GuitarDistortedRiff
"5150" Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Van Halen
Van Halen · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Kramer 5150 (custom, maple neck, single humbucker, Floyd Rose)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom (bridge humbucker, custom-wound for Eddie Van Halen)
Amp
Peavey 5150 120W Head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet (Celestion G12M speakers)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1985-1986. Guitar plugged straight into amp, no pedals in front. Effects (delay, reverb) added post in mix. No evidence of pedals or effects loop for the riff section. Settings are for the studio recording of the main riff, not live.
Amp Settings
Mids5
Bass7
Gain8.5
Reverb0.5
Treble6
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight palm-muted chugs
- aggressive bridge pickup attack
- saturated high-gain rhythm
- percussive and articulate
- slightly scooped mids
- crisp top end
- chunky low end
- minimal ambience
- dry, in-your-face sound
- fast note decay