EQ pedals are the least talked about types of pedals out there, as they’re not really the most exciting. The thing is, EQ pedals offer the best way to shape your overall tone, allowing you to dial in the sound you’ve been dreaming of.
When it comes to the bass guitar, you won’t be able to use just any EQ pedal. Bass pedals work at specific frequencies that are in a lower range, giving you the ability to take total control over the sound of your bass, whether live or in the studio.
Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the best bass EQ pedals on the market.
The Bottom Line
The Aguilar Tone Hammer is not just your typical Bass EQ pedal. It acts like an amplifier, allowing you to dial in professional sounding tones thanks to the warm preamp, smooth EQ curves, and generous headroom.
While it does have some downsides to it, such as added noise and flimsy, plastic sliders, there is no match for the Caline CP-24 when it comes to other 10-Band EQs on the market. It’s great for those looking for a one-and-done, budget-friendly bass EQ pedal.
How to Spot a Good Bass Bass Equalizer Pedal?
Low Frequency Control
One of the most important things to look at when purchasing a bass EQ pedal is the frequency range. Think about it; a bass EQ is meant to boost or attenuate frequencies that the bass guitar emits.
If you have an EQ pedal that doesn’t work with any frequencies below 100 Hz, it’s probably not the best for bass guitar.
Obviously, you shouldn’t only look for an EQ pedal that works solely on low frequencies, as you may want to work with the mid and treble frequencies in your tone, though the lows (50-100 Hz) are extremely important.
Graphic Vs. Parametric
We discuss the differences between these in our guitar EQ pedal article, though we’ll give you a quick rundown here.
If you are looking for an EQ pedal that is simple to use with a universal interface, yet is maybe a bit less accurate, a graphic EQ pedal should do you just fine.
On the other hand, if you are looking to dig in a little deeper with your EQ and shape the tone in complete detail, a parametric EQ might be best for you.
Top 5 Bass EQ Pedals
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Brand | Aguilar | Whirlwind | MXR | Boss | Caline |
| # of Bands | 4 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Frequency Range | 40 Hz – 4 kHz | 20 Hz – 3 kHz | 31 Hz – 16 kHz | 50 Hz – 10 kHz | 31.25 Hz – 16 kHz |
| dB Range | (=+/-) 18dB | (=+/-) 15dB | (=+/-) 12dB | (=+/-) 15dB | (=+/-) 12dB |
| Type | Parametric | Graphic | Graphic | Graphic | Graphic |
| Price | $$$$$ | $$$$ | $$$ | $$ | $ |
Aguilar Tone Hammer Bass EQ
Top Pick!
The Aguilar Tone Hammer not only acts as a gorgeous and musical sounding bass equalizer pedal, but it’s also an incredibly powerful preamp / DI box.
There’s a reason why they call it a Tone Hammer.
It comes complete with a state of the art OBP-3 preamp and completely sweepable midrange frequencies. You can also control the amount of treble and bass in your tone as well.
The Adoptive Gain Shaping circuitry (AGS), gives the player the ability to add additional gain structure and EQ just by stomping on the button. Engage it, and you can get completely different sounds that range from modern and overdriven to trebly and vintage. It’s powered with 18v, giving you an insane amount of headroom to work with.
All of this is wrapped up in a decent-sized metal casing that not only looks sleek and modern but is built like an absolute tank, perfect for taking on the road.
Bottom Line: Whether you are in the studio or on the stage, the Aguilar Tone Hammer Bass EQ acts as one of the best bass EQ pedals around. It’s essentially an amp in a box.
If you’re still looking for tons of control, yet want to save a bit of extra dough that you’d spend on the Whirlwind EQ, this MXR bass equalizer is an excellent alternative.
This 10-Band EQ gives you tons of control over the tone of your bass with 10 carefully selected frequency sliders. You get a +/- 12dB boost and cut range, allowing you to completely optimize your sound, whether you are on stage or in the studio.
Beyond that, you have access to additional volume and gain sliders, which give you the ability to drive your amp if you want. There are even dual outputs, perfect for when you are recording both a DI and your amp.
The 18V design gives you plenty of headroom too, allowing you to get loud and proud tones.
Bottom Line: The Whirlwind Bass Ten 10-Band EQ is one of the most accurate and intuitive bass EQ pedals on the market. It has a wide range and insane control, allowing you to dial in any tone you can think of.
If you’re still looking for tons of control, yet want to save a bit of extra dough that you’d spend on the Whirlwind EQ, the MXR M108S is an excellent alternative.
This 10-Band EQ gives you tons of control over the tone of your bass with 10 carefully selected frequency sliders. You get a +/- 12dB boost and cut range, allowing you to completely optimize your sound, whether you are on stage or in the studio.
Beyond that, you have access to additional volume and gain sliders, which give you the ability to drive your amp if you want. There are even dual outputs, perfect for when you are recording both a DI and your amp.
The 18V design gives you plenty of headroom too, allowing you to get loud and proud tones.
Bottom Line: If you’re in the market for a 10-band EQ, yet don’t want to throw down a ton of money, the MXR M108S is a perfect choice. It doesn’t sacrifice quality for price and gives you total control over your tone.
If you’re still looking for tons of control, yet want to save a bit of extra dough that you’d spend on the Whirlwind EQ, this MXR bass equalizer is an excellent alternative.
This 10-Band EQ gives you tons of control over the tone of your bass with 10 carefully selected frequency sliders. You get a +/- 12dB boost and cut range, allowing you to completely optimize your sound, whether you are on stage or in the studio.
Beyond that, you have access to additional volume and gain sliders, which give you the ability to drive your amp if you want. There are even dual outputs, perfect for when you are recording both a DI and your amp.
The 18V design gives you plenty of headroom too, allowing you to get loud and proud tones.
Bottom Line: For durability and reliability, many bass players go to Boss. This pedal is musical, versatile, and portable, perfect for the bassist on the go.
Caline USA CP-24 10-Band EQ
Best Budget Option
If you don’t know about Boss, you’ve probably been living under a rock. They are known for having some of the most versatile and tour-ready pedals out there. Seriously, they pretty much have a pedal for everything that you could think of.
Their GEB-7 equalizer pedal is specifically wired to deal with the lower frequency range of the bass guitar, as it extends down to 50 Hz.
You can add or take away a lot of the depth that is on the bottom end. It moves all the way up to 10 kHz, which can help to add that crispy, crunchy top end that you might want on distorted rock bass.
Each slider gives you +/- 15 dB of range, providing more than enough room to work with. Beyond that, you get an extra level knob at the end, allowing you to shape your tone without sacrificing your optimal gain.
Thanks to the 9-volt design, it’s an entirely universal pedal. It’s also tiny, great for those who want a one-and-done-adjustment type of pedal.
Bottom Line: Compared with other 10-Band EQ pedals on the market, this one is insanely cheap. Luckily, it still does the job, though we would recommend it more for live performance, as it does tend to be a little noisy due to the lower quality electronics.
Dial It In
If you’re looking for total control over the tone of your bass, having a bass guitar equalizer pedal is a must. It’s much better than having to rely on the sound guy at your gigs to dial it in or the EQ on your DAW.
Get it right moving into your amp and you’ll have a far more natural tone.
If we had to pick one pedal overall, we’d have to go with the Aguilar Tone Hammer Bass EQ. It’s essentially an amp-in-a-box that works just as well as a DI as it does a parametric EQ.
We hope that this article has inspired you to dial in and optimize the perfect bass tone. Good luck to all our bassist friends.
Keep holding down that low end for us!
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