Quest for The Brown Sound

[Whizzercone]

And I would make it sound like just another Marshall lol. What I’ve learned after buying and selling amps over the past 3-4 decades…most of the time it’s the player, not the amp. Want to sound like EVH? Spend hours and hours and hours working on your EVH chops

And add a major studio, top notch engineers, an API console and the guy to mix it. The EVH sound that we know is not an amp in a room. It is fully produced music. Eddie himself wasn't a fan because he didn't think it sounded like him.

 

[steveb63]

Long Live the King.

 

[StrummerJoe]

I'm number 36 on the list for a Metroplex MkII. Last week he was up to number 20, so I'm hoping mine will be my Christmas present to myself. Oh, as far as the VH thing, I can't play like him at all and listening to his music is all the joy I need. That said, I love that he's still inspiring people to play and inspiring players and builders to chase his tones.

You're a lucky fella....if not smelly

 

[speyfly]

I think the best "Brown Sound" amp I've heard would be the Friedman that Cantrell used in the past. Don't know if he's still using the JJ-100 but it has a sweet tone.

 

[V-Type]

You can get ballpark brown sound with many of todays amps and pedals but people forget Ed's early grail tone(78-79) besides his hands and ear's was also how he frankensteined his rig. Super Leads and Plex's, Ecoplex's,Phaser and Variac's all cranked. To this day the tones on VH II are still Gold Standard for me.

 

[pittbull]

I like the sound of Jim Gausted orange tolex Marshall better then the Metroplex

 

[TheOtherEric]

I like the sound of Jim Gausted orange tolex Marshall better then the Metroplex

I agree the orange Marshall sounded killer, but it's really apples-to-oranges since the orange Marshall videos use lots of post-processing on his PC, which he spent lots of time honing to capture early VH. Whereas he was clear that these MPII videos use zero post-processing.

He also used different speakers; JBL + Reissue Greenbacks (blended) with the orange Marshall (VH1 and VHII videos) and used Blackbacks on the MPII videos.

The quality of the recordings seems quite different too; the MPII videos came out relatively muffled for whatever reason.

Here's Show Your Love, first with the orange Marshall then with MPII:

 

[TheOtherEric]

I don't think anyone could go wrong by getting either a Metropoulos or a Bray. They are both great amps.

I had a Coco 50, and it was just ok. Currently VERY happy with my Germino Lead 55 LV, and looking forward to my MPII this month. I don't consider the Coco and MPII in the same league, honestly. Perhaps the Bray 4550 is.

 

[solarburn]

I had a Coco 50, and it was just ok. Currently VERY happy with my Germino Lead 55 LV, and looking forward to my MPII this month. I don't consider the Coco and MPII in the same league, honestly. Perhaps the Bray 4550 is.

I've heard some great Germino clips. Congratz on that one.

 

[TheOtherEric]

I've heard some great Germino clips. Congratz on that one.

Yeah, I churned thru a lot of plexis before settling on that. But look for either a Germino or MPII for sale in January on TGP. Can’t keep both!

 

[MantraSky]

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[MantraSky]

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[pittbull]

There are many nice amps out there and many mentioned above I’ve tried but THE amp that really achieves the Van Halen 1 sound and the rest of the Van Halen catalog heres mine read carefully I have the last amp that Mark Abrahamian-Rockstah (RIP)modded before he passed away.it’s a Rockitt Retro(# 46)1968 50 watt plexi spec 12000 series all hand wired turret board all top notch components that I sent to Mark Abrahamian to mod.I had the Rockstah Amplification logo made that’s the logo Mark Abrahamian designed but passed away before he had a chance to make them.I remember Mark A.called me on a friday this was September of 2012 telling me “ hey man I’m sending the amp to you when get it please call me to tell me how you like the mod 5”, I recieve the amp on that Monday which was a three day wait,I find out the Mark passed away that Sunday night after a show in Nebraska, Mark was Mickey Thompson guitar player in Starship. It was sad that I couldn’t call him back to tell him that the amp just smokes-amazing Van halen 1 all day.. Mark and I would talk all the time about the Van Halen sound and amps in general.

 

[solarburn]

Joe I've been in the studio all day with a couple heavy hitting musicians, recording a new album,
I just got home and wanted to clean and restring my Favorite guitar 2008 Charvel CS So-Cal, Love it....

Love me some Charvey! That's saweet! Congratz on working on a new album. Still jam'n the disc I got from you. Yours and Elegant Weapons get rotated in the car whenever I take off. Charvels are sick ass strats. I've got 2!

 

[MantraSky]

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[Caffeinated]

I AM a tone chaser for the AC/DC POWERAGE album. Not any other AC/DC album. Just Powerage, my favorite album of all time...

Powerage is such a good sound. And so basic. Again, it's player and attitude that really makes it.

 

[SonVolt]

The EVH sound that we know is not an amp in a room.

Same goes for the Metallica Black album sound that "younger" generations tried to cop.

 

[Whizzercone]

Powerage is such a good sound. And so basic. Again, it's player and attitude that really makes it.

Their best IMO.

 

[Karl Brake]

The amps mentioned are all fab, but honestly, the EVH 5150III amps on the red and blue channels, esp the el34, feel closest to what he was doing. I mean, those things ooze harmonics with every touch of the string...and that's what he was playing at the end of his life. He was a marvel, but I never felt inclined to imitate him, and I just don't like to tap that much, so there you go. If you don't have a killer rhythm section, though, it all gets lost. I like what Eddie said, basically that guitar players should be trying to make their own new sounds. He was doing what was in his heart, personally, not trying to imitate anyone. I like to emulate his attitude, not slave over his chops. That being said, it's gonna be real interesting to see how Satriani takes on his material in his upcoming tour with Hagar.

 

[SonVolt]

The amps mentioned are all fab, but honestly, the EVH 5150III amps on the red and blue channels, esp the el34, feel closest to what he was doing.

Haven't played one yet. Does it cover early Van Halen or just Van Hagar era tones?