No. 0071978·hard-rock·5 blocks
Eruption
The 'brown sound' that changed rock guitar forever. Eddie Van Halen's tone on the debut Van Halen album is a Frankenstrat with a single humbucker through a Marshall Plexi 1959, reportedly powered through a variac to lower the voltage and achieve a thick, compressed, harmonically rich overdrive at manageable volumes. An MXR Phase 90 adds a subtle swirl. The result is a warm, singing sustain that is neither too clean nor too distorted — it sits in a magical sweet spot that responds to every nuance of Eddie's playing.
Van HalenSignal path · input → output · 4 blocksLive values · Boss Katana
Guitar
EVH Frankenstrat
Pickups
single
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Brown
Phaser 90E
Spring
Brown
← Marshall Super Lead 1959 (Variac)
Gain
8
Volume
7
Bass
5
Middle
7
Treble
7
Presence
5
Phaser 90E
← MXR Phase 90
Rate
3Hz
Depth
50
Spring
← Studio room reverb
Level
15
Engineer's note
File 007
The 'brown sound' that changed rock guitar forever. Eddie Van Halen's tone on the debut Van Halen album is a Frankenstrat with a single humbucker through a Marshall Plexi 1959, reportedly powered through a variac to lower the voltage and achieve a thick, compressed, harmonically rich overdrive at manageable volumes. An MXR Phase 90 adds a subtle swirl. The result is a warm, singing sustain that is neither too clean nor too distorted — it sits in a magical sweet spot that responds to every nuance of Eddie's playing.
— Eddie Van Halen
Sources · Verified by
Field notes for this tone
All field notes →Marshall JCM800 Settings: Sweet Spots for Every Style
Exact settings for the Marshall JCM800 across blues, classic rock, hard rock, and metal, on the real amp and on Helix, Quad Cortex, and Katana models.
Marshall ST20H Studio JTM vs. SC20C Studio Classic: JTM45 or Plexi Inside the Studio Line
Both run real Marshall circuits in 20-watt format, but a JTM45 with KT66s and a 1959 Plexi with EL34s are different amps. Here's which Studio you should buy.
Marshall SC20C Studio Classic vs. SV20H Studio Vintage: Plexi or JCM800 Inside the Studio Line
Both are 20-watt small-format Marshalls with the original Marshall circuits inside, but a 1959 Plexi and an 800 are different amps. Here's which Studio you actually want.
