Mike Soldano talks about EVH's Marshall

[Rocksoff]

Because if you listen to other players (even one's as good as Ed, like Gary Moore before his blues life took over his playing), I don't hear ANYONE playing through a Marshall that sounds like that...without a distortion box...Hendrix, Malmsteen, Moore, Page, Clapton...NOBODY has a sound that dirty.

I've played some bone stock Marshall Plexi's that when cranked had the same amount of gain I hear in the isolated tracks that are on the web. There is no mystery.

There is no mystery now but for a long time there was. It's obvious one of his amps was modded, one of the pictures of the amp in the studio clearly shows what looks like a master volume on the back. It is also obvious that people have figured out how to take a stock NMV Marshall and recreate Eddie's tone. What gets lost in these discussions is just how secretive Eddy was about his rig and how it was set up. How it was set up is the key to that tone, more so than any mods that may or may not have been done to the amp. Many, many people were and still are blown away by his tone and his chops. Nobody before him played like that or got a Marshall amp to sound that way, that is why people continue to chase his tone.

There were players before EVH that were playing like that and EVH hooked onto them in the mid 70s.

One in particular was Bill Nelson of Bebop Deluxe, who were never big in the US and EVH got quite a bit from him and VH covered a Bebop Deluxe song in 1975 and EVH lifted the riff off Bebop Deluxe's Shine for Beautiful Girls/Bring On the Girls.

But it goes back even further to the early 70s and fusion pioneers Ollie Halsall and Alan Holdsworth, and Bill Nelson got quite a lot off Ollie Halsall and EVH got quite a lot off Bill Nelson and EVH also got quite a lot off of Allan Holdsworth in the mid 70s.

Like, the Ice Cream Man stretch arpeggios at the start of the Ice Cream Man solo come from a Allan Holdsworth Tempest song from 1974, and EVH's across the strings and the same frets licks (I'm The One and the end of the Jump solo etc etc) come from Bill Nelson from Bebop Deluxe.

EVH had his solo (Eruption) that he built around a lift of "Let Me Swim" by Cactus and then he got onto tapping around mid 1977 after seeing Harvey Mandel and all of that ended up as Eruption.

EVH had the commercial exposure through VH in the US and the others mentioned above didn't or just had a bit.

The white knob is pretty useless as a master volume because EVH used the variac as his master volume (see the variac clips I posted a few pages back).

EVH's other amps didn't have white knobs or any additional knobs, and EVH used those amps as well, especially for the 1978 World Tour.

 

[ejecta]

This thread just got stupid.

It passed stupid at the pedal remark.

 

[nitro]

Ejecta,Don't think soooooo that was explained to me(overdrive/distortion pedal) many times by the man who took care of Eds amps from the first time Edward met Jose which was 1970,Edward and his father took Eds amp to Jose shop in 1970 that's when it all started.Why is it stupid.....

 

[ejecta]

Ejecta,Don't think soooooo that was explained to me(overdrive/distortion pedal) many times by the man who took care of Eds amps from the first time Edward met Jose which was 1970,Edward and his father took Eds amp to Jose shop in 1970 that's when it all started.Why is it stupid.....

What was the middle thing?

 

[paulyc]

Because if you listen to other players (even one's as good as Ed, like Gary Moore before his blues life took over his playing), I don't hear ANYONE playing through a Marshall that sounds like that...without a distortion box...Hendrix, Malmsteen, Moore, Page, Clapton...NOBODY has a sound that dirty.

I've played some bone stock Marshall Plexi's that when cranked had the same amount of gain I hear in the isolated tracks that are on the web. There is no mystery.

There is no mystery now but for a long time there was. It's obvious one of his amps was modded, one of the pictures of the amp in the studio clearly shows what looks like a master volume on the back. It is also obvious that people have figured out how to take a stock NMV Marshall and recreate Eddie's tone. What gets lost in these discussions is just how secretive Eddy was about his rig and how it was set up. How it was set up is the key to that tone, more so than any mods that may or may not have been done to the amp. Many, many people were and still are blown away by his tone and his chops. Nobody before him played like that or got a Marshall amp to sound that way, that is why people continue to chase his tone.

There were players before EVH that were playing like that and EVH hooked onto them in the mid 70s.

One in particular was Bill Nelson of Bebop Deluxe, who were never big in the US and EVH got quite a bit from him and VH covered a Bebop Deluxe song in 1975 and EVH lifted the riff off Bebop Deluxe's Shine for Beautiful Girls/Bring On the Girls.

But it goes back even further to the early 70s and fusion pioneers Ollie Halsall and Alan Holdsworth, and Bill Nelson got quite a lot off Ollie Halsall and EVH got quite a lot off Bill Nelson and EVH also got quite a lot off of Allan Holdsworth in the mid 70s.

Like, the Ice Cream Man stretch arpeggios at the start of the Ice Cream Man solo come from a Allan Holdsworth Tempest song from 1974, and EVH's across the strings and the same frets licks (I'm The One and the end of the Jump solo etc etc) come from Bill Nelson from Bebop Deluxe.

EVH had his solo (Eruption) that he built around a lift of "Let Me Swim" by Cactus and then he got onto tapping around mid 1977 after seeing Harvey Mandel and all of that ended up as Eruption.

EVH had the commercial exposure through VH in the US and the others mentioned above didn't or just had a bit.

The white knob is pretty useless as a master volume because EVH used the variac as his master volume (see the variac clips I posted a few pages back).

EVH's other amps didn't have white knobs or any additional knobs, and EVH used those amps as well, especially for the 1978 World Tour.

I wasn't talking about playing style, I was referring to the tone, which is what this whole thing is about...I knew about the Holdsworth influence, but I didn't know about the other guys being influences on him (I know who Bill Nelson is, but not Ollie Halsall), and I know who Cactus was and Harvey Mandel, I was saying that no one had a ferocious Marshall tone on a record like VHI, unless they were using a dirt box (and even this would be MUCH later, there was NO ONE in '77 or '78)...I'M NOT saying EVH used such a box or didn't use one...I wasn't there, I don't know...I just floated some theories that sound plausible to me...if anyone doesn't agree, that's fine...

As to the white knob from the VHII photo outtakes...that isn't a knob per se, I would say it's a pot shaft that wasn't cut and didn't have a knob put on it for whatever reason (or it fell off), and if it was there and it was a Jose style master (diodes), it CERTAINLY would contribute quite a bit to the sound, with or without the Variac...

I'm also not talking about amps from the 78 tour, ONLY the one that he did VHI with...his live sound has never been as high gain as the first studio album, until the first 5150 was released anyway...Nobody has explained to me why he latched onto such high gain amps if he doesn't like/use that much gain...

 

[nitro]

Oh I agree, it was explained to me multiple times by the man who was Edwards main amp guy from the 70s, that would be the amp wizard(RIP) Mr.Jose Arrendondo........... Ever notice on all of the clips that are around that none come close to the first album sound(gain/distortion wise)because guys tend to believe of the stock cranked plexi myth(im talking first album sound, im saing that for some that don't understand)....

 

[nitro]

Ejecta,"middle thing"..

 

[Thorny]

I have a simple yes or no question for Nitro. I'm being sincere and not being argumentative. Have you ever actually stuck a microphone in front of a stock 68 era dimed plexi and recorded it? Very simple question.

 

[ejecta]

Ejecta,"middle thing"..

Exactly.

 

[nitro]

Thorny,Yesssssss(many times) ive owned/played many plexi's the gain that you hear on VH1 is not there.Can someone post the ISO track of running with the devil(which is on the first van halen album if some of you don't now that) and just listen to the gain/distortion and then compare it to a stock, cranked, mic plexi, Thank you.....

 

[nitro]

Ejecta, come on lets not turn into a child that didn't get his cookies,its Christmas Eve are you going to put your cookies out by the fireplace tonight for Santa.......

 

[ejecta]

Ejecta, come on lets not turn into a child that didn't get his cookies,its Christmas Eve are you going to put your cookies out by the fireplace tonight for Santa.......

I'll make it plain...... I don't give a shit what Jose supposedly told you. I've with my own two ears heard a stock plexi get the same amount of gain Ed got on the first album. I trust my ears and first hand experience over some "nitro" dude on a guitar forum claiming to have talked to an old man who could have been telling you the truth or just as easily been blowing smoke up your ass just for shits and grins.

The funny part is people have posted clips on here proving that it is possible but yet you and Snookie refuse to acknowledge it.

Here's a reminder.

 

[nitro]

Ejecta that's tooooo bad it probably had a ovdrdrive/distortion pedal in front when you heard that.Go back and listen to VH1 you probably were hearing things......

 

[nitro]

Ejecta the first clip doesn't sound like VH1 and the second clip isss the ISO clip of running with the devil which is on the first van halen album there you go now compare.......

 

[Thorny]

The reason I ask that question is based on my experience recording guitars. The first thing you figure out when you start doing it is how what you thought sounded good in the room sounds like too much gain on a recording. There are other things I believe that contributed to the VH 1 sound that no one has mentioned or probrably thought about, but you have to realize that its a combination of a lot of things that factor in.

 

[nitro]

Ok so why not believe what was explained to me by jose arrendondo about a overdrive/distortion pedal that was used on VH1.There would be no reason for me to makeup something like that,and if you listen closely it does sound like a overdrive/distortion up front its very saturated and edgy plus its very bright.Tubes can only distort so much NOT to this extent that you hear on VH1,even using a variac wont achieve that.Real simple Edward likes gain why would he design amps(peavey 5150 and EVH Fender 5150III)with so much gain more gain then any stock cranked variac plexi.

 

[ejecta]

Ejecta the first clip doesn't sound like VH1 and the second clip isss the ISO clip of running with the devil which is on the first van halen album there you go now compare.......

Never said they sound the same tonally but the level of gain is there in both. Sorry you can't hear that. I have no interest in the discussion anymore since obviously your ears are broke.

 

[nitro]

Ejecta,nooooo the level of gain is very different maybe Santa will bring you a ear wax cleaning kit you might find it in your stocking, sorry ............

 

[ejecta]

Ejecta,nooooo the level of gain is very different

Yeahhh riiiiight.

 

[nitro]

Ejecta,im glad you agree with me took alittle time but that's ok....