Pultec MEQ-5 #1734 (Vintage)

Fantastic on vocals, guitars, snares, etc. The EQ settings are:

Low Mids: 200Hz, 300Hz, 500Hz, 700Hz, 1000Hz
Low Mid Peak - 0 to 10dB boost

Mids: 200Hz, 300Hz, 500Hz, 700Hz, 1000Hz, 1.5kHz, 2kHz, 3kHz, 4kHz, 5kHz, 7kHz
Mid Dip - 0 to 10dB cut

High Mids: 1.5kHz, 2kHz, 3kHz, 4kHz, 5kHz
High Mid Peak - 0 to 10dB boost


The name Pultec is an abbreviation of Pulse Techniques Inc., a company that consisted of two men: Gene Shank and Ollie Summerland. These electronic wizards made every piece of their gear by hand at their factory in Teaneck, New Jersey, not far from Les Paul’s house. In fact they even collaborated with Les on some projects. Although they made a number of other products, Pultec is famous for their passive EQ’s, the circuitry of which was licensed from Western Electric. To make up for the signal loss of the EQ circuit, a tube gain make amp was used.

Near the end of their production years, Pultec switched from tube designs to solid state. These units had a brushed metal faceplate rather than the blue-green paint jobs of their tube gear. With top-notch hand-made craftsmanship and a unique sound, Pultecs remain one of the most sought after of the vintage passive equalizers.