Riff Tone

316

Van Halen

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarErnie Ball Music Man EVH Signature (likely natural finish, as seen in 1991 era)

AmpPeavey 5150 head

PickupsDiMarzio custom humbuckers (Music Man spec, direct mounted)

Amp Settings

gain2.5

bass6

mid6

treble6

reverb2.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991. '316' is a clean instrumental piece on 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.' No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this track; live and studio rigs for this era centered on the Peavey 5150 and Music Man EVH. No evidence of acoustic guitar on the studio recording; all sources and audio point to clean electric.

Tone Character(10)

bell-like cleanwarm and roundedclear note separationslight amp reverbarticulate fingerstyleno audible distortionsmooth attackstudio clarityno modulation effectsdynamic response

Difficulty

'316' riff is approachable for intermediate players but requires fingerstyle accuracy and dynamic control to maintain the clean, bell-like tone and clarity of the original recording.

Sources

Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard 1995 Guitar World Interview: Eddie Van Halen Regains His 'Balance' | Guitar World Easiest VH song to play on guitar? : r/vanhalen

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account