what effect on Van Halen - you really got me....

[vanhansen]

Like said, 3-way toggle on the Destroyer with the neck pickup turned down all the way (volume pots are coupled together like a Les Paul so middle has no sound when one pickup is turned all the way down).

See the Women and Children First album cover for an "after chop up" of the Destroyer.  It's a pre-lawsuit Destroyer too (ones that are exact copies of the Gibson Explorer). 

Correction....his Marshall Super Lead 100 was/is totally stock.  It was never modified.  I say was because it was restored in the mid-90's.  After years of use and abuse it lost it's natural tone and vibe.  Some guy in Holland rebuilt it for him, per his guitar tech at the time.

Original Phase 90/Flanger/EQ, bone stock.  The only hardware hacking was his guitars.

[Torchy]

And there was me thinking this section was called "Building Your Own Stompbox" ...

[d95err]

The pickup selector switch "chop" thing is the same thing Ace Frehley does.

And Randy Rhoades, Carlos Cavazo..... Jimi H also did it on "Voodoo Child" but didn't have the luxery of turning the neck pickup volume down on a strat so you don't hear the "chop", just the switch clicking and tone changes.

no sir, thats from the wah. the front feet are taken off, so its easier to click on and off the wah. try it, youll hear it.

However, Jimi was a pioneer on pickup-switching. One of the advantages of playing a right-handed guitar left-handed was that it was easier to reach the pickup switch while using the other hand on the whammy bar.

[jonathan perez]

no doubt there, but im 99% positive that technique is the wah. ive yet to see any live footage of him reach for the switch with his fret hand.

[ildar]

Original Phase 90/Flanger/EQ, bone stock.  The only hardware hacking was his guitars.

I clearly remember a 1980 GP article where Van Halen stated his flanger and phaser were indeed modded, some sort of gain mod.

[jonathan perez]

wasnt it also van halen who said thats stuff to throw people off? i know some guitarist does that...Timmy C. of RATM (bass) did that forever...still does. 

[hubble]

And there was me thinking this section was called "Building Your Own Stompbox" ...

sorry, this can probably me moved but i thought it was some kind of effect.  i play a strat so i cant do the toggle thing.  but now that i see its simpler than a stompbox...

[hubble]

no doubt there, but im 99% positive that technique is the wah. ive yet to see any live footage of him reach for the switch with his fret hand.

maybe not but SRV flips the toggle during voodoo child

[RedHouse]

The pickup selector switch "chop" thing is the same thing Ace Frehley does.

And Randy Rhoades, Carlos Cavazo..... Jimi H also did it on "Voodoo Child" but didn't have the luxery of turning the neck pickup volume down on a strat so you don't hear the "chop", just the switch clicking and tone changes.

no sir, thats from the wah. the front feet are taken off, so its easier to click on and off the wah. try it, youll hear it.

Nope, it's the switch, you can see it on any number of JH videos.
(Wild Blue Angel, Berkely etc.)

[petemoore]

  Good one...I use it.
  I have a little computer switch momentary on.
  It's protruding through the control cavity, and the little piece of board I left on it that it came with has a short screw in glue through it and the small bit of thread room between the control cavity bottom and the guitar top.
  Thing works great shunting Down the guitar output to ground, I find it's easy to control the accuracy and speed.
  >[At volume etc.]..the switching and related release seem to find harmonics and clarify them, so by changing switching speed manually, control between fading sounds, revived rich harmonics, fewer stronger harmonic content may become evident... very profound effect.
   When mere picking attack goes asunder [because drums/bass/stage volume rises markedly during crescendo endings and you're playing distortion / compression tone] instead of the futility of trying to pick harder to help the build-up during crescendo, cutting off / instantaneously 'sparking' on, the attack has much greater cut...and, instead of 'just building up', you can 'build up to the point of breaking down.

   Volume down on a pickup/3way switch does it, I suppose a better switch would be less 'switchy' sounding, but the little computer switch makes the VH thing easy to do, sound great and control.
  Also I don't have to remember to turn the deadened 3way switch position PU Volume back up.

[vanhansen]

Original Phase 90/Flanger/EQ, bone stock.  The only hardware hacking was his guitars.

I clearly remember a 1980 GP article where Van Halen stated his flanger and phaser were indeed modded, some sort of gain mod.

All pretty much BS.  He said so much stuff like that then.  Everyone was copying his guitar so why not see what else they'd try to copy?  Quite comical if you ask me.

[ildar]

[

All pretty much BS.  He said so much stuff like that then.  Everyone was copying his guitar so why not see what else they'd try to copy?  Quite comical if you ask me.

Not to argue, but why would he say something like that if it wasn't the case? This was 1980, not too many people opening up pedals and modding them. IIRC, Van Halen mentioned the guy's name as well, and for a while in the early 80's that gentleman was offering his services through GP for modification of the Phase 90 .
Only VH can be sure of what really happened, but that seems an odd thing to claim. He also talked about potting his pickups, and how in his earlier days he would boil his strings to extend their life. Why say that? Was he going door to door to find guitar players who were imitating him?
We learn a lot about fx here, and it's pretty well known about a simple resistor change that can give a slight gain boost in the Phase 90. Nobody knew about it before? I'm no VH fan, far from it, but I'll take his word about some things, and that seems to ring true.

[petemoore]

  Gearhead, stuff sure seemed to work great, sounded like it'd been gone over with a fine toothed comb at least once to me.
  Could be he just knew how to shop for the super-beef gear, and with a touch of luck or reading up on Guitar Mag and reference data, put together the VH rig that put him on the map.
  I've heard alot of confusing directions to that well known place.
  I'm Thinking Mostly about the studio recordings though.

[Somicide]

Well, the video clearly shows him "toggle-gating" on the destroyer.  And that's exactly what it sounds like.  He had no neck PU in that Destroyer, IIRC, so no need to turn down the volume if it ain't there.

[vanhansen]

[

All pretty much BS.  He said so much stuff like that then.  Everyone was copying his guitar so why not see what else they'd try to copy?  Quite comical if you ask me.

Not to argue, but why would he say something like that if it wasn't the case? This was 1980, not too many people opening up pedals and modding them. IIRC, Van Halen mentioned the guy's name as well, and for a while in the early 80's that gentleman was offering his services through GP for modification of the Phase 90 .
Only VH can be sure of what really happened, but that seems an odd thing to claim. He also talked about potting his pickups, and how in his earlier days he would boil his strings to extend their life. Why say that? Was he going door to door to find guitar players who were imitating him?
We learn a lot about fx here, and it's pretty well known about a simple resistor change that can give a slight gain boost in the Phase 90. Nobody knew about it before? I'm no VH fan, far from it, but I'll take his word about some things, and that seems to ring true.

Not saying all of what he said was BS.  There was some truth to those things, like the boiling of strings and potting the pickups.  However, I've got interviews from the mid-80's and early 90's where he says the pedals were stock.  There are contradictions everywhere.  That's why I boil it all down to BS because nobody knows for sure, except him, and nobody knows whether he's telling the truth or not, except him.   

[vanhansen]

Well, the video clearly shows him "toggle-gating" on the destroyer.  And that's exactly what it sounds like.  He had no neck PU in that Destroyer, IIRC, so no need to turn down the volume if it ain't there.

Very true, and yes, it is toggle-gating.  However, when he recorded the song originally, the guitar was still in it's stock form, with both pickups.  He didn't hack it up until after that album was done.

[Somicide]

Well, regardless, It's not a pedal  .  Too bad about that destroyer though.  Those were nice!

[hubble]

thanks for your comments,  i got a sub-mini spdt from radio shack and wired it up today.  someone mentioned a 47k resistor to eliminate pop, will a 56k work?

[d95err]

thanks for your comments,  i got a sub-mini spdt from radio shack and wired it up today.  someone mentioned a 47k resistor to eliminate pop, will a 56k work?

The value of the resistor should not be too critical.

[343 Salty Beans]

lounge?