Riff Tone

Light Up the Sky

Van Halen

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1979 Charvel 'Bumblebee' Strat-style (black with yellow stripes, maple neck, Floyd Rose prototype)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (plexi, late 1960s, variac at 90V, EL34 tubes)

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

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

phaserMXR MXR Phase 90

Notes

Studio recording, 1979. Guitar: 'Bumblebee' Charvel with single bridge humbucker. Amp: Marshall Super Lead 1959 run with a variac. Effects: MXR Phase 90 and MXR Flanger used in front of amp. No evidence of delay or reverb on riff section. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical EVH studio setup for Van Halen II.

Tone Character(10)

tight, percussive rhythm attackaggressive, crunchy bridge pickup soundarticulate pick attackclassic 'brown sound' with saturated harmonicspunchy, mid-forward toneslight phase swirl audible in riffdry, in-your-face studio soundminimal ambience or reverbdynamic, touch-sensitive responsedistinct palm-muted chugs

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking with aggressive palm muting and precise rhythmic accents, demanding advanced right-hand technique and dynamic control.

Sources

Eddie Van Halen on how he used his MXR Phase 90 & Flanger pedals Eddie Van Halen's Signature Stompboxes – The Backstory Plus Tips

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