Van Halen Pickup

Re: Van Halen Pickup

Well, thanks chaps. That's useful info. I'm going to stick the SD59 that I have in the guitar for now and see how I get on. I've realised that the guitar's HSH routing will enable me to mount the humbucker at an angle without a chisel!

Once I've got used to the sound of that pickup, I may get an A2 magnet for the 59. Or buy a '78.

I had a Pearly Gates in a Washburn N4 for a long time which, at the time I didn't like. Just been listening to an old video of one of my bands with that guitar and I actually really like it now! The SD 59 in the neck of that guitar was also one of the best sounds I've ever had (although I never use the neck pickup in that video).
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

Luke Duke said:
I'm not an expert on Ed lore, but I do know not to take anything he says as gospel. I wouldn't be surprised if the pup was a PAF, Pat #, T-Top, or even DIMARZIO that Seymour rewound for him.

Luke
Click to expand...
... dunno about those other pups... but one thing the pickup in the original B&W Frankie WASN'T... was a DMZ... as there was no DMZ pictured inside any incarnations of Frankie before they were signed and recorded VH#1... at least no pics that I've seen... and I've basically seen them all. :banghead: DiMarzios only came w/ cream bobbins in the late 70s... notably their P.A.F... and a cream Super Distortion or Dual Sound it could also not have been... as there are no pics of any pickup in Frankie having dual rows of hex polepieces.

... and nothing against your comment overall, LD, I just wanted to point out that there's no evidence whatsover that Ed used a DMZ... beside the Super Distortion that was in the B&Y Charvel... which apparently he didn't like... that is... :friday:
 
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Re: Van Halen Pickup

No offense taken, I'm only saying never believe Ed!! Lol. I didn't necessarily mean a brand new Dmz but possibly even a rewind that was rewound! I didn't know there only creme Dmzs in the 70s, I figured zebra and black were normal fare as well.

Luke
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

Luke Duke said:
No offense taken, I'm only saying never believe Ed!! Lol. I didn't necessarily mean a brand new Dmz but possibly even a rewind that was rewound! I didn't know there only creme Dmzs in the 70s, I figured zebra and black were normal fare as well.

Luke
Click to expand...
... kewl... and you are definitely correct - Zebra was another DMZ "trademark" bobbin configuration... yet it was not "black and white"-style zebra, but cream and black. And on that note, I've never seen a zebra pup in Frankie either... at least I don't think I have. I'll have to go into my HD to check... :banghead:
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

remember this too. I huge part of his tone was the 2/12 marshall combo (bright sounding) with the greenbacks. I hear that tone easily on vh2. Listen to "your no good" it sounds alot like greenbacks in that amp to me. They have a grity midrange distortion sound you wont get from most anyother speaker.:scratchch
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

YHWH said:
... dunno about those other pups... but one thing the pickup in the original B&W Frankie WASN'T... was a DMZ... as there was no DMZ pictured inside any incarnations of Frankie before they were signed and recorded VH#1... at least no pics that I've seen... and I've basically seen them all. :banghead: DiMarzios only came w/ cream bobbins in the late 70s... notably their P.A.F... and a cream Super Distortion or Dual Sound it could also not have been... as there are no pics of any pickup in Frankie having dual rows of hex polepieces.

... and nothing against your comment overall, LD, I just wanted to point out that there's no evidence whatsover that Ed used a DMZ... beside the Super Distortion that was in the B&Y Charvel... which apparently he didn't like... that is... :friday:
Click to expand...

I saw a pic of Eddies strat with a double creme humbucker shortly before or during the recording of the first album, there was a consensus that it was not a Dimarzio but probably a Super 70 pickup that came in the Ibanez's. I have been trying find the thread but I cannot remember what forum it was in.
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

Stop looking for Ed's old tone.......you'll never find it. Ed is going to sound like Ed with what ever he plays. You're going to sound like you through what ever you play.
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

Ed's real PAF may well have been in the low-9k range.

FWIW I don't think there's anything wrong with these How-to-get-EVH-tone threads. I think the overwhelming majority of the people who ask understand that the pickup is not going to make you sound like Ed magically, only that it will get you just that much closer and the rest is on you. So as for the tone-is-in-so-and-so's-fingers point people make, we get it. It's just gear and it won't play itself. But to keep beating us over the head with that with all this attitude is to me far more irritating than any how-to-sound-like-so-and-so thread.

Also keep in mind that Ed, like any of us tonefreaks, used a lot of different gear and he may well not even remember what he used where and when. We tend to forget this when we read an interview or see the guitar hero in question playing out somewhere and tend to think that whatever we saw in that snapshot of his sonic life is a complete representation of what he always used and always will use. But Ed and others are just like us, always looking for something new to try and taking it to gigs, etc., with personal tastes changing along the way.
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

apologies if i sounded like i was attacking the VH tone-chasers, i'm not.

i believe that a player's technique dictates the resultant tone from whatever gear they're using, and encourage people not to focus on specific players' tones for this reason; EVH is a great example of this IMHO as he is/was such an innovative instrumentalist and has a very distinctive technique and style, so his playing and sound are very difficult to emulate. eg A2Ps make very few people sound like slash.

although i'm not VH's biggest fan, i know enough about him to honestly believe he either doesn't remember what/when he used, and/or isn't going to tell anyone. ever.

sorry if i hurt your feelings, rhoads tone. good luck sounding just like one of the greatest electric guitarists of all time
:dot:
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

I happen to like Eddie`s tone from his 1st 2 albums and have been searching for that particular tone as well as so many other musicians.Many guitar players have quoted that you`ll never get someone elses tone without switching hands with that player. To a degree that`s true. But I had the opportunity of playing the Frankenstrat reissued by Fender on a small line 6 combo and I can`t stress enough how that guitar sounded exactly like Eddie`s original tone from 1978!!! I`m not saying it was similar...it was pretty much Dead On VH! So either Fender has to agree to reissue that pick up or we`re all going to have to wait until SD has the approval to manufacture it! But don`t take my word for it. Find someone who actually has a Frankenstrat and a half way decent amp and you`ll be blown away too!!! That guitar will sound like Eddie`s tone no matter who`s playing it or the amp it`s pluged into! The only sad thing about this issue is that Fender wants 24,000.00 for that guitar! I guess Ed was a little short on cash.... Yea Right!! It`s been over 30 years , the guy doesn`t sound anything like that now, so it would be nice to have the pick up available... at least his fans would appreciate it! I guess we`ll juat have to keep waiting...
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

See - here is my thing; Guys who get all microscopic about the pup, IMO are really missing the point of Ed's tone. When I think bout all the ingredients Ed's tone, the pup is like 1%, yet guys spend like 90% effort focussing on a pup (if it was only one, which I bet it wasn't...). with complete disregard for the pup I can get pretty darn close without worrying about the pup at all.

Yes - there are some pups that make some VH tones easier. But having the right distortion, and eq is 90%....and a sensible effects setup is most of the rest. It just doesn't require the microscope.

You have to get into Ed's head. When you are getting that tweeky about the pup - you aren't even in Ed's neighborhood.

I'm not hating/bashing/trolling. I'm giving you my opinion - and that opinion is that you are wayyyyyy off course.
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

The biggest factor in Ed's tone was not the pickup. The pickup could be any moderate output decent humbucker. The key to his tone was the two amps. One cranked and then into the next which he used as a master volume so to speak. Different eq technique on each one.
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

I continue to stand by my assertion that Ed VH used two pickups in the recording of the first Van Halen album: The neck pickup out of a nocaster, and an EMG 81.

Trollin' trollin' trollin'...
Keep those forums trollin'...
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

Aceman said:
See - here is my thing; Guys who get all microscopic about the pup, IMO are really missing the point of Ed's tone. When I think bout all the ingredients Ed's tone, the pup is like 1%, yet guys spend like 90% effort focussing on a pup (if it was only one, which I bet it wasn't...). with complete disregard for the pup I can get pretty darn close without worrying about the pup at all.

Yes - there are some pups that make some VH tones easier. But having the right distortion, and eq is 90%....and a sensible effects setup is most of the rest. It just doesn't require the microscope.

You have to get into Ed's head. When you are getting that tweeky about the pup - you aren't even in Ed's neighborhood.

I'm not hating/bashing/trolling. I'm giving you my opinion - and that opinion is that you are wayyyyyy off course.
Click to expand...
True say! The pup is just part of the recipe.
 
Re: Van Halen Pickup

But what if you can get say, half of the way there, with your Line 6 Spider III, and you don't have a way of getting any of the other things that Ed was using... just maybe the pickup. Can't you pretend that the pickup is more important than it actually is, just to avoid cognitive dissonance?
 
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