Anyone else sick of all the relentless pursuit of VH's tone?

[Nagash]

I think it's cool that his tones are still that sought after, considering he went into a near-10 year disappearing act and most of the bands that grew up around Van Halen have all but become one with the dinosaurs. They managed to pull in more money than any other tour in their history, just playing old songs a few years back. Obviously there's something to it and I'd rather see young kids cop Ed, than deedling around with Paramore.

Gotta admit you're right ! But in 10 years, so many things have changed : new generations of musicians, new guitars/amps/effects, new recording techniques, so many new things that IMO it would be better to try to use the new stuff and to see how far you can go with these, instead of always looking back to old stuff that has been overused, stuff everyone knows how it sounds like even when it's flipped backwards...

Yes I'm young

[GilmourD]

Uhhh....

It's true it's not his instrument of choice, but he'd mop the floor with 99.99999% of the folks on this forum with a ukulele.

Exactly. People who don't really know EVH's blues-based playing will be the ones that say he can only do tapping and shred. Not to mention his catalog of riffs that are simply some of the greatest songs of all time.

Not to mention that I don't think even some EVH tone chasers realize he's also a classically trained pianist that can mop the floor with guys known for playing piano.

[Edgecrusher]

If you're into punk, you probably think Kurt Cobain is perfect for what you like

Since when was grunge considered punk?

I know a number of people that would take offense to you lumping him in with punk

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

Having something to reference point to use is always a good thing,
but as Neil/Crusty said, becoming obsessive over every little detail and thing someone else has done rather than actually spending some time practicing and finding your own sound is just silly and taking things too far.

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

I think it's cool that his tones are still that sought after, considering he went into a near-10 year disappearing act and most of the bands that grew up around Van Halen have all but become one with the dinosaurs. They managed to pull in more money than any other tour in their history, just playing old songs a few years back. Obviously there's something to it and I'd rather see young kids cop Ed, than deedling around with Paramore.

Honestly I don't think 50 per cent of the regulars on this board could even get out a click track and track the rhythm guitars to Paramore songs anywhere near as tightly and accurately as the guitarists from Paramore.
A fair chunk of this board admit to being more obsessed with their gear than actually playing.
The guitarists from Paramore actually PRACTICE and play, and are in all likelihood far better rhythm guitarists than a good majority of the guys on this board.

And I'm saying this as someone that largely learnt about heavy rhythm guitar from playing thrash metal.

[IanBallard]

Gotta admit you're right ! But in 10 years, so many things have changed : new generations of musicians, new guitars/amps/effects, new recording techniques, so many new things that IMO it would be better to try to use the new stuff and to see how far you can go with these, instead of always looking back to old stuff that has been overused, stuff everyone knows how it sounds like even when it's flipped backwards...

Yes I'm young

One thing I like about Ed (and many hate), is that he changes over time and is never happy with "staying the same". His chops might be limited compared to "virtouso" Berklee guys, because he's self-taught. He learned every Clapton Cream-era solo note-for-note and perfecting the "Page runs" so they sounded better, and so he was once a 'bedroom player', copping licks from his heroes. Everybody does it. I tried to sound like Tony Williams for years and tuned my drums and set them up just like him. It's pretty normal to find something you really like and become IT for a while. Does Eddie sound like Clapton? Only every so often, I hear it come out. But Eddie's tone and gear have changed like the weather and I like what he did in the 90's and can't wait to hear what he's sounding like NOW with the Fender guitars and new amps. I like artists that are constantly changing.

[IanBallard]

Having something to reference point to use is always a good thing,
but as Neil/Crusty said, becoming obsessive over every little detail and thing someone else has done rather than actually spending some time practicing and finding your own sound is just silly and taking things too far.

Most people, when starting out, have no idea what they are looking for. It's IMPOSSIBLE to find "your own sound" without copying something that you like to see if it's "It". Eventually, with time, experience, practice and planetary alignments, you sound like "You". But trying to do that "on your own" without references and experience tinkering, is a hard, dead-end road. How can you know what YOU want, if you ignore what has worked and sounds good to you? You can't assume that you'll get "that tone off the record" without trying to achieve it first. You might say, "Well, OK that's close, but it's not quite right". You tinker some more, listen to others you like and realize you don't want "that sound" anymore. It's a progression.

[idsnowdog]

Learn his playing style first, then flavor it with whatever gear you want. Once you understand his playing style it's not hard to find something that will pass for his tone.

[Jakek5150]

One thing I like about Ed (and many hate), is that he changes over time and is never happy with "staying the same". His chops might be limited compared to "virtouso" Berklee guys, because he's self-taught. He learned every Clapton Cream-era solo note-for-note and perfecting the "Page runs" so they sounded better, and so he was once a 'bedroom player', copping licks from his heroes. Everybody does it. I tried to sound like Tony Williams for years and tuned my drums and set them up just like him. It's pretty normal to find something you really like and become IT for a while. Does Eddie sound like Clapton? Only every so often, I hear it come out. But Eddie's tone and gear have changed like the weather and I like what he did in the 90's and can't wait to hear what he's sounding like NOW with the Fender guitars and new amps. I like artists that are constantly changing.

I 100% agree. I think the criticism of changing tone comes from when somebody was, for example, 14 and heard VH1 when it first came out. They became so attached to that sound that they reject anything else. You've mentioned the Uncle Pedros before that still think it's 1982, yet pretty much everybody else, including Eddie, have moved on.

The first time I heard Van Halen was the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album with Poundcake, Runaround, Dream is Over, and so on, so I love his later Peavey and Soldano tones as much as his earlier Marshall sounds. Some days I prefer his work on Balance over Fair Warning and vice versa. I think Eddie's tone will be just as great on the new album, but it probably will be different.

[Jeff5]

It's pretty crazy how people still chase that tone. The problem with recorded tones is that there is so much that goes into them and so much mixing and engineering that can shape them that it's really folly to try to mimic them.

I could never understand why you would want to sound like someone else, either with tone, playing or both. Never makes sense to me. Rather, I tend to use others' tones and playing styles as my inspiration and then try to find my own voice. I may hear a tone and go "wow, that's cool", but I never truly try to copy it. Just as I don't try to copy anyone's particular style.

[Ed Hunter]

+1. There's a lot better guitarists than EVH. .

I am very disapointed to hear this coming from you blueman, there is NO better or best, just what you like more.

[blueman335]

I do likes me some spandex. Makes me look like a banana smuggler.

Ladies dig it.

lmao

Some ladies may like it, but probably more 'girly men.' Do you want to prance around on stage for them?

[IanBallard]

Sure, if they tip well.

[Christopher Caruana]

you could put eddie and i in the same room and give me a $5k gibson VOS les paul and a plexi RI from mashall and give him a cheap epiphone and a SS amp and he could probably still get a better tone than I could.

all the players that I idolize....slash, doug aldrich, EVH, page, angus......its not about what guitars or amos they have or even what picks or strigs they use. Its about how they hold the guitar and feel the guitar when they play.

I ready a quote from Jimmy Page one time and he said something along the lines of "everyone is born with a tone that is unique to them." How we play and hold and feel the guitar is like our DNA. Each one of us is different and as hard as we can you will never make player A sound like player B, you can get them close, but they will never truely sound or play exactly the same.

[idsnowdog]

I bet he's utterly useless on a traditional acoustic.

The songs Spanish Fly and Could This Be Magic prove otherwise.

[Dr.K]

Im sick of EVH period. Quit shredding and hang it up. Too overdone.

I bet he's utterly useless on a traditional acoustic.

The intro to "Take your Whiskey Home" is pretty killer too.

[marcello252]

Let's face it: the Van Halen fever exists because VH1 tone is one of the best guitar sound in the entire history, if not the the best at all.
I'm a crazy Hendrix fan, but when it comes to HB sound, VH1 IS the sound. And a lot of people out there think exactly the same thing, trying to figure out how to nail it or at least get closer.

[Christopher Caruana]

personaly, I like chasing tone and chasing other players tone. Even if I know I will never sound 100% like them, I like the whole mystery in the whole gear research and amp/guitar tweaking thing. I think in order to find your own tone, you must go through and try to copy other first and then ultimately come up with your own.

Eddie himself said in an interview that we would spend hours and hours playing along with Eric Clapton tunes and trying to get his tone, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldnt manage to make himself sound like Clapton.

[acedoors]

yes i am, I know a guy that is all about it and it is all he talks about, I pretend to be interested but I really don't care to listen to relentless shredding without without talent so I try to avoid him.

[blueman335]

yes i am, I know a guy that is all about it and it is all he talks about, I pretend to be interested but I really don't care to listen to relentless shredding without without talent so I try to avoid him.

Great description! Like what I hear just about everytime I walk into a music store: half a dozen teenagers with ridiculous amounts of distortion, shredding as fast as their grimey little fingers can move, all playing in different keys. If I had to listen to that all day, I'd go crazy. The employees there must wear ear plugs.