Riff Tone

Hot for Teacher

Van Halen

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarKramer 5150 (Frankenstrat-style, single humbucker, maple neck)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 (heavily modded, variac, 100W, EL34s)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom Shop humbucker (PAF-style, high output, bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass5.5

mid7

treble7.5

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

flangerMXR MXR Flanger (likely MXR M-117 or EVH-117)

boostSoloDallas SoloDallas Schaffer Replica (wireless/boost/compression)

Notes

Studio recording, 1983-1984. Used for the album '1984'. Kramer 5150 with single bridge humbucker, Marshall Super Lead 1959 with variac and custom mods. Schaffer-Vega Diversity System wireless and/or SoloDallas Schaffer Replica for boost/compression. No evidence of live/tour gear or alternate guitars for this riff section.

Tone Character(9)

tight, percussive rhythm attackaggressive, cutting upper midssaturated British cruncharticulate pick attackexplosive palm-mutingbright, sizzling top endharmonic-rich distortiondynamic, touch-sensitive responseclassic 'brown sound' with airy sustain

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced right-hand speed, tight palm muting, and precise rhythm to match the song's fast shuffle groove, making it one of the most technically demanding rhythm parts in classic rock.

Sources

Does anyone know Eddie Van Halen's settings for this Amp? - Reddit Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard | Equipboard Hot For Teacher (Guitar Cover) : r/vanhalen - Reddit How to get classic EVH 5150 tones using guitar modelling

This tone has been researched 15 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account