Have your own sound. 
Get that sound by playing the instrument, or singing with good technique.  
If you can’t play learn how. 
Look at eq the same way. 
If all you want to do is ape the 335 guitar sounds of the middle 70s, or the Rhodes tones on Jeff Beck’s Rough and Ready lp more power to you, but I’m over that, so is everyone else with ears. 
Get your own sound with eq my friend.  
Clean.  Bright.  Present in a specific place in the mix and containing only the parts of the instrument track that sound good.  
That’s enough.  
Stop including the ugly parts of samples, or, your own playing, on your records.  
Please.  For Christmas. 
John Lennon would eq his voice to death and he hated his voice.  
Experiment with eq. It’s gonna help a lot.