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Paradox Parametric EQ

Based On
Pearl PE-10 Parametric EQ
Effect Type
Parametric EQ
Build Difficulty
Intermediate
Project Summary
A two-band fully parametric EQ with frequency, gain and bandwidth controls for both bands.
Paradox Parametric EQ printed circuit board

Printed Circuit Board

What's included?
PCB only. Build instructions and parts list can be viewed or downloaded from this page.
In stock

Original price was: $12.50.Current price is: $10.00.

In stock

Complete Kit

Not yet available.
Kits are developed based on interest, so if you’d like to see one for this project, let us know.

Project overview

The Paradox Parametric EQ is based on the Pearl PE-10, a two-band parametric EQ that was originally released in 1981 or ’82 and discontinued a few years later. We originally traced this pedal all the way back in 2015 as one of our very first traces. It took over ten years to release a PCB, but we got there eventually!

The PE-10 is part of Pearl’s “Sound Spice” series of effects which was designed by Korg, which also featured the OD-05. Each of these pedals is similar to classic effects such as the Tube Screamer or CE-2, but all of them have a twist that makes them stand out in some way.

This circuit is distinct from other compact parametric EQs in that it has a “Q” or bandwidth control, which most others such as the Ibanez PQ-9 or Boss PQ-4 are lacking. Because of this, it meets the definition of a fully parametric EQ while the others are technically only semi-parametric.

The Paradox is a direct adaptation of the PE-10 circuit. The only change is that the JFET switching has been converted to true bypass.