Riff Tone

I'm the One

Van Halen

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1976 Ibanez Destroyer (Korina, stock humbucker pickups, used for 'I'm the One' riff in studio)

AmpMarshall 1959 Super Lead 100W (run through a Variac at 89V, into Celestion Greenback 4x12 cabinet)

PickupsIbanez Super 70s humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass5.5

mid7

treble7.5

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1977-1978. Guitar was the stock Ibanez Destroyer with Super 70s humbuckers, not the Frankenstrat. Amp was a Marshall Super Lead 100W with Variac set to 89V for the 'brown sound'. No evidence of pedals in the riff section; effects are from amp and technique.

Tone Character(10)

explosive British crunchtight palm-muted chugspercussive attackbright and articulate highsfull-bodied midrangeharmonic-rich sustaindynamic pick responseslightly compressedclassic 'brown sound'not overly distorted, but huge and fills the sound stage

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced right-hand technique, fast shuffle timing, and tight palm muting at a high tempo, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

How can i get Eddie Van Halen's tone? : r/Guitar Does anyone know Eddie Van Halen's settings for this Amp?Pete Thorn Guitar Rig Rundown Gear Tour Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Gear, Frankenstrat & Pedalboard Favorite Album Guitar Tone? : r/vanhalen

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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