toilet, try not to think of it as EQ, every amplifier is going to put something somewhere in your mix, every transformer type you hook that amplifier up to is going to effect the space where its output sits in your mix. You can mix and match all kinds of things to get the desired effect, this is the main benefit of building your own gear, but you really need to experiment endlessly to get a good handle on it. Building the hamptone jfet pre may be a perfect place to start as its easy to build, affordable and there is tons of support all over the place from people who have built it. It also sounds very good, you'll find SOMETHING it sounds good on.
dave