Van Halen Amp Tidbit:

EVH used a variac to run lower voltages. There's blackouts: no power, and brownouts: reduced power. EVH's early sound is considered the "Brown sound".
EVH mislead the press in his early days, claiming he was using a variac to increase the voltages as his secret weapon. I wonder how many EVH tone chasers fried their Marshalls in believing him?
 
syscokid said:
EVH used a variac to run lower voltages. There's blackouts: no power, and brownouts: reduced power. EVH's early sound is considered the "Brown sound".
EVH mislead the press in his early days, claiming he was using a variac to increase the voltages as his secret weapon. I wonder how many EVH tone chasers fried their Marshalls in believing him?
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I never got that "brown sound" reference and was too lazy to research it. Thanks!
 
Tony M. said:
Come to think of it, that was a kind of crappy thing to do to the people
who spent their last buck on a Marshall while chasing his so called "tone".
Click to expand...

I agree. Probably lots of fried Marshalls based on that disinformation campaign.

I never admired Ed's tone personally, so I was immune to it. In fact, there's quite a few VH tunes I've never listened to in their entirety, just because I found the guitar work lacking emotion and I couldn't bear DLR's vocals.

Nothing at all wrong with VH, just never grabbed me. George Lynch did, but not EVH.

However, I did chase Gary Moore's and Angus Young's tone - both of which which were easy - humbucker into a cranked Marshall.
 
RVA said:
I never got that "brown sound" reference and was too lazy to research it. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I never understood it. A lower amount of power than normal. I read a completely different story from Eddie . I don't remember any details of it and it's not worth looking for. New York City has brown outs from all the air conditioners running.
 
Based on the fact that this says "all nine" albums I would date the article to around 1991-1992. Right around the time the 5150's came out.
Wonder if the old Marshall(s) were becoming too moody and unreliable, so he decided to go ahead and work with Peavey to make the signature amp?

Not sure myself, but I do definitely recall what those original 5150's sounded like and the were staggeringly good.
 
He hooked up with Peavey because they gave him a bunch of money,
the same as every other endorsement deal in recorded history.

Pop quiz:
What was the biggest money one shot lifetime sports endorsement deal in history?
 
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