Van Halen 90´s era

T

Tommy_Be Lycan

New member
Van Halen 90´s era

Hey guys!

This is my first post and it´s quit simple, I love the sound of Van Halen in the 90's, wich much of everyone else hates, here's an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I19X-m3vWnk
After 06:10, I love that sweet, soulfull, singing tone. Also another example is Dreams played live at the Rigth Now tour in Toronto, sweet neck pickup liquid tone to my ears. As for the bridge pickup same 90's story, Money, Amsterdam, etc.

I´ve tried Dimarzios for that VH 90's era, but they don´t have the bite that I hear on that songs, also the neck pickups are quit good, but kind of dark. My guitars are all Les Paul types, one Gibson studio plus with APH-II, and one PRS 245 SE with Dimarzio Crunch Lab and Liquifire, and I use a 6L6 poweramp with an ENGL 520 pre, and a Line 6 HD500 for effects, so as you can see I'm an all mahogany short scale guy, wich I know VH isn´t, howevere I still wonder, Wich SD could take me to paradise tone in my head?

Help will be much appreciate, thanks!
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

His 90's tone can be gotten with a DiMarzio Air Zone in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck. A Les Paul style guitar won't do it. You need a 25.5" bolt-on maple neck guitar, be it a Strat or one of the guitars he played (EBMM or Peavey).

IME, those two DiMarzios are the best options for working on getting that tone. But again, you need the right guitar too. With a short-scale Gibson, I honestly don't think you'll be able to get there easily.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

ErikH said:
His 90's tone can be gotten with a DiMarzio Air Zone in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck. A Les Paul style guitar won't do it. You need a 25.5" bolt-on maple neck guitar, be it a Strat or one of the guitars he played (EBMM or Peavey).

IME, those two DiMarzios are the best options for working on getting that tone. But again, you need the right guitar too. With a short-scale Gibson, I honestly don't think you'll be able to get there easily.
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That's what I thought too. I had this combo AZ/AN in my Ibanez RG (basswood/maple) and it sounded exactly like the F.U.C.K. album. WIth a Les Paul you'd need an Air Zone with the EQ of a Super 2.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

both EBMM and DMZ have told me the Tone Zone is the closest to what he had in the EVH model bridge in the early 90s... with the Air Norton in the neck.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

darthphineas said:
both EBMM and DMZ have told me the Tone Zone is the closest to what he had in the EVH model bridge in the early 90s... with the Air Norton in the neck.
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Yeah...in brighter 25.5" scale guitars. In a Les Paul? Freaking mudd city.

I don't usually recommend them outside their original purpose (that being Steve Vai tone),
But for those liquidy tones from a Les Paul, I'd use a DiMarzio Evolution set.

Maybe a Paf Pro/Evo 2 for something less in your face.
 
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darthphineas said:
both EBMM and DMZ have told me the Tone Zone is the closest to what he had in the EVH model bridge in the early 90s... with the Air Norton in the neck.
Click to expand...

Same here, and they even had it listed on their site too. BUT, I preferred the Air Zone instead. It's clearer and more open sounding. I loved that pickup in a Strat. It matches great with the PAF too.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Thank you all guys!!!

Yes I know that the most important ingredient of this 90's VH era sound is a basswood or alder body with a maple top and a maple 25.5 bolt on neck but I just love the Paul, I was hoping to find something that could emulate that hard rock bite:banghead:. And that´s why those dimarzios sound amazing in that woods, scale and construction, but they are dark sounding on a Les Paul(let me tell ya the Petrucci set sounds awesome on my Les Paul much to my surprise).

So that's why I´m turnig to SD now, love those APH-2 on my other paul, just pure vintage bliss and clarity, however they don't have enough bite and growl in the bridge and the neck needs more liquidness and sustain while driven(pure bilss clean), I need this new pickups for the PRS SE 245.

I was thinking in a Custom SH-5, A 59/Custom Hybrid, a Distortion and a Fire Blackouts set, in that vintage to modern order
(not enough buck for the 78 Custom shop or the glorious Bare Knuckle Nail Bombs).

I guess a 59 or a Jazz in the neck will give me a good balance between awesome cleans and liquid soulfull sustain in the neck.

What's your opinion?
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

get a poplar body w/ OFR, maple neck with maple board, and a JB.

you don't need a neck pickup. those are only for old cranky guys like LtKojak. :naughty:
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Tommy_Be Lycan said:
Yes I know that the most important ingredient of this 90's VH era sound is a basswood or alder body with a maple top and a maple 25.5 bolt on neck but I just love the Paul, I was hoping to find something that could emulate that hard rock bite:banghead:.
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So get a 25.5" or 24.75" maple bolt-on neck, with a LP body made of basswood or alder with a maple cap. Make a Warmoth guitar and get everything you want.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

darthphineas said:
get a poplar body w/ OFR, maple neck with maple board, and a JB.

you don't need a neck pickup. those are only for old cranky guys like LtKojak. :naughty:
Click to expand...

LOL. He used the neck pickup a LOT in the 90's though so ya gotta have one for that. His neck tone is pretty damn good actually.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

The tech at Dimarzio told me the Tone Zone is the one as well as it being recommended on other forums for that era.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

I get pretty close to earlier EVH on my LP Custom with ebony fret board and 57 classics and a Blackstar HT-5. Mahogany/maple isn't that far off from Basswood/Maple but the scale and neck material issue is more of a deal breaker to me. I wouldn't go with a tone zone in a Paul because it is already thick. You actually will probably want something possibly thinner and brighter. Maybe a JB, c5 or 59, but I have never tried for the 90's tone.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

The first thing I'd look at for that tone is the amp. in the early 90's, Ed was using a John Bradshaw CAE 3+ SE preamp as well as a SLO for his solo's. He also used proto's of his Peavey 5150 for parts here and there. Before the PU's, I'd look for the CAE Preamp. an ENGL is NOT his tone at all. Maybe a Morse would be the closest thing ENGL offers.

As far as your LP goes- Why not pick up an OLP or a Sterling and be done with it. Keep the PU's stock, and spend your money on the CAE preamp. Its an awesome tonal machine!
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

dvadneau said:
So get a 25.5" or 24.75" maple bolt-on neck, with a LP body made of basswood or alder with a maple cap. Make a Warmoth guitar and get everything you want.
Click to expand...

no doubt, or just get an Axis or a Wolfgang and settle it.
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

dvadneau said:
So get a 25.5" or 24.75" maple bolt-on neck, with a LP body made of basswood or alder with a maple cap. Make a Warmoth guitar and get everything you want.
Click to expand...

This and the Air Zone/Air Norton combo. Expensive suggestion but right on.
 
Van Halen 90´s era

Van Halen 90´s era

AT-1 does quite well for that tone if you are going pickups only. Neck pickup is important too for the 90's stuff and like Erik said its a great neck tone.

Like his early tone amp is most important. Try one of the AMT preamps. Either Soldano for F U carnal knowledge or Peavey for later. Closest I've got is amplitube using soldano model and pitch shift with my Wolfgang and AT-1/AN
 
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Van Halen 90´s era

Van Halen 90´s era

IMO everyone's way off. I tried everything, every pickup, etc, and the most important factor is the amp, and the EVH 5150 III 50 watt is the most cosy effective was of nailing it.

Sure I'll catch flak- sure there are others that tried many other setups and got it, I wasn't happy till I got that amp.

In channel 3, add delay and some chorus and you have his 90s sound nailed
 
Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Tommy_Be Lycan said:
I guess a 59 or a Jazz in the neck will give me a good balance between awesome cleans and liquid soulfull sustain in the neck.

What's your opinion?
Click to expand...

I think it definitely WON'T get you that tone.

All these recommendations for AT-1 and Tone Zone and wutnot from DiMarzio are assuming you have a Strat/Wolfgang style guitar. This automatically assumes you have a brighter tone wood, trem, and longer scale length - all of which are quite obviously not the guitar you have. This has a huge effect on how your pickups ultimately sound.

Oh, and for everyone recommending a guitar change, I've learned through a lot of expense that trying to like a Strat or a Les Paul when the other is your preferred instrument is an exercise in futility. No need to buy a Wolfgang just because you like EVH tone.

Throw a '59 or Jazz in the neck of a Les Paul, and you'll pretty much get a classic rock machine. It'll be raunchy and soulful, but you won't get that liquidy goodness from a high output ceramic - i.e. Eddie's new Wolfgang pickups.

I'm gonna have to agree with jmh151 on this one. The quickest and cheapest way to nail that tone is to start with the 5150 III amp. It makes pretty much any guitar sound like modern Eddie. You might even like the way your PRS sounds with the stock pickups.
 
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Re: Van Halen 90´s era

Re: Van Halen 90´s era

9unslin9er said:
I'm gonna have to agree with jmh151 on this one. The quickest and cheapest way to nail that tone is to start with the 5150 III amp. It makes pretty much any guitar sound like modern Eddie. You might even like the way your PRS sounds with the stock pickups.
Click to expand...

Actually my stock pickups on my PRS sound amazing through my 5150 III, I have the Mira pickups, and I prefer their tone over my EBMM Axis. Pretty much all pickups I've tried sound good through the amp
 
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