I finally found out what the pot behind van halen VH1 does (it wasn't a master at all)

[311boogieman]

Perhaps the AI could give us a blowjob while it mods this amp for us.

Now we are getting somewhere

I can't wait until Fractal incorporates AI into the Axe-FX IV.

Hmmmm

 

[Exo-metal]

God did two things that are very amusing. He gave morons the ability to communicate. Smash smashed haha

 

[mentoneman]

to me the brighter of the two tracks just sound like a celestion miced with a 57 on axis on the dust cap more than a JBL,
but it could also be a JBL just heavily eq’ed to not be as bright as it would normally sound close miced and raw…which is very bright!

if you go to JJ Blair’s insta to find the original post he goes through all of the isolated instrument tracks and there is quite a bit of gtr bleed on the drum mics, which may contribute to the sound and may have captured some of the JBL in the room vibe…

the other thing i noticed is that the echo printed on the solo track didn’t sound much like an echoplex to me. sounded more like:

Eddie Van Halen used the Roland DC-20 echo on several tracks, notably including "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Runnin' With the Devil," and "Jump."

bottom line is the tracks here imo point out the raw tone was very consistent with what i know to be a cranked/attenuated plexi, with the help of a variac and maybe a boss eq pedal and echoplex preamp out front. the magic was Donn Landee mix and the Sunset Sound chamber.

 

[Fiesta Red]

These ampchaser threads are like Geraldo opening Al Capone's vault.

 

[Amp_chaser]

Bro, you really don't get it. Why can you not simply grasp the concept that nobody is ever going to know "definitively" what was in Ed's number one Marshall. Whatever that "famous" person you are referring to said that is in his amp is disputed by numerous legendary amp builders. Do you not see the cycle here?

Nobody is disputing that Ed worked with Jose, or that Ed had other amps that were modded by Jose or whomever but until there is verified schematic proof regarding his main Marshall - nobody will ever know. And that is never going to happen.

I agree with you that nobody will ever know the exact mods, if there were any. Still, identifying the main mod is already a big step closer. In fact, that main mod is what gives the amp those crazy mids.

Honestly, when people find out what it is, I think half of the Van Halen community will laugh and the other half will be frustrated. The main mod lines up with what José said in Eddie’s biography.

 

[311boogieman]

I agree with you that nobody will ever know the exact mods, if there were any. Still, identifying the main mod is already a big step closer. In fact, that main mod is what gives the amp those crazy mids.

Honestly, when people find out what it is, I think half of the Van Halen community will laugh and the other half will be frustrated. The main mod lines up with what José said in Eddie’s biography.

But...see. There you go again. The words you chose in your response is talking as if a mod was definitively there to begin with

That's what the rub is about.

Can you accept that maybe his main amp was not modded, as stated by many pros who have looked at it?

In the end though - does it really matter? You either like your tone or you don't? No one else cares. I don't see Al Estrada stressing out over it and he plays live with DLR.

 

[harddriver]

to me the brighter of the two tracks just sound like a celestion miced with a 57 on axis on the dust cap more than a JBL,
but it could also be a JBL just heavily eq’ed to not be as bright as it would normally sound close miced and raw…which is very bright!

if you go to JJ Blair’s insta to find the original post he goes through all of the isolated instrument tracks and there is quite a bit of gtr bleed on the drum mics, which may contribute to the sound and may have captured some of the JBL in the room vibe…

the other thing i noticed is that the echo printed on the solo track didn’t sound much like an echoplex to me. sounded more like:

Eddie Van Halen used the Roland DC-20 echo on several tracks, notably including "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Runnin' With the Devil," and "Jump."

bottom line is the tracks here imo point out the raw tone was very consistent with what i know to be a cranked/attenuated plexi, with the help of a variac and maybe a boss eq pedal and echoplex preamp out front. the magic was Donn Landee mix and the Sunset Sound chamber.

In one of those Friedman interviews he states that someone did a spectral analysis of the 2nd Iso track that we think is a JBL and a whole lot of 12K frequency looks to have been added that I guess you don't see on a JBL frequency graph and he surmises it was most likely done at the mixing console EQ. I can accept a JBL since we've seen them in his cabs and I can accept an straight on greenback mic placement with added 12K to give the tone extra bite as it's only just one little facet of what produced VH1 album/studio tone.

 

[mentoneman]

In one of those Friedman interviews he states that someone did a spectral analysis of the 2nd Iso track that we think is a JBL and a whole lot of 12K frequency looks to have been added that I guess you don't see on a JBL frequency graph and he surmises it was most likely done at the mixing console EQ. I can accept a JBL since we've seen them in his cabs and I can accept an straight on greenback mic placement with added 12K to give the tone extra bite as it's only just one little facet of what produced VH1 album/studio tone.

cool. it’s not enough of a thing i’m hearing on the isos that screams JBL like i know those sound close mic’ed. but either way, the blending of the bright and warm mics is a very cool effect i’ve experimented with. just makes the sound bigger/dynamic and more 3D imo.

 

[Rackman]

In one of those Friedman interviews he states that someone did a spectral analysis of the 2nd Iso track that we think is a JBL and a whole lot of 12K frequency looks to have been added that I guess you don't see on a JBL frequency graph and he surmises it was most likely done at the mixing console EQ. I can accept a JBL since we've seen them in his cabs and I can accept an straight on greenback mic placement with added 12K to give the tone extra bite as it's only just one little facet of what produced VH1 album/studio tone.

12K is literally a Pultec high bell frequency. Just saying...

 

[VonBonfire]

 

[Equ1nox]

Volta Control, Dave talks about in "The Amp Panel #11 - the Jose mod" about 4 months ago -
It was a bunch of resistors on a rotary switch stepping thru values that shunted to ground off of the 1st gain stage plate browning it out. Pretty simple.
Whether is was in Ed's amp or at least at one time remains to be authenticated.

 

[harddriver]

12K is literally a Pultec high bell frequency. Just saying...

Quite a few people have said that Landee used Pultecs among other things so they probably were used.

 

[harddriver]

Volta Control, Dave talks about in "The Amp Panel #11 - the Jose mod" about 4 months ago -
It was a bunch of resistors on a rotary switch stepping thru values that shunted to ground off of the 1st gain stage plate browning it out. Pretty simple.
Whether is was in Ed's amp or at least at one time remains to be authenticated.

Thanks! Redplated already sussed that one out earlier but it's cool to hear Dave explain it. I wouldn't imagine it would be desireable on an amp that was already getting variaced down to 70-90ACV but ya never know. I still hear the amp on VH1 to have more plexi characteristics/attributes than what I have heard from multiple LG/HG Jose amps including Mark Cameron's Atomica.

 

[mentoneman]

Thanks! Redplated already sussed that one out earlier but it's cool to hear Dave explain it. I wouldn't imagine it would be desireable on an amp that was already getting variaced down to 70-90ACV but ya never know. I still hear the amp on VH1 to have more plexi characteristics/attributes than what I have heard from multiple LG/HG Jose amps including Mark Cameron's Atomica.

even though there is inherently more gain in the atomica, zach dialed his in for the vh thing pretty nicely. i had a sm58 on the dry cab/gh30 and a funky radio shack condenser i’ve had forever on the wet cab. it is such a fun amp to play!

 

[Lightning]

Mentoneman you are using a DiMarzio Super Distortion in your black and yellow striped strat

 

[VonBonfire]

even though there is inherently more gain in the atomica, zach dialed his in for the vh thing pretty nicely. i had a sm58 on the dry cab/gh30 and a funky radio shack condenser i’ve had forever on the wet cab. it is such a fun amp to play!

That aloha tone!!!

 

[fusedbrain]

to me the brighter of the two tracks just sound like a celestion miced with a 57 on axis on the dust cap more than a JBL,
but it could also be a JBL just heavily eq’ed to not be as bright as it would normally sound close miced and raw…which is very bright!

if you go to JJ Blair’s insta to find the original post he goes through all of the isolated instrument tracks and there is quite a bit of gtr bleed on the drum mics, which may contribute to the sound and may have captured some of the JBL in the room vibe…

the other thing i noticed is that the echo printed on the solo track didn’t sound much like an echoplex to me. sounded more like:

Eddie Van Halen used the Roland DC-20 echo on several tracks, notably including "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Runnin' With the Devil," and "Jump."

bottom line is the tracks here imo point out the raw tone was very consistent with what i know to be a cranked/attenuated plexi, with the help of a variac and maybe a boss eq pedal and echoplex preamp out front. the magic was Donn Landee mix and the Sunset Sound chamber.

I've never heard these tracks before, and I really don't give a shit about the amp some dude used to record a record 48 years ago, but.....
The 610 console, a couple of slammed 1176's, and whatever else Don Landee was doing, have as much to do with the tone of these tracks as what the amp was doing in the room.
I mean, fuk me, you can hear the 1176's breathing like a MOFO here.
If you try to make an amp in the room sound like that, it's going to sound like its broken.
Plexi's, tube consoles and 1176's all break up differently, and that tone we are hearing here is the sum of the parts.
This whole EVH tone chase thing just fukking boggles my mind.
OK, carry on....

 

[VonBonfire]

I've never heard these tracks before, and I really don't give a shit about the amp some dude used to record a record 48 years ago, but.....
The 610 console, a couple of slammed 1176's, and whatever else Don Landee was doing, have as much to do with the tone of these tracks as what the amp was doing in the room.
I mean, fuk me, you can hear the 1176's breathing like a MOFO here.
If you try to make an amp in the room sound like that, it's going to sound like its broken.
Plexi's, tube consoles and 1176's all break up differently, and that tone we are hearing here is the sum of the parts.
This whole EVH tone chase thing just fukking boggles my mind.
OK, carry on....

Incorrect. You haven't been reading the thread. The VH1 tone is obtained via a secret sir-cut attached to a knob cleverly hidden from the audience on the back panel of Eddie's amp. After a decade of research the OP has unlocked this little known modification. Unfortunately he decided to only sell it to friends, who will never sell the amp or reveal his secrets to outsiders. Sorry.

 

[marvcus]

.
View attachment 442637
See that black huge box behind the white evh 5150 amps that's an uknown amp. And Ed plays it in front of chip ellis for 3 secs in the vid and he doesn't play any other amp except this one in the promotionnal for the evh frankie. but they didn't put the sound. That amp is huge and it would fit the descriptions of some mods.... You can't say ed didn't use modded amps... because some of his studios amps tell another story... I mailed evh fender and it's not one of theirs...

That big amp says Sound City on it.

 

[mentoneman]

Mentoneman you are using a DiMarzio Super Distortion in your black and yellow striped strat

not me playing or my gtr - i just recorded my brother Zach playing his gtr/rig.
but you’re correct!