Riff Tone

On Fire

Van Halen

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarHomemade 'Frankenstrat' (Strat-style body, maple neck, single humbucker, Floyd Rose prototype or vintage Fender tremolo)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (late '60s, run through a Variac at reduced voltage, into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M Greenbacks)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom Shop 'PAF-style' humbucker (rewound, wax-potted, high output, bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayMaestro Maestro Echoplex EP-3

Notes

Studio recording, 1977-78. No pedals in front except Echoplex EP-3 tape delay. Amp cranked, Variac used to drop voltage for increased saturation. No effects loop. Pickup selector hardwired to bridge humbucker. No chorus, flanger, or phaser on this riff section. All effects are preamp-in, not post or in mix.

Tone Character(10)

explosive and harmonically richtight, percussive attacksinging sustainraw, saturated overdriveaggressive bridge pickup biteBritish crunchdynamic response to pickingtouch-sensitiveslight tape echo ambienceclassic late-'70s hard rock

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, aggressive picking, tight palm muting, and precise dynamic control to capture the explosive, percussive feel of the original recording.

Sources

Tone Tips: Echo and the Dirty Amp Quintessential Rock Rigs by Decade - Premier Guitar Tone Tips: Is Political Correctness Neutering the Guitar?

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