Van Halen Balance Tone

Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

I am guessing that the abbreviations and jargon these guys are throwing around ("ebmm," "wet/dry/wet," etc.) is just causing more confusion, right?
I am guessing you are relatively new to guitar, perhaps?

What they are trying to tell you is that Eddie Van Halen's sound comes more from his amplifiers, effects, and playing style.

But if what you want is a Seymour Duncan pickup set as a base to get into the ballpark I believe a "Custom" or a "Custom Custom" in the bridge position is a great start. They are easy to find and loved by a lot of players.
It sounds like a "'78" humbucker is the way to go in the neck position. If you are on a tight budget just change the bridge humbucker for now. You can always change the neck pickup later but 98% of hard rock is played on the bridge pickup.

What kind of guitar do you have?
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

For a cheap SD solution, I agree that the Custom Custom is the right one. EVH wasn't really known for his neck pickup use, so anything vintage will do- Alnico II Pro for more mids, or a '59 for a more scooped sound.
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

I am guessing that the abbreviations and jargon these guys are throwing around ("ebmm," "wet/dry/wet," etc.) is just causing more confusion, right?
I am guessing you are relatively new to guitar, perhaps?

What they are trying to tell you is that Eddie Van Halen's sound comes more from his amplifiers, effects, and playing style.

But if what you want is a Seymour Duncan pickup set as a base to get into the ballpark I believe a "Custom" or a "Custom Custom" in the bridge position is a great start. They are easy to find and loved by a lot of players.
It sounds like a "'78" humbucker is the way to go in the neck position. If you are on a tight budget just change the bridge humbucker for now. You can always change the neck pickup later but 98% of hard rock is played on the bridge pickup.

What kind of guitar do you have?

I have this, but my friend has a 79 Dean Z that I will be buying in a few more weeks.

[url=https://imgflip.com/i/2ene3n]https://imgflip.com/memegenerator[/URL]
 
Last edited:
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

When I bought it I was told that it has a guitar fetish chunky p.a.t. at the bridge, and some kind of Dimarzio at the neck position. I can't really remember. Can I check that?
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

Usually there would be a sticker on the bottom of the pickups identifying the model.
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

Do capacitors potentiometers switch and input jack affect how the pickup would sound? Does VH have a preference on those things?
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

Well, caps would affect the sound. But EVH wasn't really into the tone control at all until his Wolfgang came out, and that was probably a compromise with the Peavey company.
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

That sound (Balance) is EVH in Preset #37 mode. I think any (current) Digitech (RP 250 and above) could make that pretty easy. Not sure on the classic RP-3!!!!

I also don't know about a Custom Custom in that big/heavy of a guitar. Might be bass/flubby/muddy. An Alnico Pro II or Even a 59 would probably be fine. As said - all kind of effect all over that sound.
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

Aceman, you think the regular Custom would be a better bet here? Seems like a good base to work from and brighter/sharper then the CC?
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

Do capacitors potentiometers switch and input jack affect how the pickup would sound? Does VH have a preference on those things?

Those things only have a big impact on sound if they are broken, worn out, or really low quality. Your wiring should be fine as long as everything works well with no cutting out, static noises, etc.
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

big_EVHandhisSoldanoSLOs-1.jpg


You'll need these more than pickups ...
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

I thought he used 5150 amps back then? Are you talking about the Soldano Amps? Do you know what model of amps they are?
 
Re: Van Halen Balance Tone

Get one while it's available. I heard this morning that Soldano would be closing its doors.
 
Back
Top