My first eq pedal was the old school Mxr 10-band eq (orange lights). After long dialing in I got great results but it came with extra noise. Later I used the Tc Spark boost as a simple eq for years, easier to dial in, no noise. A few years ago, the newer version of the Mxr 10-band came out. Again a bit more dialing to get the tone I wanted, but this time less/no noise. Had my eye on a Mesa 5-band pedal, but these are no longer available. This pedal can get you those exact same frequencies. This is now my favourite eq ever. Plugged it in, only 1 minute dialing in, no extra noise... It seems to combine the available range of a 10-band eq but with easier ways to hone in on the tones you want. And at a great price too! A perfect middle ground between my earlier experiences. This pedal also has blue lights but they are way less piercingly bright than the ones on the Mxr (which on some days give me a headache).