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Jamie's Cryin' Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Van Halen
Van Halen · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Frankenstein Strat-style guitar (homemade by Eddie Van Halen, aka 'Frankie')
Pickups
Seymour Duncan 'PAF'-style humbucker (bridge position, rewound by EVH)
Amp
Marshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (run through Ohmite Variac, voltage reduced)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (humbucker)
Studio recording, 1977-78. Guitar was the original 'Frankenstein' with a single bridge humbucker, maple neck, and brass nut. No overdrive/distortion pedals used for gain; amp was cranked with a Variac. Effects (MXR Phase 90, Echoplex EP-3, MXR Flanger) were used post-amp via dummy load and re-amping. Settings are for the studio album version, not live.
Amp Settings
Mids7.5
Bass6
Gain7
Reverb0.5
Treble7
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- MXR Phase 90 · phaser
Frankenstein guitar → Marshall Super Lead (cranked, Variac) → Dummy load → MXR Phase 90 (post-amp) → Studio console
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Tone Character
- archetypal 'brown sound'
- brash, hyper-articulated and subtly phased distortion
- British crunch
- tight palm muting
- high-output humbucker
- aggressive attack
- bright and cutting
- harmonically rich
- percussive rhythm
- dynamic response
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for 'Jamie's Cryin'' found in sources; amp settings estimated based on typical Marshall Super Lead usage for Van Halen's debut album and genre/era.
- Pedal and effect usage is confirmed for the album era, but exact pedal settings are not available.
- Signal chain included effects post-amp in the studio, which differs from typical pedalboard order.
- No evidence of reverb (amp or pedal) on the riff section; dry amp tone.
- No evidence of delay or chorus on the riff section; only phaser is clearly audible.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. For 'Jamie's Cryin',' Eddie Van Halen used his classic 'brown sound' setup: a late-70s Marshall Super Lead with moderate gain, strong mids, and slightly boosted treble/presence for clarity. The tone is crunchy but not overly saturated, with minimal reverb as was typical for early VH recordings.