Worthy quote: Alexi Laiho

I don't scoop my mids, & it sits much better in the sound when you're playing with a band.

A simple statement from Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom) but one which stems from a keen ear. Any respectable sound engineer would tell you guitar signals would show up as mid-frequency charting on the monitor screen; the guitar in its entirety is an instrument churning out loads of midrange. If you play guitar in isolation, that scooped EQ would do you good- you sound very deep, more menacing with plenty of distortion. However, this is disastrous in a band context- the guitar would be buried by the bass' bottom end, the drums are also thumping low frequencies so it's a competition best avoided. Drum snares & cymbals are riding the treble end as well, so once again, the scooped guitar sound would only serve the player some deserving involvements into obscurity...

So this is a call for added midrange, then? Of course not. You'd do well to EQ your tone during sound check before you start jamming away. Listen to your band in context, fill in the 'space' which would make your guitar tone more upfront. If you are wondering what EQ is all about, this is the best time to find out. It's more probably a very useful tool to cut through the mix, not the perceived solo booster as deemed/ misunderstood by many.