Amp EQ for drop turnings

[Boogie]

Fact or fiction?

Subscribing to the single channel amp philosophy can be a little limiting at times. Once you find the sweet spot between guitar-pedals-amp you tend not to stray. I'm particularly picky about the bass response and tune for the best speaker excursion that gives that beautiful open string bloom and breakup. Too much bass yields to flub. But all of that meticulous dial-in flies right out the window if you down-tune.

We've decided - as a band - to detune a half step permanently. We're giving the vocalist a break and hope to help him last 4 sets without blowing out. It's tough some nights. So can I expect to only dial back the bass to keep the wonderful bloom or am I destined to tweak the pedal EQ too, ad nauseum? We're only going to Eb but I already have enough experience with my rig to know that, without adjustment, it's unbalanced on the low end. Is there a trick or rule of thumb?

 

[László]

A half step can still make a big difference in your tone when it comes to low end EQ. If you're not happy with the tone, you might try something as simple as a 5 or 10 band EQ pedal that will let you tailor the frequencies a bit more than the three band EQ on an amp. Obviously, the more frequency bands, the more you can tailor the sound.

Or you can buy an amp made for drop tunings.

 

[aristotle]

We've been a half step down from day one. The reality of 40-something life..... I think that's one reason I like the Archon for live work so much, even for material that by all rights it doesn't cover very well. The Mesa Roadster 100W head is a close second. My 1959 and JTM45/100 deal with it just fine also, but requires more use of pedals than I like (at sane volumes anyway...)

 

[andy474x]

A half step can still make a big difference in your tone when it comes to low end EQ. If you're not happy with the tone, you might try something as simple as a 5 or 10 band EQ pedal that will let you tailor the frequencies a bit more than the three band EQ on an amp. Obviously, the more frequency bands, the more you can tailor the sound.

Or you can buy an amp made for drop tunings.

+1... I bought the MXR 10 band EQ about 6 months ago, put it in my effects loop and it was probably one of the best things I've ever done for my tone. I used to think they were sacrilege, but I was fighting the same low end battle and now I'm cured!

 

[Boogie]

I'm without a loop, so that option is off the table. But I've used a GEQ for decades in my Boogie and would consider that as a legit option if the amp controls can't hack it. I also have a bass cut switch that may offer an alternative. It's usually reserved to high volume work, but it may help me tune the 1x12. Pretty sure the 2x12 can handle it.

Great advice, guys. It should be pretty interesting. Thanks!

 

[László]

As a keyboard player, I hate playing in Eb, C#, F#...but sax players will love you.

 

[László]

What's nice about trying different EQs in combination with your amp is that they work in a similar way to the old Pultec EQs. That is, you wind up with EQ bands that overlap each other a little, so cutting one control, say on your amp, and boosting another, say on a pedal, can give you EQ curves that wouldn't be there on only one of them. That can give you lots of options and more subtle sculpting ability.

I've always found that guitars sound their best in standard tuning, but an EQ pedal is not a bad option at all, if it's a good one.

BTW, it might be worth trying something exotic, like the new JHS pedal that's designed to model the old Neve 1072 EQs and preamps. It's pricy, though...

I do prefer single channel amps myself. So there's that...

 

[Boogie]

I've always found that guitars sound their best in standard tuning...

yes!

.I do prefer single channel amps myself. So there's that...

and. Yes!

I've tried numerous times to get the same vibe out of the DGT in dropped turnings but it just isn't there. The mechanics have all changed so all bets are off. I'm most afraid that my love of my current setup will not carry across and I'll have this looming background analysis in my head during the entire show. That detracts from the whole purpose and that scares me. One little piece out of place and my mind goes into debug mode.

 

[Boogie]

I don't play Strats much anymore, but recently blew the dust off of mine, made a pickup change and have spent more time with it. Historically it has taken to tuning changes better than most of my other guitars. The DGT sounds great and is easy to adjust the trem, but there's a bit of mojo misplaced at Eb, to me. It doesn't vibrate the same. It's hard to describe.

 

[László]

there's a bit of mojo misplaced at Eb, to me. It doesn't vibrate the same. It's hard to describe.

Most (not all) guitars are designed to sound best at concert pitch. Everything on the guitar is designed to come together that way, from scale length, to string tension, to setup, to pickups, and no doubt there are other factors.

This is why big-time players who play in alternate tunings will have guitars specially set aside and set up for each alternate tuning.

Even a half-step would be enough for me to want to change string gauge, and that alone means a different setup, but I'd probably want to fiddle with pickup heights, etc.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Why you gotta drastically change your EQ for essentially one extra note? I mean, I could totally understand if all you did was chug on the E string.

 

[László]

These gents seemed to get by alright not tuned to concert pitch...pretty sure you will too....

Amateurs and hacks.

 

[jfb]

My knobs always point straight up.

:tongue:

 

[László]

My knobs always point straight up.

:tongue:

There's something disturbing about this...

 

[jfb]

There's something disturbing about this...

:biggrin:

 

[Boogie]

As an update, we, as a band, decided not to detune. Our vocalist, after the first set last week, came up to me and said something was off...couldn't put his finger on it...the guitars didn't seem to mesh the same, vibe was "off". I explained that the thermal shift made me have to tune more than normal, but he left before I had to confess that the drummer instigated a measure to help his pipes last the whole night. But that was the real litmus test. Is there a difference? YES! Tuning changes shouldn't be a bad thing, just different. My speakers' response changes and that impacts bloom, breakup character, etc. and I spent tons of time getting that dialed in perfectly. It was a relief when he blew up and told us to change back.