Which is most Van Halen?

Dan-ola

Dan-ola

New member
OK, ESP 62 reissue Strat: maple neck, "alder" body, vintage trem, pickup will be mounted in Hxx pickguard with just a 500K volume pot...

Which of the following would be the most Van Halen?

A] Custom Custom normal-spaced

B] Screamin Demon normal-spaced

C] Custom 5 trem-spaced

Also thinking of wiring in a neck pickup, just for clean/blues stuff maybe; which would be best to match with one of the above, either with push/pull selector or a 3-way switch?

A] Duncan Classic Stack

B] Fender Fat 50 neck

C] Fender Texas Special neck

Dano
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

A custom custom I suppose. Spacing isnt going to make a pickup sound different...if your guitar needs tremspacing then get it.

I have heard people nail VH sounds with many sorts of pickups....technique and amp settings are more important.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

I would have to say the CC also, but a more balanced pup somewhere between the CC and the C5 would be closer. There isn't any magic in it, I have the stuff to nail his tone, but I don't play like him, so I do not sound like him.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

None of the above.

Custom shop '78 Model (EVH). $160. Nothing else comes as close. Worth every penny. Best humbucker I think I've ever owned. Ok, I've only owned a few since I'm mostly a Strat guy, but if you want the EVH sound, it is the one.

The best neck pickup I've ever heard was the Fat 50's. I will never change out my set in my #1 ever (except maybe the bridge).
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

Of those 3 the Custom Custom but it's a later style VH tone, the 78 is the easy answer but if you want something scarry close to early VH on a tighter budget get a plain old 59 and swap the alnico 5 for an alnico 2...you'll be VERY surprised!

Neck pickup, I'd go with an SSL-1 but of the pickups you have listed either of the other 2 are a better choise IMO than the Texas Special.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

the guy who invented fire said:
Of those 3 the Custom Custom but it's a later style VH tone, the 78 is the easy answer but if you want something scarry close to early VH on a tighter budget get a plain old 59 and swap the alnico 5 for an alnico 2...you'll be VERY surprised!

Neck pickup, I'd go with an SSL-1 but of the pickups you have listed either of the other 2 are a better choise IMO than the Texas Special.
Click to expand...

What he said.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

Yeah, I had a 78 and it was scary-close to EVH but I ended up selling it for some silly reason. Thanks for the suggestions, just trying to work with what I have on hand...

Dano
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

... I'm not sure if alder's going to getcha an EVH sound though... even with an EVH pup. You'd have to order one @ around 7K-9k, since any hotter pickup in an alder body is going to get muddy. You'll need a pup w/ more "bite". So like the "fire guy" posted, maybe a lower output '59 will work... and block that trem so it only goes down.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

the guy who invented fire said:
get a plain old 59 and swap the alnico 5 for an alnico 2...you'll be VERY surprised!
Click to expand...

+1.....for early VH...you would need a lower output pickup in the bridge (like eddie had). I would also use an A2 for the mag as well. I think the 78 has an A2 and the CC does...the A2 will prevent the tone from getting harsh if you have a bright-sounding geetar.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

With what you have, the CC will get in the ballpark. It can do more than the early to mid-80's VH.

The sound of the first 2 records is way more than the pickup, as it's been said a hundred times on here already. I've used the CC in an alder Strat myself and was able to catch the VH vibe easily. It's all a matter of dialing in the amp.

Now, if I was going to slap together a parts-o-caster in the classic VH theme, it wouldn't have a Floyd Rose and it would have a Gibson '57 Classic Plus in the bridge.

For the neck pickup, anything that is broken, just slap it in there sans cover. ;)
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

ErikH said:
With what you have, the CC will get in the ballpark. It can do more than the early to mid-80's VH.

The sound of the first 2 records is way more than the pickup, as it's been said a hundred times on here already. I've used the CC in an alder Strat myself and was able to catch the VH vibe easily. It's all a matter of dialing in the amp.

Now, if I was going to slap together a parts-o-caster in the classic VH theme, it wouldn't have a Floyd Rose and it would have a Gibson '57 Classic Plus in the bridge.

For the neck pickup, anything that is broken, just slap it in there sans cover. ;)
Click to expand...

I agree...there are different ways to achieve the "Brown Sound"...it also depends on your guitar, amp, and pedals....and each one will have to be adjusted accordingly...a pickup alone won't get you the VH sound....it is all the gear that you're using that will have to be tweaked...a pickup is just one part of the equation.
 
Re: Which is most Van Halen?

Hey, you could get a used VHPAF and put an A2 in it. The 36th anniversary bridge is also pretty good, but it won't do van halen as well as the VHPAF (with A2) will do.
 
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