Hard Rock1978Van Halen
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love Amp Settings
by Van Halen
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Original Recording Settings
Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" by Van Halen
Original Gear
- Guitar
- Frankenstrat (custom-built: Schecter-pattern Strat body, maple neck)
- Pickups
- Gibson PAF (from 1960s ES-335), rewound to Eddie's specs, wax-potted in surf wax (bridge (only pickup))
- Amplifier
- Late 1960s Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W (Plexi)
- Channel
- Both channels jumpered
- Tuning
- standard
- Pickup Selector
- bridge (single pickup guitar)
Stock and unmodified (confirmed by Billy Corgan and Premier Guitar bench analysis). Sylvania 6CA7 power tubes. Run through Ohmite Variac at ~89V for recording. Eddie told the Smithsonian (2017): 'For recording, the sweet spot seemed to be 89 volts.'
Amp Settings
Bass
10.0
Mid
10.0
Treble
10.0
Presence
10.0
Volume
10.0
Effects Chain
→
MXR 117 Flanger
flanger
→
MXR Phase 90
phaser
→
Maestro Echoplex EP-3
delay
→
→MXR 6-Band EQ
EQ
1.MXR 117 Flanger — KEY EFFECT on this track's arpeggiated intro riff. Eddie's documented settings: 'three knobs on the left between 11 o'clock, last knob [regeneration] all the way up.'
2.MXR Phase 90 — Used on the solo.
3.Maestro Echoplex EP-3 — Slapback delay (~2 repeats) throughout. Also serves as signal boost via its preamp.
4.MXR 6-Band EQ — Occasional midboost.
Playing Technique
Arpeggiated Am/F/G minor chords with aggressive percussive picking. Flanger timed to strumming pattern. Guitar recorded panned hard right, reverb panned hard left — signature Ted Templeman/Donn Landee stereo separation at Sunset Sound Studios.
Sources+
- Guitar.com (Justin Beckner): Frankenstrat build details and signal chain.
- Premier Guitar 'Signal to Noise: The Brown Sound': Marshall Plexi analysis.
- Eddie Van Halen 1978 Guitar Player interview: PAF pickup and gear details.
- Eddie Van Halen 2017 Smithsonian interview: Variac voltage confirmation.
- Equipboard (Eddie Van Halen): comprehensive gear listing.
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