Pete and Dave have done it: The EVH tone vid is must see for ALL!

[SBlue]

Ted Nugent -

"Absolutely. Van Halen, it was their first tour; it was '78, '77-'78, it was the biggest tour on planet Earth. I was a bad motherfucker in 1978, and I heard all about this Eddie Van Halen guy.

"And they're out there doing a soundcheck - we want them to have a good checking of their sound, and I'm listening to the guys and, of course, they're just world-class musicians, Alex [Van Halen, drums] and Michael [Anthony, bass] and Eddie and David [Lee Roth, vocals], and they're out there with this brand new thing called Van Halen, and it was a monster.

"And I'm listening to this screamy high end - he [Eddie] had a little bit of phaser going on, he had some kind of electronic warfare going through his amplifier that he completely tore apart and rebuilt - he's just an electronic maniac.

"And I listen, and I'm going, 'God damn, what kind of an instrument and an amp does that son of a bitch use?!'

"I went out to watch those guys and they went to talk about the tour, the music, the inspirations, and the tone, and he goes, 'How did you get that Byrdland to sound like that?'

"And I saw my Byrdland right there, and I said, 'Well, here, plug this son of a bitch in, we'll keep it in my Fender amps.' And of course, my Byrdland feeds into that low volume, the Byrdland wants to eat your phase.

"So, Eddie's playing, but once he got out of the feedback - there's a feedback that will literally eat the notes you're trying to play. The feedback is so strong, you could go for a scale in the key of B, but the feedback is resonating in the key of D and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.

"So he repositioned himself, he started pulling these mystical licks, and it sounded just like him, but out of my rig.

"And I grabbed his Strat - his mutilated, bastardized Strat - and I started playing 'Dog Eat Dog' or 'Cat Scratch [Fever]' or something, and it sounded just like me.

"If music is anything, it's not only the universal language, not just the universal communication for people anywhere in the world at any time, but it's also a personal execution of the musician's sonic vision.

"And when you practice your balls off, when you dedicate yourself to be the very best you can be, which describes every musician that you and I love...

"It's you, not even the Fenders or the Gibsons. It's you coming through your musical vision and attack of the instrument. You could have an amp and a guitar, don't change any of the settings and put 10 of your favorite guitar players on that set and it will sound just like each individual.

"So it is a mystical Samurai adventure of self-expression, and going right back to my opening statement with you many years ago, 'We love the f%&# music.' If you love it with all your heart and soul, you're gonna put all your heart and soul into making your music, and that's why it's so contagious and universal."

Yeah, O.K., I need what string type again?
Kahn was great and anyone who says different, back it up pal with a video of your playing or you're a lame-ass troll.

That proves that Eddie sounded the same through out his career. VH-1, 5150 and Different kind of truth don’t sound different at all.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

That proves that Eddie sounded the same through out his career. VH-1, 5150 and Different kind of truth don’t sound different at all.

The guitar tone def does to me, in fact, he played differently with more gain than he did on those old Marshalls. To me that's a fact. But he did always sound like himself. That's the important point.

 

[SBlue]

The guitar tone def does to me, in fact, he played differently with more gain than he did on those old Marshalls. To me that's a fact. But he did always sound like himself. That's the important point.

I don’t know about that... if tone is in the fingers, he must have switched fingers to sound different then.?

 

[Samhain]

All talent aside, if tone is in your fingers then chop off your fingers & try plugging them into an amp & see what that sounds like.
Having said that the player is 90% of the game IMO.

 

[SBlue]

That’s why I’ve always said “tone is in the gear, technique is in the fingers”, and what you hear is the summing of both.

 

[SpiderWars]

That’s why I’ve always said “tone is in the gear, technique is in the fingers”, and what you hear is the summing of both.

I agree. Far as I know Eddie used the same fingers throughout but his tone changed...immensely...over the years.

MM, I'm not sure why that Kahn video was even posted. Sure he is very good and could outplay me with one hand...in a mitten. But that wasn't a better representation of Ed tone nor playing (even tho both were very good) than PT...not even close. And that was the context in which it was posted.

 

[panhead]

It was the band as a whole, nobody that I knew at the time 78 went gaga over the guitar tone. The playing and songs/sound yes. There were plenty of players in the 70`s that had that tone, just didn't play like that.

 

[panhead]

I never knew Dave was inside Eddies amp during the years 1977-1984. Maybe he can shed some light on what looks like a pot shaft sticking out the back. Maybe he can shed some light as to why Ed’s gain was getting less and less each album (maybe worn out parts?).

Of course if he wasn’t inside the amp back then...then he can’t possibly know if something was stock or not and his opinion is like everyone else’s. Just his and not fact per say. ?

Friedman was around 10 years old in 77

 

[Racerxrated]

It was the band as a whole, nobody that I knew at the time 78 went gaga over the guitar tone. The playing and songs/sound yes. There were plenty of players in the 70`s that had that tone, just didn't play like that.

Cmon man. Get real.
Nobody played OR sounded like that.
Name some other players who had THAT tone in 78.

 

[SpiderWars]

Cmon man. Get real.
Nobody played OR sounded like that.
Name some other players who had THAT tone in 78.

For real, players drooled over that tone from day one and tons of players were picking their jaw off the floor at the playing. Sure there were the "he's just a bunch of tricks" idiots but...nobody that the masses had heard played or sounded like that. I'm sure you were there too but...that's how I remember it.

 

[Samhain]

I agree. Far as I know Eddie used the same fingers throughout but his tone changed...immensely...over the years.

MM, I'm not sure why that Kahn video was even posted. Sure he is very good and could outplay me with one hand...in a mitten. But that wasn't a better representation of Ed tone nor playing (even tho both were very good) than PT...not even close. And that was the context in which it was posted.

Wasn't "suppose to be better" than anything. That guy playd spot on everything he play

For real, players drooled over that tone from day one and tons of players were picking their jaw off the floor at the playing. Sure there were the "he's just a bunch of tricks" idiots but...nobody that the masses had heard played or sounded like that. I'm sure you were there too but...that's how I remember it.

With VH-1 it was the total package/the whole band, not just "the tone" When i heard Running with the Devil & Eruption for the first time i didn't say to myself "is his pickup overwound or is he using a variac" ? Bands man. It was all about the bands.
The sum of the total parts.

 

[panhead]

Cmon man. Get real.
Nobody played OR sounded like that.
Name some other players who had THAT tone in 78.

Dude most live acts that played cranked marshalls, which everyone did. Number1 ZZtop Fandango Live listen to it. Foghat Rick Derringer Nugent Aerosmith what made the difference was the playing and every single person that chases that EVH tone forgets that. If you listen to isolated tracks on youtube it aint all that, he just did what everyone before him was doing, turn it to 10. Im sure he was not the first to use a variac.

 

[panhead]

For real, players drooled over that tone from day one and tons of players were picking their jaw off the floor at the playing. Sure there were the "he's just a bunch of tricks" idiots but...nobody that the masses had heard played or sounded like that. I'm sure you were there too but...that's how I remember it.

I was playing guitar in a band then and yeah everybody went loco over that shit but there were a few around town that had ed`s shit down cold in 6 month`s and they were using a regular old marshall. Its the originality of his playing.

 

[Racerxrated]

I get it that everyone played cranked Marshalls. But, no album up till VHI came out had that sizzle that Ed got. Period. I have all the ZZ Top, Nugent, Zep, Sabbath, doesn’t matter because no other recorded tone even came close to that aggressive sizzling VHI tone. Nobody.

 

[panhead]

OK

 

[SpiderWars]

I'm just saying the way I remember it; that tone was a "head turner". Like a woman with beautiful long blonde hair and a great body; it turns your head. It takes way more than that to keep one's interest (think catchy songs, etc.) but the tone made my head turn and think; "WTF is this?". And that was their first single...You Really Got Me which was a cover.

 

[panhead]

I'm just saying the way I remember it; that tone was a "head turner". Like a woman with beautiful long blonde hair and a great body; it turns your head. It takes way more than that to keep one's interest (think catchy songs, etc.) but the tone made my head turn and think; "WTF is this?". And that was their first single...You Really Got Me which was a cover.

Hey im with ya but I said Ok because its really an opinionated subject. Hell I was just as floored when I saw Skynryd 76 and one that I remember just as much as VH78 was Def Leppard 1980 Elliot was the only one of age that was fucking stupid good.

 

[panhead]

I remember one dude I knew swore up and down eruption was a synthesizer, with that toggle thing on it.

 

[SpiderWars]

Hey im with ya but I said Ok because its really an opinionated subject. Hell I was just as floored when I saw Skynryd 76 and one that I remember just as much as VH78 was Def Leppard 1980 Elliot was the only one of age that was fucking stupid good.

Damn, I had tix to see Skynyrd...two weeks away. Gaines was a beast. I liked the early Def Leppard...when people called them a 'more modern AC/DC'.

 

[Markedman]

I get it that everyone played cranked Marshalls. But, no album up till VHI came out had that sizzle that Ed got. Period. I have all the ZZ Top, Nugent, Zep, Sabbath, doesn’t matter because no other recorded tone even came close to that aggressive sizzling VHI tone. Nobody.

I was 15 when VH1 came out. The world changed because music was everything back then and evryone was WTF? is that dude doing with his guitar? It didn't matter whether you liked it or not, it had never been heard, that tone, style, speed, 2 hand technique, sequels, etc. Even the Grateful Dead folks appreciated Eddie.

Uli Roth from the Scorpions was pretty good at the time, but Eddie, he stole the spotlight light with prejudice!