Boss GE-7 Equalizer

I started using it when I realised that the beautiful tones I got from my guitars, amps and pedals at home had a tendency to get drowned when playing with my band.

I chose this equalizer after reading opinions on forums. I was looking for a affordable, simple yet effective equalizer, with a good build quality.

The GE-7 proved really effective at the task. Basically I use it only to make my tone sit nicely in the mix on rehearsals or gigs. I don't use it at home, because what I'm trying to do is to sound as good as home in a band context. I don't use it to create special sounds or to make my amp sound like another one, though it can certainly do that.

I would strongly recommend this unit to any guitarist playing in a band, especially if there are other midrange focused instruments. What works for me is : cut off 100HZ, slightly cut 200HZ, slightly boost 400HZ, slightly cut 800HZ, slightly boost 1KHZ, 3.2KHZ at unity or slightly below, 6,4HZ is basically the presence, so I adjust it depending on the amp and the context.

Building quality is what you expect from Boss.

Worth mentionning I didn't notice any coloration from the buffered bypass when the pedal is off.

This pedal is perfect for someone looking to tone shape their instrument into their desired sound.
Even though there are EQ pedals with more bands, this one is more than enough to sculpt fantastic sounds with.

The sliders have a clicking feature to let you know when they are in the neutral position so you don't have to eyeball it.

Small changes can impact the sound greatly - in my experience I've never felt like the boost or dip are lacking.
If something you've boosted isn't "enough" you can just dip the other sliders a bit for the same effect, however I've never found myself in a position in which I've needed to do that.

One of the best features of the pedal in my opinion would be using it as a boost pedal with the help of raising the master volume slider.
It helps break up the amp without being overwhelming and just gives it a crisp and clear overdrive/breakup sound.

Another feature would be to reduce the hiss of the amp with lowering the highest slider - it doesn't change the treble too much but removes some harsh high frequency hum/hiss from high gain amps.

One thing I've noticed which could be a bit of a downside is that I find the pedal produces an extremely small amount of hiss in the high frequencies.
The said hiss is extremely subtle and can be pretty much only noticed if you run the chain through a compressor which raises the volume when you aren't playing.
It can also be completely removed if you lower the volume of the highest frequency band by about 2-5%.
If you are playing that sound is impossible to notice, and this "con" is extremely subtle.

In the previous paragraph I'm reaching for negative things to say about the pedal, but the fact is that there practically aren't any bad aspects of it.
It's an extremely versatile pedal, with fantastic build quality and a lifetime of reliability.

I would be extremely impressed if anyone managed to damage this pedal and make it stop working properly - just as you'd expect from Boss.

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TLDR

Pros:
- very versatile
- extremely great build quality and is more than reliable
- fantastic boost
- satisfying to use / inspiring
- you won't regret buying it if you're looking for an EQ

Cons:
- ...?
- maaaaybe hiss? (if you can hear dog frequencies)
- you will probably want multiple ones later on if you buy one

A very versatile helper to keep in the pedal chain. Lets you get away with using unfamiliar gear at gigs or rehearsal rooms by boosting your overall signal in the desired direction. Or when everything's right without it, you can experiment with dialing in different sounds or simply use it as a boost pedal.
Warning - you might start liking your other pedals more by adding this in the mix.
The build and sound quality is top-notch. The sliders are quite sensitive though, and it can be a bit tricky to get the sound just right at first, but when you do, it really delivers.
Get it, use it, create your sound.