Empress Effects Empress Bass ParaEq

The Empress Bass ParaEq is a three-band parametric EQ and clean boost pedal from Empress Effects, built specifically for bass rather than adapted from a guitar design. Empress describes it as "the only parametric EQ pedal on the market built from the ground up for bass," and says it came about "after hearing from countless players who were already using the ParaEq MKII Deluxe on bass"¹. It is now shipping worldwide².

Where a graphic EQ gives you fixed sliders at set frequencies, a parametric EQ lets you choose the center frequency of each band, how much you boost or cut it, and how wide or narrow the band is. That makes it a tool for surgical fixes: pulling out a resonant note on a low B string, or adding weight around a specific spot without muddying everything around it. Each of the three bands offers frequency selection, boost or cut of up to ±15 dB, and a Q control that adjusts the bandwidth of the band³. On top of the three parametric bands, the pedal includes a low-shelf and high-shelf EQ, along with high-pass and low-pass filters³. A separate boost stage delivers up to 30dB of boost².

What it does to your sound

The three parametric bands each give up to 15dB of boost or cut, with a Q control for each band that sets how narrow the cut or boost is. A narrow Q lets you zero in on a single problem frequency; a wide Q shapes a broader region of the low end. The pedal also carries a low-shelf and high-shelf EQ plus high-pass and low-pass filters, so you can trim subsonic rumble or tame harsh top end without touching the parametric bands³.

The boost is a separate stage, foot-switchable, with more than 30dB of gain on tap⁴. The EQ and boost can run linked or independent, so you can use the boost on its own for solos or leave the EQ always on and kick the boost only when needed¹.

Empress says the pedal "delivers the same transparent, tone-sweetening power that made the Deluxe a favourite, but with frequency ranges, filters, and features tailored specifically for bass"¹. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley made the same point from the player's side: "it's not just a guitar pedal that does a great job an octave down, everything here is tuned for bass frequencies"⁵.

Measured performance

Although the pedal runs on a standard 9-volt power supply, the internal circuitry steps that voltage up to 27 volts³. That extra internal voltage is what gives the +30dBu of headroom, which matters on bass: a hot low-end signal plus 30dB of boost is exactly the situation where a lower-voltage pedal would clip.

Controls

Guitar Pedal X's coverage of the pedal lists the control set in detail⁴:

Empress's own EQ guide notes that the upper EQ section, with its narrow Q, gain boost, and sweepable frequency knob, is well suited to hunting down problem frequencies, and that applying the maker's key-frequencies chart "is incredibly easy with the ParaEq MKII Deluxe and Bass ParaEq"⁶.

Power and connections

The Bass ParaEq runs on a standard 9V DC supply with a negative tip, through a 2.1mm barrel connector, and requires 300mA¹. MusicRadar confirms the 300mA draw⁵.

For connections, the pedal has an auto-detecting balanced output, which Guitar Pedal X describes as making "it a breeze to send clean signals across long runs without losing your tone"⁴. Gearnews also highlights the balanced output for long cable runs⁷. The buffered bypass design keeps your signal strong during long cable runs⁴, which pairs with the balanced output for players running long signal paths to a console.

Where it came from

The Bass ParaEq is based on Empress's ParaEq MKII Deluxe, a pedal the company positions as its most feature-rich parametric EQ. The lineage goes back further: the original ParaEq, which Empress says "has been loved and trusted by musicians on a variety of instruments for over a decade"⁸, was eventually discontinued, a move GuitarPlayer reports left many players questioning why⁹. The ParaEq MKII and ParaEq MKII Deluxe followed, with the Deluxe adding filters and sweepable Q for what Empress's head of engineering Jay Fee calls the most control and versatility in the line⁹.

The Bass ParaEq adapts that concept for low-frequency instruments³. Empress's own framing is that the pedal grew out of bass players already adopting the Deluxe: the maker says it built the Bass version after hearing from those players¹, and Gearnews reported at launch that the new pedal "has a similar feature set to their ParaEQ MKII Deluxe, but is aimed squarely at bass players"¹⁰. Guitar Pedal X describes the frequency clusters as changed and fully honed for bass compared with the guitar version⁴. The pedal was announced in May 2025 and launched at $374⁵.

How it differs from the ParaEq MKII Deluxe

The core EQ architecture is the same: three parametric bands with 15dB of boost or cut, a boost circuit, and +30dBu of headroom. The differences are the bass-tuned frequency ranges and filters, and the bypass: the Deluxe offers a choice of true or buffered bypass¹¹, while the Bass ParaEq is buffered only¹. For a bass player running long cables or a balanced line to front of house, the buffered approach is the consistent choice; players who want true bypass when the pedal is off would look to the Deluxe instead.

What reviewers said

Bass Musician Magazine's Cláudio Ribeiro reviewed the pedal in March 2026 and judged it one of the most capable EQ pedals available, writing that "the ParaEQ delivers precise results without altering the natural character of the instrument"³. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley noted the price, saying of the $374 tag, "it ain't cheap"⁵.

Premier Guitar's John Bohlinger demoed the ParaEq MKII Deluxe and spoke about how this kind of EQ sits in a mix¹³:

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In that demo, Bohlinger also noted the pedal "features an all analog signal path for a rich expressive sound without altering your instrument's original" tone¹³, a characterization that carries over to the Bass ParaEq's analog design².

Videos

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Questions