the loop bro when in doubt loop it out

[@kicikocani1]

i usually put it before but i saw now better tone when you put after the distorsion i will try tommorow or in the loop maybe as loop sounds top thanks man

[@glassslide]

Effects Loop, totally agree did not think that would be my opinion, great video, cheers!

[@timguitar862]

Thank you for watching

[@alexruizllorens4464]

Totally 💯 on the fx loop!!!

[@nayaleezy]

thank you for your contribution to science

[@blackcroworchestra8824]

Finally a great video about this topic….

[@hammeredseb7198]

Just got mine in this morning. Was curious of placement either pre-amp, or effect loop. Effect Loop it is!!!

[@CRAM1REZ51]

Your video gave me pause, because I'm in the process of getting my new pedal board together. I have one config with a baby bomb as the power amp, effects, EQ, MXR Boost. Not too bad. Then my goal was, with the least amount of cable moves, use the FX Loop for Delay and Chorus, and then couldn't figure out why the EQ was not helping. Originally, I had it in the effects loop with the Delay and Chorus, and everything else into the amp (Marshall JCM900) - now I'm set. Appreciate the video and your time.

[@sodajinx9938]

Thank you Tim Guitar!

[@paradox7743]

Wow no doubt sounds great thru the F X loop...

[@6Ru6apocalypse6]

Great video! Subbed

[@timguitar862]

Thank you I appreciate the watch

[@ahaua1]

Excellent demo! I agree with you, in that it sounded best in the Effects Loop. I have a Diezel VH4-2 distortion, and currently have my Boss GE-7 EQ AFTER the Diezel. To me, it sounds better than having the EQ BEFORE the Diezel. In both of these examples, the pedals are going to the front of the amp. Just like you, a friend mentioned that the EQ sounds best in the effects loop. I'm gonna try this and see what kind of results I get. Btw, currently playing through a Marshall DSL 40CR amp. I do have a Mesa Boogie Mark V 35 on order and should receive it soon. It'll also be really interesting to compare the Mesa Boogie to the Marshall. Thanks again for posting!

[@kingrjlegaspi1137]

Thanks dude. 😎🤘

[@PainterDans]

You can also attenuate moreless if your eq has a volume, with it in the loop

[@2122banks]

I got a boss 20 EQ foot pedal I ran it in the loop and in front of my amp. I like it better in front of my amp. It made my app come alive. What I did to achieve this is I matched my distortion sound with my EQ then I used my level to give it a little bit more push. My first two pedals are a fender buffer than my EQ I really don't need the rest of my pedals I can just run those two and be happy.

[@steveclark9934]

That's kind of like using the EQ as a booster in a way right?

[@corbinhoder3384]

See, I've always had my 10 band MXR at the end and recently tried it at the front before and after my wah. The upper bands don't seem to show much effect doing it like that. Have yet to try it in the effects loop.

[@dantrag2890]

Before or after the chorus & delay in the FX loop?

[@ck-ck]

cool demo, ! thank you ! Would even have been cooler if you would have done the same with a clean signal and/or reverb ( a lot of equalizers influence the Reverb in different ways..)

[@dudditzdaddidaz]

what is the sequence in the chain through the FX loop?

[@tomekhoryzontalny9252]

I did put my new Boss ge7 in a loop of Orange Dark Terror and my jaw is still lying on the floor :D Even without boost on the front of the amp sound improved dramatically :D

[@ArtificialJetleg]

I tried yesterday to put a compressor and an EQ behind in the effects loop, and wow! Didn’t think about that. I was too “conservative”…

[@jiyukaze]

Thanks!

[@c.f.pedraza4057]

I started using the EQ in the effects loop when I got my first stack. Never went back.

[@sparkyguitar0058]

I really don't want change mine around cause my 10 band EQ is silent modded and 2 outs for 2 amps.

[@svincentr]

Nice stuff🤘🏽

[@scottbrown9008]

I was taught to never put the EQ before the distortion pedal but after it when running it thru the front, i have never put it in the effects loop but im gonna try it now

[@maltamusic]

When you put your EQ pedal inside the FX loop, is it still before or after your other modulation effects?

[@blackcroworchestra8824]

Great question….

[@almostliterally593]

Some people have multiple EQ pedals, one before the amp, one in effects loop.

[@sjs793]

As soon as you hit the 1st note through the fx loop I clearly heard the difference, a big difference...

[@briandietrich1373]

I preferred EQ after pedals or in the FX loops..

[@kayroy3734]

Donner Noise Killer...right on...

[@benleese7297]

I've always had my 10 band in the FX loop. It just made more sense to me to have it fine tuning the amp itself.

[@Xyzl181]

Did you place eq after modulation pedals?

[@steveclark9934]

Agreed. 👍

[@DrunkDuckXD]

Seems more responsive after the distortion pedals

[@sofyan3]

"IN" means in the end of the loop?

[@bronzebeard5890]

Ya know, all these guys running a mic on their rigs, it makes it all sounds the same! We, the viewers, don't get the "feel" I think is the right word? it's actually really nice to hear the room effect of what your doing (it sounds like you're using a room mic?).....that said I'd still add in a mic to your mix and give both sound clips, a room sound and a mic sound, I don't think anyone is doing that, I'm probably wrong? Anyways, you gave me a real world look at the things you were presenting, and thank you!

[@christineblack4654]

were's the noise suppressor??

[@konstantin7869]

Does eq work correctly in fx when gain is max ? I found some pedals might be clipped in fx loop .

[@XxStonedImmaculatexX]

It works fine. I’ve tried these examples with my EQs before and so far, I really like them in effects loop best. With the EQ, there’s no clipping, they actually respond way better and are “boastier” in fx loop. One thing I would highly recommend however is to use a noise gate right after the EQ in fx loop. If not, you’ll probably get a noticeable hiss sound off it when used. I use 2 noise gates, one in the front and another at the very end right after my EQ pedal which is always on. I set it to around 10-11 o’clock on the threshold. The thing to keep in mind with noise gates is that you’re really just trying to un get rid of hum, hiss or noise from single coils pickups. If not set correctly, it’ll kill your tone. I find that 10-11 o’clock is perfect for me. It kills that noise but allows me to play with no issues especially with high gain.

[@timguitar862]

I didn’t notice any difference with it in the loop at high gain

[@kyledrumm7093]

Sounds better after distortion.

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

How about tube screamer? Do y'all put it in front or fx loop?

[@timguitar862]

thats a good question and a good video idea!

[@BruceWalker51]

You should always eq your signal to it's best sound before it hits your pedal.What you put into it is what you get out which is the point of eq.

[@danmurphy7713]

Definitely effects loop.

[@drain9993]

Yep I just bought one to put in loop to replicate my Mesa combo which had the EQ built in at the end.. hopefully to get rid of flub and make my mini Plexi capable of tight stuff..

[@markclestervicente6683]

For ampless set up. Before Preamp or After preamp?

[@fabioragone22]

If you want it in the fx loop, after the preamp. That's basically what a fx loop is, a path between your pre and your power amps. But if you want it to be like putting in front of the amp, put it before your preamp.

[@immanuel_cunt7688]

Dude, cool video! But you shouldn't scoop the mids before the distortion/amp, only boost them! A wanted mid scoop works best in the loop! When you scoop the mids before the amp/distortion, you filter out the mids of the distorted signal, so it sounds thin!

[@timguitar862]

Thanks for the input, I'll have to try that out and see how it sounds : )

[@sinisterminister9920]

This is spot on mids are essential out front

[@ramonstein5183]

Yes mom.

[@aaronsg71]

Where did you get that Jazz Master???? Thx

[@timguitar862]

Hey Aaron, I bought it from Warmoth. Swamp Ash, Rosewood neck with wenge fretboard, 44mm nut, wolfgang profile 10-16 radius

[@aaronsg71]

@@timguitar862 sounds expensive man

[@yohd3rd212]

I have a Boss GE-7 and place it in FX loop as a volume to crank my tube amp. Send: EQ->Chorus->Delay->Reverb : Return Or Send: Chorus->Delay->Reverb->EQ : Return Which one?

[@marshallohio5512]

Before chorus etc !!

[@hearthshinemusic2941]

I have a ge-7 and a cr120 head, when I put the eq in the fx loop it gets SUPER muffled no matter what I try does it have to do with it being a buffered pedal and a buffered fx loop?

[@briancoyne6700]

However I can fit as many pedals on my board as possible is how I'm gonna set up my board. The END! 😅

[@rikkydavidson1762]

❤loop eq and after dist.50/50 😮n bbe sonic stomp with eq.massive control.any amp.snd.even not tube😮poof❤Trix are for kids .metal core

[@tbone8358]

My amp (fender mustang) doesn’t have an FX loop to plug into.. is it not worth it to get an EQ for clean sounds?

[@timguitar862]

What I would do is have your amp set to clean then use an EQ to to heavy

[@DudeDoyzkie]

​@@timguitar862 how about having a Humbolt simplifier zero watt stereo amplifier pedal? can this pedal be a substitute for not having an fx loop in your amp?

[@lLukeSkyscraper]

It may sound better where you like it but your settings make the sound loose every bit of presence…crank up those meds dudes 😂

[@markpennington5763]

anything but first. The DHK is terrible when eq before. mediocre except in the effects loop. dezel is decent all by itself. The DHK on its own may be good for something not meteal as it seems to be very mid low mid heavey. The eq in the effects loop puts them on the same playing field. if you want the personality of each. and a reasonable compromise. last in input chain.

[@IndyRockStar]

i would think you'd want the EQ at the end of you dry effects....intuitively. No idea why you are killing your mid range on the EQ

[@darryldoesit966]

The KEY is to experiment with placing an EQ pedal in different places to see what works best for ANY particular rig...and it will end result sound like whatever sound you are trying to achive musically. The differences in the sounds would have been more obvious if TIM wasnt playing such an overdriven and muddy tone with his rig...just sayin...tone is everthing on guitar !!!

[@ekkikurniansyah892]

Yeah, loop more better

[@DBroce]

I couldn’t hear the difference because of a bunch of noise coming out of the amp.

[@KlausDoitschlaaand]

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