EQ. It’s one of the most misunderstood and misused part of our signal chains...
EQ is everything. It’s what makes every pedal sound like it does, it’s what makes
every amp sound like it does... a lot of people think that certain parts or tubes
are the deciding factor, although important, nothing shapes a tone like placing
the right EQ in the right place. Why do we overlook it so much? The simple
answer, I don’t know... maybe it’s because it’s not glamorous and not as exciting
as a tube, or maybe because it’s hard to visualize in the same way we can other
parts of the chain. Look at fuzz pedals, the reason they sound the way they do is
because of a certain shape EQ hitting the gain stages, in virtually the same way it
does in a dumble amp. Look at our favorite amps, the inherent ‘smiley face’ EQ in
them makes them sound like that... and what do we do, we put an opposite EQ
curve into them to make them sing... All this is EQ.
When designing the perfect EQ pedal, we located the frequencies that we are
used to hearing, without necessarily knowing what they are, and highlighted
them. The bass is centered around that warm depth, the highs are around the
areas of glassiness, and the mids... well, to properly control the mids you don’t
need one, you need two options to really cover the bases. Not high and low
mids, but 2 controls over the entire spectrum to give maximum versatility.
Why does a TS sound the way it does? Why does a K style pedal sound that way,
what makes a 4x12” give it’s thump? What makes a tube amp have it’s glassy
sound... it’s all in the EQ. And with the EQuator, we can give you all those within
one pedal to tweak as you desire.
To get the most out of your new pedal, you'll want to become very familiar with
the controls. The EQuator features Volume, Bass, Treble, 2 Mid levels, and 2 Mid
Frequency controls. These can give you a HUGE amount of variation and flexibility just from the gear you already have... this is the perfect pedal for you to get
lost in exploring various combinations and finding tones you didn’t know your rig
was capable of.
Bypass – A relay based true-bypass footswitch that ensures your signal is unaffected when
bypassed.
Volume – Controls the overall level of the pedal. The EQuator can be used as the perfect
clean boost driving your other pedals or amp for more gain, or you can use the pedal as an
end-of-chain tone shaper... so, you’ll want high volume for one and unity for the other...
Testing is the easiest option. Put it in all places in your signal chain, find where it works best
for you.
Bass - Active control of 130htz, plus and minus 19db. As always, how this reacts all depends
on where you put it in your signal chain. If placed at the end of your chain as a tone shaper,
this will react like suddenly putting your amp through a closed back 4x12” cab... A large
amount of warmth and thump will appear... It can also give the impression of tightening up the
bass when cut to the right amount... When positioned pre-gain, you can start to smash the low
end of the tone, giving your overdrives and distortion fuzz characteristics when pushed hard.
When pushed in a more subtle way, you can thicken up your tone to sound a little like a
D-style amp. Don’t overlook the bass control, find that sweet spot and exploit it fully.
Mid Levels - This is where the majority of your tweaking will take place... when you choose your
frequency, these will be places where you can cut or boost. Mid 1 can cut or boost the selected
frequency by up to 15db. Mid 2 can cut or boost the selected frequency by up to 25db. As you can
imagine, this is a MASSIVE amount to play with, so don’t be shy to slowly bring them in and out to
find your sweet spot. We’ll be very surprised if you end up at the extremes of these controls. There
are some fun tones hidden when pairing the two levels together with various mid frequencies. It’s all
about tweaking and finding those hidden tones.
Mid Freq. - This is where the fun really starts! Mid1 allows you to sweep between 238hz and 5khz.
Mid2 ranges from 480hz to 4.8ktz. So, you have a lot of room to choose the places you want to tweak.
This isn’t just low and high mids, this is pretty much all of the mids available to you on both. So, where
do we go from here... Well, if you are using the EQuator as a tone shaper, you’ll be looking to tame
some of the mids, maybe scoop out between 1k and 2.2k, probably closer to 2.2k - that’s your classic
mid scoop location and will make any amp give you a little bit of a smiley face feel. When you are
using this pre gain, whether that be your amps gain or drive pedals, you’ll want to take note of some
of the frequencies highlighted...
Mid 1 has a larger Q, while Mid 2 has a more narrow Q, so you have the option to really nail down the
style of change you make between the two controls.
Treble - 7kz, plus or minus 19db... The location of the sparkle and chime. Now, many amps are
known to sparkle and be potentially bright and responsive... On the flip side of that, this is
also where certain rooms can cause your ears to ring for days afterwards. By controlling the
high end of your signal before it hits the amp, you can bring that shrillness back under control.
723hz is your classic TS boost point - so, if you are looking to give that famous little green mid hump
to push your amp into a tighter territory, this is frequency to hone in on. A lot of players use their little
green overdrive pedal with the gain set to 0 because of the EQ change, this is the way to do it in the
cleanest and most useable way you can image. All the tone, none of the unnecessary compression...
On the flip side, if you are looking to brighten up your amp a little, here is where to bring it
back in. When you stick it before pedals, you can make the pedals that sit behind it react
completely differently. You can make that drive cut through a little more, give it a little more
brightness and make sure you can be heard without increasing the volume dramatically.
WAMPLER Pedals Limited Warranty. WAMPLER oers a ve (5) year warranty to the original purchaser that this WAMPLER product will be free from defects in material and workmanship. A dated sales receipt will establish coverage under this warranty. This warranty does not cover service or parts to repair damage caused by accident, neglect,
normal cosmetic wear, disaster, misuse, abuse, negligence, inadequate packing or shipping procedures and service, repair or modications to the product, which have not been authorized by WAMPLER. If this product is defective in materials or workmanship as warranted above, your sole remedy shall be repair replacement as provided below.
RETURN PROCEDURES. In the unlikely event that a defect should occur, follow the procedure outlined below. Defective products must be shipped, together with a dated sales receipt, freight pre-paid and insured directly to WAMPLER SERVICE DEPT – 3383 Gage Ave., Huntington Park, CA 90255, USA. A Return Authorization Number must be
obtained from our Customer Service Department prior to shipping the product. Products must be shipped in their original packaging or its equivalent; in any case, the risk of loss or damage in transit is to be borne by the purchaser. The Returns Authorization Number must appear in large print directly below the shipping address. Always include a
brief description of the defect, along with your correct return address and telephone number.
When emailing to inquire about a returned product, always refer to the Return Authorization Number. If WAMPLER determines that the unit was defective in materials or workmanship at any time during the warranty period, WAMPLER has the option or repairing or replacing the product at no additional charge, except as set forth below. All replaced
parts become a property of WAMPLER. Products replaced or repaired under this warranty will be returned via ground shipping within the United States freight prepaid. WAMPLER is not responsible for costs associated with expedited shipping, either to WAMPLER or the return of the product to the customer.
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE. In no event is WAMPLER liable for any incident or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability of the possibility of such damages, or any other claim by any other party. Some states do not allow the seclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the above limitation and exclusion may
not apply to you. This warranty gives you specic legal rights and you may also have other rights which may vary from state to state.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION. Please complete the online warranty registration within (10) ten days of the date of purchase so that we may contact you directly in the event of a safety notication issued in accordance with the 1972 Consumer Product Safety Act.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantees that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures.
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experience radio/TV technician for help.
Changes or modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s warranty to operate the equipment. CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Our dedicated sta is ready to help you with any warranty or product questions – please email us at help@wamplerpedals.com or call us on (765) 352-8626
Please remember to register your pedal as soon as possible after purchase at the following web page to ensure quicker service if you should ever need to make a warranty claim: www.RegisterYourWamplercom
1k is your classic K style pedal hump. Once again, this is the place to hone into if you are looking to
give that famous fatness and response. As mentioned above, a lot of players employ these pedals
with the gain on 0 or barely just above because of the hump, using this frequency will give you that
hump but without the increased compression and muddiness that can be found on those pedals. As
those pedals are known to be a little missing on the bass end, using the EQuator to bring the bass
back in.
2.2K - the classic scoop. Is your amp a little uy around the mid range? Use the EQuator to clear it up...
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