Guitar Gear Forum

Most of the early VH are really low quality audio/video so it's cool to see these videos, they used stills for the parts the video was probably damaged beyond repair but there is still plenty of footage there. Audio quality is great throughout. DLR sounds really good on these early tours and EVH is at his absolute best:
1978:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR4S1FqHZzQ[/youtube]


1979:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FgY3qg6-Ms[/youtube]

And that is the sound I was looking for on my pickup thread haha. Sounds good. I will be honest I am not a big fan of DLR but lots of people like him.

neilrocks25 wrote:And that is the sound I was looking for on my pickup thread haha. Sounds good. I will be honest I am not a big fan of DLR but lots of people like him.

There's a lot of debate on what pickup Eddie was using back then. Some people say it was just a PAF, which is possible on his #1, but definitely not in the Shark, Star or Dragon guitars he is seen with in these videos.

On these guitars, some people say it was a DiMarzio Super D or a Mighty Might pickup, which was a copy of the Super D. There is also talk about Seymour Duncan making a pickup for him, which later became the original Custom.
Unfortunately, Eddie loved to troll the guitar media back then by deliberately lying about his gear so it's hard to know for sure.

Let's move this to the gear forum since it's going into gear talk

yeah this channel is great. one of those shows i watched was about the best live performances ive ever seen. i cant imagine not knowing van halen and then seeing that

When I hear VH2 in particular, I feel like I hear a Super D (or similar) based on my own experiences with a Super D in a Single hum Strat thing.

The quality of these is great, I go back and listen quarterly I bet

My thoughts:

1.) Best performance I've ever seen was Van Halen in 1979 at the Califfornia World Music Festival at the LA Coliseum. Jaw dropping all around. Just the pinnacle of the band.
2.) If you are looking for the tones on those videos, I'd go with a Super D. It'll be close as hell with the right amp up LOUD, although he is probably using a Mighty Mite 1300 in those guitars. You definitely do not want a Custom Custom - the '59 would be better.
3.) I sure wish DLR would have taken care of his voice and kept actually singing. After the second tour it started being more shtick and less and less singing.
4.) Kinda interesting watching Ed struggle with the tuning after using the bar in the first song on the Fresno '79 video. I'm sure the FR was a godsend for him...
5.) In the '78 video there are Marshalls on Ed's side, but the only amps turned on are Music Man...

Steve

This is awesome!

sah5150 wrote:My thoughts:

1.) Best performance I've ever seen was Van Halen in 1979 at the Califfornia World Music Festival at the LA Coliseum. Jaw dropping all around. Just the pinnacle of the band.
2.) If you are looking for the tones on those videos, I'd go with a Super D. It'll be close as hell with the right amp up LOUD, although he is probably using a Mighty Mite 1300 in those guitars. You definitely do not want a Custom Custom - the '59 would be better.
3.) I sure wish DLR would have taken care of his voice and kept actually singing. After the second tour it started being more shtick and less and less singing.
4.) Kinda interesting watching Ed struggle with the tuning after using the bar in the first song on the Fresno '79 video. I'm sure the FR was a godsend for him...
5.) In the '78 video there are Marshalls on Ed's side, but the only amps turned on are Music Man...

Steve

Yeah I just noticed that. At the end of the day, it's just Eddie being Eddie that makes it all special. Imagine going to a concert not knowing what to expect and being assaulted with that tone/playing in 1978 That's why people are still talking about him today.

I was too young to see the original VH line up at their prime. I saw DLR in '88 in the Skyscraper tour and his vocals were pretty exactly the same as when I saw him with VH 5 years ago. Not very good. Vai was ridiculously good though. I also saw Van Hagar for the first time that same year (OU812 tour, I think) and both Eddie and Sammy killed it. So I was happy they were split. That gave me 2 kick ass bands to see lol
But DLR sounded great on these late 70's concerts!!!

Vids are saying marked as private now

Devin wrote:Vids are saying marked as private now

Selfish bastards!

that sucks those were the best early VH live footage I've seen. I wonder if they got a copyright claim front the VH camp. The videos were up for over 2 years though. Maybe Eddie lurks here and found out

Damn! I saw this post yesterday and just opened it to watch the vids and saw they are down.

Riffraff wrote:Damn! I saw this post yesterday and just opened it to watch the vids and saw they are down.

#metoo!

shit, I never knew these existed!

1978 is back up!!
1979 is still private.


I think they're just doing maintenance on the channel or something.

I love the first 2 records . But not for DLR that in fact turned me off for years to his music . Not until Eat'em and smile could I stand much of it . I got over it and those first 2 records are actually my Bible on how to record a rock band . That is in fact how to record a rock band for anyone who wants to know . These guys wrote the book , every band after them copied their moves , sound and antics . A friend saw one of their very first shows out here when they began , I think a day at the green or some other big show and here's the story ... As the last band was walking off a guy on the PA goes.. "hey whats's that , up there ??? a plane ! And 4 guys jump out in red , blue yellow etc etc jump suits and dive all the way to the stage then bam VH walk out in those suits as if they just jumped in . They know how to make an entrance .

Were there other "competing" bands similar to Van Halen at this time? I think of Metallica and how they're a monument now, but when I think back to when I was first exposed to them in the late 80s, there was another band I thought were in the same category as Metallica - Testament. Yet, I never hear people talk about Testament today.

Wow they were just magic and so electric at that time. i was never old enough to see them at that time but i love seeing these old videos and the whole band is just KILLING it and even DLR sounds good

Who the hell was playing like Eddie during that time? dude was on fire


PS - the Music man amps are kinda vague to see

***1776*** wrote:Who the hell was playing like Eddie during that time? dude was on fire

Shawn Lane @ 16 with Black Oak Arkansas in 1979. Even had his own David Lee Roth! :

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It48uE8O1T8[/youtube]

Steve

***1776*** wrote:PS - the Music man amps are kinda vague to see

Huh... I can see them clear as day when the lights go on over on Ed's side and when the lights go off, you can see they are the only ones lit up...

Steve

sah5150 wrote:

***1776*** wrote:Who the hell was playing like Eddie during that time? dude was on fire

Shawn Lane @ 16 with Black Oak Arkansas in 1979. Even had his own David Lee Roth! :

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It48uE8O1T8[/youtube]

Steve

Very true, Shawn Lane was a freak of nature so sad what happened with his health and life, dude was so talented and dying so young was a shame

Let me check that video again for the music man amps lol

yeah by 1979 there were some serious players in already the scene. Shawn Lane, Al DiMeola, Schenker etc... Randy Rhoads was already around although he didn't get his big debut until 1980.

John McLaughlin though not metal was seriously ripping as was Allan Holdsworth and of course Jeff Beck .