Van Halen - On Fire - Raw Guitar Track

I've listened to this isolated track a bunch and have two observations:

- gain, gain, gain...I was shocked at how much gain he used on this recording...and it sounds amazing

- I actually favor Eddie's rhythm playing over his leads...He had this swing and attack that was so unique and interesting
 
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I've listened to this isolated track a bunch and have two observations:
Me too recently, I was re-learning the solo and needed a GEQ boost for it to sound right. Another thing I noticed is the echo on the chorus is not nearly as loud as I was setting mine.

And this is a good solo for working on half-picked runs. The beginning of it is tabbed all over the place. I just play it the easy/symmetrical way. Even tho some notes aren’t exactly like the record they fly by fast enough that it sounds close.
 
I've listened to this isolated track a bunch and have two observations:

- gain, gain gain...I was shocked at how much gain he used on tsis recording...and it sounds amazing

- I actually favor Eddie's rhythm playing over his leads...He had this swing and attack that was so unique and interesting

Yeah, hot pup and dimed amp on variac ok, but that GE-10 or the MXR EQ is for sure giving that tone a push.
 
Me too recently, I was re-learning the solo and needed a GEQ boost for it to sound right. Another thing I noticed is the echo on the chorus is not nearly as loud as I was setting mine.

And this is a good solo for working on half-picked runs. The beginning of it is tabbed all over the place. I just play it the easy/symmetrical way. Even tho some notes aren’t exactly like the record they fly by fast enough that it sounds close.
Just like the Jamie's cryin room mic clips shows Ed was running the Echoplexes in front of the amps in the studio just as he did live for the 78 tour.

I think his tone is really squashed here in this clip out of the mix and doesn't sound as great as it does in the mix......to my ears it sounds like an EQ but there is almost a fuzzz pedal like quality to the tone. My mighty mite 1400 does this tone better than my 78 or WLH but it's splitting hairs at that point but if you want that almost fuzz tone riding the notes the might mite is a cool pickup whether he used it or not.
 
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Yeah, hot pup and dimed amp on variac ok, but that GE-10 or the MXR EQ is for sure giving that tone a push.
You would be surprised at what cutting the lows and just barely boosting the mids 5 to 6DB in the 800 1.6Khz range and then gently cutting the extreme highs with the overall level boost at zero will do in front a cranked variace'd plexi. I call the setting my Ed frown....................I got that from Rgalpin from the Metro forum who used to be the guitar player for KIX... the biggest eye opener for me regarding Ed tone, it's not always needed but when you want to tighten the plexi low end and give it some punch it works every time.:2thumbsup:

He only was boosting the mids super high when he had to drive really long cords live, IMHO.
 

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- I actually favor Eddie's rhythm playing over his leads...He had this swing and attack that was so unique and interesting

I agree. I love Eddie. Always have and always will but I felt that as VH went on his leads became retreads of the older stuff or just stuck to his iconic licks. His rhythm is always what kept me listening. I sound and play nothing like him but he really got me to hone in on my rhythm playing.
 
I've listened to this isolated track a bunch and have two observations:

- gain, gain, gain...I was shocked at how much gain he used on this recording...and it sounds amazing

- I actually favor Eddie's rhythm playing over his leads...He had this swing and attack that was so unique and interesting
I don’t know why Ed doesn’t get more rhythm recognition…. He was way ahead of the likes of say, Malcolm and Hetfield. As you said Ed swings…
 
You would be surprised at what cutting the lows and just barely boosting the mids 5 to 6DB in the 800 1.6Khz range and then gently cutting the extreme highs with the overall level boost at zero will do in front a cranked variace'd plexi. I call the setting my Ed frown....................I got that from Rgalpin from the Metro forum who used to be the guitar player for KIX... the biggest eye opener for me regarding Ed tone, it's not always needed but when you want to tighten the plexi low end and give it some punch it works every time.:2thumbsup:

He only was boosting the mids super high when he had to drive really long cords live, IMHO.

That's how I set my EQ's too when pushing a NMV and what you hear with the squashed tone I hear it too. But that said, you are about to hear it from the purists! :D
 
I don’t know why Ed doesn’t get more rhythm recognition…. He was way ahead of the likes of say, Malcolm and Hetfield. As you said Ed swings…
I was talking with John 5 the other day (who was very friendly with EVH) and when I mentioned that I always felt that Eddie's rhythm playing and riff writing skills were his strongest skill...I was surprised that he said that he actually agreed with that sentiment.
 
You would be surprised at what cutting the lows and just barely boosting the mids 5 to 6DB in the 800 1.6Khz range and then gently cutting the extreme highs with the overall level boost at zero will do in front a cranked variace'd plexi. I call the setting my Ed frown....................I got that from Rgalpin from the Metro forum who used to be the guitar player for KIX... the biggest eye opener for me regarding Ed tone, it's not always needed but when you want to tighten the plexi low end and give it some punch it works every time.:2thumbsup:

He only was boosting the mids super high when he had to drive really long cords live, IMHO.
Isn't your GE-7 modified?
 
Isn't your GE-7 modified?
Nope...totally stock made in Taiwan GE7. For exact Ed tone I prefer my old blue MXR 6 band which is on my big 78 pedal board but the new MXR 6 band can sound just as good and is less noisy. With that said the boss can sound just as good, my settings on my old blue MXR are similar but the mids are set a tad higher but the frown is the same, the old MXR is slightly more raw and nasty in a good way. I A/B'd the old MXR and Boss GE7 side by side and these settings are what sounds almost indistinguishable on the Boss.

I use the stock GE7 on my mini pedal board that's easier to move around to all my amps. My 78 pedal board is stupid big:LOL: but I usually only drag it out when I get the 68 plexi out to play some Ed.........
 
That's how I set my EQ's too when pushing a NMV and what you hear with the squashed tone I hear it too. But that said, you are about to hear it from the purists! :D
These settings provide and nice balanced non nasally mid punch............................:yes::cheers:
 
I agree. I love Eddie. Always have and always will but I felt that as VH went on his leads became retreads of the older stuff or just stuck to his iconic licks. His rhythm is always what kept me listening. I sound and play nothing like him but he really got me to hone in on my rhythm playing.
EVH "stuck to his iconic licks" as that was HIS thing, he revolutionised so much of guitar that we can't be disappointed in him that he didn't revolutionise every time he took a solo.

For the record I think he mixed it up a lot as he went on - the juicy neck pickup tone in the Poundcake solo, the sustainer in the Humas Being solo and the weird chromatic run and double bends in the Amsterdam solo stand out to me as him trying to be different again.
 
EVH "stuck to his iconic licks" as that was HIS thing, he revolutionised so much of guitar that we can't be disappointed in him that he didn't revolutionise every time he took a solo.

For the record I think he mixed it up a lot as he went on - the juicy neck pickup tone in the Poundcake solo, the sustainer in the Humas Being solo and the weird chromatic run and double bends in the Amsterdam solo stand out to me as him trying to be different again.

I was impressed with his soloing on Me Wise Magic. Didn't expect that. Really good, Ed.
 
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