The Empress Para EQ is an Empress eq pedal. Close alternatives include the Dirty Haggard Audio Mid-Band and the Orange Two Stroke. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Marshall Studio JTM ST20C MkII 20W 1x12 Combo.
Empress Para EQ
Empress · pedal
The Empress Para EQ is a three-band parametric equalizer splitting the frequency range into overlapping low (35Hz-500Hz), mid (250Hz-5kHz), and high (1kHz-20kHz) bands, each offering up to plus/minus 15dB of boost or cut. A three-way mini-toggle per band sets the Q width, wide, medium, or narrow, letting players choose between broad tonal shaping and surgical frequency correction. A dedicated footswitch adds up to 30dB of additional boost. It's built for precise, studio-grade tone shaping directly on a pedalboard, prized for staying transparent while targeting specific problem frequencies without muddying the underlying tone.
- eq
- boost
- transparent
- cut
- studio
- target sound
- equalizer
- frequency
Genres the Empress Para EQ is commonly used in
- Alternative Rock
Amps that pair well with the Empress Para EQ
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
24% matchInto a transparent tone, Friedman Dirty Shirley brings the high gain it's missing
Marshall Studio JTM ST20C MkII 20W 1x12 Combo
Marshall
22% matchInto a transparent tone, Marshall Studio JTM ST20C MkII 20W 1x12 Combo brings the low gain it's missing
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchRun Synergy SL2 Module into that transparent platform and it finally gets some high gain
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchRun Friedman BE-Mini Head into that transparent platform and it finally gets some high gain
Mesa Boogie Triple Crown TC-100 Head
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Mesa Boogie Triple Crown TC-100 Head gives it high gain to fill it with
Blackstar St. James 100
Blackstar
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Blackstar St. James 100 gives it high gain to fill it with
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Hughes & Kettner Coreblade brings the high gain it's missing
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchRun Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 into that transparent platform and it finally gets some high gain
Pedals that stack with the Empress Para EQ
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
16% matchRun Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas
EarthQuaker Devices
16% matchInto a transparent tone, EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas brings the high gain it's missing
Eventide Modulated Delay
Eventide
9% matchKeep Eventide Modulated Delay after Empress Para EQ in the signal chain, clear of Empress Para EQ's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
8% matchCaroline Guitar Company Kilobyte's pristine voice goes after Empress Para EQ in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Empress Para EQ's own transparent character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Beetronics OV-LE-Uva
Beetronics
tonal matchBeetronics OV-LE-Uva is voiced for a clean amp's front end — Empress Para EQ gives it exactly that
Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker Pre-Amp
Crazy Tube Circuits
tonal matchInto Empress Para EQ, Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker Pre-Amp is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes
Electro-Harmonix
tonal matchInto Empress Para EQ, Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz
Behringer
tonal matchEmpress Para EQ leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz wants
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Dirty Haggard Audio Mid-Band
Dirty Haggard Audio
68% similarityShared character: high_frequencies, middle, simple
Orange Two Stroke
Orange
67% similarityShared character: middle, simple, transparent
CNZ Audio GEQ-5
Cnz Audio
67% similarityShared character: transparent, boost
Boss GE-7 Equalizer
Boss
66% similarityShared character: studio, simple, boost
Wampler Equator Parametric EQ
Wampler
66% similarityShared character: pedalboard, middle, simple
SB|LB Pedals Freq Boost
SB|LB Pedals
65% similarityShared character: boost
BLAXX EQ5B 5-Band Equalizer
Blaxx
65% similarityShared character: boost
Vintage VFX10
Vintage Sound
63% similarityShared character: gain_control, boost
MXR 6-Band EQ
MXR
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Alchemy Audio HBE Detox EQ
Alchemy Audio
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Carl Martin 3 Band Parametric EQ
Carl Martin
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Old Blood Noise Endeavors 3 Band EQ
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
94% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Empress Para EQ (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Empress Para EQ?+
The closest matches in character are the Dirty Haggard Audio Mid-Band, the Orange Two Stroke, the CNZ Audio GEQ-5.
What pairs well with the Empress Para EQ?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Marshall Studio JTM ST20C MkII 20W 1x12 Combo, Synergy SL2 Module — Into a transparent tone, Friedman Dirty Shirley brings the high gain it's missing.