I just don't understand all the EVH tone fascination

[blueman335]

Personally, I think Clapton had great tone with Cream. It is just his excessive playing in the live shows that annoys me. Cream's studio albums are far better than anything I've heard live by them IMO. They are arranged better and are less "jammy" to my ears. Tightly arranged blues-psychedelia, as opposed to sloppy and fast jamming to excess was Cream's forte. Clapton tried to overcompensate live IMO.

Like you, I love Clapton's Cream tones (and Bluesbreakers), but unlike you, I also love his live playing. Nothing better to me than hearing a talented guitarist cut loose on stage. Those moments of inspiration, when they find 'the zone' and channel the music thru their fingers, don't happen reliably in the studio.

I remeber seeing Savoy Brown in 1971 at a small venue. They were having equipment problems and the PA and the bass amp each went out a couple times. The band was frustrated. But throughout it, Kim Simmonds was in center stage, eyes closed, and just playing his ass off, not letting anything bother him. It was impressive. He made the show.

[gripweed]

By "young," I meant guitarists two decades (maybe one generation) removed from the Chuck Berry worshippers who brought us early rock-n-roll. So, yeah, I guess they'd be about 40 to 50 years old.

I never jumped on the EVH bandwagon and I'm almost 48. I hated VH back in the day. I've mellowed a bit and I actually like the DLR era (I could completely do without Sammy Hagar).

I've always thought his guitar playing was overrated and I still look upon EVH as the catalyst for all of the guitar wankery that happened in the 1980s. I realize that I'm probably the only person on this forum that thinks this. That decade is by far the worst decade for rock music IMHO, with the possible exception of the current decade.

I think the comparison to Chuck Berry is completely without merit. I still hear a lot of guitar players doing Chuck. I really don't hear anyone in popular music playing like EVH unless you're referring to music only guitar players listen to.

His tone is generally too gainy for my tastes, although I think it's a good tone. It just wouldn't work for me. There is probably nothing special about the tones I use, I just try to find tones that work.

[ItsaBass]

I did not say that Chuck Berry was not better and more enduring than Van Halen...just that many people in the '80's idolized and emulated VH in the same way that the '60's rock-n-rollers did Chuck Berry. They were both major "guitar heroes," but to different generations.

FWIW, I am not a huge VH fan. But I can see his impact all around in the rock-n-roll world.

[STRATDELUXER97]

I wasn't into learning what EVH was doing back in 78,simply because everybody was doing that and I'm a blues player/classic rock guy....But:I do like him as a player and I also feel he's offered alot of us some great music,other ways of approaching things,and he had/has great tone!

I don't play in that style as far as the tapping and all and just never tryed emulating it..

[blueman335]

I don't play in that style as far as the tapping and all and just never tryed emulating it..

Same here, also don't do pinch harmonics, palm mutes, or whammy bar tricks.

[STRATDELUXER97]

Same here, also don't do pinch harmonics, palm mutes, or whammy bar tricks.

I Like doing pinch harmonics,but I'm also not into the whammy bar and don't use em when I Play my strats...Palm muting is cool also...No tapping though..I can do it,but it's really just not my style..

[zenmindbeginner]

I can tell you firsthand that when you get the tone nearly right and pull off an early VH solo note for note, it feels as good as busting a nut.

The finger and hand strength you need to be able to play classic rock era guitar playing is generally nothing compared to what's required to play VH licks convincingly.

I play Van Halen tones and licks because it is black belt level guitar and I'm not gonna sit around and play white and orange belt licks, because it's generally boring and beneath my ability.

That's not to say that I don't think that the classic rock guys weren't amazing... Terry Kath instantly comes to mind as a ferocious and vibrant player.

Eddie is classic rock, so I don't even know why there is a segregation there.

[Ed Hunter]

I can tell you firsthand that when you get the tone nearly right and pull off an early VH solo note for note, it feels as good as busting a nut.

The finger and hand strength you need to be able to play classic rock era guitar playing is generally nothing compared to what's required to play VH licks convincingly.

I play Van Halen tones and licks because it is black belt level guitar and I'm not gonna sit around and play white and orange belt licks, because it's generally boring and beneath my ability.

That's not to say that I don't think that the classic rock guys weren't amazing... Terry Kath instantly comes to mind as a ferocious and vibrant player.

Eddie is classic rock, so I don't even know why there is a segregation there.

[jimman]

I always felt his fingers were far more impressive than his tone. I like his tone but if you gave most people his exact set up nobody would sound like him. I think most of the people searching for EVHs tone are really just trying to find some way to get around not having his fingers.

[Ed Hunter]

I think most of the people searching for EVHs tone are really just trying to find some way to get around not having his fingers.

Ding Ding Ding Ding we gots a winner folks! and btw,99.9% of other players dont have them!

[Joejitsu]

Ttt

[crguti]

I respect all opinions, but post #62 is retarded.

[DrNewcenstein]

I never jumped on the EVH bandwagon and I'm almost 48. I hated VH back in the day. I've mellowed a bit and I actually like the DLR era (I could completely do without Sammy Hagar).

I've always thought his guitar playing was overrated and I still look upon EVH as the catalyst for all of the guitar wankery that happened in the 1980s. I realize that I'm probably the only person on this forum that thinks this. That decade is by far the worst decade for rock music IMHO, with the possible exception of the current decade.

I think the comparison to Chuck Berry is completely without merit. I still hear a lot of guitar players doing Chuck. I really don't hear anyone in popular music playing like EVH unless you're referring to music only guitar players listen to.

His tone is generally too gainy for my tastes, although I think it's a good tone. It just wouldn't work for me. There is probably nothing special about the tones I use, I just try to find tones that work.

I agree. EVH once stated in an interview that he learned every lick Clapton ever recorded. Really? That's funny, cuz Clapton learned every lick that Hubert Sumlin, Robert Johnson, and Albert King ever recorded, along with tons of others, and has made a living playing those licks, yet I have yet to hear EVH actually play any of Clapton's licks.

Out of the entire DLR-era catalog, I could only find maybe 3 solos where Ed played a melodic phrase and wasn't merely wanking - scalar runs, dives, tricks, etc - but no melodic lines. The "hair dryer" section of Panama is one of those 3.

But, he was lucky enough to be doing those things at the right time, and inspired an entire generation of wang-bar wankery and scale-shredder-foolery that persists to this day, and yes, most of those he inspired went on to make "music for guitarists" who pretty much do the same thing he did - wank and whammy and ignore melodic phrases in favor of meedly meedly arpeggiorgasms.

I respect all opinions, but post #62 is retarded.

No, it's not. But then you can't speak a negative opinion about EVH without being blacklisted.

Oh, and by the way, SRV stole all his licks from Leadbelly. All of them. He did nothing original. Nothing.

[crguti]

^ It shouldn't be allowed to speak bad about Eddie.

[Ed Hunter]

You guys can argue,disagree,wonder or whatever till the end of time and it wont change the fact the eddie did more to rock guitar than all of use put together will ever do

[blueman335]

Out of the entire DLR-era catalog, I could only find maybe 3 solos where Ed played a melodic phrase and wasn't merely wanking - scalar runs, dives, tricks, etc - but no melodic lines.

But, he was lucky enough to be doing those things at the right time, and inspired an entire generation of wang-bar wankery and scale-shredder-foolery that persists to this day, and yes, most of those he inspired went on to make "music for guitarists" who pretty much do the same thing he did - wank and whammy and ignore melodic phrases in favor of meedly meedly arpeggiorgasms.

+1. No denying EVH has been a huge influence on guitarists, but I don't see that as a postive thing. Way too many guys have copied his style. It was exciting at first, but it's long since become a cliche and is pretty worn out. To me, those guys are undeniably talented, but it's too much flash and not enough substance. I think way too many guys have copied SRV too. If there's thousands of guys emulating a style, why not head in another direction and do something fresh? There's been many great players over the decades and you can take bits and pieces from a variety of them and make it into something cool. That's what they did.

[ItsaBass]

Those moments of inspiration, when they find 'the zone' and channel the music thru their fingers, don't happen reliably in the studio.

OK. Excellent factoid to be aware of.

I only want to hear a talented guitarist cut loose if what he comes up with is good ****. I don't give a hoot if it is happening live or on record, only whether or not I like the end result. Seeing a talented guitarist cut loose live is not enough reason to actually like what they are playing. Liking what they are playing is the only reason to really like what they are playing IMO. A lot of the most wretched music ever made was done by some quite talented guys cutting loose and getting "in the zone" onstage; it's not reason enough to like something. I'm all about the song itself, not the player.

[verbotenco]

When you guys say "young" guitarists you're talking about the guys in their 40's right? The actual young guys think that EVH is just the name of an amp used by Gojira.

Yeah...ha..ha.. EVH is obsolete. Let's face reality. It is commonplace to see 15 year olds showcasing chops millions of times better than that drunken fool. Just go to You Tube. Time goes on, what was cool 30 years ago is commonplace today. I think people should move on to the next guitar hero and confront the fact that Eddie was never beyond his tapping and big break with Michael Jackson. Even tapping wasn't his invention.

I think EVH is a guitar god in pop music, alongside the Edge, Martin Gore, Andy Summers, some other famous people from 80s pop.

[verbotenco]

You guys can argue,disagree,wonder or whatever till the end of time and it wont change the fact the eddie did more to rock guitar than all of use put together will ever do

No. He just popularized tapping and how to play fast on stage while being under the influence of alcohol, and not trip over the cable.

[crguti]

^ these kids... funny post but immensely retarded.