Most of the people in Ed's profession don't really have much to say worth listening to if they're offstage. Goes for most rock star interviews. May be some things of interest some of these rock musicians say in interviews if they're talking about their take on the band they are in. By and large, once they start talking about any subjects outside of that, there's little to nothing they have to say that you wouldn't hear from any person anywhere else.
Fuck You Ed
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That was the poor musician’s trick to get the gunk out of the strings and bring some life back to them. Yeah Ed boiled his strings when he was poor but as soon as he was getting advances from Warner Brothers I doubt it.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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Ed used Extra Light Fender nickel wounds not Ernie Ball. The Fenders had a bullet shaped end that fit snugly into a Strat trem block. They were designed to help a Strat stay in tune better. Ed was using a Fender Srat tremolo in the early days. Fender still makes those strings with those funky ends.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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I was going to mention the boiling of his guitar strings thing! Which he may or may not have actually done according to which story you read/believe.
There was also the 'dipping of his pickups in wax' thing or potting the pickups in wax.
Both of which were part of that mystique in the early 1980's as to how Ed got the sound he did, and when you read them in a guitar mag back then along with the variac stuff it seemed like Ed was using this tricked-out gear and secretly conjuring up his sound.
For me, it was always a bit more what he was doing with his hands than the tones he was getting. I enjoyed the way the guitar sounded on those CVH albums, to be sure, but it was what he was actually playing that I was trying to figure out.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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I would say the biggest factor in sounding like Ed is you have to play like him. If it’s not happening with the strings nothing that comes after matters. What Ed was chasing was getting what he was doing with the strings to come through. He wanted a sensitive pickup and amp. That means a lot of gain. A guy at Sunset Sound said Ed wanted him to play through rig and he go’s see! Everything you do on the fretboard rings out through the speakers. That’s what I’ve been chasing. It was getting the harmonics and subtle tapping to ring out. But you have to be able to get those sounds with the strings first. Ed was really good with his fingers. Most guitarists can’t play Mean Streets. Even Nuno admitted that’s one song he just can’t do.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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I would say the biggest factor in sounding like Ed is you have to play like him. If it’s not happening with the strings nothing that comes after matters. What Ed was chasing was getting what he was doing with the strings to come through. He wanted a sensitive pickup and amp. That means a lot of gain. A guy at Sunset Sound said Ed wanted him to play through rig and he go’s see! Everything you do on the fretboard rings out through the speakers. That’s what I’ve been chasing. It was getting the harmonics and subtle tapping to ring out. But you have to be able to get those sounds with the strings first. Ed was really good with his fingers. Most guitarists can’t play Mean Streets. Even Nuno admitted that’s one song he just can’t do.
The beginning of the intro where he's doing that slap funk bass technique with his thumb and index finger I can't do. I've seen the close-up footage of him doing it and watched other people on youtube who can do it: I understand the physicality of where the thumb and index finger need to be placed on the fretboard, along with the muffling Ed is doing with his left/fretting hand. I simply can't alternate the thumb and index finger quick enough and slap them on the neck precisely enough to make it sound like it should. Nope, not even close.
I should say, though, with the tapped harmonics in general I couldn't figure out how that was done until the late 1990s/early 2000s when tabs came out describing how to do it and I started collecting VH live video boots that showcased Ed's hands close-up. Pinched harmonics and natural plucked harmonics I learned fairly quickly after I started playing, along with finger tapping, but tapped harmonics not so much.Scramby eggs and bacon.Comment
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The Mean Streets intro is basically doing bass slap funk on a guitar but to sound like Ed you have to be spot on. I liken it to forging a signature. Everyone is going to slap a bit differently. Also how your guitar is set up is very important. String tension and height play a big factor here.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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Ed was a pretty short guy. The first time I saw Van Halen in person I’m like woah, these guys are shorter than I thought they would be. Ed had big strong hands though and really fluid fingers. Not everyone has hands like that so not everyone is going to be able to play like him.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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Some parts of the Mean Streets Intro I can do. The tapped harmonics parts of the intro I can do, mostly because I started with DTNA and the Women In Love intro and the Spanish Fly intro to learn the technique.
The beginning of the intro where he's doing that slap funk bass technique with his thumb and index finger I can't do. I've seen the close-up footage of him doing it and watched other people on youtube who can do it: I understand the physicality of where the thumb and index finger need to be placed on the fretboard, along with the muffling Ed is doing with his left/fretting hand. I simply can't alternate the thumb and index finger quick enough and slap them on the neck precisely enough to make it sound like it should. Nope, not even close.
I should say, though, with the tapped harmonics in general I couldn't figure out how that was done until the late 1990s/early 2000s when tabs came out describing how to do it and I started collecting VH live video boots that showcased Ed's hands close-up. Pinched harmonics and natural plucked harmonics I learned fairly quickly after I started playing, along with finger tapping, but tapped harmonics not so much.
Back almost 20 years ago now (how can it be that long???) I asked Brian Young about how he had nailed it and he said it took him a couple of weeks but I don't know what that means - is that 8 hours a day for a couple of weeks or 10 minutes a day?
Nowadays we have stuff like this on YouTube and it makes me think I could maybe eventually get there with the help of it but who has the time?
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That said, it's ok...Eddie appears to Sammy in dreams now with riffs and songs...thank God their "great partnership" can cuntinue...Roth Army Militia
Originally posted by WARF
Rikk - The new school of the Roth Army... this dude leads the pack... three words... The Sheep Pen... this dude opened alot of doors for people during this new era... he's the best of the new school.Comment
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MAX messaged me and told me to check out the Army. He said, "You can say what you want there." I came over here and was much happier.
I had some good conversations about VH at the Links in my early times there...but every other thread was "This is off-topic; closing" or "Stop arguing, fellows or I'll ban you." The place fucking sucked.
Brett used to come over here when he was bored (which for a while was quite frequent).
The guy was a fucking cunt.
I have no idea what drama happened with DDLR, this place, etc. I was off-the-radar too long and missed it.
I enjoy coming back and posting time to time...I'll never stop doing that.
At least I know I can say what the fuck I want here and not worry about getting "banned"...and if I were banned, who gives a fuck? I have a family and a nice big house and fuck it all... But I like posting here. If I hear things about some war that happened or something, I'm usually out-to-lunch. I haven't been involved in a big flame war since me and several others were fighting the great fight against FABULOUS SHADOW in all her fatness...(ah, good times)Roth Army Militia
Originally posted by WARF
Rikk - The new school of the Roth Army... this dude leads the pack... three words... The Sheep Pen... this dude opened alot of doors for people during this new era... he's the best of the new school.Comment
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