Pricing and availability
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Reviews
Price
Average Price: $338
High-end/Boutique
$50
$176+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 7 merchants for "Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Meet the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe, the ultimate equalizer and boost pedal designed to give you maximum control over your sound. Whether you're trying to slice through a dense mix or remedy a pesky feedback problem, this pedal is your secret weapon. Its super smooth Baxandall filters allow for broad high and low frequency shelving adjustments, elevating your tone effortlessly. The ParaEq MKII Deluxe operates internally at a whopping 27V, ensuring clean headroom without any unwanted clipping. This pedal is not just about power, but precision. With parametric 3-band EQ, frequency and gain controls for each band, and boost control (+30 dB), you can shape your sound with surgical precision.
Key Features:
- Equalizer and boost pedal designed for maximum control
- Parametric 3-band EQ for precise sound shaping
- Frequency and gain controls for each band
- Boost control (+30 dB) for added volume
- High-pass, low-pass, high-shelf, and low-shelf filters
- Bypass and Boost footswitches for easy operation
- True bypass for pure, uncolored sound
- Status LED display for boost and bypass
- Powered by 9 - 18 V DC mains adapter (not included)
- Made in Canada
Note: This pedal does not support battery operation.
Owner's manual
Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal User ManualProduct specs
| Pedal Type | 3-band EQ, with Boost and Fully Sweepable Q |
| Analog/Digital | Analog |
| Inputs | 1 x 1/4" |
| Outputs | 1 x 1/4" |
| True Bypass | Yes |
| Height | 2.5" |
| Width | 2.6" |
| Depth | 4.8" |
| Weight | 1 lbs. |
FAQs
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What type of signal path does the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe use?
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The Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe features an all-analog signal path, ensuring a rich and expressive sound that maintains the original tone of your instrument.
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How does the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe handle power supply requirements?
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The Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe requires a DC voltage between 9V and 18V with a negative tip, and it needs 85mA of current. It features internal voltage regulation for consistent headroom.
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Can the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe be used with both guitar and bass?
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Yes, the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe is versatile and can be used with both guitar and bass, providing precise tonal control for a variety of instruments.
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What is the primary function of the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe's boost feature?
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The boost feature on the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe allows you to increase the signal level, which is useful for solos or when you need to cut through the mix.
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Does the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe offer true bypass switching?
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Yes, the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe features true bypass switching, ensuring that your signal remains unaffected when the pedal is not engaged.
Videos
AndyDemos
Empress Effects ParaEQ MKII Deluxe
Reviews
PROS
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Replaces multiple pedals, freeing up pedalboard space
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Lowers noise floor, improving sound quality
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Versatile for different instruments and environments
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Powerful tone shaping and filtering capabilities
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Transparent boost without altering instrument's basic tone
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Exceptional build quality and sound
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Detailed and easy-to-understand user manual
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Effective for both live performances and studio use
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Can solve a wide range of tone problems
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Offers a significant improvement over other EQ pedals
CONS
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Price may be high for some budgets
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Small knobs can be challenging for users with larger hands
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Lacks modern features like presets and stereo connectivity
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal.
Features and functionality
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The pedal can be used for both cutting and boosting frequencies, with users recommending "boost wide, cut thin" for shaping guitar tones.
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The pedal is praised for providing the "umphf and breathiness" when driving a speaker cabinet, aligning digital and analog rig sounds more closely.
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The pedal's Q knobs offer subtle changes, often challenging for users to distinguish, making it necessary to spend time understanding their impact.
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The low shelf filter is fixed at 200Hz and high shelf filter at 1kHz, acting like typical bass and treble controls on an amp.
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Use cases and applications
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Owners use it to dial out feedback in acoustic guitars and enhance mellow clean tones, making it versatile for both acoustic and electric setups.
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It's particularly effective for focusing mids after a scooped fuzz, like a muff, by boosting the mids knob frequency band slightly.
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The pedal is favored for executing the Pultec EQ trick, using narrow Q to identify muddy frequencies and adjusting gain to enhance clarity.
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Adjusting the EQ before a blues driver can alter the dynamics significantly, allowing users to mimic the EQ characteristics of other drive pedals.
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Owners report significant tonal transformation when the ParaEq MKII is used post-overdrive, enhancing TS808 pedals with low-end bump, mid cut, and high-end sheen.
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It's noted that graphic EQs are preferred at the start of the chain for boosting, while parametric EQs like the ParaEq MKII are effective in effects loops for shaping tones.
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User experience
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One owner describes it as the only non-negotiable pedal on their board, highlighting its indispensable role in their setup.
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Users find the pedal's learning curve steep but manageable with guidance, emphasizing its capability to solve a wide range of EQ issues.
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Owners note the importance of adjusting settings per venue, as EQ settings that work in practice spaces may not translate well to live venues.
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Some owners discovered after years that a quality EQ pedal can effectively modify existing overdrive pedals, reducing the need for multiple overdrive purchases.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 2 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
A photograph of Tosin Abasi's pedalboard clearly shows a Empress Para Eq as the rightmost blue pedal. This evidence is further discussed in a related Reddit thread focusing on Tosin Abasi's gear setup here https://www.reddit.com/r/animalsasleaders/comments/14y7vfy/tosin_abasi_gear_setup/
In Misha Mansoor's Instagram post captioned "Fun setup. What would you change/swap?", the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal is visible in his setup.
In one of [Julien Baker]'s 12 days of Christmas giveaways, she states 'This is the Empress Effects ParaEq. A couple of months ago, my friend Steve at Empress said "we're making another version of the ParaEQ and I'd like to send you one and I had never had an EQ on my board perhaps because I am a person who enjoys instant gratification with a short attention span and I like pedals that are super wacky, super fast, or have maybe more - have wacky delay, spaced out reverb sound or weird modulation or more dramatic overdrive or fuzz and I thought maybe this a little too specific and intricate for my needs and this has done wonders for my tone.'
According to the artist page on Empress Effects Inc., Justin Meldal-Johnsen uses the Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal.
In the video "George Thorogood Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour with Guitarist Jim Suhler" by Premier Guitar, at 29:15, an Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal is clearly visible connected to George Thorogood’s pedalboard.
Album Usage
The Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Empress ParaEq MKII Deluxe Equalizer and Boost Pedal, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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