The amount of discussion on trying to find this sound is never ending. I go back to the 70's. Guys were using 50 watt Marshalls in High School Gyms and bars with Les Pauls and sounded killer. When the MXR Distortion+ came out, EVERYBODY used one.
That EVH 1st album tone is cool, but it's the PRODUCTION that makes it sound so cool.
The same guy did the 1st Montrose album, and those were stellar tones for 1974......and what was it? A Bandmaster and a Big Muff.
If it was a magic amp, the 2nd, 3rd etc VH albums would have had the same vibe, but they don't. The 2nd and 3rd VH album guitar tones are just as good as the 1st, IMO though different.
I spent DECADES trying to sound like Jimi/ Trower. It ain't gonna happen. After you mature, you go for YOUR OWN tone, IMO.
