Riff Tone

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love

Van Halen

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFrankenstrat (homemade Strat-style guitar, maple neck, single humbucker, Floyd Rose prototype or vintage tremolo)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (plexi, variac-powered, no master volume, EL34s, cranked)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom Shop humbucker (PAF-style, rewound by EVH; bridge position, direct mounted)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

phaserMXR MXR Phase 90

flangerMXR MXR Flanger

Notes

Studio recording, 1977/1978. Guitar volume rolled back slightly for riff. No evidence of chorus or delay in riff section. Effects are pedals, not amp-based. Frankenstrat with single bridge humbucker, Marshall Super Lead with variac, MXR Phase 90 and MXR Flanger in front of amp. No effects loop.

Tone Character(10)

British crunch with aggressive attacktight palm-muted chugspercussive and articulatebright upper midssaturated but not high-gainraw and bitingharmonic overtones from cranked plexislight phase swirl audibleminimal low-end flubdynamic response to pick attack

Difficulty

The riff requires tight palm muting, precise alternate picking, and syncopated rhythm, making it challenging for intermediate players but not as technically demanding as Van Halen's solos.

Sources

Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard | Equipboard Eddie Van Halen on how he used his MXR Phase 90 & Flanger pedals | Guitar World what settings would get me closest to aint talking bout love tone?Ain't talkin' bout love... FX settings help needed - The Gear Page MXR EVH90 Eddie Van Halen Phase 90 Electric Guitar Pedal Stomp Box | Reverb Bulgaria

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