Eddie Van Halen Designs a Guitar to Get Closer to the Fans
Variety has a new story on Eddie Van Halen:
It’s an intense, visceral thrill to stand next to Eddie Van Halen while he plays a series of riffs that pass at whip-cracking speed, each note articulated with clarity and purpose. The sound and the force of the music are unmistakable; he looks up while strumming an open chord at length, shouting that he’s playing the runs that other guitarists could not figure out in the 1970s. I assume he is referring to his use of harmonics in the middle of a run with the occasional bent note.
The song he is playing is a new one, a possibility for the next Van Halen album, work on which is expected to start in the summer. The tune makes effective use of his patented detuner, a metal bracket the size of a Tic-Tacs box at the tail of the guitar that alters the key he is playing in. He yanks on the device, the tonal quality shifts and I immediately hear a Pete Townshend influence. When he finishes, Van Halen’s comment is “it’s got an old Who thing in there.” It’s good to know we’re on the same page.
Van Halen, the greatest hard rock guitarist since Jimmy Page, is for once not talking about lead singers, reunions or his personal life. The subject is the guitar, specifically the introduction of the EVH line by Fender. Van Halen’s famous guitars, especially his “Frankenstrat” with the red, black and white stripes, have been duplicated by manufacturers, but the new instrument — called the Wolfgang — is the first to be design by Van Halen with Fender’s team of designers.
He took four prototypes on the road during the last Van Halen tour, tweaking, redesigning and reworking the instrument until Van Halen put his stamp of approval on it. Fender says it has worked more extensively with Van Halen to design this six-string electric than any other instrument in its catalog; Eddie says he wants to offer consumers the exact same instrument he plays onstage.
“What they do with it is up to them,” he said. “They won’t necessarily sound like me. I hope they’ll do something different.
“A lot of companies rest on what they designed in the ‘50s. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I like to squeeze out everything out of every idea. I have the painstaking job of making it work. It’s like writing a song — why do (I hear in my head) stuff that is harder to play than to hum. To get the patent, then get someone to believe that it works is insane, too.”
AT 54, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen is still not a big picture guy. He does not encapsulate what his playing means to generation of followers, of how guitar design fits within his legacy or even pinpointing the differences between his approach to the David Lee Roth material the first time around and again 20-odd years later. What he is remarkably capable of doing is remembering precisely how he recorded a specific sound, what went into building a guitar from factory seconds and the tweaks he has done over the years to everything from the screws to the tuning pegs.
Visitors who enter Van Halen’s 5150 studio are encouraged to walk around the performance area to understand how vastly different every space in the studio sounds. He not only is aware of the sonic differences — and the space would be cramped if a five-piece rock band were set up in it — he employs that knowledge in the way he makes recordings.
“It’s very basic, the way I mike things. I hate to say it, but it’s different from the ways others do it. I want the sound as pure as possible.”
That credo, which Van Halen has lived by for three decades, has played a key role in keeping the Van Halen sound distinct from others. His band, though, is at a crossroads. A 2007-08 reunion with David Lee Roth pulled in $93 million for 74 dates, evidence the demand remains for classic Van Halen material. They have not released an album of new material in the digital age, which makes the release of the EVH guitar seem more relevant in that desire to connect the artist with the fan. It’s an expensive route, but it takes the iconic and makes it lifesize. These days, that’s a path for survival in the music industry.
Here’s a few of Eddie’s other comments:
(His favorite analogy): It’s kinda like a race car. My brother and I race all the time. It’s a very fine line between how one person will do it and another - you experiment until your lap time improves. It’s similar to reaching that elusive sound in your head.
Lets say your best lap time is 1:22. I’m down to 1:25 - only a few seconds behind, but in a race a long time. Say the guitar is at a 1:25, so the increments are more difficult. Going from 1:35 to 1:30 is easy if you have a natural instinct. Once you get down to (a competitive speed) no stone can be left unturned. Every little tiny aspect - tire pressure, what tires you use and how you brake.It all applies to the guitar. To make a better guitar, you really have to analyze every little thing if you want high performance guitar.
(What makes his guitar unique): Placement of the pickup is important. I measure with my finger. It’s got to be at a specific harmonic. On a dissonant harmonic, I’d get a weird sound. Also potting pickups. I was the first one to do that, dipping a pickup in wax. Most guitars only have one truss rod. The Wolfgang has two on the sides, one down the middle. I prefer bolt on necks.
Everything has been upgraded to highest quality. It took long time to find the pieces to put it together. This is all identical to what I use. I’m not out to prove jackshit. I need what I hear in my head.
(He takes two guitars off the wall to have me feel the necks).
I don’t have my necks sealed. The ones that will be sold will have a little oil. My guitars only have my natural skin oil. Your own oil is so much better than any synthetic. Depending on how much you play, in six to 10 months it will feel 10 times better than any other guitar. That’s why I don’t like anyone playing my guitars. I never clean them. A Wolfgang is a down and dirty, heavy-duty precise instrument that will hold up against anything you do to it.
(On recording): Very basic. It’s all in the way I mic things. It sounds brght over here, sounds dead over there. I used six mics on Alex’s drums once. Andy Johns walks in because he could only hear it and couldn’t see what was going on. ‘That’s an amazing drum sound,’ he says. ‘How’d you do that?’ I got on a ladder and listened everywhere. I hate to say it but its different from the ways others do it. Engineers know their pro-tools but don’t trust their ears. I don’t EQ. The more EQ you use and then try to remove it, you make it worse.
(His disdain for compression): On the radio, they compress more. So if you compress too much on the master, it will sound like shit on the radio. I tend to try to not compress. It’s a gamble, a throw of the dice out there on the radio. I want the sound pure as possible. Compression tends to make the loudest thing stand out and that’s usually the kick drum. Again all I go by is what sounds good to me. That applies to my instruments.
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February 24th, 2009 at 2:41 am
Crystal clear. Now it really makes me wonder what it sounds like on the new recordings finally starting this summer:-)
Frank, NL
February 24th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Wow- I loved hearing about Eddie’s recording philosophy; It reminds me of reading how Hendrix called Les Paul to get tips for good mic placement, or Jimmy Page’s ideas on the same; Very intelligent stuff here- co
February 24th, 2009 at 7:16 am
“Wow- I loved hearing about Eddie’s recording philosophy…”
I’d just like to hear Eddie’s recordings…
February 24th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Ed almost sounds like he is as interested in his own sound and style as much as he was in the beginning…Almost…Let’s see if this trend continues , meanwhile I gotta go back to work! ;-”……
February 24th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Well it sounds promising. I’ve been critical of Ed on this site but I hope he comes through. It would nice for Van Halen fans to get back to enjoying the music. We have complained a lot lately but that’s all the band has given us. Let’s hope Ed, Dave, Al and Wolfgang pull off the album of the decade!
February 24th, 2009 at 8:52 am
WOW!! SOUNDS LIKE ED WANTS TO MAKE MUSIC AGAIN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:45 am
He seriously needs to focus on songwriting and let someone else produce VH.
OU812 is practically bass-less. The digital sound of Alex’s drums on everything since 1984 makes me want to cry. And those songs he recorded with Sam for Best of Vol 2 are thundering turds on fire.
Ed said: “It’s very basic, the way I mike things. I hate to say it, but it’s different from the ways others do it. I want the sound as pure as possible.”
Whew! That’s pretty funny considering the Eventide Harmonizer crap-farm that he now runs his guitar through. I PRAY that if they record with Dave, the engineering lackies steal all the processed effects and digital drums and force Ed and Al to trust the natural tones that made them famous in the first place.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I thought it was Andy Johns who taught Ed about John Bonham’s “big drum sound” during the recording of For Unlawful…? Johns originally learned it from Jimmy Page who was pulling the mics back a foot or two from the heads to let the drums “breathe” more. Now Ed claims he had Al’s sound already in place when Johns showed up at 5150.
Also, don’t you think that other recording engineers have already mapped out the live and dead areas of their studios? I mean, c’mon Ed, you’ve have the advantage of the same studio in your backyard for 25+ years. I would think you would know it pretty well by now!
February 24th, 2009 at 11:00 am
before I write my comment, I want it known that I love ED’s style and he is a major reason why I am a guitar player. with that said. Hey Ed, get a grip! you’re starting to sound like Gene freakin’Simmons. stop trying to sell everything under the sun with a damn EVH logo on it. you are the very best at what you do and that’s PLAYING THE GUITAR! So stop talking about how you were the first to this and that.I DON”T CARE. I have been a loyal VH fan since the first time I saw you guys open for Black Sabbath in 78. Bought all the music you released and have seen you over 10 times live and I learn all of your material on guitar because it IS a challenge. SO, stop talking so much, SHUT UP AND PLAY YOUR FREAKIN GUITAR —-PLEASE. IT”S TIME TO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS!!!!!
February 24th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
It’s messed up , people say the new songs on Best of sucked and that they are turds but if you remember around the same time everybody was say’n Van Halen ain’t broke so don’t try to fix it just let it rock!
Ed was right “they hate you if you are the same, they hate you if you are differnt”
February 24th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Tired of hearing this stuff. Sammy is writing a new cd.
VH is doing squat. Same story for the past 10 years.
Ed needs to get off his high horse and realize the fans have put him where he is.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I have become a cynic, but a hopeful cynic with regards to EVH; Tonewise, I think billy hit the nail on the head about the Eventide processor above! I heard it a bit on the Women And Children First LP, then just the right amount on Fair Warning, but WAY too much on 1984, then even more than that on 5150; EVH made a 1967 marshall Plexi sound like a tube-driven Gallien Kruger amp…
February 24th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I’m sorry, but I liked Eddie so much more when he was the “quiet and shy” member of VH who did all his talking with his guitar.
Eddie is a brilliant innovator and has moved rock forward in a lot of different ways, but he’s not the best self promoter. He needs to stop talking and just lock himself in studio like he used to do and make some dang music (and here’s the important part) release it to the fans so we can hear how great all of this EVH gear is.
He’s starting to sound like he’s living on past glory instead of still breaking new ground. I’ve been a fan since 1982.
February 24th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Ed used a car analogy, well Ed here is a car analogy for you. You are like the mechanic who has been fine tuning his engine for 11 years but never drives the damn thing. Enough about your little studio tricks and tone and how you do everything different. You’re right you are unique because I can’t think of any one else who gives his fans so little and yet they, including myself, are so loyal. Not putting out that DVD really pisses me off. With todays hi-def technology it would have been a dream to see them on blu-ray. If anyone has ever seen Rush Snakes and Arrows on Blu-ray you will know what I mean. The technology makes it better than being at the concert. You know Ed talks about how Sammy sells his tequilla and Mike is selling his hot sauce and bad mouths them for it, well Ed you’re out there promoting your over priced guitars and equipment. At least I can afford the tequilla and hot sauce. Thank you to the Van Halen News Desk, because if it wasn’t for them I would have no hope for the future of Van Halen but this website always has news and Van Halen news is hard to come by. Enough of Eds bullshit, either put out some new music or retire.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
it IS a good sign that ed wants to record again- the test will be when roth gets back to 5150.
IIIIFFFFFFFF they get through that then i agree with above posts- they NEED an outside guy to engineer and produce. they need someone who can dicipline them and keep it tight.
there’s no way ed’s porno girlfriend can handle them like noel monk or ed leffler. she’s gonna be all ” yes , ed .. yes, ed ” . i have no doubt ed and dave could work some latter-day magic, but they need a challenge.
also- the next album should include a dvd/b-ray of concert footage from 07/08.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
There is a a movie called ” Heroes” with Henry Winkler and Harrison Ford , and Harrison ford’s character has a stock car but when it is time to race he cannot do it…it is kinda sad but the difference is : This character wasn’t trying to sell everything to do with his racing career and still not racing…..Ed? You have opportunities most of us will never have….use them or get out.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
At least Ed is on the public eye.
Soon we’ll hear new music.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Good to read something on Eddie again. Much better then news on Chickennose or Sammy.
Hope we get a tour next year. New cd would be great, but I don’t expect it to be as good as the first 6 albums. So why bother. Just give us another tour (maybe one show with Mike) and a live DVD.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I thought that this article was based on Custom Shop Options for the New Wolfgang. That would be cool after some hopeful new music from Van Halen and Roth and or at least the DVD of the 07/08 tour.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I guess you’re right, Rocko, but everything better then Chickensam
February 24th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
What the hell does Eddie know about producing music that gets heard on the radio? Um, last time I checked, you guys haven’t done an album in over a decade. You can bash compression if you want, I actually think the point is valid. But don’t talk like you know how to make something sound good on the radio, Eddie. You actually have to PUT OUT SOME MUSIC first.
I know I sound like a hater, but I’m really just a huge fan that has been frustrated for a while. I’m ready for some new VH, and if we’re not getting that, then Chickenfoot will be just fine by me.
February 25th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Hey Eddie VH, I know you probably don’t read this shit, if you do, go do your thing brother and fucking bring us some more kick ass tunes. Shit dude, you know true fans are AFU!
February 25th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Dudes, the Eventide wasn’t even around until the latter half of the ’80s so it couldn’t have been on WACF, FW or 1984. There’s lots of other studio effects I’m sure they used like compression, EQ and reverb. Ed first got an Eventide around ‘85/86 and it was the H949 analog-based processor. The legendary H3000 was released in late ‘86/87 so it didn’t hit his rack until OU812. Check out picks of his rack today, there’s still two H3000s though they probably are only used for pitch shifting. (Why aren’t ya raggin’ on the Lexicon PCM70 he uses for Cathedral?) I agree, his tone has gotten much more processed over the years. VH1 was very raw while 5150 is almost too polished. OU812 is just a mess.
I thought Al went back to all acoustic drums after the Simmons kit from the 5150 album and tour. He may trigger a fill-in synth from his snare, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t use any electronic drums anymore. Thankfully! Those fake toms were just awful!
February 25th, 2009 at 7:13 am
I HAVE TO DISAGREE. I LOVE THE DRUMS ON 5150,WISH HE WOULD BRING THEM BACK FOR THE NEW CD.THAT POLISHED SOUND ALONG WITH DLR VOCALS…KICK ASS!!
February 25th, 2009 at 7:26 am
I stand corrected Myron; I should have just said the amount of noticeable processing on those albums; I’m thinking things were good while Donn Landee was still around, but after he was out the “Stereo GK” amp sound flourished; Thanks- co
February 26th, 2009 at 6:21 am
No problem, Chris, and no offense intended. Yeah, it’s too bad that Ed’s tone changed so dramatically for the worse, in my humble opinion. He had that “back to basics” kick during the VHIII tour (simplified rig, guitar cord rather than a wireless) but even then there was too much jape, pixie dust, whatever a goin’. I guess it was inevitable.
I still dunno about the electronic drums. Some songs just scream the ’80s (ZZ Tops’ Stages) whereas others have not become so dated. Some, not all but some, of 5150 seems dated primarily because of the drum sound.