Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

[tone?]

ok there might have been a bunch of these posts in the past, but i missed em.

i have tried a range of amps lately cause i am looking to get something really good. you know, a keeper, something that i will spend a couple grand on but keep for a lifetime.

what i want to get is that old van halen sound but in my room at home.
is that possible or am i being silly?

what i tried so far was a THD univalve which was quite good. i really liked how you could turn it down alot and still get the power tube saturation. But it sounded too 'slow'. not enough attack for halen.

i tried the VHT Thirty combo and that sucker i liked more than the THD but the EL84 sounded a bit too compressed to me.

The one i liked the best was the SMF 35watter . that came pretty damn close to a 'vintage' high gain ( thats what i like to call early Van Halen). it was truley the best amp i have heard in a while. My only argument here is that it has no effects loop.

what i didnt hear was the VHT 50 watt combo, which i will in a few days.


so any ideas for me to get that great no to much gain but lots of sustain Ed sound in the bedroom?

thanks!

 

[MBreinin]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Go this website and listen to this guy's tone:

http://www.jfrocks3.com/home.html

He does it with a Crate 2x12 you can pick up for $150-$200 on E-bay.

I can get close enough for my own ears with my Behringer V-Amp Pro.

Mike

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Well I have tried on 5 watt valvehead prototype that could give you VH and then some.
Still not all finished yet, but it sound frightenly good.

 

[Sune]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Well I have tried on 5 watt valvehead prototype that could give you VH and then some.
Still not all finished yet, but it sound frightenly good.

One you were making at your work??

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

No not me, I stay as far away from high power stuff as possible

 

[Neeradj]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

I can get close enough for my own ears with my Behringer V-Amp Pro.

Mike

Really?! Because the Vamp I owned and heard had absolutely no dynamics, so that'd make it hard to do Van Halen-ish chops :smack:

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

I can get close enough for my own ears with my Behringer V-Amp Pro.

That's what I'd suggest. Get an amp of which you're happy with the tone at loud volumes. Get you a good modeler for the low volume stuff. You may need another, smaller amp for the modeler if your big amp isn't clean enough for it. Another avenue is a good power amp like an Atomic Reactor. You can plug a V-Amp or similar directly into it. I think their small one is around 15 watts (give or take). There are a few people on here that have them and love them. I don't know what preamp they use, though.

 

[mmguz]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Pod xt or podxt live with headphones or direct in a P.A. or a very clean amp.

 

[MBreinin]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Really?! Because the Vamp I owned and heard had absolutely no dynamics, so that'd make it hard to do Van Halen-ish chops :smack:

I have had my V-Amp Pro for a few months now and I know my way around it. The key is making adjustments. Eddie's tone is all in the EQ...well, it is all in his hands, but as far as settings it is EQ.

I use the Modern High Gain setting. I turn off the gain boost and cut the gain down to around 3/4. I run the volume pegged to get that simulated powertube saturation. Add in a nice amount of reverb and some delay. I use cabinet simulation #10, I am not sure which one that is but I assume it is a vintage 4x12 simulator since that is the cab that the "Eruption" patch uses. I have the bass around 2 o'clock, the mids down around 10, the highs somewhere around 2-3 and the presence almost wide open.

With my Charvel and Blues Trembucker I can get a pretty damn good EVH tone. Very warm, very fat, good attack. Sometimes I roll the volume back just a tiny bit, which helps with articulation.

Jeff from JFrocks website nails it to the bone, and he sure as hell isn't using anything too fancy.

Mike

 

[tone?]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

well i can see how the guy Jfrocks gets it with the solid state crate a bit. but the amp moddeling is a bit tinny sounding for me. i have one, an older digitech rp5 but it sounds pretty damn good.
amp moddelers just lack that fat midrange you know?

thanks for all the help.


so you think going for those tube amps i mentioned before is way too loud for me?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Get a Bogner Shiva. They're in the top 5 of the best amps ever made IMO. If I didn't have an Ecstasy, I'd probably have the EL-34 Reverb Shiva head.

Months ago, I was at Westwood Music in LA playing a strat through a Shiva EL-34 1-12 combo, and the owner of the store came running down the stairs just to see what amp on his showroom floor sounded that good. And that was a place with about 12 brands of boutique amps!

 

[tone?]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

i dont think i will be able to play that too low dont you?

I have never heard Bogners before.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

The Plexi Variac model in the PODxt is damn near dead on, imo.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

The only time I can sound like Eddie is when I pop the top on a beer.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Go this website and listen to this guy's tone:

http://www.jfrocks3.com/home.html

He does it with a Crate 2x12 you can pick up for $150-$200 on E-bay.

I can get close enough for my own ears with my Behringer V-Amp Pro.

Mike

That guy makes a lot of sense on that site!!! I find that Ed's early tone is extremely clean! I have some soundboard Dave era VH shows and Ed's tone is pretty clean. I find getting Ed's tone in a bedroom means finding an amp with some bottom end to it... I found a little Berhinger 1x10 that has huge bottom end to it!!! It's called a Vintager.... It's a cheap ass amp and does not really sound that great but that EQ section they have is amazing! It almost sounds like a 4x12 only smaller! If more small combos that are better build. and better sounding could use an EQ section like this amp has the world would be a better place.....

 

[MattPete]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Vox ToneLab through a set of nearfield monitors. This will give you a VH2 - Fair Warning tone:

tweak the tone controls (including the treble boost and reverb) to suit:

Amp: UK68P
Cab: Vox AC30

Treble Boost on
Drive: 7.0
Tone: 9.2
Level: 10

Mod: off

Gain: 10
Treble: 10
Middle: 1.4
Bass: 3.0
Presence: 7.5
VR Gain: 6.7

Reverb: Spring
Lo Damp: 7.4
Mix: 3.3
Hi Damp: 3.3

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

I suggested Bogner, only because they're killer at gain and clean, although they are a bit loud. They still sound nice at moderate volumes.

Honestly, the rig that might serve your purposes best is a Vox AD60 or 120 head on a Vox 2-12 or 4-12 cab. Because they have closed backs, the gain channels sound more like a wall'o'Marshalls. I love the Vox heads. You can use them as a Tonelab, a practice amp, or a live amp. Digital amps never excited me much till I bought that head and heard it with good cabinets. The tuner, OD models, variable output, headphones, and direct recording out is something that's spoiled me. I have a Matchless, Jubilee, and Bassman sitting right next to my Valvetronix amp, and I hate to admit it, but I put more hours on the Vox.

 

[MBreinin]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

Here you go. These are recorded with a PodXT rack job.

No, this is not me, it is Pete...who goes by TwisterAmps on the JCF forum.

Yes, these are not exact Eddie tones...but they sound pretty damn VH to me. The playing is, of course, sick!!!

http://www.mothrastewart.com/audio/hotforteachervid2.wmv

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Can you sound almost like Van Halen in the Bedroom?

The only time I can sound like Eddie is when I pop the top on a beer.

I screamed out the name "Valerie" during sex one time, but it didn't go over well with the Mrs.


:laugh2: