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lead guitar from “beat it” by michael jackson | ToneDB

beat it

michael jackson

lead guitar

AI generatedv1.0

Tone Profile

The lead guitar tone is characterized by a bright, sustaining, and heavily overdriven sound, typical of Eddie Van Halen's signature style. It's a high-gain, shred-ready tone with a touch of reverb and delay to add space and dimension.

Gear

Frankenstratinstrument
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Modified Marshall Super Leadamp
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Shure SM57microphone
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MXR Flangerprocessing
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Echoplex EP-3processing
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The Story

Eddie Van Halen's lead guitar on "Beat It" was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios with his iconic Frankenstrat guitar through a modified Marshall Super Lead amplifier. The signal was captured with a Shure SM57 microphone close to the speaker cabinet, with MXR Flanger and Echoplex EP-3 tape delay used to add depth and movement to the high-gain, sustaining tone. The recording was produced by Quincy Jones and engineered by Bruce Swedien.

Production Credits

Producer: Quincy Jones

Engineer: Bruce Swedien

Recorded at: Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles

Signal Chain

Instrument: Frankenstrat

Amp: Modified Marshall Super Lead

Microphone: Shure SM57

Processing: MXR Flanger, Echoplex EP-3

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a guitar equipped with a humbucker pickup in the bridge position.
  • Use a high-gain amp setting with the gain and master volume cranked.
  • Experiment with different overdrive and distortion pedals to achieve the desired level of saturation.
  • Add a touch of flanger and delay to thicken the sound and create a sense of space.
  • Adjust the EQ to emphasize the high frequencies and cut any muddiness in the low end.

Original Gear

  • Frankenstrat(guitar)
  • Modified Marshall Super Lead(amp)
  • Shure SM57(mic)
  • MXR Flanger(pedal)
  • Echoplex EP-3(pedal)

Substitutions & Recommendations

EVH Wolfgang Standard$600-$800

Alternative to: Frankenstrat with humbucker pickup

Eddie's own signature model with similar pickup configuration and neck profile to recreate his playing feel and output

ReverbSweetwater
Marshall DSL100HR$800-$900

Alternative to: Modified Marshall Super Lead

Modern Marshall with similar EL34 power tubes and high-gain channel that captures the modded Super Lead character

ReverbSweetwater
Neural DSP Archetype Petrucci$100-$130

Alternative to: Modified Marshall Super Lead

Includes accurate Marshall models with high-gain capabilities and built-in effects processing for the complete chain

ReverbSweetwater
MXR M117R Flanger$150-$180

Alternative to: MXR Flanger

Modern reissue of the original MXR flanger Eddie used, providing the same swooshing modulation character

ReverbSweetwater
Strymon El Capistan$280-$320

Alternative to: Echoplex EP-3 tape delay

Accurately recreates the warm, musical tape delay saturation and modulation of the original Echoplex

ReverbSweetwater
Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster with humbucker pickup swap$200-$300

Alternative to: Frankenstrat with humbucker pickup

Budget option that can be modified with a bridge humbucker to approximate Eddie's pickup configuration

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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