I use my GE7 as an underdrive for my semi-cranked tweed deluxe. The amp is naturally mid-heavy and beautifully distorted; set the GE7 to slightly lower the volume and lower the mids, and suddenly my crunchy deluxe sounds like a mid-scooped, clean-ish princeton.
My uncle is also a guitarist. He has 2 boss GE 7 in his pedal board. One functioned as boost, and the other one going into the fx loop for shaping the tone of the amp
2 GE-7’s have been a staple on my board for years. Perfect solution for dialing in the room you’re gigging. Never had any noise issues with them. Have one after drives and one at the end of the chain.
I've had a Boss EQ-200 for several years now. Moved up from the MXR. Love the Boss for its presets and MIDI. I put it after my Kernom Ridge controlling each with a Morningstar MC6 Pro. I can get mighty close to any drive pedals out there. One press on the MC6 Pro and I have a ODR1. Another press, and I have a Klon. You get the idea! Highly recommend the duo.
I have had one for about 4 years now and love it for the same reasons. I run it through the effects loop. Best tone shaping device I've ever owned. Like you said you can get pretty close to any drive pedal. Same with amps. It helps to make your Marshall sound like a fender.
Thanks once again John for your much appreciated advice and demos. I have had boss GE7 on my board for pretty much always. I often use it as a treble or mid boost or to cut treble as well besides my OD pedals and compressors etc etc I wouldn’t leave home without taking 2 of them with me. You can pick them up used for practically nothing as well. The GE 7 is a must have.
I DIY built a programmable/presetable EQ pedal with all analog EQ circuit. The pedal can also switch my amp channel and has 4 loop-ins for other pedals, 2 before and 2 after the EQ. It's the ultimate controlpanel for my pedalboard. From EQ shaping to boosting, to underdriving, to switching in other effects. EQ is the way to go!
I have a GE-7, but retired it when I moved to using Modelers. The GE-7 was very useful, though a bit noisy. EQ is one of the best Utility Effects ever. It is a fantastic, powerful, easy to use, versatile tone shaper that is well worth exploring. I do find it particularly useful that EQ Presets can be easily stored in Modelers.
Mod that MoFo :) Seriously if you have the skills, you can order parts that reduce the noise drastically. I did one of the Montel Allums mods several years ago. It was $20 then.
Very good pedal and I had it for awhile; I own the Empress paraeq pedal now and I am never going back. However, I totally respect anyone who has the Boss on their board.
Thanks John for talking about something I have known for years - how absolutely essential EQ is to tone. It seems amazing to me that people overlook that every single one of their favorite guitar tones have always been tweaked via EQ before you hear them. IMO, there are few more powerful tone shaping pedals than the humble EQ. You and Uncle Larry are doing great work reminding people of just how truly essential the use of an EQ pedal really is for guitarists. Cheers and merry holidays to you and yours! XD
This is so true. I have a cheap multi effects processor. A NUX MG30. It does wonders for its price but it is on the brighter side of the spectrum and can be uncomfortable to listen to if you are not careful. People say it sounds thin but you just need to use an EQ pedal and it sounds quite good. Of course, within its price range
I agree, have both, the guitar & the Bass version too . Super useful 'live' and in the studio ... Boss did it again (long ago!). You can say what you want but Boss got it right often, and at affordable prices for everyone + In case of need, you can always defend yourself with it, which is always a plus ! Take care! ps love that pedal format, for several reasons.
Source audio eq2, the boss are ok sure but having presets on call and all the other tricks the Eq2 can do in the same footprint, it’s a winner. 6 pedals in one.
@vitaliistep parametric EQ in Helix (and other procerssors) for the win. Low dsp as possible, you can have it in every block available, in any spot you need. On the other hand, Empress is the only one this good unit in physical format to use in pedalboard
I've been using a GE7 for years , I can't remember what Magazine I was reading but it was a Guitar player in a Death Metal band praising this pedal so I grabbed a used one and use it as a Boost. I used to run it straight into a Metal Muff Top Boost and the difference is night and Day , I call it the Devil's Distortion.
@John Nathan Cordy Have you ever put one of these pedals in the FX loop of an amp??? IT's really crazy what it can do to different amps. Highly recommend!
@ Interesting you don‘t don’t find the MXR 10-band transparent, since I even use it as the EQ of choice for my acoustic guitars, which definitely thrive on „transparent“. It doesn‘t color my acoustic tone in an noticeably way until I start tweaking the sliders, and a direct A/B comparison with it in the chain (with everything zeroed) and removed from the chain reveals no change, unlike the case with a great many other pedals out there - especially (but not only) digital ones. As for „weird voicing“, I‘m curious to hear what you mean by that. Sure, the bands are chosen differently, and there are more of them (going way higher up into the treble region). I suppose it makes a huge difference what kind of guitar and pickup and amp you are using, and what your tonal preferences are. I‘m not only fond of mid-range push, but also value highs (on my Fender Jazzmaster played mostly clean, and always in C# standard tuning, i.e. 3 half-steps down, which means a bit of treble tweaking can go a long way). The EQ-7 just doesn‘t get me there on electric, and especially not on acoustic.
Without a doubt the most powerful pedal you will ever own. If you don’t have one,do yourself a favor and get some sort of eq pedal. I’ve been using the GE-7 since ‘97. It was noisy so I had it modded by Analogman. I use it as a super-tone control for the guitar.
In general, I would take a parametric EQ over a graphic eq any day.... however, considering the audience, the manufacture has probably made the right choice. The graphic eq is more intuitive and gives better visual feedback in low light settings. One can know what they are doing to the sound at a glance.
Source Audio EQ2 Programmable EQ here, doubling as an active buffer at the start of my chain. It has 2 independent channels, so the 2nd channel could run after the chain. -Tom
Unbelievable! John, you are so good you can make even a metal zone pedal sound great. What wizardry is this? Might have to dust mine off and bump the warm drive off the board and give it another chance with my eq that’s in the loop. Thanks John
I had a GE-7 years ago, and while it was great for tone shaping, there was a hiss when the sliders moved towards their extremities. I found out that there's a mod that fixes this, but by then I'd sold it.
I have heard that too that the newer GE7s are quiet when compared to the older ones. I modded both of mine, one like 15 yrs ago and one recently with an equivalent or close to XTS mod.
You actually need four. 😊One as a buffer up front, one to drive a tubescreamer, one to adjust your overall sound and one to adjust the bass from you ODR1. Lol 😁 They do benefit from a cap and opamp mod, as it makes the pedal obviously less noisy. Cheap and simple fix.
Funny : ever since Bukovac posted a clip where he showed his (modded, of course) BOSS EQ pedal these age-old boxes pop up all over the place... as if HIS verdict now finally makes it cool to use a dedicated tone shaper in front of the amp which is NOT a booster or an overdrive/distortion/fuzz unit. l rely on the EQ models in my Helix stomp, my outboard MXR EQ10 pedal - with these I can adjust to the room, the volume level, the type of guitar, what ever is needed. If there is ONE Swiss-Army-Knife pedal then it's this.
I’m curious if the “improvements” have actually cured the noise problems. Noise went up when you pulled sliders down as well as up. Try it after a hissy pedal, reduce the sliders and see if the noise increases (you would expect a decrease). The Monte Allums completely sorts this out on the old ones.
I bought this pedal for the first time, three weeks ago. And as yet haven’t taken it out of the box. Been in hospital for the last week, with what looks like at least another week to go…
My only gripe with the GE-7 is that it kinda tends to "harden" the signal a bit I feel like it sucks a bit of nuance and takes some of the dynamics out of the feel making it feel more stiff or rigid while making the tone a bit more coarse .
How does Billy Gibbons get his tone (other than his fingers)? A Gibson guitar, a magnatone amp and a single pedal - a Boss G7 set flat & 400hz set to max. I don’t have space to explain how I know.
I saw that video and it's a great tone with humbuckers. Have it as my second pre-set but for me in my room I prefer to take it down from peak 1 notch and then a half notch up for 200 and 800 with a 1 notch level boost. That setting on the Boss EQ-200 and the TC Electronic Zeus booster are always on.
Do you still have the bad cat black cat amp? Was thinking about going to my local store and trying one out. I would use it mainly for home but certain places for little gigs with friends.
This is a dangerous video JNC. People are going to realise they only need one drive pedal and an EQ pedal and they can get every sound they want. Including experiment with pre and post drive eq, or even having two eqs one pre and one post
@johnnathancordy maybe the real question is then is there any drive pedal sound that can't be replicated with an EQ pedal and a tube screamer. Would probably need the empress EQ.
The real sign of a pro regarding EQ, is you’ll see nearly flat EQ with very small adjustments (1-2db max) specifically for fitting in the mix. As amateurs, we have a tendency to exaggerate our settings without truly listening to the context/band/mix around us.
3dB change is the smallest you can hear outside of a studio situation with headphones. And there is no "sign of a pro" other than they get checks for playing music.
I'd probably start after drives going into the front, give the signal a bass cut before amplification. Or before reverbs/delays. Or in the effects loop, or before everything to adjust the guitar tone.
Depends why you have it in the first place. You can use it as a boost pre drives, or post drive pedals to further shape your tone or at the end of the chain to shape overall sound to the room when playing live. There is no wrong place to put an eq really. I even used it in the FX loop of an amp to tailor the sound of the drive channel.
I use my GE7 as an underdrive for my semi-cranked tweed deluxe. The amp is naturally mid-heavy and beautifully distorted; set the GE7 to slightly lower the volume and lower the mids, and suddenly my crunchy deluxe sounds like a mid-scooped, clean-ish princeton.
This. When I had a Gibson skylark, I could make it louder AND cleaner by cutting the bass and low mids going into it.
My uncle is also a guitarist. He has 2 boss GE 7 in his pedal board. One functioned as boost, and the other one going into the fx loop for shaping the tone of the amp
2 GE-7’s have been a staple on my board for years. Perfect solution for dialing in the room you’re gigging. Never had any noise issues with them. Have one after drives and one at the end of the chain.
Own this simple box from 1983, still working after a little work in about 2004 but the first pedal i should buy now again!
I've had a Boss EQ-200 for several years now. Moved up from the MXR. Love the Boss for its presets and MIDI. I put it after my Kernom Ridge controlling each with a Morningstar MC6 Pro. I can get mighty close to any drive pedals out there. One press on the MC6 Pro and I have a ODR1. Another press, and I have a Klon. You get the idea! Highly recommend the duo.
I have had one for about 4 years now and love it for the same reasons. I run it through the effects loop. Best tone shaping device I've ever owned. Like you said you can get pretty close to any drive pedal. Same with amps. It helps to make your Marshall sound like a fender.
Thanks once again John for your much appreciated advice and demos.
I have had boss GE7 on my board for pretty much always. I often use it as a treble or mid boost or to cut treble as well besides my OD pedals and compressors etc etc I wouldn’t leave home without taking 2 of them with me. You can pick them up used for practically nothing as well. The GE 7 is a must have.
I've got an original 80's one somewhere, given to me by first guitar teacher. He told me back then, "This might be the only pedal you'll ever need."
I cant imagine my board without an EQ on it.
I moved on to the Boss EQ-200 about 3 or 4 years ago and love it.
I DIY built a programmable/presetable EQ pedal with all analog EQ circuit. The pedal can also switch my amp channel and has 4 loop-ins for other pedals, 2 before and 2 after the EQ. It's the ultimate controlpanel for my pedalboard. From EQ shaping to boosting, to underdriving, to switching in other effects. EQ is the way to go!
I have a GE-7, but retired it when I moved to using Modelers. The GE-7 was very useful, though a bit noisy. EQ is one of the best Utility Effects ever. It is a fantastic, powerful, easy to use, versatile tone shaper that is well worth exploring. I do find it particularly useful that EQ Presets can be easily stored in Modelers.
Mod that MoFo :) Seriously if you have the skills, you can order parts that reduce the noise drastically.
I did one of the Montel Allums mods several years ago. It was $20 then.
Very good pedal and I had it for awhile; I own the Empress paraeq pedal now and I am never going back. However, I totally respect anyone who has the Boss on their board.
YES! The Para EQ Deluxe also has the super handy high and low cut
Thanks John for talking about something I have known for years - how absolutely essential EQ is to tone. It seems amazing to me that people overlook that every single one of their favorite guitar tones have always been tweaked via EQ before you hear them. IMO, there are few more powerful tone shaping pedals than the humble EQ. You and Uncle Larry are doing great work reminding people of just how truly essential the use of an EQ pedal really is for guitarists.
Cheers and merry holidays to you and yours! XD
This is so true. I have a cheap multi effects processor. A NUX MG30. It does wonders for its price but it is on the brighter side of the spectrum and can be uncomfortable to listen to if you are not careful. People say it sounds thin but you just need to use an EQ pedal and it sounds quite good. Of course, within its price range
I agree, have both, the guitar & the Bass version too . Super useful 'live' and in the studio ... Boss did it again (long ago!). You can say what you want but Boss got it right often, and at affordable prices for everyone + In case of need, you can always defend yourself with it, which is always a plus ! Take care!
ps love that pedal format, for several reasons.
EQ pedals are amazing, so much you can do with them if you learn how to use them properly, just a little adjustment can make a big difference
I got mine almost 20 years ago and it’s still there working great. Got an MXR 10 band after it to slightly tweak other frequencies if necessary.
Source audio eq2, the boss are ok sure but having presets on call and all the other tricks the Eq2 can do in the same footprint, it’s a winner. 6 pedals in one.
Came for the pedal...stayed for the TASTY playing!!!
Empress ParaEQ: Hold my beer.
Hold my maple syrup*
@vitaliistep parametric EQ in Helix (and other procerssors) for the win. Low dsp as possible, you can have it in every block available, in any spot you need. On the other hand, Empress is the only one this good unit in physical format to use in pedalboard
I've been using a GE7 for years , I can't remember what Magazine I was reading but it was a Guitar player in a Death Metal band praising this pedal so I grabbed a used one and use it as a Boost.
I used to run it straight into a Metal Muff Top Boost and the difference is night and Day , I call it the Devil's Distortion.
@John Nathan Cordy Have you ever put one of these pedals in the FX loop of an amp??? IT's really crazy what it can do to different amps. Highly recommend!
Yes and... in addition to an eq being awesome, so is that dark blue kline strat... dibs if you ever sell that guitar.
This one is ok but the MXR 10 band is even better with a separate gain / volume slider, instant OD pedal with any curve you can imagine
Yep.
MXR 10 band EQ has its weird voicing and it's not transparent though
@@AVeelcheckDon't know what you're talking about
Except it’s so darn bright!
@ Interesting you don‘t don’t find the MXR 10-band transparent, since I even use it as the EQ of choice for my acoustic guitars, which definitely thrive on „transparent“. It doesn‘t color my acoustic tone in an noticeably way until I start tweaking the sliders, and a direct A/B comparison with it in the chain (with everything zeroed) and removed from the chain reveals no change, unlike the case with a great many other pedals out there - especially (but not only) digital ones. As for „weird voicing“, I‘m curious to hear what you mean by that. Sure, the bands are chosen differently, and there are more of them (going way higher up into the treble region). I suppose it makes a huge difference what kind of guitar and pickup and amp you are using, and what your tonal preferences are. I‘m not only fond of mid-range push, but also value highs (on my Fender Jazzmaster played mostly clean, and always in C# standard tuning, i.e. 3 half-steps down, which means a bit of treble tweaking can go a long way). The EQ-7 just doesn‘t get me there on electric, and especially not on acoustic.
I heard Tim Pierce say the Boss EQ pedal was one of the best pedals you can have on your board.... Tons of tone options and tonal control.
Without a doubt the most powerful pedal you will ever own. If you don’t have one,do yourself a favor and get some sort of eq pedal.
I’ve been using the GE-7 since ‘97. It was noisy so I had it modded by Analogman. I use it as a super-tone control for the guitar.
In general, I would take a parametric EQ over a graphic eq any day.... however, considering the audience, the manufacture has probably made the right choice. The graphic eq is more intuitive and gives better visual feedback in low light settings. One can know what they are doing to the sound at a glance.
I used to have a MXR .. Loved it.
100% the most important pedal on any board.Well said John
Is your guitar going into the drive pedal or the EQ pedal first?
It's plainly visible.
Most versatile 'drive/boost' pedal out there.
Source Audio EQ2 Programmable EQ here, doubling as an active buffer at the start of my chain. It has 2 independent channels, so the 2nd channel could run after the chain. -Tom
Unbelievable! John, you are so good you can make even a metal zone pedal sound great. What wizardry is this? Might have to dust mine off and bump the warm drive off the board and give it another chance with my eq that’s in the loop. Thanks John
Gilmour has used a Metal Zone for decades.
@ no kidding? And here I thought myself a pretty decent aficionado on all things Gilmour. I had no idea he even owned one let alone used it. Thanks
I had a GE-7 years ago, and while it was great for tone shaping, there was a hiss when the sliders moved towards their extremities. I found out that there's a mod that fixes this, but by then I'd sold it.
I use the MXR 10-band graphic EQ in my presets in the Line 6 Helix LT. (There is no BOSS GE7 in it). You should also try it in your Line 6 presets.
Nice, GE-7 and MT-2 is pretty darn powerful. Not sure if it's exactly the Analogman mod but newer ones have a cleaner signal.
I have heard that too that the newer GE7s are quiet when compared to the older ones.
I modded both of mine, one like 15 yrs ago and one recently with an equivalent or close to XTS mod.
You actually need four. 😊One as a buffer up front, one to drive a tubescreamer, one to adjust your overall sound and one to adjust the bass from you ODR1. Lol 😁
They do benefit from a cap and opamp mod, as it makes the pedal obviously less noisy. Cheap and simple fix.
I have an early GE-7 with sniper mod in front of the amp and the boss eq200 in the loop.
...now -add an HXone and cruise thru all the compressors in it to get the best sounding one and wail!
Funny : ever since Bukovac posted a clip where he showed his (modded, of course) BOSS EQ pedal these age-old boxes pop up all over the place... as if HIS verdict now finally makes it cool to use a dedicated tone shaper in front of the amp which is NOT a booster or an overdrive/distortion/fuzz unit. l rely on the EQ models in my Helix stomp, my outboard MXR EQ10 pedal - with these I can adjust to the room, the volume level, the type of guitar, what ever is needed. If there is ONE Swiss-Army-Knife pedal then it's this.
& Also, when you know them well, you can 'simulate' the response of different guitars .
Where's your EQ set at?
😊
Cool, thanks.
There are so many uses with an eq pedal that are to long to list.I have 6 pedals with a Boss ge7 at each end.Everything is covered.😎
I’m curious if the “improvements” have actually cured the noise problems. Noise went up when you pulled sliders down as well as up. Try it after a hissy pedal, reduce the sliders and see if the noise increases (you would expect a decrease).
The Monte Allums completely sorts this out on the old ones.
I bought this pedal for the first time, three weeks ago. And as yet haven’t taken it out of the box. Been in hospital for the last week, with what looks like at least another week to go…
Get well soon, Jim, hope you have a great upcoming year.
My GE7 is my tone modeler
My only gripe with the GE-7 is that it kinda tends to "harden" the signal a bit I feel like it sucks a bit of nuance and takes some of the dynamics out of the feel making it feel more stiff or rigid while making the tone a bit more coarse .
How does Billy Gibbons get his tone (other than his fingers)? A Gibson guitar, a magnatone amp and a single pedal - a Boss G7 set flat & 400hz set to max. I don’t have space to explain how I know.
I saw that video and it's a great tone with humbuckers. Have it as my second pre-set but for me in my room I prefer to take it down from peak 1 notch and then a half notch up for 200 and 800 with a 1 notch level boost. That setting on the Boss EQ-200 and the TC Electronic Zeus booster are always on.
Gibbons plays with tons of pedals.
Sometimes he has 6 Expandoras all on in series.
you can do so much with an eq pedal but I use the GE-7 mainly for bass cut ...but it's also the ugliest looking pedal color from boss 😅
Do you have your solos for sale anywhere like iTunes?
Do you still have the bad cat black cat amp? Was thinking about going to my local store and trying one out. I would use it mainly for home but certain places for little gigs with friends.
Can anyone confirm if the newer version of the GE7 is indeed quieter than the previous models. I had one but the noise was a deal killer for me.
Isn’t parametric EQ even more pro?
This is a dangerous video JNC. People are going to realise they only need one drive pedal and an EQ pedal and they can get every sound they want. Including experiment with pre and post drive eq, or even having two eqs one pre and one post
I just thought like...How much more tweakable has this made just one tubescreamer?
@johnnathancordy maybe the real question is then is there any drive pedal sound that can't be replicated with an EQ pedal and a tube screamer. Would probably need the empress EQ.
I have 2 Boss ce-7s and find they are noisy. Any tips anyone?
There's some common mods you can do. Requires soldering in one or so components. Remember reading it online afew years back.
@@robertritchie2860 And again, type in "Boss GE7 mod" and "Boss GE7 mod kit". Good luck and cheers from Australia.
I have the Black label made in Japan GE7, bought back in the mid 80's, no hiss whatsoever, worth its weight in gold.
Source Audio EQ2 full stop.
The real sign of a pro regarding EQ, is you’ll see nearly flat EQ with very small adjustments (1-2db max) specifically for fitting in the mix. As amateurs, we have a tendency to exaggerate our settings without truly listening to the context/band/mix around us.
Yes! A small amount of adjustment makes a huge difference!
1-2db is appropriate for mastering. During mixing even 6-9db boost or cut is ok, if it's really needed.
In front of the amp or drive pedal 9-12db moves aren't this much drastic like post-eq of the drive or amp, where 1-2db moves are effective enough.
Plus, this pedal has a hard time doing adjustments that small.
3dB change is the smallest you can hear outside of a studio situation with headphones. And there is no "sign of a pro" other than they get checks for playing music.
Boss is quality but mxr 10 band for the win for me. A great pedal if you’re looking for an EQ.
You could really use this and an IR for direct. That’s all a preamp is…it’s an EQ just not as detailed.
Shame it ain’t stereo, come on BOSS
I have a 10 band MXR EQ, thoughts on a Proper placement in the chain is??
I'd probably start after drives going into the front, give the signal a bass cut before amplification. Or before reverbs/delays. Or in the effects loop, or before everything to adjust the guitar tone.
Depends why you have it in the first place. You can use it as a boost pre drives, or post drive pedals to further shape your tone or at the end of the chain to shape overall sound to the room when playing live. There is no wrong place to put an eq really. I even used it in the FX loop of an amp to tailor the sound of the drive channel.
it does get more pro. By buying a GE7 mod. We all know GE7 are kinda noisy......