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.

Production Credits

Signal Chain

Recording Notes

• Eddie Van Halen reportedly used his modified Marshall Super Lead amplifier, which was likely tweaked to provide more gain and sustain.
• The guitar signal was captured with a Shure SM57 microphone placed close to the speaker cabinet.
• Effects such as flanger and tape delay were used to add depth and movement to the guitar sound.
• The guitar was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
• It is reported that Eddie Van Halen re-amped the signal through a Sunset Sound Isolator.

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.

Recommended Gear

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