GuitarDistortedRiff
On Fire Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Van Halen
Van Halen · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Homemade 'Frankenstrat' (Strat-style body, maple neck, single humbucker, Floyd Rose prototype or vintage Fender tremolo)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan Custom Shop 'PAF-style' humbucker (rewound, wax-potted, high output, bridge position)
Amp
Marshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (late '60s, run through a Variac at reduced voltage, into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M Greenbacks)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (hardwired humbucker)
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.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass5.5
Gain8.5
Reverb0.5
Treble6.5
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Maestro Echoplex EP-3 · delay
Guitar (Frankenstrat, bridge humbucker) → Maestro Echoplex EP-3 (tape delay) → Marshall Super Lead 1959 (cranked, Variac) → Marshall 4x12 cabinet
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Tone Character
- explosive and harmonically rich
- tight, percussive attack
- singing sustain
- raw, saturated overdrive
- aggressive bridge pickup bite
- British crunch
- dynamic response to picking
- touch-sensitive
- slight tape echo ambience
- classic late-'70s hard rock