Mike Soldano talks about EVH's Marshall

[yngzaklynch]

I finally learnd how to play a D Chord!

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

I finally learnd how to play a D Chord!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

JCMLesPaul came into my store today and started talking about this thread. He mentioned that if you remember when Van Halen split there was this obvious competition between David Lee Roth and the new Van Hagar camp as to who was going to put out the better album. Van Halen went in a much softer, more keyboard direction and Roth was all about returning to the sound of early VH.

I think it is pretty well documented that Roth insisted that Vai use a Jose modded Marshall on that Eat Em And Smile record even though Vai was already well established as a Carvin endorsee. A few years later, again well documented, Roth insisted that Jason Becker use Jose modded Marshalls when he joined the band and Roth had Jose do a couple of amps for Jason. Joe Holmes ended up using those amps when he toured with Roth to replace Becker.

Now this proves absolutely nothing, but it really makes you wonder. Eddie went off into Soldano land and Roth insisted his guitar players use Jose modded Marshalls. Does this make anyone else wonder what's up with that?

Yes stock plexis (some of them) seem to be able to do the sound with the variac but chubtone makes some very good points here. Doesn't a variac eat up your tubes and have the potential for other problems?? Why not enter jose to "give me the sound i get with my variac and EQ" for example. Not that far fetched. Becker's tone was pretty shit before A Lil ain't enough. It all of a sudden became chewy and perfect to showcase his leads. It also sounds like some of the same effects were put on the leads as you here in Vai's playing with DLR. That said, I'm sure Becker had a healthy respect for Vai but why did his rythm tones get such a kick in the ass. I like this assumption.

 

[nitro]

311splawndude,be serious dont worry about the grammer is that the only thing you can say, stay on target you have zero knowledge on this subject your frustrated I can understand that.The players that I mentioned above all played plexis did they have the same type of gain that Edward had,answer no.The knob/pot in the back was a master volume and Im sure Jose done other things inside Eds amp to achieve the gain levels.Your replys are all small minded and funny so stop acting like you know what you are talking about because you dont.I dont assume,I know......so believe what you want.This is a place to talk about gear and tone not a place for typing or grammer.You should take a class on becoming a adult I hope you understand.."dude"....

 

[yngzaklynch]

Rock n Roll or not... The hair scrunchy as a string mute? you decide!!!

 

[Rogue]

I dont assume,I know......so believe what you want.

No, you don't know, you believe. Perhaps understanding what know means would be of benefit.

 

[tubortski]

So, if you post, but it doesn't actually post.... is that a ghost post? Like maybe you saw it but you didn't...

 

[nevusofota]

Queen my dishes please

 

[tubortski]

I think I'm being censored. Help...

 

[shgshg]

A friend of mine knows a guy who lives in Santa Monica who has a cousin who knows a guy who is the brother of a guy that use to work for Jose who said that Jose did mod Ed's '68 Marshall with a MV that was removed from an amp that belonged to a guy who use to work for a guy who never worked for Jose, but always wanted to.

I was that sheep.

 

[Chubtone]

Now I do think it's entirely possible Vai comes walking in with a Carvin and DLR said, "WTF is that? I don't think so".

That's exactly what I would have said

I'm sure Ed had tweaks done to his amp, but many folks have said it was basically stock. I'm not entirely sure why he would have modded it to have more gain, but then mod it back to stock, then build a sig amp modeled after a SLO. But, who knows? Maybe he did.

Good point too. That one is making my head spin.

 

[shgshg]

Please explain why there are so many amp builders and mods out there trying to achieve the "brown sound" if a stock plexi will do?

Please tell me why there are so many companies selling bottled water when the stuff continuously FALLS OUT OF THE SKY?

Hint: $$$

 

[Chubtone]

Rock n Roll or not... The hair scrunchy as a string mute? you decide!!!

Jim,
We are 5 pages into a thread and I'm having a lot of fun with it. That doesn't happen too often on here anymore.

 

[Greazygeo]

Please explain why there are so many amp builders and mods out there trying to achieve the "brown sound" if a stock plexi will do?

Some of us grew up playing these amps and developed the touch for getting gain out of them.....for those that didn't, there are "modded" amps to do it.

nothing special about his amp...stick a 57 in front of a marshall cab, use an echoplex, wind up a tube compressor and slam the recording level going to tape.....Frasier episodes are more interesting than this.

 

[shgshg]

The two most powerful forces in marketing are aspiration and nostalgia. Marketing companies sell to the public by dangling "the life you want" or "the life you used to have" in front of you when you don't like the life you have now. Sportswear companies market "being rich" to urban black kids and "being cool" to suburban white kids because that's what those kids want to be. That's aspiration.

The vintage amp and vintage guitar bubble is one of many marketing exercises targeting the richest most selfish and privileged group of people the world has ever known - American Baby Boomers. Vintage Les Pauls and Strats are icons because they were used by anti-establishment music artists in the sixties, and thus represent youth and vitality and independence to a group of rich people who are now old and tired and conservative. That's nostalgia. Selling nostalgia for youth to aging Baby Boomers is the marketing industry's biggest gravy train. A 70-year-old millionaire CEO who can barely play a barre chord is happy to spend $250,000 on a 59 Les Paul because he misses being the teenager who snuck into a club to see Cream in 1966.

(note: this also suggests that the value of "fifties and sixties nostalgia" items will drop through the floor when the Baby Boomers are all dead. If you feel like owning a real 59 Les Paul, just wait ten years. They won't be $250K any more.)

But this isn't just a Baby Boomer phenomenon. Successfully marketing nostalgia only requires a group of people who miss being young and vital and independent. So you sell the images of the 1950s and 1960s to Baby Boomers and you sell the 1970s and 1980s to their children, who are now middle-aged and married with kids. That generation isn't rich enough to buy $250K 59 Les Pauls and to be honest probably doesn't want to anyway, because it's their PARENTS who get all misty-eyed about Clapton and Page. So instead we have the GENUNE FRANKENSTEIN REPLICA - only $20,000! Don't you want to feel young again? - call now with your credit card details!

And amp manufacturers will move on from marketing to Baby Boomers (no more ads featuring young Clapton plugging in to a Bluesbreaker combo) and instead we'll have young EVH jumping against a wobbling stack of 4x12s and the tones will be the tones of the late seventies, tones that remind middle-aged accountants of being teenagers. Because that's where the money is. Nostalgia.

 

[shgshg]

And amp manufacturers will move on from marketing to Baby Boomers (no more ads featuring young Clapton plugging in to a Bluesbreaker combo) and instead we'll have young EVH jumping against a wobbling stack of 4x12s and the tones will be the tones of the late seventies, tones that remind middle-aged accountants of being teenagers. Because that's where the money is. Nostalgia.

Oh yeah.

Right.

 

[rp108]

Please explain why there are so many amp builders and mods out there trying to achieve the "brown sound" if a stock plexi will do?

Some of us grew up playing these amps and developed the touch for getting gain out of them.....for those that didn't, there are "modded" amps to do it.

nothing special about his amp...stick a 57 in front of a marshall cab, use an echoplex, wind up a tube compressor and slam the recording level going to tape.....Frasier episodes are more interesting than this.

When I see threads that I have no interest in, I don't read them.

My question was rhetorical. I know why there builders and mods out there going after that tone with other extras in their builds or mods. A stock plexi will not get you those tones. Sorry. Just wont happen. Now a cranked stock plexi with a low wattage speakers (greenbacks), phase 90, echo plex, and a variac will. That's why there are amp builders out there. To do all that in one amp with some extras that are not in a stock plexi.

I think it's silly to say one way or another. Unless you were there looking inside Eddies amps in the late 70s, I can't possibly see how anyone can know the answer. Eddie has been known for misdirection about his tone. Look at his guitar for crying out loud. He put a pickup in it that wasn't even wired. What was the purpose for that? Aesthetics or misdirection?

I find this topic interesting, the mystique behind Eddies amp because in my opinion, no one knows and I am starting to think that includes Eddie. Somebody mention about Roth and Vai using modded amps. There is something to be said for that, if true. That is unless even Roth himself was misinformed. See how awesome this is! lol.

 

[nitro]

Rogue your wrong,My info came right from the man who did the master volume mod on Eds plexi that was Jose.Why would I post assumtions.All my info came from people who were around and knew Edward back in the day(1970s).People who seen that band play in backyard parties and clubs they were associated with Ed.Jose Arrendondo,Lynn Ellsworth,Karl Sandoval,Wayne Charvel,Rudy Leiran(Edwards first tech),the guys at Dr Music,Terry Kilgore these are the people I spoke to(and still do)and recieved my info from.Like I said im not going to post assumtions if I had nothing to say I wouldnt be posting anything.Where have some of the game players here recieve their info from.

 

[blackie13]

I have heard suhr,soldano and others telling that the amp they serviced was stock...
And I believe them...
But how do we know that eddie send them THE amp and not one of his amps...????
How do we know that eddie HAS THAT marshall serviced by other amp gurus and doesn't keep it in a closet or something...???

 

[londaxe]

311splawndude,be serious dont worry about the grammer is that the only thing you can say, stay on target you have zero knowledge on this subject your frustrated I can understand that.The players that I mentioned above all played plexis did they have the same type of gain that Edward had,answer no.The knob/pot in the back was a master volume and Im sure Jose done other things inside Eds amp to achieve the gain levels.Your replys are all small minded and funny so stop acting like you know what you are talking about because you dont.I dont assume,I know......so believe what you want.This is a place to talk about gear and tone not a place for typing or grammer.You should take a class on becoming a adult I hope you understand.."dude"....

Also, wouldn't it be funny if Jose told you what he did because EVH wanted to "throw him a bone" and whatnot?

Jose wouldn't say "Yeah, that amp was basically stock, so I don't have a modification I can do for you and charge a load of money for. Sorry."

Plus EVH lied about his setup back then, and he could have told Jose to do the same.

Yep, that would be pretty funny.