help with van halen tone
- Thread starter stung65
- Start date
rspst14
Tone Cat
Re: help with van halen tone
Welcome to the forum. The best pickup for that classic Van Halen tone is the custom shop '78 model. It's $160, but it'll nail that tone. The next best thing is a Duncan '59 model in which the stock Alnico 5 magnet has been replaced with an Alnico 2 or Alnico 3 magnet. After that, the third and fourth best choices would be the Custom Custom and the stock '59.
Ryan
Welcome to the forum. The best pickup for that classic Van Halen tone is the custom shop '78 model. It's $160, but it'll nail that tone. The next best thing is a Duncan '59 model in which the stock Alnico 5 magnet has been replaced with an Alnico 2 or Alnico 3 magnet. After that, the third and fourth best choices would be the Custom Custom and the stock '59.
Ryan
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: help with van halen tone
you will get at least 2 dozen different answers, all of them very good. I will tell you to do a search on this forum. This has been discussed several times and there are several very good threads on this topic.
BTW...welcome to the forum!
stung65 said:
you will get at least 2 dozen different answers, all of them very good. I will tell you to do a search on this forum. This has been discussed several times and there are several very good threads on this topic.
BTW...welcome to the forum!
shredaholic
New member
Re: help with van halen tone
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=33469
that one's pretty recent
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=33469
that one's pretty recent
Edgecrusher
Well-known member
Re: help with van halen tone
After the pickup dont forget the Plexi Marshall...
After the pickup dont forget the Plexi Marshall...
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: help with van halen tone
Just my opinion: Any decent vintage pup will do. Get a Duncan Designed HB 101. The rest of the VH tone is modded Marshall plexi, a couple of vintage effects, and of course Ed himself. The pup won't matter unless it's something with an extreme tone curve like big mid boost ultra scoop, or really bright etc. VH yanked a stock Gibson pup from a 335 or something like that.
Just my opinion: Any decent vintage pup will do. Get a Duncan Designed HB 101. The rest of the VH tone is modded Marshall plexi, a couple of vintage effects, and of course Ed himself. The pup won't matter unless it's something with an extreme tone curve like big mid boost ultra scoop, or really bright etc. VH yanked a stock Gibson pup from a 335 or something like that.
rspst14
Tone Cat
Re: help with van halen tone
I've heard great VH tones from A5 pickups, but to really nail the old stuff that was recorded with an A2 pickup, you need an A2 pickup as well. Eruption and Hot For Teacher were done with A5 pickups, but a lot of those early tones you hear were done with a PAF-style pickup with an A2 magnet. That's why I like the '59 with an A2 or A3 magnet, it's a great way to get that type of tone without going for the custom shop model.
But I agree, the amp is probably way more important than the pickup.
Ryan
I've heard great VH tones from A5 pickups, but to really nail the old stuff that was recorded with an A2 pickup, you need an A2 pickup as well. Eruption and Hot For Teacher were done with A5 pickups, but a lot of those early tones you hear were done with a PAF-style pickup with an A2 magnet. That's why I like the '59 with an A2 or A3 magnet, it's a great way to get that type of tone without going for the custom shop model.
But I agree, the amp is probably way more important than the pickup.
Ryan
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: help with van halen tone
Ed's Marshall was 100% STOCK!
Aceman said:
Ed's Marshall was 100% STOCK!
twoheadedboy
New member
Re: help with van halen tone
What was Hot For Teacher recorded with? THat's my favorite VH tone, and one of my favorite guitar tones ever.
What was Hot For Teacher recorded with? THat's my favorite VH tone, and one of my favorite guitar tones ever.
MikeRocker
What's Your Forum Nameologist?
Re: help with van halen tone
A stock 1958 korina Gibson Flying V, IIRC.twoheadedboy said:
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Re: help with van halen tone
BTW, the way he used the Variac is kinda dangerous, and not at all recommended
The Variac actually reduced the amount of juice the Marshall got. It let him run the amp wide open without killing everybody in the room.Jester700 said:
BTW, the way he used the Variac is kinda dangerous, and not at all recommended
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: help with van halen tone
Ok - so the amp was stock. Point is theres some funky sonic mojo on that thing (VH I). SO it was a variac ran in a way that would void the warrantee - and the user if he wasn't careful. I dare someone to tell me that wasn't a plate reverb!
My main point is there is a whole signal chain there, and after ed's heart/head/hands, there's a blastin' marshall, a plate verb turned up, a mutt strat (although some may have been recorded with a paul or other guitars?) and some mystery pickup included mainly because it was a hb. The pup was not a big part beyond the fact that it wasn't a single coil!
Ok - so the amp was stock. Point is theres some funky sonic mojo on that thing (VH I). SO it was a variac ran in a way that would void the warrantee - and the user if he wasn't careful. I dare someone to tell me that wasn't a plate reverb!
My main point is there is a whole signal chain there, and after ed's heart/head/hands, there's a blastin' marshall, a plate verb turned up, a mutt strat (although some may have been recorded with a paul or other guitars?) and some mystery pickup included mainly because it was a hb. The pup was not a big part beyond the fact that it wasn't a single coil!
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: help with van halen tone
it wqs not a Gibson, it was an Ibanez lawsuit V copy...
MikeRocker said:
it wqs not a Gibson, it was an Ibanez lawsuit V copy...
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: help with van halen tone
no...Ed ran the variac DOWN...this reduced everything about the amp, making it much lower in volume but still pretty nasty sounding...like an attenuator.
Jester700 said:
no...Ed ran the variac DOWN...this reduced everything about the amp, making it much lower in volume but still pretty nasty sounding...like an attenuator.
twoheadedboy
New member
Re: help with van halen tone
hmm, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to achieve some very van halen-esque tones with a '59 in an SG through my amp, which is essentially a plexi copy.
hmm, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to achieve some very van halen-esque tones with a '59 in an SG through my amp, which is essentially a plexi copy.
MattPete
New member
Re: help with van halen tone
Much of VH1's sonic mojo comes from the producer, not Ed. From what I understand, it's a combination of panning the dry signal to the left and the wet reverb signal to the right along with some radical post-equalization. If you listen to Ed's live tone during that era, it kinda sucks.
Aceman said:
Much of VH1's sonic mojo comes from the producer, not Ed. From what I understand, it's a combination of panning the dry signal to the left and the wet reverb signal to the right along with some radical post-equalization. If you listen to Ed's live tone during that era, it kinda sucks.
MikeRocker
What's Your Forum Nameologist?
Re: help with van halen tone
Check out:
http://www.mikesguitarsite.co.uk/gear/van_halen/ third entry from bottom
and a picture: http://www.flying-v.ch/players/other/players.htm at the bottom
I think there were less than 100 '58 korina Vs made, so if you're trying to truly nail the "Hot For Teacher" tone, I hope you've got some seriously deep pockets.
He supposedly used the Ibanez on the first album, but on "Hot For Teacher", it was a korina '58 Flying V. I remember reading this is an interview. He set the neck volume low and had the bridge all the way up, switching back and forth was how he got the sound to clean up during the verses.the guy who invented fire said:
Check out:
http://www.mikesguitarsite.co.uk/gear/van_halen/ third entry from bottom
and a picture: http://www.flying-v.ch/players/other/players.htm at the bottom
I think there were less than 100 '58 korina Vs made, so if you're trying to truly nail the "Hot For Teacher" tone, I hope you've got some seriously deep pockets.
