Van Halen Pickup
- Thread starter OdgeUK
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T
Thunder
Guest
notesfield
New member
Re: Van Halen Pickup
cc/59 A2 Hybrid pickup through a Marshal JVM with some delay and an MXR phase 90 will give you the vibe and get you in the ballpark, the rest is in the fingers.
cc/59 A2 Hybrid pickup through a Marshal JVM with some delay and an MXR phase 90 will give you the vibe and get you in the ballpark, the rest is in the fingers.
Re: Van Halen Pickup
EVH's overdrive sound is warm, balanced, spongy, fat but with great string separation. A lot of the warmth and crunch must surely be the Marshall, some of the clarity is probably his fingers, but there are obviously pickups out there that will check these boxes more than others. With this in mind, using Ed's tone as a reference point for choosing a pickup is pretty valid and is not neccessarily an indication of someone chasing the impossible.
Analogy. You walk into a hairdressers and the hairdresser asks you what hairstyle you want. Rather than flounder around with difficult and easily misunderstood descriptions, you show them a picture of a celebrity with the hairstyle you are looking for. The Hairdresser turns round and says "What's the point, you don't have the same face, stop trying to look like XXX and get your own style, 99% of that persons look is the nose, so you might as well give up".
EVH's overdrive sound is warm, balanced, spongy, fat but with great string separation. A lot of the warmth and crunch must surely be the Marshall, some of the clarity is probably his fingers, but there are obviously pickups out there that will check these boxes more than others. With this in mind, using Ed's tone as a reference point for choosing a pickup is pretty valid and is not neccessarily an indication of someone chasing the impossible.
Analogy. You walk into a hairdressers and the hairdresser asks you what hairstyle you want. Rather than flounder around with difficult and easily misunderstood descriptions, you show them a picture of a celebrity with the hairstyle you are looking for. The Hairdresser turns round and says "What's the point, you don't have the same face, stop trying to look like XXX and get your own style, 99% of that persons look is the nose, so you might as well give up".
Re: Van Halen Pickup
:lmao::lmao::lmao:
:lmao::lmao::lmao:
I always wanted Eddie's hair more than his tone. He had some really cool hair back in the day.
WoodyTone
New member
Re: Van Halen Pickup
To all the "pickup is a small part" guys: Theoretically, yes. But get any guitar, any pickups, and play it through a cranked plexi with a 4x12 of greenbacks. No effects needed in the chain. Then swap the bridge pickup with an EVH Frankenstein pickup. I am certain you will hear more "Ed" there -- and if you like Ed's playing and tone, that WILL give you a woody. I am about to stick a Frankie pickup in my Les Paul and will report back.
Odge, the 59 will work -- I had a Screamin Demon for a while, close to a 59, and that worked fine. Lots of guys swear by the 59, which Ed allegedly used for 1984 (or at least the tour following). But depending on how anal you are about the tone or how good your ears are or the body wood, the A5 in the 59 might be lacking something.
To all the "pickup is a small part" guys: Theoretically, yes. But get any guitar, any pickups, and play it through a cranked plexi with a 4x12 of greenbacks. No effects needed in the chain. Then swap the bridge pickup with an EVH Frankenstein pickup. I am certain you will hear more "Ed" there -- and if you like Ed's playing and tone, that WILL give you a woody. I am about to stick a Frankie pickup in my Les Paul and will report back.
Odge, the 59 will work -- I had a Screamin Demon for a while, close to a 59, and that worked fine. Lots of guys swear by the 59, which Ed allegedly used for 1984 (or at least the tour following). But depending on how anal you are about the tone or how good your ears are or the body wood, the A5 in the 59 might be lacking something.
Re: Van Halen Pickup
Actually, my favourite Ed tone is probably 1984. Drop Dead Legs and Girl Gone Bad are phenomenal tones. The '59 will hopefully work out just great then!
Having said that, I'm really getting into the Women and Children first tone, so much....SIZZLE!
Actually, my favourite Ed tone is probably 1984. Drop Dead Legs and Girl Gone Bad are phenomenal tones. The '59 will hopefully work out just great then!
Having said that, I'm really getting into the Women and Children first tone, so much....SIZZLE!
crusty philtrum
Vintageologist
Re: Van Halen Pickup
I'm not an Ed-head but i was wondering whether someone would suggest the Custom/59 hybrid. It's a great pickup in the right area and i can hear the potential (I have one in the bridge of a LP) for EVH-type sound.
When i say 'potential', i mean that it might help someone who can play and/or happens to have a similar touch and attitude to playing that Ed does. It doesn't make me sound much like Ed because i don't listen to him very much or approach playing the way he does. But i think the potential is definitely there for those who can and/or do play in that kinda style. JMHO.
I'm not an Ed-head but i was wondering whether someone would suggest the Custom/59 hybrid. It's a great pickup in the right area and i can hear the potential (I have one in the bridge of a LP) for EVH-type sound.
When i say 'potential', i mean that it might help someone who can play and/or happens to have a similar touch and attitude to playing that Ed does. It doesn't make me sound much like Ed because i don't listen to him very much or approach playing the way he does. But i think the potential is definitely there for those who can and/or do play in that kinda style. JMHO.
T
Thunder
Guest
Re: Van Halen Pickup
Ever try a Variac? Try one set at 85-90v. It adds a little more of that early magic.
Ever try a Variac? Try one set at 85-90v. It adds a little more of that early magic.
GoDrex
Riffologist Extraordinaire
Re: Van Halen Pickup
sure - put an A2 magnet in one and it will give you a great chewy tone
sure - put an A2 magnet in one and it will give you a great chewy tone
RHOADS TONE
New member
Re: Van Halen Pickup
Originally Posted by GoDrex
I always wanted Eddie's hair more than his tone. He had some really cool hair back in the day
: private:
Yeah me too, especially since I have so little now & what I have is White!
Rhoads had some good hair too.
It's once you get into the Cindy Crawford
hair of George Lynch that I start to say ok....
When I had MJ wind a 78 for me, back in the day I asked for an aged A2
@ about 20 Gauss. That helped take off more of the Upper Mids..that I did not want.
Back then I had her rewind some of my pups to EVH specs ...cost 1/2 as much as a new one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoDrex
I always wanted Eddie's hair more than his tone. He had some really cool hair back in the day
: private:
Yeah me too, especially since I have so little now & what I have is White!
Rhoads had some good hair too.
It's once you get into the Cindy Crawford
hair of George Lynch that I start to say ok....
When I had MJ wind a 78 for me, back in the day I asked for an aged A2
@ about 20 Gauss. That helped take off more of the Upper Mids..that I did not want.
Back then I had her rewind some of my pups to EVH specs ...cost 1/2 as much as a new one.
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Re: Van Halen Pickup
wow really??? i wanted his wife back in the day!
:naughty::naughty::naughty:
I always wanted Eddie's hair more than his tone. He had some really cool hair back in the day.
wow really??? i wanted his wife back in the day!
:naughty::naughty::naughty:
GilmourD
Burritotoneologist
Re: Van Halen Pickup
If you're going to necrobump a thread, THAT is how you do it!
wow really??? i wanted his wife back in the day!
:naughty::naughty::naughty:
If you're going to necrobump a thread, THAT is how you do it!
RHOADS TONE
New member
Re: Van Halen Pickup
Yeah, Her and her Hair all over me. Val looks good, as of late. Not Val below.
Yeah, Her and her Hair all over me. Val looks good, as of late. Not Val below.
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