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Riff Tone

Spanish Fly

Van Halen

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarOvations 1615 Nylon-String Classical Guitar

AmpNone (direct to tape, no amp used)

PickupsPiezo (under-saddle, nylon-string classical, stock Ovation electronics)

Amp Settings

gain1.5

bass5

mid6

treble6

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1978-1979. Eddie Van Halen used a nylon-string Ovation classical guitar recorded direct to tape, no amp or pedals. No evidence of any amplification or effects chain for the riff section. All tone is from the guitar and player technique.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatepercussive and dynamicwarm nylon-string timbrehighly responsive to touchcrisp attacknatural acoustic resonanceno electronic colorationexpressive fingerstyle clarityslight natural compression from pickingno artificial sustain

Difficulty

The riff requires expert-level classical and rock hybrid technique, including rapid tremolo picking, tapping, and percussive articulation on a nylon-string guitar, making it extremely challenging even for advanced players.

Sources

Tone Tips: What Would Linda Do?Billy Sheehan Breaks Down Eddie Van Halen's Technique ...Why John Bohlinger Likes Playing Acoustic Guitar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarOvations 1615 Nylon-String Classical Guitar

AmpNone (direct to tape, no amp used)

PickupsPiezo (under-saddle, nylon-string classical, stock Ovation electronics)

Amp Settings

gain1.5

bass5

mid6

treble6

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Sources

Tone Tips: What Would Linda Do?Billy Sheehan Breaks Down Eddie Van Halen's Technique ...Why John Bohlinger Likes Playing Acoustic Guitar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

Notes

Studio recording, 1978-1979. Eddie Van Halen used a nylon-string Ovation classical guitar recorded direct to tape, no amp or pedals. No evidence of any amplification or effects chain for the riff section. All tone is from the guitar and player technique.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatepercussive and dynamicwarm nylon-string timbrehighly responsive to touchcrisp attacknatural acoustic resonanceno electronic colorationexpressive fingerstyle clarityslight natural compression from pickingno artificial sustain

Difficulty

The riff requires expert-level classical and rock hybrid technique, including rapid tremolo picking, tapping, and percussive articulation on a nylon-string guitar, making it extremely challenging even for advanced players.

Create Free Account

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Spanish Fly by Van Halen — Riff Tone Settings | ToneAdapt