So whats Eddie really using for this concert?

[Rick Lee]

I love my EVH 5153 Stealth. I've never heard a bad word about the blue channel on any of the EVH amps. I don't really care for Ed's current tone, but I don't play that stuff and I don't try to cop his modern tone. Those amps are capable of a lot of great tones.

 

[Chester Nimitz]

He had this when i saw VH ... ah the good ole days.

 

[Rick Lee]

That rig is from 5150. While the tone on that album sucked, it was great on the tour.

 

[jabps]

I'll say this much...believe it, don't believe, doesn't matter to me but back in the 90's I worked at the Amphitheater in Nashville, worked in the administration. Sadly the original Amphitheater is long gone, great times...especially for me when it came to gear and having an all access admin pass. Scorpions, Rush, Kiss, Dokken etc...you name it, if I could I scoped their rigs out. Sometimes you'd have a prickly tech, sometimes not.

In Ed's case...it was all there. Rig, guitars...easy to see. On those two tours it was all Peavey. No hidden amps or rack cases, no rehoused units...it was the 5150. In fact the only non Peavey amps that I saw were on the 2nd of those two tours and were Marshalls that were used for his piezo's. In fact the second tour he was playing his prototype Peavey guitars which his tech gladly let me see. Most of those rigs have been photographed and documented, it's out there and was exactly as I saw. Actually the most interesting thing about it was how open his tech was and on each tour his tech had numerous 6L6's laid out on a towel. I'm sure Ed played alot amps in the studio during that era but on those two tours, at that venue, what I saw were 5150 rigs. Was there for the VHIII tour as well but too busy to check the rig out...the album and tour tanked but I've always said, that was the best live guitar tone I've ever heard.

I think it's completely within the realm of plausibility that Eddie used nothing but 5150's for that show... Not only could Eddie have whomever do whatever he wanted to the amps(modifications)... It's eddie. He would most likely sound great on any high gain tube head.

That said, I've read that he is the type to have his preferred amps off stage and mic those for the FOH. Not totally uncommon on that level shows/touring. Hence the question... What was he using? If he did in fact re record after the fact, as suggested earlier, then there's no telling, could be anything.

Well that's the point I was making...for those shows he was using 5150's. Again, no clue what Ed used in the studio or re-recording live takes...but at those concerts there was no "off" stage rig. I worked well over a 100+ shows during my years there and never anything hidden or tucked in a corner, there simply wasn't enough room for any band to do that. Besides once you have staging, rigging, sound equipment...you name it, guitarist/bassists are going to have their rigs as close as possible. Now whats in their rigs is always up for debate but the whole hidden thing is just not feasible from a logistical standpoint for the artist and the tech.

 

[jlb32]

Not sure what Eddie was using during that concert. IMO though his best tone is with Soldano amps on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, etc.... Sucks it didn't work out with Mike Soldano and he went to Peavey and now Fender.

 

[hammered]

I preferred what they were using in 80 & 81

 

[Ventura]

I am 100% totally and utterly ODD MAN OUT....

But I have to say I find EVHs tone of absolute zero interest. I mean, sure, sounds decent, but I've not once in the past nor would ever consider "to wonder" what's behind "his" tone. It's just completely unimportant to me.

Great player, sure. But it stops there. Never was a huge fan, likely never will be. Respect his talent, but that's it.

Flame suit on.

 

[Chester Nimitz]

I preferred what they were using in 80 & 81

His amps are behind his right shoulder.

Ed played out of 2 Marshall stacks side fill on that tour, those are all dummy cabs on the stage.

VH was known for some of the most dummy cabs of any band.

 

[hammered]

^ The 79 tour , man If I was a year older my VH concert experience could have started there but I had to settle for 1980

 

[Chester Nimitz]

Just joining the Military when this came out ...

 

[hammered]

Just joining the Military when this came out ...

I remember seeing that on Don Kirshners Rock concert way back in the day .

 

[hammered]

Just joining the Military when this came out ...

This has been seen a thousand times over but if this was filmed on June 12th I was there at ripe age of 13 , my second time seeing VH within eight months on two different tours

I lost my 1980 ticket stub

 

[JB6464]

Although Ed is one of the best guitar players alive , i can't stand his tone with his Peavey's or Soldano amps .
It just does'nt have that midrange bark and in your face on fire tone he was known for imo .
It's the same thing I noticed with Vitto Bratta when he switched to ADA's from Marshall's after the Pride CD , great playing but that classic midriange bark was lost .