Metropoulos Forum

For us "old" guys, having original copies of some of these EVH interviews is cool. But they've been re-printed so often that you rarely go back and look at the old stuff. I stumbled across an Ed interview from approx. 1981 with John Stix - I think it was for Int'l Music & Recording World and I ripped it out of the magazine somewhere around 84 or 85 and it's been in a folder ever since. If this has been printed here, sorry for duplicating.

Anyway, it's an interesting read in that it's just his viewpoints after FW was finished. So his opinions often change as things sink in over time. Rather than transcribe, though I'd just throw in the hi-lites:

Note, this is AFTER FW is recorded:

-"Live, I use 3 guitars with Floyd Rose tailpieces. I don't use them in the studio because they're hard for me to tune. You'd think it would be the other way around. But it gets a slightly brighter sound that I prefer live. With the Floyd Rose bridges you have to boil the strings in water for 10 minutges before putting them on. It's to stretch the strings out."

-(Stix) His favorite amps are three old Marshalls. They're augmented by 12 new 100 watt heads that have been (modified) to the older specs. Homite Voltage Regulators also help shape the sound. The amps power four 8 x 12" cabinets with Celestion speakers. For recording Eddie uses an old standard Marshall top and 4 x 12" cabinet.

- "I crank everything all the way up but I have my guitar built compatibly to get the tone I like". By this he means, a less powerful pickup is matched with a more powerful amp and vice versa.

- (Stix) HIs pedal board is spartan by today's standards. It includes (2) MXR flangers (in case on breaks down), an MXR Phase Shifter, an Echo Plex, and a Roland Chorus Echo. ("I don't use much except for the Echo.")

- (Stix) Of their four albums, Eddie rates VH1 and their latest, Fair Warning, to be equal from a guitar playing point of view. They contain the best he's put to wax. VH II follows with WACF as the least guitaristic of the bunch (!!!!)

- (Stix) All but Fair Warning, which is the best sounding, are as good as live from a production point of view. "I agree with you, FW is the best recorded album we've done. I think I played wellon that one, but I don't know why. I spent more time on this album. I did more overdubbing than on any other record. I got tired of the guitar always coming out of the left side like some old Beatles recording. The other 3 albums were recorded live as a trio, with the vocals added later.......I used to think I soloed better if we all played at the same time, so the guitar solo was always on the same track as the rhythm section. Sinner's Swing has the only live solo on Fair Warning."

Nothing earth shattering, but some subtle details and a reference to where his head was at after FW was finished.

Pretty simple and straight forward. Interesting about lower output pickup with the higher power Marshall's. Feedback issues perhaps since he's got 4, 8X12's and a lot of early spec amps cranked. Jeezus. Did he really run like that or were those cabs just for show?

You look at those live photos of tours for WACF, FW, DD, and 1984 and those dozens and dozens of speakers -if you take this literally, that's 32 "hot" speakers, but probably spread around and not side-by-side....

But again, he sometimes used multiple heads (backup rigs and such) so he might have been using (2) 8 x 12's primary and (2) on standby in case of failure....

That's still insanely loud. By more than 4 but maybe. They had big stages and he'd have been much further away from his cab compared to the club venues.

Well, I was front row twice on Diver Down and once on 1984...being on front row, I was likely under the main PA and mostly getting stage volume.

On DD, my ears rang for about 24-36 hours.

On 1984, it was 3 days. Everyone has said it and it's true, they were INSANELY loud on 1984 in terms of stage volume.

I hear that.

I played in a band in the late 90s'/early 2000s. We were trying to be retro/arena rock in the midst of depressing/angst ridden post Seattle bands who brought a Fender 1 x 12 combo to their gigs and put a mic in front of it. And stared at their shoes while they played.

We decided to run full Marshall stacks (two guitar players). Loudest thing I've ever tried to play to. My ears were often shot, and I was, say, 10 feet, in front of those speakers. My ears never rang like they did after Van Halen.

The 1984 Musician interview where they basically declare Alex as half-deaf...that early in the game...that says a lot. I actually took Michael Anthony's words to heart - I never went near a cymbal on a drum riser ever again after reading that.

I love looking at old guitar magazines. Found some today cleaning the garage out.
Fair Warning is my favorite guitar sound in the world.

I dunno about the crankedness thats claimed. I mean think about it. Who likes it so loud? Seriously? Bein in the biz of any rockband is gonna be taxing to the ears. But, there are times I am sure things get out of hand at practices even. Haven't we all kinda been there? But the trend I see with most bands is to be reasonable volume wise. No friggin way Ed did that many tours in front of that many speakers jacked to the max. But maybe that explains the tone changes we don't understand. I dunno i am just split here.
Last time I went to see them it was like pure torture. Most people were not diggin it in the crowd at all. It was painful. And i was way in the hills away. No way anyone can humanly stand that for a year of touring and be ok. The opening act was loud but nothing remotely close to Vh-it was insane!
When all is said and done I still think its BS. All the amps onstage are NOT ON. Watch some videos-he will only walk toward one set of cabs for feedback and such and only those.
I like to feel the cabs thump and pump, but I do not enjoy ear fatigue at all, and there is a difference.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCZ7AVX6BtI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1d8BVvY-I[/youtube]

Keep in mind that Eddie has always said he had lots of speakers onstage but not so many plugged in at once. And he apparently didn't like to have the top cabinets plugged in so much as he preferred the bottoms.

On the other hand, Alex's "monitor rig" was basically 1 or 2 4 x 12's with straight signal from Ed. He wasn't listening to Dave or Michael. Just pure 4 x 12 and apparently at an insane level. Read Musician magazine from 1984, they said Alex would come off stage basically punch drunk because he insisted on the monitors being so loud.