Riff Tone

Guitar Solo (Live at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, 8/27/1986) [2026 Remaster]

Van Halen

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarKramer 5150 (custom, red with white/black stripes, maple neck, Floyd Rose, single humbucker)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (modded with Variac, EL34s, 1968 spec, into 4x12 cabs with Celestion G12M speakers)

PickupsSeymour Duncan SH-5 Custom (bridge humbucker, non-trembucker spacing, wax-potted, direct mount)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance, 1986; Eddie's main rig for the 5150 tour. Used a wet/dry/wet setup with center dry cab and left/right cabs with digital delay (Roland SDE-3000). No pedal overdrive/distortion; all gain from amp. Effects loop not used; delays split post-amp. No chorus or phaser/flanger on riff section.

Tone Character(9)

tight and percussiveaggressive and articulateBritish crunchfocused midrange punchsinging sustaindynamic pick attackdry, unprocessedslight amp sag from Variachigh-output humbucker clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking with aggressive palm muting and precise timing, demanding advanced right-hand technique and dynamic control typical of Eddie Van Halen's rhythm work.

Sources

Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard This Is the Most Important Gear That Shaped Eddie Van Halen's Tone Joe Satriani is working with 3rd Power on the ultimate '86 era Van Halen amp | Guitar World

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