How to Sound Like Van Halen

[JMP/HBE]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

That’s never been confirmed, and is wildly speculation still. It also has been speculated that it is a line out that was added, as EVH used that extensively as well through his career. Even if Jose did mod it, the question is which mod, and how much was changed? It could have been something as simple as the line out or MV added. What people seem to overlook is that Jose did more than just that one diode clipper mod Friedman, Cameron, voodoo, fortin, and everyone under the sun copied. He was known for many different circuits back in his day.

Point is that there’s no way it will probably ever be verified. Even if it were who’d believe it?

Its no line out its a single pot, no jack. Get real man. Hmmm now why would anyone put a Pot on the back of a NMV Marhall ? Hmmmm I wonder why ... Hmmmm ????

Everything about EVH is Folklore & Conjecture and thats the way he likes it cuz it sells his Products.

I believe thats called MARKETING.

[LesStrat]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

The sound heard when listening to an album is rarely (if ever) the sound of the amp on its own. The mic, the effects, the mixer used to record, and in the time of VH1, even the TAPE affected the sound. We are hearing the recording tone after all of those components and the engineer and producer have impacted it.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

40 years later.....and I still don't care.....I just like the record...what is the big deal with the rest??
To get a bite of the cake??
Play in a bleeding coverband?
Recorded sounds are not how amps sounds^(agrees).....

[LLL]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

The sound heard when listening to an album is rarely (if ever) the sound of the amp on its own. The mic, the effects, the mixer used to record, and in the time of VH1, even the TAPE affected the sound. We are hearing the recording tone after all of those components and the engineer and producer have impacted it.

Yes; the "studio magic".

Which can all be re-created. And has been.

Those of us who really, really love tone study and geek out on these things.

[LLL]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

40 years later.....and I still don't care.....I just like the record...what is the big deal with the rest??
To get a bite of the cake??
Play in a bleeding coverband?
Recorded sounds are not how amps sounds^(agrees).....

Because -

The majority of the time, when "you" heard a killer guitar tone, it was off an album (record, tape, 8-track, CD, MP3, FLAC, etc)...

Some of us out there (myself included) want to know "how did they get killer tone???". It fascinates us... it's a mystery to be solved.

So, we do lots of research, studying, gear combining, testing... not only with guitars, amps & pedals, but
also studio equipment, mixing and recording techniques. The latter is just as important, if not more so, as the former - it
is an instrument to learn unto itself... and can be the most expensive aspect.

Once we figure out a tone, we can use that (or a variant of it) for our own stuff, or just for fun.

For example: I used my EVH 1984 tone settings on my solo in this SD collaboration recently; came out great:



Of course, this "phenomenon" (not really) is quite common with recording studio types of persons and the like... which prolly
makes it seem alien to people who just like to plug in and play guitar but not take things any further.

If you want to sound good on "record" with a polished effort, you either have to pay somebody (recording studio type) or figure it out yourself.

Tone Forensics, if you will.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

Well....dunno maybe I am just not all into that...I wanna make sounds...not copying someone elses!
I do like reading about stuff, but I cannot be bothered by going into OCD mode over it either....takes way too much time for very little gain, most stuff is logical at a certain point....

Have tried a tons of gear though, as some of my friends are whacky gearheads...haha
Most of the time you just sound the way you do....
As for myself...I don't like polished stuff much....I like simple gear that makes me focus on playing, when I play I do not wanna think about anything, I do not swap pedals every week nor amps....

And these days I just play....cannot be bothered by the excessive gear focus, takes too much time away from playing and hearing music....
People worry to much and gets way too serious about the latest gear trends...madness!
I like gear, I used to make gear as well....have worked with sound for many years, it is part of music....but I like to keep it in balance!

[Securb]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

Well....dunno maybe I am just not all into that...I wanna make sounds...not copying someone elses!

Agreed. As much as I love EVH I have never been in a band/gig where his sound would work for me. If I was in a VH tribute maybe I would put in the work. For me, there are not enough hours in the day to get obsessed with something I could not use practically. I love reading about how he did his thing but I am more focused on doing my own thing.

[Red_Label]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

What I know about the brown sound is that I spent decades and thousands of $$$ chasing it... and when I finally nailed it, it immediately stopped meaning anything to me. I thought "so I nailed another guy's tone... now what????" I still love Ed's/Ted's VH1 - Fair Warning tones... But I don't care how accurately I cop them or any others any more. MY tone (whatever it is at the moment) is all that matters to me anymore.

[JMP/HBE]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen



I sent Dave Friedman a JMP in 2011, i have Acheived the Modded Marshall Nirvana.

Got a MESA couple months ago. really diggin the Dual Rec tones. Dont think Ed ever played a MESA but then i don't care either.

FWIW Ed's Legacy in the Guitar World is safe & un-deniable. Nobody is taking that away from him.

[xntrick]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

Pete Thorn posted a video a few years ago where he took a stock Marshall Plexi and dimed all the knobs. He had a cab with Greenbacks and a phaser as well. The tone he got was might damn close for a live sound.

People keep trying to nail his recorded tone and forgetting that Ted Templeman and Donn Landee played a big part in getting that sound.

[Demanic]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

I hear great tones all the time from my setups. And I bet they would sound even better I I were a more capable guitarist.
But I don't spend my time trying to nail anyone else's tone. I'll be inspired by them, and if I get into the ballpark, I figure I'm doing well.
It's like when shooters talk about group size. Some are going for sub minute of angle. I'm happy with minute of elk, or whatever it is that I'm aiming at at the time.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

[Red_Label]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

I hear great tones all the time from my setups. And I bet they would sound even better I I were a more capable guitarist.
But I don't spend my time trying to nail anyone else's tone. I'll be inspired by them, and if I get into the ballpark, I figure I'm doing well.
It's like when shooters talk about group size. Some are going for sub minute of angle. I'm happy with minute of elk, or whatever it is that I'm aiming at at the time.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

I've shot some clover leafs in my lifetime, but considering that my favorite firearms are black and mag-fed... pie plate groups are always the [very achievable] goal. I never post pics of my groups because I don't care what others think of them. Only what I think.

[Red_Label]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

Pete Thorn posted a video a few years ago where he took a stock Marshall Plexi and dimed all the knobs. He had a cab with Greenbacks and a phaser as well. The tone he got was might damn close for a live sound.

People keep trying to nail his recorded tone and forgetting that Ted Templeman and Donn Landee played a big part in getting that sound.

Like all great players, Pete could make a tennis racket sound good.

[Demanic]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

I've shot some clover leafs in my lifetime, but considering that my favorite firearms are black and mag-fed... pie plate groups are always the [very achievable] goal. I never post pics of my groups because I don't care what others think of them. Only what I think.

Pie plate indeed.
Works for me.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

[Joey Voltage]

Re: How to Sound Like Van Halen

People keep trying to nail his recorded tone and forgetting that Ted Templeman and Donn Landee played a big part in getting that sound.

I’ve made this same argument many times here in the last few weeks when all this evh stuff started popping up. It seems to fall on deaf ears.