Riff Tone

Hear About It Later

Van Halen

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFrankenstrat (custom-built Strat-style, maple neck, single humbucker, Floyd Rose)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (modded, variac, EL34s) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M speakers

PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom-wound PAF-style humbucker (bridge position, direct-mounted)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1981, Fair Warning album. Clean intro/riff section. No evidence of live rig or later EVH/Peavey/5150 amps for this era. Frankenstrat with single bridge humbucker, volume knob only, no tone knob.

Tone Character(10)

glassy and bell-likebright and articulatepercussive attackdynamic and touch-sensitiveno audible breakuptight, focused low endslightly compressed from ampdry, no ambiencesingle-coil-like claritycrisp pick definition

Difficulty

The clean riff requires tight, syncopated picking and dynamic control to maintain clarity and articulation, with moderate technical challenge due to the need for precise muting and timing.

Sources

Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard (page 2)Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard (page 3)Hear About It Later isolated guitar : r/vanhalen

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account