Mesa/Boogie Throttle Box EQ Settings Guide
The Mesa/Boogie Throttle Box EQ is a high-gain distortion pedal with a 5-band EQ section — designed as a compact, self-contained high-gain setup that replicates the tone-shaping power of a Mesa Dual Rectifier in a pedalboard pedal. The Girth switch changes the low-end voicing; the EQ section allows precise frequency shaping that is not available in simpler distortion pedals. Intended to be run direct to a PA or into a power amp/guitar cab.
The best Mesa/Boogie Throttle Box EQ settings start with: Gain at 7/10, Volume at 6/10, 100Hz at 5/10, 200Hz at 5/10, 500Hz at 3/10, 1kHz at 5/10, 3kHz at 6/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Metal (scooped): Gain 9/10, Volume 6/10, 100Hz 6/10, 200Hz 5/10, 500Hz 2/10, 1kHz 4/10, 3kHz 7/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 7/10 | None → Full |
| Volume | 6/10 | Off → Loud |
| 100Hz | 5/10 | Cut → Boost |
| 200Hz | 5/10 | Cut → Boost |
| 500Hz | 3/10 | Cut → Boost |
| 1kHz | 5/10 | Cut → Boost |
| 3kHz | 6/10 | Cut → Boost |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
High Gain with 500Hz scooped and 3kHz boosted — the classic scooped metal EQ. 500Hz cut removes the mid honk; 3kHz boost adds pick attack and definition within the high-gain saturation. 100Hz slight boost adds weight to low tunings.
More balanced EQ with Gain at 7 — hard rock does not necessarily require the extreme mid-scoop of metal. EQ flat across the bass and mids with slight boost at 1kHz and 3kHz adds presence and attack to rhythm and lead playing.
Cutting 200Hz alongside the standard 500Hz scoop tightens the low-mid mud that extended-range, low-tuned guitars can produce, while high 3kHz keeps palm-muted attack defined.
Boosting 100Hz and 200Hz rather than cutting produces a thick, weighty low end suited to slow, down-tuned riffing, with 3kHz kept moderate to avoid excess harshness at this much gain.
A less extreme scoop than the full Metal preset, with 3kHz pushed hard, keeps fast alternate-picked rhythm playing articulate and cutting rather than compressed into a wall.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The 5-band EQ is the key advantage of the Throttle Box EQ over simpler distortion pedals — the ability to precisely shape the frequency response makes it possible to dial in genre-specific EQ curves that standard tone controls cannot achieve.
- Into a power amp and guitar cabinet, the Throttle Box EQ can convincingly replace a Mesa Dual Rectifier preamp in many contexts. Into a standard guitar amp input, it stacks as a conventional distortion pedal and loses some of its designed character.
- The Girth switch changes low-end voicing independently of the 100Hz and 200Hz EQ bands — treat it as a first, broad decision, then fine-tune with the graphic EQ rather than trying to do both jobs with the EQ alone.
- Because the EQ bands interact with the Gain stage rather than sitting purely post-distortion, small EQ moves at high Gain settings produce larger audible changes than the same moves would at lower Gain.
- For direct recording or DI use into a power amp simulator, start from a flatter EQ curve than the genre presets above suggest — a cabinet-simulation stage downstream often already applies its own frequency shaping.
FAQ
Mesa/Boogie Throttle Box EQ — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Mesa/Boogie Throttle Box EQ: Gain at 7/10, Volume at 6/10, 100Hz at 5/10, 200Hz at 5/10, 500Hz at 3/10, 1kHz at 5/10, 3kHz at 6/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Metal (scooped): Gain 9/10, Volume 6/10, 100Hz 6/10, 200Hz 5/10, 500Hz 2/10, 1kHz 4/10, 3kHz 7/10. High Gain with 500Hz scooped and 3kHz boosted — the classic scooped metal EQ. 500Hz cut removes the mid honk; 3kHz boost adds pick attack and definition within the high-gain saturation. 100Hz slight boost adds weight to low tunings.
For Hard Rock (present): Gain 7/10, Volume 6/10, 100Hz 5/10, 200Hz 5/10, 500Hz 5/10, 1kHz 6/10, 3kHz 6/10. More balanced EQ with Gain at 7 — hard rock does not necessarily require the extreme mid-scoop of metal. EQ flat across the bass and mids with slight boost at 1kHz and 3kHz adds presence and attack to rhythm and lead playing.
Gain: Distortion gain amount (None to Full). Volume: Output level (Off to Loud). 100Hz: 100Hz EQ band (Cut to Boost). 200Hz: 200Hz EQ band (Cut to Boost). 500Hz: 500Hz EQ band — cutting produces the scooped Mesa character (Cut to Boost). 1kHz: 1kHz EQ band (Cut to Boost). 3kHz: 3kHz EQ band — presence range (Cut to Boost)
The 5-band EQ is the key advantage of the Throttle Box EQ over simpler distortion pedals — the ability to precisely shape the frequency response makes it possible to dial in genre-specific EQ curves that standard tone controls cannot achieve. Into a power amp and guitar cabinet, the Throttle Box EQ can convincingly replace a Mesa Dual Rectifier preamp in many contexts. Into a standard guitar amp input, it stacks as a conventional distortion pedal and loses some of its designed character. The Girth switch changes low-end voicing independently of the 100Hz and 200Hz EQ bands — treat it as a first, broad decision, then fine-tune with the graphic EQ rather than trying to do both jobs with the EQ alone. Because the EQ bands interact with the Gain stage rather than sitting purely post-distortion, small EQ moves at high Gain settings produce larger audible changes than the same moves would at lower Gain. For direct recording or DI use into a power amp simulator, start from a flatter EQ curve than the genre presets above suggest — a cabinet-simulation stage downstream often already applies its own frequency shaping.
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