This isn't meant to be a "How duz I getz teh Broun zound wif my Bcrich warlok and indonesian $50 amp" type thread, but what VH tone do you like the best, and what pickups do you like best for that sound? I like the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tone the best, and I half aired a tonezone and norton to achieve this tone (granted their are amps, fingers, settings, ect) which do you like the best?
Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
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Christopher Caruana
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
Eddie's "VH1" tone
.......custom shop '78
Eddie's "VH1" tone
.......custom shop '78
IanBallard
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
I have to agree with the OP that the cleanest, best tone was the F...eh, you know which one... record. I actually think VH1 is garbled because he ran his Plexi through an H&H solid state power amp so he could run effects in between (since old Plexis didn't have effects loops). For early VH tones, I like VH2 the best because it was just his geetar run through the amp and that's it. Effects were added later.
On the 1991 VH tone, you have a Soldano SLO-100 doing much of the work and a John Suhr custom preamp for other stuff. I think it contains Ed's best playing, especially the solos on "Pleasure Dome" and "The Dream is Over". It's also the first record where he uses a wah pedal prominently and does so masterfully. It also has Alex's best drum sound and definitely makes up for the laughable electronic drum crap from 1984/5150/OU812. Personally I think Alex should re-record the drums from those albums and have them remastered.... it's that bad to me. Oh well.
I also have to say VHIII (I don't care what people say) has some of Ed's most technically interesting and creative playing and that tone is nothing to scoff at either. "Mean Wise Magic" and "Can't Get This Stuff No More" is also amazing to me, and he even uses a talk box on the later tune. There, he's got the 5150II, Peavey Wolf and also does a lot of Wah stuff; he's got this fur on his clean tone that's just right. He uses a lot of Fernandez Sustainer stuff on those as well.
I have to agree with the OP that the cleanest, best tone was the F...eh, you know which one... record. I actually think VH1 is garbled because he ran his Plexi through an H&H solid state power amp so he could run effects in between (since old Plexis didn't have effects loops). For early VH tones, I like VH2 the best because it was just his geetar run through the amp and that's it. Effects were added later.
On the 1991 VH tone, you have a Soldano SLO-100 doing much of the work and a John Suhr custom preamp for other stuff. I think it contains Ed's best playing, especially the solos on "Pleasure Dome" and "The Dream is Over". It's also the first record where he uses a wah pedal prominently and does so masterfully. It also has Alex's best drum sound and definitely makes up for the laughable electronic drum crap from 1984/5150/OU812. Personally I think Alex should re-record the drums from those albums and have them remastered.... it's that bad to me. Oh well.
I also have to say VHIII (I don't care what people say) has some of Ed's most technically interesting and creative playing and that tone is nothing to scoff at either. "Mean Wise Magic" and "Can't Get This Stuff No More" is also amazing to me, and he even uses a talk box on the later tune. There, he's got the 5150II, Peavey Wolf and also does a lot of Wah stuff; he's got this fur on his clean tone that's just right. He uses a lot of Fernandez Sustainer stuff on those as well.
Last edited:
IanBallard
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
It was the first album that featured the Floyd, so it was different than the previous albums. He used hotter pickups to fatten the thinner-sounding trem. He also used harmonizers for the first time... for better or worse. Probably because (as he admitted) he was bad in the sauce and doing a lot of coke and he was having trouble double-tracking.
Frankly, there's no way of knowing exactly what he used on the first several records from song to song. He used: The Frankenstrat for tremolo tunes. He used the Ibanez "Shark" Destroyer on some rhythm tracks. He used a Les Paul on some things and Flying V on others and used an old stock Strat for "Cathedral". Frankly I don't honestly think the pickups mattered. His RIG was what gave him the majority of his tone, in my (and many others') opinions.
It was the first album that featured the Floyd, so it was different than the previous albums. He used hotter pickups to fatten the thinner-sounding trem. He also used harmonizers for the first time... for better or worse. Probably because (as he admitted) he was bad in the sauce and doing a lot of coke and he was having trouble double-tracking.
Frankly, there's no way of knowing exactly what he used on the first several records from song to song. He used: The Frankenstrat for tremolo tunes. He used the Ibanez "Shark" Destroyer on some rhythm tracks. He used a Les Paul on some things and Flying V on others and used an old stock Strat for "Cathedral". Frankly I don't honestly think the pickups mattered. His RIG was what gave him the majority of his tone, in my (and many others') opinions.
JohnnyGuitar
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
VH1 tone.
There was a chorus or something in all the later albums that just smoothed things up too much. Nevertheless, I like his tone on F.U.C.K as well, for a smooth, polished tone it's pretty nice - but it's still nowhere near VH1.
Don't think I ever got close to that tone though, thought about trying, but never made any attempt.
VH1 tone.
There was a chorus or something in all the later albums that just smoothed things up too much. Nevertheless, I like his tone on F.U.C.K as well, for a smooth, polished tone it's pretty nice - but it's still nowhere near VH1.
Don't think I ever got close to that tone though, thought about trying, but never made any attempt.
whatshisname
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
I've always loved his tone on 1984. I know he used a korina Flying V on Hot For Teacher, so for pickups to achieve that tone, I'd say a good PAF style pup would do it.
I've always loved his tone on 1984. I know he used a korina Flying V on Hot For Teacher, so for pickups to achieve that tone, I'd say a good PAF style pup would do it.
astrozombie
KatyPerryologist
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
donbarzini
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
VH1 is my least favorite. I think the one pickup that gets close to all his tones pretty closely is the Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAF. It has the lower output of the early years but has this clarity that his tone from the later years has, even the Duncan '78 didn't have as much clarity. It's all subjective really though.
VH1 is my least favorite. I think the one pickup that gets close to all his tones pretty closely is the Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAF. It has the lower output of the early years but has this clarity that his tone from the later years has, even the Duncan '78 didn't have as much clarity. It's all subjective really though.
T
Thunder
Guest
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
I liked his tones from VH 1 to WACF. He still had the raw Marshall sound going. The 78' with change in amp settings and a Boost at times can get most of these tones.
I liked his tones from VH 1 to WACF. He still had the raw Marshall sound going. The 78' with change in amp settings and a Boost at times can get most of these tones.
astrozombie
KatyPerryologist
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
Wasn't eddie's early tone basically a PAF in a strat?
edit: every time we talk about Van halen, and tone, it always becomes a giant **** fest. we all have to remember he used to run his marshalls at a different voltage, and so on.
Wasn't eddie's early tone basically a PAF in a strat?
edit: every time we talk about Van halen, and tone, it always becomes a giant **** fest. we all have to remember he used to run his marshalls at a different voltage, and so on.
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
Personally I think eds SLO-100s ounded better than both his Marshalls and his 5150s. It's also worth noting that for the first album with a floyd his guitar was actually made of Mahogany, and 1/8th inch thicker then your average charvel.
Personally I think eds SLO-100s ounded better than both his Marshalls and his 5150s. It's also worth noting that for the first album with a floyd his guitar was actually made of Mahogany, and 1/8th inch thicker then your average charvel.
Christopher Caruana
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
Other than VH1, id like his tone on "Fair Warning." Especially on unchained
Other than VH1, id like his tone on "Fair Warning." Especially on unchained
Jeff_H
Dean Hardtail Fanologist
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
Unchained is probably my favorite VH song, and my favorite Ed tone. I think you could use that tone for a lot of stuff other than VH. Just a killer guitar sound.
Unchained is probably my favorite VH song, and my favorite Ed tone. I think you could use that tone for a lot of stuff other than VH. Just a killer guitar sound.
Christopher Caruana
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
As for today, I saw VH in '07 with Roth and have played one of the new Wolfgangs through a 5051 III and I think Ed may have lost some of his hearing or something, because on tour his sound was a lot brighter and had a lot more treble than it ever did in the early/mid of VH. And when I played the wolfgang through the 5150 III, the tone just seemed very bright and top end heavy
As for today, I saw VH in '07 with Roth and have played one of the new Wolfgangs through a 5051 III and I think Ed may have lost some of his hearing or something, because on tour his sound was a lot brighter and had a lot more treble than it ever did in the early/mid of VH. And when I played the wolfgang through the 5150 III, the tone just seemed very bright and top end heavy
Christopher Caruana
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
are they really ceramic? says who?
are they really ceramic? says who?
MattPete
New member
Re: Your favorite VH tone, and what pickups you feel achieve it best?
70% of his tone for the first 4 albums can be had with a cranked (or power-scaled) Plexi with greenbacks (or suitable clones).
I have a 78, but to be honest, it doesn't seem clear enough and is overly hot. Others say it is overly bright, but I had the opposite experience.
I also tried an A2 59/Custom hybrid, and while it nails the tone, it is too hot, which makes it all wrong (well, maybe "all" is a bit of hyperbole, as it nails the frequency response).
I say either some form of A2 PAF (Seth Lover or a 59 with an A2) or an A5 (e.g stock 59) with a midboost (the infamous frown-EQ).
Having said that, the right amp and speakers will get you mostly there, the pickup is a distant 3rd. Heck, even a stock Custom sorta works with the right setup (a JB never works).
...sorry for rambling....
70% of his tone for the first 4 albums can be had with a cranked (or power-scaled) Plexi with greenbacks (or suitable clones).
I have a 78, but to be honest, it doesn't seem clear enough and is overly hot. Others say it is overly bright, but I had the opposite experience.
I also tried an A2 59/Custom hybrid, and while it nails the tone, it is too hot, which makes it all wrong (well, maybe "all" is a bit of hyperbole, as it nails the frequency response).
I say either some form of A2 PAF (Seth Lover or a 59 with an A2) or an A5 (e.g stock 59) with a midboost (the infamous frown-EQ).
Having said that, the right amp and speakers will get you mostly there, the pickup is a distant 3rd. Heck, even a stock Custom sorta works with the right setup (a JB never works).
...sorry for rambling....
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