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misterdetail
Bronze Member
USA
112 Posts |
 Posted - 11/06/2009 : 18:41:38
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| For any Van Halen fans out there, is there a particular Boss pedal you use to get Eddie Van Halen's tone? I don't care about the Phase 90, flanger or echo stuff, but just the tone of his plexi Marshall amp with everything on 10. To be more specific, the tone I'm after is Eddie's tone on the 1984 album, which was distorted but still clear, or clean, or however you describe that...dynamic? You could hear the individual strings being played and it wasn't muddy. I have a MIJ DS-1 and an SD-1, so if it's possible with those pedals then maybe just suggest to me some settings for them. Or if there's another Boss pedal that will get me there better, recommend that one. Thanks! |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 19:00:37
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I'm not 100% sure ..i have a mid 70's Marshall superbass head that i've cranked a few times with the original EL34 valves and also with some tube adapters with EL84 valves and i also have MIJ DS-1...the DS-1 is pretty decent in getting close to the sound of my superbass on full tilt.. BTW my marshall has no master volume so this is pure pre and poweramp distortion,also not something i do a lot as i get on well with my neighbours and the local cops... ..one pedal i got as part of a deal and never really tried until recently is the HM-2...this,as i'm sure others will tell you is not bad for the JCM 800 type sound but with the distortion kept low and the level up it sounds great and has a great bottom end with some careful tweaking i was very impressed with it but i'm so used to my tube overdrive pedal i find it hard to go back to anything else... never had SD-1 so i can't comment on that...
i'm sure your aware how eddie got his 'brown sound' with the Variac and the dummy speaker load but i reckon output tubes were better and a bit cheaper back then...i think with a bit of tweaking the DS-1 would get you in the ballpark...possibly pull back on the distortion and tone a bit and push the level up....
but then i'm a U2 'fanboy' so what do i know...  .....
P.S... I know it's contraversial but i quite like the sammy hager era stuff..some of the tones Eddie got on 5150 and OU812 i thought were great...
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Edited by - FRANZONI on 11/06/2009 19:11:11 |
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misterdetail
Bronze Member
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 19:14:00
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quote:
Originally posted by FRANZONI
but then i'm a U2 'fanboy' so what do i know........
Too funny! I guess I should really ask his amp tech for the answer and not pay attention to his amps on stage then! Thanks for the info. I'll glad to hear a DS-1 might work. The HM-2 has also peaked my interest due to all the posts I've read about it here. That might be my next pedal, whenever I can get one. But I'm a Van Halen "fanboy", so what do I know anyway... |
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cctsim
Silver Member
United Kingdom
418 Posts |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 20:07:47
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| some good tones there... the whiskey in the jar one is a bit strange though..... |
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ovrdrv123
Bronze Member
USA
143 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 20:13:36
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quote:
Originally posted by FRANZONI
some good tones there... the whiskey in the jar one is a bit strange though.....
i agree, that one was a little out there. |
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zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 21:12:19
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| my question is why do you want sound like someone else? Why don't you search for your own tone. |
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misterdetail
Bronze Member
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 22:34:30
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quote:
Originally posted by zerksies
my question is why do you want sound like someone else? Why don't you search for your own tone.
The short answer is that I'm a "fanboy"...just kidding! But I guess that's kind of true, without apologies. I love EVH's early tone, as do millions of others, and occasionally I would like to hear that tone coming from my guitar, pedals, and amp. That doesn't mean I always want to sound like that. If anything, my tone and playing sound more like classic KISS or Ace Frehley, not intentionally, but because I truly was a fanboy of theirs growing up and it's in me by ear osmosis. I'm a full-time computer tech, am happily married with a 6, 3, and 1 year old to occupy most of my time that could be spent "searching for my own tone". So I play when I can and ask for help finding tones I like along the way.
I'm sure my short answer is more interesting, though! |
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tunghaichuan
Bronze Member
USA
77 Posts |
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misterdetail
Bronze Member
USA
112 Posts |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
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PaulH
Gold Member
535 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 10:36:17
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quote:
Originally posted by zerksies
my question is why do you want sound like someone else? Why don't you search for your own tone.
I've being asking that of players, both young and old, for years.
And.. I actually like the sound I get from my stuff. |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 13:21:07
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Hi misterdetail & Guys.
I might not have anything concrete to add to this thread
quote:
originally posted by: misterdetail
Pedal for Van Halen Sound.
Is there a particular Boss pedal you use to get Eddie Van Halen's tone?
But the thread seems to have drifted of topic a bit.
As interesting as some of our off topics chats can be.
I to like the EVH tone that misterdetail has been asking about.
And I would be keen to know how to get close to this tone.
Especially with a combination of the older Pre-COSM based Boss pedals.
Or if there is a preset patch in any of the Boss GT-3-5-8-10 series mFX units.
or the ME-x series mFX.
I own a 3 and an 8, but they don't get a lot of use lately.
Some of his particular Brown Sound tone would have also be attributable to his guitar & the PU's.
Besides the Amp - Variac
- & waving dead fish over the speakers & chanting a secret Tibetan hymn, during a blood red moon, etc.....
I guess the EVH Brown sound will always be a topic of (hot) discussion/s.
I think I remember seeing a DIY effect pedal schematic & build for something called the (BSIAB) Brown Sound In A BOX.
Regards Dr. Bob  |
Edited by - Dr. Bob on 11/07/2009 13:33:49 |
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PaulH
Gold Member
535 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 14:35:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Bob
Some of his particular Brown Sound tone would have also be attributable to his guitar & the PU's.
Given his pick up windings was specific to him alone, his guitar was cobbled together from bits, and most of the early stuff is played with the guitar tuned to a not-quite-spot-on Eb (the band were in tune with each other though)... I always thought that's what made his Marshall sound a bit different.
Other than that, then to me it's just a cranked Marshall sound. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 15:06:29
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| Thats what it is..the difference is he attenuated it into a dummy speaker load used the line out off the attenuator to feed the pedals and reamped it through a H/H V800 (old british mosfet stereo power amp) out to the marshall cabs...basically the marshall head was a preamp/overdrive unit rather than a straight up amp...the Variac was just to make the marshall distort more by starving the voltage going into the power supply..... he also put the Humbucker out of an old Gibson into the Kramer with a breadknife as a chisel to make the rout in the body.......i don't think i would go quite that far.......... |
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misterdetail
Bronze Member
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 16:01:46
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Ironically, Eddie hasn't sounded like his classic self since the early 80's either. And he's the worst source of info for that tone, as he's admitted to lying back then about what he used and probably still lies about it now. There is a pedal called "the brown sound" made by Toadworks, I think, that attempts the sound, but I'm not sure it does. The modellers have some patches that come close. What started this whole conversation for me was I was listening to 1984 yesterday and was amazed at his tone on that CD. Beautiful distortion and yet clean and clear. Little to no effects, either, unlike the earlier CDs. I heard sometime back that he went straight into his Marshall for the CD w/o effects, but it was probably another lie. Then came the Hagar years and the change in his tone began.
Thanks for all the input, guys! |
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Topic |
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Pedal for Van Halen Sound
