MXR 10-Band in Mark V Loop - I should have done this sooner

[Monstercastle]

It's really amazing how a little judicious application of EQ in a series loop can make a big difference in an amps character. Don't get me wrong, I love the character and flexibility of the Mark V, but at times I want more of a Recto-ish flavor for some things. It just seemed wrong to put an EQ in the loop of an amp that has a five band graphic already, and I also had this recollection that the MXR was noisy. When I bought it years ago I was using it in front of the amp I had at the time, and was using it more as a boost, so of course it would be noisier.

Today I decided to put it in the loop and played for a few hours and was really pleased with the results. I ended up staying with the following frequencies adjusted:

31.25HZ +3db
62.5HZ +2db
125HZ +2db
500HZ -6db
1KHZ -6db

Everything else was flat, and the gains on the EQ were flat as well. Fattened up the amp nicely, removed a little of the mid emphasis, and it added absolutely no discernible hiss or noise. Now I have to decide if I want to rearrange the board, or just have it sitting on top of the head, because it's going to stay in the loop for the foreseeable future. I might even look for a better quality parametric with presets in the future for a bit more flexibility. Very glad I decided to give it a go.

 

[IronSean]

It's a fantastic way of setting it up. And the 5-band is really like a normal amps BMT controls, so it's not any stranger to put an extra EQ in the loop than on a normal amp (And a boost at 120 Hz down, a cut at 1.2 KHz, and a boost at 4.6K up is the secret to the Master of Puppets tone we all know).

In some ways, the EQ before an amp is just how you do what the BMT on a Mark already does: Shape the sound going into the amp.

I'm currently building a pedalboard to let me keep mine in the loop, plus my chorus and delay...

 

[Nicklotsaguitars]

I've done it, I do it regular with my G system to have a different eq for every channel and one to boost mids for solos.
I don't see what it does other than extend frequencies when you use both together. Not saying that's a good or bad thing. Just explaining the way I see it.