Empress Effects Bass ParaEQ: Premium Bass Sculpting
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The Empress Effects’ new Bass ParaEQ pedal could be the first parametric EQ designed specifically for bass.
Bass ParaEQ
The Empress Effects Bass ParaEQ is designed to help bass players sculpt their tone. It provides all the parametric EQ tools you need in one compact pedal format. This new pedal has a similar feature set to their ParaEQ MKII Deluxe, but is aimed squarely at bass players.
The Empress ParaEQ has long been revered as the Rolls-Royce of pedal EQs. It’s celebrated for its ability to smoothly boost mids while gently and precisely taming the bass. Additionally, the pedal includes a powerful and remarkably clean boost offering up to 30 dB of gain.
Now, Empress introduces this bass-specific version engineered to excel with all types of bass signals. Whether you’re playing electric, acoustic, or double bass, or even a synth bass, this pedal is designed to handle your low-end needs with exceptional clarity and control.
Controls
With a set of controls that consists of Low Q, Low Freq, Low Gain, Mid Q, Mid Freq, Mid Gain, High Q, High Freq, High Gain, High Pass, Bass, Treble, Low Pass, and Boost. This pedal has you covered for all eventualities and has a dedicated Boost option that is accessible via its own footswitch.
Compared to the original, the frequency ranges of the three bands have been specifically tailored for bass. The low band now spans from 35 Hz to 500 Hz, the mid band from 100 Hz to 1600 Hz, and the high band from 375 Hz to 9.7 kHz. This revised distribution makes a lot of sense for bass signals, as the high band doesn’t extend beyond 10 kHz, allowing for finer resolution in the more crucial lower frequency ranges.
Bass EQ
Get exceptional bass performance with a specifically adjusted frequency range and a dynamic low shelf that adapts to your sound.
It features a 10MΩ Hi-Z input for seamless integration with piezo pickups and an automatically detecting balanced output for clean DI sounds and extended cable runs without signal degradation.
The balanced output jack intelligently adapts based on your connection, whether you’re plugging directly into a DI or running a long cable. For advanced control, you can even modify the input jack behavior via Advanced Mode, activated by holding both footswitches during power-up.
Parametric EQ Verdict
The closest thing I own that comes anywhere near this is the Tech 21 Q/Strip. which has a similar feature set, plus a dedicated XLR output with a ground lift. However, the Bass ParaEQ has a far more adjustable set of Q controls over the bass, middle, and treble in comparison.
I feel that Empress Effects should at least have added an XLR output to this new pedal, as that would have made it far more flexible for many musicians.
MSRP – USD 375 / GBP 339 / EUR 399
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