Empress Effects ParaEq

The Empress Effects ParaEq is an parametric EQ and boost pedal, made by the Canadian firm Empress Effects. Where a graphic EQ gives you fixed frequencies, a parametric EQ lets you center on the exact frequency and make narrower or broader cuts and boosts as needed, and the ParaEq offers +/- 15dB of boost or cut at each of its EQ bands plus a separate boost circuit with up to +30dB on tap¹². The current line has two versions, the ParaEq MKII and the ParaEq MKII Deluxe, both packing the control into a compact pedal format with a clearer layout than the original².

The design goal, as Empress's circuit designer Jay Fee put it, was the opposite of a pedal with a personality: "we didn't want 'a sound' with the ParaEq MKII pedals, we're going for transparency"¹.

What it does: transparent parametric EQ with a clean boost

The ParaEq MKII gives you three parametric bands, each with 15dB of boost or cut, plus a boost circuit offering up to +30dB³². Empress describes both MKII versions as featuring a low-noise, transparent signal path that is extremely versatile, achieved through a minimal circuit topology the company calls the opposite of graphic EQs³⁵.

The headroom is the headline spec for players who push the EQ hard. Although the pedal is powered by a standard 9-volt DC connection, it runs internally at 27V, which Fee says is triple that of a regular guitar pedal and on par with rackmount equipment¹. Empress uses a high-quality switching regulator with filtering, plus low-noise op amps, to keep the noise floor down; the maker lists total harmonic distortion at under 0.05% and noise at greater than 107dB³¹. The circuit also uses a Baxandall filter, long used in Hi-Fi systems for its gentle EQ curves¹.

The controls: three bands, Q widths and boost

Each of the three bands has its own frequency, gain and Q controls. The Q setting adjusts the bandwidth of the EQ band, so a narrow Q zeroes in on a single problem frequency while a wide Q shapes a broad region of the spectrum⁶. On the MKII, the low, mid and high Q mini dials at the top of the unit set the range of the EQ bands themselves, with selectable Q widths described as wide, medium and narrow²⁷.

The Deluxe version replaces the Q switches with knobs, giving continuously sweepable Q per band, and adds filters: a highpass filter (10 to 330Hz), a lowpass filter, and two mid shelf controls, each -15 to +15dB⁸⁷. In GuitarPlayer's interview, Fee summed up the split between the versions: "The MKII Deluxe offers the most control and versatility because of the added filters and sweepable Q"¹.

Empress also publishes an EQ guide that walks players through finding problem frequencies by ear, applying a key-frequencies chart with the ParaEq MKII Deluxe and Bass ParaEq's sweepable frequency knobs⁹.

The versions and the Bass ParaEq

The original ParaEq was discontinued, and GuitarPlayer reported that when it happened, "Prices immediately shot up and rumors abounded as to what was on the horizon"¹. What arrived was the MKII pair: Empress was poised to start shipping orders of not one but two versions of the ParaEq MKII, with the circuit built on a baxandall filter, long used in Hi-Fi systems for its gentle EQ curves, and running off 27 volts of headroom, triple that of a regular guitar pedal¹. A Black Sparkle Edition of the Deluxe followed, available through the Empress Effects webstore, with the same 3 parametric EQ bands with 15dB of boost/cut and the full Deluxe control set⁸.

The Bass ParaEq, released in 2025, is based on the ParaEQ MKII Deluxe and adapts the concept for low-frequency instruments, with frequency clusters changed and honed for bass⁶¹⁰¹¹. Empress says it built it "after hearing from countless players who were already using the ParaEq MKII Deluxe on bass"¹². It adds an auto-detecting balanced output for clean signals across long runs, and it uses buffered bypass switching rather than the MKII's switchable true or buffered bypass¹¹¹³. MusicRadar quoted Empress's own description: "The Bass ParaEq delivers the same transparent, tone-sweetening power that made the Deluxe a favourite, but with frequency ranges, filters, and features tailored specifically for bass"¹⁴.

What reviewers said

Reviewers across the press have focused on the same qualities Empress designed for: transparency and precision. In Bass Musician Magazine's review of the Bass ParaEq, Cláudio Ribeiro wrote that "the ParaEQ delivers precise results without altering the natural character of the instrument"⁶. Guitar Pedal X described the Deluxe as usable "as subtle or forcefully as you need, with beautifully tapered and predictable impact"¹¹.

In GuitarPlayer's interview, Fee made the company's own claim plainly: "For studio work and live performance, we believe the Empress Effects ParaEq MKII pedals are as good as it gets"¹. On That Pedal Show, Mick and Dan called the ParaEq MKII Deluxe "an incredibly powerful EQ"¹⁶.

The strongest published verdict on the ParaEq MKII comes from circuit designer Jay Fee, who told reviewers that the pedals aim for transparency rather than a sound of their own, and that "for studio work and live performance, we believe the Empress Effects ParaEq MKII pedals are as good as it gets"¹. He also described their headroom as being "on par with rackmount equipment"¹.

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On price, MusicRadar noted of the Bass ParaEq that "At $374, it ain't cheap"¹⁴, and gearnews listed the ParaEQ MKII at $259.00 in a September 2025 buying guide, against Empress's own $274.00 USD product page price⁷³.

Who uses it

Empress lists Louis Wu among the artists who use the ParaEq MKII³. The ParaEq MKII Deluxe roster on Empress's artist pages includes Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Douglas D'Lima, Brian Kobayakawa, Rye Jackson, Ben Flanders, Tom Bukovac, Aaron Marshall, Paul Gilbert, Kelen Capener, Chris Wrate, Cory Wong and Ben Whiteley¹⁷¹⁸.

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