Product: Biyang EQ-7 Equalizer
Price Paid: USD 50
Submitted
04/23/2009
at
08:00am
by
Bryan
Ease of Use
:
6
My other EQ is an MXR 6-band, and so far this Biyang has been quite a bit more difficult to dial-in. I've spent about 2-hours with it so far, and it feels like the cut/boost is touchy. The slider shows I'm using half as much cut/boost compared with the MXR, but what I'm hearing says otherwise... I'm experimenting with the EQ pre-distortion, but I may try putting this in the effects loop.
Sound Quality
:
8
I'm very happy with the noise level of the Biyang. There's a night and day difference between this and the MXR, even when using the signal level boost, and no matter where it's at in the chain, even behind my clean boost boxes (Duncan, and EHX Power Boost). There's no pop when engaging, and it's transparent when in bypass. My setup was - Ibanez RG w/ duncan 59/JB / Fender standard strat > Biyang EQ-7 > SD Pickup Boost > TS9 > Ernie Ball Volume > JCM900 SLX 100-watt with Svetlana EL34s > 2x12 with Vin30s. I'm giving an 8/10 here because there's always something better out there, and I only have one other to compare with.
Reliability
:
9
It's as sturdy as anything I've seen. Similar to the old EHX pedals, but I think the casing is better, and certainly the footswitch. The only weak point is a thumbscrew securing the battery compartment, luckily the door is solid. The screw could easily be lost, but also just as easily replaced at your local hardware store. I can see the rubber feet falling off in the not too distant future, although I can't complain here because they never last on any pedal that actually sees use...
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No experience here, but considering they're in China, my expectations are pretty low. I don't expect to have any problems, and if I do, I'm not going to worry about it considering the price.
Overall Rating
:
9
I took a small-risk with Biyang considering I had never heard of them before seeing them on Ebay, and then researching here. I think the general consensus seems to be that Biyang makes quality 'working-man' effects, and I have to agree. Whether these effects are actually True-Bypass is debatable, and I'm not an electrical engineer, but they DO sound more transparent in bypass than 90% of these pedals I've paid 90-100+ a pop for at Guitar Center over the years (I was young, I've since learned from my mistakes)! This EQ easily surpasses my MXR 6-band, despite the extra time I've spent tweaking. An EQ should be a part of every guitarist's collection, and at $50 there are no excuses!
