SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

LLL

LLL

New member
1st album Van Halen.

I used to think it was an A5 ~8.9 DCOhms PAF style.

I think that no longer. But it probably started out that way...

After exhaustive research and revisiting my 3-4 year sojourn into the realm of early Edward tone... and using my ears...

I am of the firm opinion that the 1st album was done with what was essentially the SD Custom.

The amount of drive, quick attack, unique midrange, chimey treble, slight "smear", ceramic mag "clank" and ability to clean up well through
a plexi (yes, it really does) tells me so. "PAF on steroids"

Ed was using the Mighty Mite Screamer (1300) just before this event (pics prove this). The Mighty Mite Screamer 1300 was Mighty Mite's clone
of the DiMarzio Super Distortion; they sound very close to each other.

I say Ed went to Seymour with his old 60s PAF and told Seymour "can you wind this sucker up to be just like my Screamer 1300?"

(IIRC Seymour did Mighty Mite pickups for a while waaaay back before he started his own biz)

Ed eventually didn't like the 1st album tone and thought it was too bright and too much reverb (!). So on VH II he used the pickup that became the '78.. A2
magnet fattens up the tone.

Then came the infamous Guitar Player mag Seymour Duncan Laboratories ad in late 1979.

...later (IIRC around the time of Fair Warning), when Ed started using the Floyd Rose, he hated that the Floyd sucked the thickness out of his tone with said
current pickup... so he swapped the 1st album pickup magnet (ceramic) to an A2 to add fatness... and thus the pickup similar to the SD Custom Custom was born.

See Exhibit A - Ed ISO on the left, me on the right - my signal 100% dry; no DAW EQing, nothing. Tapped straight off the SM57:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6fVBUL3SmFidk5Xdm04OWp3RlU/view?usp=sharing
 
Last edited:
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

Thanks. I think most of his guitar tracks are available as isolated Youtube clips. You could do some comparisons with your own recordings if you really wanted to put this to rest.
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

This is the first thread I've seen here about EVH's PU's; well the first this week anyways (it's only Monday though).
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

Hecubus said:
Thanks. I think most of his guitar tracks are available as isolated Youtube clips. You could do some comparisons with your own recordings if you really wanted to put this to rest.
Click to expand...

Grab this clip if you're interested:

***gone***

(I'll leave this up for a short time)
 
Last edited:
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

I also get a perfect sound for VHI with an 80's Dimarzio SuperD (unpotted) on a poplar+maple Godin superstrat through a Marshall DSL1H. Definetely the sound of that album is ceramic magnet. A hot ceramic PAFish sound.
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

Here's an honest question:

Why should I care? Not trying to be a ****, but why is there such an obsession over one dude's tone? So many people have tried to copy it by now, many times close enough with so many different pieces of gear I might add, that the copied sound of EVH has become cliche.

I'd personally just want to hear something new and interesting.
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

+1 to this. There is a difference between being inspired by a tone or technique and trying to slavishly repeat it. Use what works for you. Take it to the next level.
 
SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

This has been discussed so many times. Sources have stated that the first album was recorded (mostly) with the Ibanez Destroyer loaded with stock Super 70 pickups.

I played an EVH Wolfgang plugged in to a 5150 III amp. Guess who I sounded like... not Eddie. I still sounded like me. There was some VH flavor there for sure, but no denying who wasn't playing. There's a lot to be said for how one plays that helps define their tone. Picking style, attack, fingering, chord structure, etc. It all gels together.

All this being said, the Custom is one of those that will get in the ballpark if you want to.
 
Last edited:
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

I took the ISO link down. If anyone's interested, PM me.
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

Just add a little Sunset Studios echo chamber (still no EQing)...

Pardon the rust...

On Fire
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6fVBUL3SmFidUJQMGlGcjRadjA/view?usp=sharing

And BTW, yes I do make the tone work for me. In my 32 years of playing guitar, I've studied numerous players' tones. It is a natural
thing for serious players to do in their Tone Quest (TM). I just happened to pick Edward's tone much later in life.
 
Last edited:
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

ScottieB said:
what are they in and what amp is Marshall ?
Click to expand...

Here's the whole enchilada...

Strat guitar:

Fender Am Std Strat body
Warmoth 1/4-sawn maple neck
Fender Am Std Strat whammy with Callaham parts
SD SH-5
500k volume
no tone pot

TOM bridge guitar (used in all clips previous in this thread):

Carvin DC150
SD SH-5
500k volume
no tone pot

Amp, etc signal chain:

true EP3 style preamp (TIS58 @ ~22-24V)
|
slaved JTM45RI (I modded it heavily to be like a late 60's superlead) -> HotPlate (set to "load")
|
Suhr ISO Line Out
|
Strymon El Capistan
|
'67 Fender Deluxe
|
1x12 Celestion Alnico Gold
|
SM57 (dead center, 1" from cap)
|
UA LA610MkII
|
DAW
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

Myaccount876 said:
Here's an honest question:

Why should I care? Not trying to be a ****, but why is there such an obsession over one dude's tone? So many people have tried to copy it by now, many times close enough with so many different pieces of gear I might add, that the copied sound of EVH has become cliche.

I'd personally just want to hear something new and interesting.
Click to expand...

I see it along the same lines as Elvis Impersonators. Or Female Impersonators. Some people just can't let the original be original and unique. They have to have the signature guitar, amp, pickup, pick, socks, jocks, hair brush, tooth brush, favorite drink, preferred brand of buttwipe, and watch their favorite TV shows so they can eventually win something.
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

It was a lipstick tube.


Fitted to a Teisco


With a Lyre Vibrola.

Eddies Cigarette smoke wafting past the G12H speakers are causing the phase shifting effects.

Ted Templeton recorded the whole thing in a Don's John with a Fender reverb unit, and a Tape recorder. Eddie cleaned his strings in the Don's John between takes.

Now you know.
 
Re: SD SH-5 Custom Is The One

ErikH said:
This has been discussed so many times. Sources have stated that the first album was recorded (mostly) with the Ibanez Destroyer loaded with stock Super 70 pickups (SuperD clones).

I played an EVH Wolfgang plugged in to a 5150 III amp. Guess who I sounded like... not Eddie. I still sounded like me. There was some VH flavor there for sure, but no denying who wasn't playing. There's a lot to be said for how one plays that helps define their tone. Picking style, attack, fingering, chord structure, etc. It all gels together.

All this being said, the Custom is one of those that will get in the ballpark if you want to.
Click to expand...

It reminds me of the Guitar World interview with Jerry Cantrell in about '92 talking about playing Eddie's rig with Eddie's guitar during a sound check. He was a little bit disappointed that he sounded like himself playing Eddie's gear.

I also heard that all of the non-whammy tracks on VH I were cut with the Destroyer instead of the Frankenstrat. I thought it was determined previously that the Super 70 is essentially an 8k-ish PAF wind with an Alnico 8 magnet. Is anyone able to confirm or refute that?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

hamerfan
The Mag - a Q for SD historians.
Replies
14
Views
119
hamerfan
hamerfan
Mincer
Seymour Duncan Announces The Joe Bonamassa "Bolin Burst" Humbucker Set!
2 3
Replies
40
Views
320
Masta' C
Masta' C
Butch Snyder
Custom Custom vs Hades Gates
Replies
9
Views
153
Mincer
Mincer
T
Is the SH-5 Custom with an alnico 5 magnet EXACTLY the same as a Custom 5? (SH-14)
Replies
4
Views
157
twannieguitar
T
S
Modified Blaze Neck in bridge position is awesome!
Replies
4
Views
88
Shooweri
S
Back
Top