Guptech PdeQ

The GUP Tech PdeQ is a presence and depth guitar EQ pedal designed to emulate your amplifier's presence and resonance/depth controls in a stompbox¹. Where many amps give you presence and depth knobs that shape the high end and low end of the power section, plenty of amps, especially solid-state models, have no such controls at all. The PdeQ, whose name comes from "Province DE Quebec," puts those two amp-style tone controls on your pedalboard, each with its own on/off toggle²¹. GUP Tech says the pedal "delivers the extra OOOMMMPHHH and push needed to cut through the mix"¹.

The pedal is handmade by GUP Tech in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, in a standard 125B enclosure measuring 122 x 66 mm¹.

Amp-style presence and depth controls in a pedal

The PdeQ is built around two controls that mirror what you would find on an amp's front or back panel. Presence is the high-frequency control, and depth, which GUP Tech also calls resonance, is the low-end control¹. RockBoard's PedalPedia entry describes the pedal as a preamp EQ that emulates an amplifier's missing presence and resonance/depth controls, enhancing high-frequency sparkle and low-end depth so solid-state amps or rigs lacking tone controls feel more dynamic and amp-like³. That entry also notes it is suited to high-gain and metal applications as well as general tone shaping³.

GUP Tech frames the pedal squarely at players whose amps come up short in this area, calling it "a game changer for guitarists whose amps lack presence and resonance controls"¹. For a player whose amp has no depth or resonance knob, the pedal offers a way to add that low-end response without changing amps; for a player who already has those controls on the amp, it puts a second, footswitchable set in the chain.

The controls and toggles

The control set is deliberately simple: two knobs, two toggles.

Each circuit can be switched on and off independently, so you can run presence alone, depth alone, both together, or neither³. With both toggles off, the pedal acts as a clean buffer, which GUP Tech says adds clarity and body to your tone¹³. True bypass switching preserves signal integrity when the pedal itself is disengaged¹.

The PdeQ and the Ti-Q

The PdeQ has a mini sibling, the GUP Tech Ti-Q. GUP Tech describes the Ti-Q as "offering the same exact features as the big brother PdeQ, except for the toggle switches"⁴. In other words, the full-sized PdeQ's added value over the mini is the pair of on/off toggles, which let you bypass each circuit independently and use the pedal as a buffer with both off. Players who only ever want both controls on at once can save board space with the Ti-Q; players who want per-circuit switching, or the buffer mode, need the full PdeQ.

Editions and versions

The PdeQ has appeared in several editions beyond the standard pedal:

• The GUPtech PdeQ Gary Holt Edition, a version associated with Gary Holt of Exodus and Slayer⁵.
• The GUP Tech PdeQ Special 2025 edition 6th Anniversary, offered with a choice of three license-plate designs for the years 1969, 1974 and 1976².
• The GUP Tech Double PdeQ GH Tribute edition, a double pedal built around the PdeQ circuit⁶. GUP Tech also points to a PdeQ Douche Edition as a more sparkling enclosure option⁶.
• A Gold Rush Edition, which is listed as sold out⁷.

All of these share the same basic presence-and-depth EQ concept; the differences are enclosure cosmetics, the anniversary plate options, or, in the Double PdeQ's case, two independent circuits in one box⁴²⁶.

Where it sits among EQ pedals

Among EQ pedals generally, the PdeQ is a narrow, purpose-built design: independent presence and depth controls with on/off toggles aimed at the top and bottom of the spectrum, rather than a graphic EQ's row of sliders or a parametric EQ's sweepable bands. That narrowness is the point. It is not a problem-solving EQ for taming a harsh frequency here and there; it is an amp-enhancement pedal designed to emulate your amplifier's presence and resonance/depth controls, with a clean buffer mode when both toggles are off³¹.

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