Riff Tone

"5150"

Van Halen

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarErnie Ball Music Man Eddie Van Halen Signature (EVH) or Kramer 5150 (exact model debated, but most sources and photos from the 5150 album era indicate the Kramer 5150 with a single humbucker was used for the riff section)

AmpPeavey 5150 head (original block letter, 100W, used for the 5150 album studio recording)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom Shop humbucker (custom-wound for Eddie, bridge position, high output, non-split)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid5.5

treble6.5

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1985-1986, 5150 album sessions. No pedals in front of amp for riff section; effects (delay, reverb) added post in mix. Pickup selector set to bridge. No chorus, flanger, or phaser on riff. All effects in mix/post, not in signal chain. No evidence of pedals or effects loop for riff. Settings are for studio, not live.

Tone Character(10)

tight palm-muted chugsaggressive and saturatedarticulate note separationpunchy low endslightly scooped midscrisp treble bitepercussive attackdry, in-your-face soundminimal ambiencehigh-output humbucker clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and palm muting, with tight, syncopated rhythm at high gain. The articulation and speed demand advanced right-hand technique and precise timing.

Sources

Eddie's guitar sound on 5150 : r/vanhalen - Reddit Eddie Van Halen's guitar gear: get the tone of the hard-rock icon | Guitar World How to get classic EVH 5150 tones using guitar modelling | MusicRadar

This tone has been researched 10 times by the community

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