Best EQ pedals

An EQ pedal fixes problems no gain pedal can, and the spec sheet tells you most of what you need: how many bands, what range per band, and — critically — what voltage it wants. The MXR 10 Band runs on 18 V, not 9 V, and that catches more people out than any other specification in this hub.

Three published numbers separate these pedals: band count (resolution), decibel range per band (authority), and supply voltage (whether it fits your board at all).

01 — The shortlist

Best EQ pedals

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	MXR 10 Band EQ Ten bands from 31.25 Hz to 16 kHz at +/- 12 dB, with two outputs.	The resolution to fix a specific frequency	$159.99 · Check price #ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026
02	BOSS GE-7 Equalizer 100 Hz to 6.4 kHz at +/- 15 dB, plus a Level slider, on a standard 9 V supply.	Seven bands on 9 V, at the lowest price	$129.50 · Check price #ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026
03	MXR Six Band EQ Six bands at +/- 18 dB, true bypass, on 9 V.	The widest range per band, in the smallest format	$125.99 · Check price #ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026
!	MXR Micro Amp A clean boost with no tone shaping — the pedal people reach for when they need EQ. Skip this one — see why below	Not an EQ, and often bought instead of one	$105.99 · Check price #ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026

Rows link to the full write-up further down this page. Prices come from the live price layer only — where there is no live figure the button reads “Check price” rather than showing a remembered number.

02Published specifications, side by side

03Before or after the drives

This is the decision that makes an EQ pedal genuinely powerful, and it is not a preference — the two placements do different jobs.

Cutting bass before a high-gain stage is how you get a tight low end rather than a loose one, and it is the same principle a Tube Screamer exploits when it tightens a cranked amp. Best pedals for metal covers that case.

01

MXR 10 Band EQ

The resolution to fix a specific frequency

The numberRuns on 18 V, not 9 V. This is the single most common power mistake made with this pedal.

Ten bands is enough resolution to cut a narrow problem area — the 100 to 300 Hz range that makes a high-gain tone flubby, for instance — without thinning everything around it. An amp's Bass control cannot do that.

Separate Gain and Volume sliders mean you can set the input level and the output level independently, which matters when you are using large boosts or cuts.

The 18 V requirement is not a preference. On a 9 V-only brick this pedal needs its own supply, an 18 V output, or a doubler cable. The power guide covers planning for it.

Published specifications for the MXR 10 Band EQ

Bands	10 bands from 31.25 Hz to 16 kHz
Range	+/- 12 dB per band, plus Gain and Volume sliders
Outputs	Two outputs for running to two amps
Power	18 V DC supply (included with the M108S)
Electrical data	No current-draw or impedance figure is published for this pedal, so none is stated here.
What it does not do	It runs at 18 V, not 9 V. If your board is a 9 V-only brick this pedal needs its own supply or an 18 V output — this is the single most common power mistake made with it.

Specs from MXR 10 Band EQ product page. We have not used this unit.

$159.99 · Check price

#ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026

02

BOSS GE-7 Equalizer

Seven bands on 9 V, at the lowest price

Seven bands centered at 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 400 Hz, 800 Hz, 1.6 kHz, 3.2 kHz and 6.4 kHz, with +/- 15 dB per band — a wider range per band than the MXR 10 Band offers.

It runs on 9 V like everything else on a normal board, which is a real advantage over the 18 V MXR if your supply is already full.

No band below 100 Hz, and the stock unit has a longstanding reputation for noise at high boost settings — which is why a modification market exists for it.

Published specifications for the BOSS GE-7 Equalizer

Bands	7 bands: 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 400 Hz, 800 Hz, 1.6 kHz, 3.2 kHz, 6.4 kHz
Filter type	The first six bands are peaking filters; the 6.4 kHz slider is a shelving filter
Range	+/- 15 dB per band, plus a Level slider with the same +/- 15 dB range
Input impedance	1 M ohm
Output impedance	1 k ohm, recommended load 10 k ohms or greater
Current draw	30 mA
Battery life	Approx. 9 hours carbon-zinc, approx. 19.5 hours alkaline
Size / weight	73 x 129 x 59 mm, 400 g including battery
What it does not do	No adaptor included and no low band below 100 Hz. The stock unit has a reputation for noise at high boost settings, which is why the modification market for it exists.

Specs from BOSS GE-7 product page. We have not used this unit.

$129.50 · Check price

#ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026

03

MXR Six Band EQ

The widest range per band, in the smallest format

The number+14 dBV maximum input and output level at 1 kHz with all sliders at 0 dB.

Six bands from 100 Hz to 3.2 kHz at +/- 18 dB each — the largest per-band range on this page, in the smallest enclosure.

True bypass and a 9 V supply, so it drops onto an existing board without a power rethink.

The range is the trade: nothing below 100 Hz and nothing above 3.2 kHz. For midrange shaping that is fine; for fixing a low-end problem it is not enough reach.

Published specifications for the MXR Six Band EQ

Bands	6 bands: 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 400 Hz, 800 Hz, 1.6 kHz, 3.2 kHz
Range	+/- 18 dB per band
Maximum input / output level	+14 dBV at 1 kHz with all sliders at 0 dB
Bypass	True bypass
Power	9 V battery, Dunlop ECB003 adapter, or a DC Brick / Iso-Brick supply
What it does not do	No band below 100 Hz and none above 3.2 kHz, so it cannot reach either extreme. There is no separate output level slider, which the 10 Band has.

Specs from MXR Six Band EQ product page. We have not used this unit.

$125.99 · Check price

#ad How we’re funded · price as of October 17, 2026

Skip this

MXR Micro Amp

Not an EQ, and often bought instead of one

We are not picking this one on an EQ page. A Micro Amp adds flat gain and changes nothing about the frequency balance.

It gets bought for problems an EQ solves: a tone that is too thin, a solo that does not cut through, a rig that sounds boxy. A boost amplifies all of those unchanged.

If you want to be more audible in a mix, that is a midrange problem and an EQ addresses it directly. Compressor vs boost works through the diagnosis.

Published specifications for the MXR Micro Amp

Controls	Single Gain control
Function	Clean gain boost with no tone shaping
Power	9 V battery, Dunlop ECB003 adapter, or a DC Brick / Iso-Brick supply
Electrical data	No current-draw or impedance figure is published for this pedal, so none is stated here.
What it does not do	No EQ of any kind and no power supply included. A clean boost cannot fix a thin tone; it makes whatever follows it work harder.

Specs from MXR Micro Amp product page. We have not used this unit.

04Using an EQ as a boost

A graphic EQ with a Level slider is also a boost with tone control, which makes it one of the more efficient pedals on a board. Set the sliders flat, push the Level up, and you have a clean boost. Push the mids up instead and you have the lead boost that actually makes you audible in a mix.

That is the strongest argument for the GE-7 or the MXR 10 Band over a dedicated boost pedal: same board slot, more capability. Overdrive vs boost covers what a flat boost can and cannot do. The commonest reason to reach for either is a lead that vanishes in a band — that problem has its own diagnostic, and the answer is usually EQ rather than level. Note the supply requirement before you buy: the MXR 10 Band runs at 18 V, not 9 V, and 9V vs 18V pedals covers why an EQ needs the extra headroom and which supplies deliver it. The pedal most people end up choosing here has a page of its own: our BOSS GE-7 review covers the seven published band centers and the 100 Hz floor that sits above your low E.

05The 18 V problem