Boss EQ-200

It is a digital design, built on a 32-bit/96 kHz engine that Boss says delivers precision tonal control with ultra-low noise¹. Delicious Audio called it "the most flexible compact EQ ever created for guitar and bass"².

What it is and what it does

The EQ-200 carries two wide-ranging 10-band EQ channels⁶. Each band offers up to 15 dB of cut or boost, and each channel has its own overall level control, so you can use a channel as a clean boost or a cut as well as a tone shaper¹². The frequency centers of all 10 bands can be set to three different types, which Boss says optimizes performance for different applications⁶.

The three range settings are²:

Because the lowest ranges reach down to 28 Hz, the pedal covers bass fundamentals as well as guitar, and Delicious Audio describes it as an EQ for guitar and bass².

Controls: sliders, footswitches and display

Sliders give direct access to the 10 EQ bands and the master channel level, so shaping a curve is the same physical experience as any graphic EQ¹. An LCD screen shows settings, and since firmware version 1.10 it always indicates the memory number on the display screen²⁷.

The footswitches are reassignable. By default they control EQ bypass and memory scrolling, but Boss says you can reassign them to turn channels on and off, select specific memories and more¹. An expression pedal can be connected to control the A or B channel levels, or the overall output, which Boss describes as a handy stand-in for a volume pedal¹.

Series, stereo and A/B channel modes

The two channels can be configured three ways⁶:

• A/B: Two EQ channels for instant A/B switching, one curve for each part of a set².
• Series: The two EQs run one after the other, letting you shape your basic tone with one and set up the second for a lead or solo boost¹².
• Stereo: The two channels are panned simultaneously left and right, so a stereo rig can carry a different EQ on each side². On That Pedal Show, when Mick Taylor asked whether that meant different EQs left and right, Dan Steinhardt's answer was "I believe so"³.

Premier Guitar's launch coverage also lists parallel operation as a channel configuration⁶.

Memories and MIDI

The EQ-200's setups can be recalled directly via program change messages from an external MIDI device, which makes it practical to call up specific EQ curves from a MIDI controller or switcher¹. MIDI connects through the 200 series' mini TRS jacks⁴.

Firmware updates and the 200 series

The pedal is updated over USB from a computer⁷. The current firmware is version 1.12 or later; Boss's support article says if the version check display shows 1.12 or later, there is no need to update⁷. The January 2020 version 1.10 update increased the number of storable memories from 5 to 128 and added the always-on memory number display⁷. Boss provides separate updater downloads for macOS 10.12 and for macOS Big Sur 11.x and later⁸.

The 200 series sits above Boss's compact pedals in size and features. On That Pedal Show, the presenters described the EQ-200 as roughly the size of two regular Boss pedals, sized between a regular Boss pedal and a 500 series Boss pedal³.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's 2026 EQ pedal buying guide called it "the utility EQ of dreams, with features that speak to practically every flavour of guitarist"⁴. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it the most flexible compact EQ ever created for guitar and bass². That Pedal Show used the EQ-200 in a 2020 episode on understanding overdrive, gain, clipping, headroom and EQ⁹.

How it compares with the GE-7

The Boss GE-7 is a single-channel 7-band graphic EQ in Boss's compact format. The EQ-200 differs in being digital, with a 32-bit/96 kHz engine¹, two 10-band channels instead of one 7-band channel⁶, 128 memories instead of none¹, MIDI recall¹, stereo operation² and a larger footprint, roughly the size of two regular Boss pedals¹²⁶. Players who want a simple set-and-forget tone shaper will find the GE-7 smaller and cheaper; players who want stored curves, A/B switching and MIDI integration are who the EQ-200 is built for.

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