What guitar did Eddie Van Halen use on Beat It?

Eddie Van Halen used his famous Frankenstrat guitar on "Beat It." This was his custom-built Stratocaster body with a humbucker pickup in the bridge position, which became his signature instrument throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.

What amp did Eddie Van Halen use for Beat It solo?

Eddie used a modified Marshall Super Lead amplifier for the "Beat It" recording. The amp was tweaked to provide more gain and sustain than the stock version, which was typical of Eddie's approach to getting his signature high-gain tone.

How to get Eddie Van Halen's Beat It guitar tone?

Start with a guitar equipped with a humbucker pickup in the bridge position, run it through a high-gain Marshall-style amp, and add MXR flanger and tape delay effects. The key is achieving high sustain and gain while maintaining clarity in the upper frequencies.

What effects did Eddie Van Halen use on Beat It?

Eddie used an MXR Flanger and an Echoplex EP-3 tape delay on "Beat It." These effects added the characteristic swooshing modulation and warm tape echo that gave depth and movement to his lead guitar sound.

Where was Beat It guitar solo recorded?

The "Beat It" guitar solo was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. The session was produced by Quincy Jones and engineered by Bruce Swedien as part of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album sessions.

lead guitar from "beat it" by michael jackson

beat it

michael jackson

lead guitar

85% ai confidence

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.

Shop This Rig

ToneDB may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Frankenstrat(instrument)
Modified Marshall Super Lead(amp)
Shure SM57(microphone)
MXR Flanger(processing)
Echoplex EP-3(processing)

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: FrankenstratShop on Reverb

Amp: Modified Marshall Super LeadShop on Reverb

Microphone: Shure SM57Shop on Reverb

Processing: MXR FlangerShop on Reverb, Echoplex EP-3Shop on Reverb

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

ToneDB may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

FrankenstratShop on Reverb(guitar)
Modified Marshall Super LeadShop on Reverb(amp)
Shure SM57Shop on Reverb(mic)
MXR FlangerShop on Reverb(pedal)
Echoplex EP-3Shop on Reverb(pedal)

Substitutions & Recommendations

EVH Wolfgang StandardShop on Reverb$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

Marshall DSL100HRShop on Reverb$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

Neural DSP Archetype PetrucciPlugin Boutique$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

MXR M117R FlangerShop on Reverb$150-$180

Alternative to: MXR Flanger

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

Strymon El CapistanShop on Reverb$280-$320

Alternative to: Echoplex EP-3 tape delay

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

Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster with humbucker pickup swapShop on Reverb$200-$300