I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

G

GuitarDoc

Bacteriaolgoist
:banghead:I mean, he's got chops that I'll never even hope to come close to, but I've never been impressed with his tone. It has always sounded thin, piercing, and screachy to me. No real character or complexity.

Why do so many people spend so much time, money and effort trying to replicate his tone?! Not anything close to that nice, rich, full, complex Clapton tone.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

People who like him REALLY like him. He also inspired who knows how many people to take up the guitar. What Chuck Berry was to most of our favorite early rock-n-rollers, EVH is to many younger players. They want to cop his sound. When I was learning guitar, I wanted to cop Dick Dale's sound. Big deal.

I do like a lot of his tones, but they are not something I would personally strive for. But, to each his/her own.

And, yes, the number of EVH questions at any given time on the forum is hilarious.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

There's no doubt about his influence on young guitarists. I get what you're saying. I can certainly see wanting to copy his ability/style/technique, but probably improve on, not copy, his tone. There were/are many famous guitarists with a VH type style but with greatly diverse tones. I'm only refering to his tone.

I think it was the same with Chuck Berry. His raw gutsy fusion of blues and the "new" rock was a technique kinda thing rather than a tone thing.

But, Dick Dale, Beachboys, Jan and Dean, etc, and all the surf musicians of that time had a tone that was inseparably connected to that particular style of music, that's a totally different story.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

When you guys say "young" guitarists you're talking about the guys in their 40's right? The actual young guys think that EVH is just the name of an amp used by Gojira.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

By "young," I meant guitarists two decades (maybe one generation) removed from the Chuck Berry worshippers who brought us early rock-n-roll. So, yeah, I guess they'd be about 40 to 50 years old.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

It's because the EVH fascination is almost guitar mythology.

He was really the first one to seriously tear apart this guitars to get a new tone. He was the first major guitar geek. Before that, the only thing that came close was Jimi Hendrix flipping his guitar upside down.

I mean, EVH was a guitar player's guitarist. Playing guitar to bang broads wasn't his modus operandi. Given this is pretty much a tinkerer forum, it would be silly if he wasn't a major inspiration for all of us. And, Duncan was such a huge part of his mythos, i.e. "Did Seymour really wind THAT pickup for him?" "Which pickup can I buy to get THOSE specs?"

I highly doubt, you'll get this kind of obsession in a guitar technique forum, because it's way harder to describe playing technique than magnets and impedance levels.

You won't get, "Well to get the riff from "Hot for teacher" you need to play 4 measures from Cream's ___ and play the 5th, 7th and 9th of a pentatonic minor scale."
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

I don't get the EVH thing either unless its for people who grew up with it which I can understand. I never liked Claptons sound either though... in Cream it was way too thick and muddy and his newer stuff is thin and sounds lifeless... the only album I like him on is Blind Faith.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

the main thing about eddies older tone is the mystique. No one really know for sure how he got it,many have come real close but no one knows for sure exactly the signal chain he used other than a old 68 marshall. It can be fun investigating his older tone IF you like what you hear, IF not well then why would you even care?:approve:
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

9unslin9er said:
He was really the first one to seriously tear apart this guitars to get a new tone. He was the first major guitar geek.
Click to expand...

Yes, he seriously tore apart his guitars, like with a hammer and chisel; his 335 was left in splinters. That's not luthery, it's not even up to junior high school shop class level. Hendrix actually did some of the luthier work on his guitars that didn't involve hammers, like redo the neck pockets and nuts.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

blueman335 said:
Yes, he seriously tore apart his guitars, like with a hammer and chisel; his 335 was left in splinters. That's not luthery, it's not even up to junior high school shop class level. Hendrix actually did some of the luthier work on his guitars that didn't involve hammers, like redo the neck pockets and nuts.
Click to expand...

F*ck the 335!
What about that poor Destroyer! Sure it was a little big, but he didn't have to make it into jigsaw puzzle!

Also, Eddie is proof that when you're famous, you too can sell your hackjob for $25,000. And idiots will buy it.

...idiots like John Mayer...Ohhh!!! Snap...Troll.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination



Hehe...tool.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

Well, for me its not THE TONE, but its cool and he did record some great music.

He could have had a great tone and record some ****ty music and nobody would be talking about him.
 
Last edited:
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

Well, absolutely fantastic guitar playing, but boring songs, never moved me! And that Mayer bloke, ????
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

I'm probably the biggest Van Halen head on this forum, and I've never tried to get his tone.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

I guess Eddie's tone was good for the times, he did rock but me being an old fogey, 57 actually, generally like the older rockers better.

I also agree that with today's hotter pickups and good tube amp you could persue his tone if you want it.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

9unslin9er said:


Hehe...tool.
Click to expand...


lol! tool is right. lol! if I didn't already have a reason to not like that guy... haha!
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

A good friend of mine saw VH in the UK when they were supporting Black Sabbath. He'd never heard of them and said the experience was mind blowing. I'm not a fan because I don't think they ever produced any really good songs but there is absolutely no doubt that Eddie broke new ground like nobody had before. I don't think either Jimi or Eric spawned so many copyists. I heard EVH imitators BEFORE I knew who he was. EVERYONE was trying to be him.

And to get back to the original point I think he had really great tone. Personally I was more taken with the tones of Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, Tony Iommi and the awesome sound of Alvin Lee on Going Home at Woodstock BUT Eddie had a really great sound as well. Let's face it - it doesn't get much better than a bucker into a cranked plexi if that's what floats your boat.
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

It's a generation thing. I agree that Eric Clapton's tone was muffled and dark. I was never really a fan of EVH's, either, but I like it better now than I did back then. I also like the uber gainy math-metal (I refuse to call it 'djent') type tone.

Of course, like others have said, the 'young' players to which you refer aren't really young. I suppose most of us on the board are old guys compared to the age of the aforementioned ground breakers, in their prime, and I'm just 32.

What are WE going to say to the young ones, now? "I love the midrangey, crispy, thin Lamb of God tone." "OMG WAT IS THAT? BLACK AN YELLO BLACK AN YELLO BLACK AN YELLO BLACK AN YELLO"
 
Re: I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

I love his tone. Well most of em.

But have I ever tried to capture that tone?

Nope.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Let's build the best amplifier you will ever play...
2 3
Replies
44
Views
2K
justFred
justFred
P
Van Halen's Tone : breaking the sound barrier
Replies
9
Views
2K
Pat_rocks_and_rolls
P
Lazarus1140
I get lost in the Gibson Les Paul forest.
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
Mincer
Mincer
P
Versatile bridge and neck pickups for a PRS SE Custom 24 (tone references inside)?
Replies
8
Views
3K
elelpe
elelpe
Woodman
Variation on the old "what should I buy" theme
Replies
8
Views
949
Boogie Bill
B
Back
Top