ToneAdapt

Loading...

Riff Tone

Amsterdam

Van Halen

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarPeavey Wolfgang (likely Standard or Special, as used by Eddie Van Halen during Balance era)

AmpPeavey 5150 Head with matching 4x12 cabinet

PickupsPeavey Wolfgang Custom Humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid6

treble6.5

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1994-1995 (Balance album sessions). Eddie Van Halen was known to use the Peavey Wolfgang and 5150 amp for this era. No evidence of pedals in the riff section; signal is likely guitar straight into amp. Wet/Dry/Wet rig possible, but not confirmed for this specific track. Settings estimated based on typical 5150 usage and genre/era. No evidence of effects loop or additional rack effects for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight, saturated rhythm crunchaggressive palm-muted chugsarticulate pick attackmodern high-gain claritypercussive low endslightly scooped midsharmonic overtonescompressed, focused soundminimal ambienceno audible modulation effects

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms and high-gain clarity. Noise control and articulation are critical due to the saturated tone.

Sources

Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard AMSTERDAM VAN HALEN GUITAR COVER ! : r/vanhalen does anyone know how I can get a wet/dry/wet setup with modeling ...

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarPeavey Wolfgang (likely Standard or Special, as used by Eddie Van Halen during Balance era)

AmpPeavey 5150 Head with matching 4x12 cabinet

PickupsPeavey Wolfgang Custom Humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid6

treble6.5

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Sources

Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard AMSTERDAM VAN HALEN GUITAR COVER ! : r/vanhalen does anyone know how I can get a wet/dry/wet setup with modeling ...

Notes

Studio recording, 1994-1995 (Balance album sessions). Eddie Van Halen was known to use the Peavey Wolfgang and 5150 amp for this era. No evidence of pedals in the riff section; signal is likely guitar straight into amp. Wet/Dry/Wet rig possible, but not confirmed for this specific track. Settings estimated based on typical 5150 usage and genre/era. No evidence of effects loop or additional rack effects for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight, saturated rhythm crunchaggressive palm-muted chugsarticulate pick attackmodern high-gain claritypercussive low endslightly scooped midsharmonic overtonescompressed, focused soundminimal ambienceno audible modulation effects

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms and high-gain clarity. Noise control and articulation are critical due to the saturated tone.

Create Free Account

More Van Halen tones

Van Halen gear & all tones →

Amsterdam by Van Halen — Riff Tone Settings | ToneAdapt