Riff Tone
Yankee Rose
David Lee Roth
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarCharvel 'Green Meanie' (heavily modified Strat-style, DiMarzio pickups, Floyd Rose tremolo)
AmpMarshall JCM900 (likely, based on era and Vai's known rig for Eat 'Em and Smile sessions)
PickupsDiMarzio PAF Pro (bridge humbucker), DiMarzio HS-2 (neck/middle single-coil sized humbuckers)
Amp Settings
gain7
bass6
mid7
treble7.5
reverb2
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
wahUnknown Wah pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 1986. Steve Vai used the 'Green Meanie' Charvel with DiMarzio pickups and a Marshall stack for the main riff. Floyd Rose tremolo used for whammy effects. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the riff section.
Tone Character(10)
aggressive and saturatedbright and articulatetight palm-muted chugspercussive attackvocal-like phrasingharmonic overtonescrisp pick attackhigh output, compressedwhammy bar squealscutting midrange
Difficulty
The riff requires advanced right-hand control for fast palm muting, precise whammy bar use for vocal-like phrasing, and tight rhythmic execution at a fast tempo.
Sources
This tone has been researched 4 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarCharvel 'Green Meanie' (heavily modified Strat-style, DiMarzio pickups, Floyd Rose tremolo)
AmpMarshall JCM900 (likely, based on era and Vai's known rig for Eat 'Em and Smile sessions)
PickupsDiMarzio PAF Pro (bridge humbucker), DiMarzio HS-2 (neck/middle single-coil sized humbuckers)
Amp Settings
gain7
bass6
mid7
treble7.5
reverb2
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
wahUnknown Wah pedal (model unknown)
This tone has been researched 4 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1986. Steve Vai used the 'Green Meanie' Charvel with DiMarzio pickups and a Marshall stack for the main riff. Floyd Rose tremolo used for whammy effects. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the riff section.
Tone Character(10)
aggressive and saturatedbright and articulatetight palm-muted chugspercussive attackvocal-like phrasingharmonic overtonescrisp pick attackhigh output, compressedwhammy bar squealscutting midrange
Difficulty
The riff requires advanced right-hand control for fast palm muting, precise whammy bar use for vocal-like phrasing, and tight rhythmic execution at a fast tempo.
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