Hot on the heels of Nevermind, we happened to be experimenting with the VG204D Amplifier, our model of a Tremolux circuit that shares DNA with Fender Bassmans and Bandmasters of that era, and something strange happened. We knew this amp was in Eddie’s arsenal. Previously limited to evidence from live photographs of early Van Halen shows, it was finally given a full frontal in Volume 6 of Guitar Aficionado. We happened to be riffing on some early VH and noticed that the low E and A strings were really popping out—sonically, not out of the nut. And the results were encouraging, so we decided run a small test. What if Eddie fired up his old Bandmaster through some Marshall cabs? It’s been talked about before but things never quite sounded right. And as the saying goes, leave no tone unturned.
“…I would use the Bandmaster through the Marshall cabinet when we gigged at smaller clubs like Gazzarri’s.”
It’s funny that we stumbled on this quote after dialing in this tone. The article was a faint memory and revisiting it seemed like one of those classic mysteries where the clues are all laid out in front of the protagonist but they just don’t realize they’re clues yet. We happened to be on a Van Halen II kick, but we quickly circled back to the first Van Halen record. We just had to see if it was true. And to our ears, it really was. We felt that we had been fighting the Marshall this whole time and the Fender just fell into place. The palm muted notes, the pick attack in the solos, the chunky chords. It was all just… easier. As it should be when you have the right gear.
Acknowledging Past Defeats: Right Speakers, Wrong Amp
While we’re certainly guilty of crying wolf, our operative phrase when chasing down a tone has always been, “it’s getting close.” In our previous article on Van Halen I tone, we discovered a really unique speaker blend. Paired with a Marshall, we have to admit, it sounded close. Really close. And that same combination of speakers is what allowed us to hear the differences with the VG204D Amplifier. Without that speaker blend we’d essentially be starting from scratch. So while re-stating, “this is the tone!” might get old, it’s always been a matter of “this is the closest we’ve come yet!” for us. We hope you feel the same way and are excited to follow us on this journey. Welcome to the Blonde Sound.
But the Bandmaster?
It goes without saying that EVH lore runs strong with Marshall. Eddie toured with Marshalls. Eddie famously modified his Marshalls. Eddie famously didn’t modify his Marshalls. He found all sorts of ways to make them run more consistently and give him the sound he wanted. He did such an amazing job associating himself with Marshall, the only thing he didn’t do is formally work with the company. Maybe not so surprising, who did he end up working with in the end? Fender. It’s weird to think that Nevermind and the early Van Halen records may have used the same amp. Both changed the music industry in their own way, but the bands couldn’t have been more different. Did Butch Vig know about this hidden gem? Did they both just stumble onto it after years of playing? Why did Eddie even have a Bandmaster to begin with?
If you recall from Van Halen Rising (Renoff, 225), Eddie professed his love of the first Montrose record. And it should be common knowledge that Ted Templeman produced both bands. Some consider Van Halen the realization of what Ted was trying to do with Montrose. Also, with Sammy Hagar as their young upstart singer, well, you know where he ended up. It just so happens that in an interview with Guitar Player Magazine, Ronnie Montrose, the leader and songwriter of the band talked about how he used a Bandmaster to achieve his tone on that record.1 Perhaps a young Van Halen was just looking to his idol for advice, not something he would repeat for future generations.
Tough Boogie
It’s worth mentioning that the pedaling, muted phrase on the A-string in “I’m the One” was really the reason why we would even consider another amp in the first place. To be honest, that riff just never sounded right with the Marshall. It’s hard to explain what it was, but time and again we’d just chalk it up to the way Eddie played the riff, or the gauge of the strings, or the guitar, or the barometric pressure. Lined up against the original recording, nothing ever sounded right. The harmonics were close, the single note runs sounded good, but the palm muting was just not there. And so it goes. We tucked that thought away for later, hoping that at some point it would all become clear. And yes, jamming on the amp that powered some of Nevermind’s most successful tracks was the last place we would have thought to look.
But enough chit-chat. You probably don’t believe it either. So go ahead and set your tone on fire, no strings attached, with a Free Preview in AmpStamp.
The core tone, ready to rock. Chords that bloom underneath your fingers. Pick scrapes that sound like brilliant paint strokes on the canvas of your imagination. Notes that sear into your brain during extended solos. Ok, it’s a good tone, it’s really fun to play.
Tuned for Running’ with the Devil, slightly more Celestion.
Tuned for Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love. With the echo boosted, we needed to compensate with more gain in the EQ.
Tuned for I’m the One, slightly more JBL.
The holy grail? We added Echo Delay so while your tapping you can sound like you’re in a stone cathedral, just like what Donn did for Ed in the final mix.
If you haven’t heard the room mic recording of “Eruption” yet, look it up now. It’s one of the drum mics in the studio picking up the raw guitar sound, no post processing. Just the Blonde Sound in full detail. We wanted to give you something similar so you can compare and hear it and play it for yourself. This is what it sounded like in the room. Now in your room. Holy grail indeed.
Looking Forward
It’s worth admitting that Eddie definitely used Marshalls live though, however maybe not at first. There is an old quote where he described no longer taking his “baby” out on the road due to the fear of losing it. He likely also employed the cascaded setup he described many times where the output of one Marshall would be taken down to line level and fed into the input of another Marshall for amplification. This would allow him to get the desired level of distortion out of the pre- and power- sections from one amp while letting the second amp take care of the volume. More on that later.
1 Blackett, Matt. “Guitar Player Magazine Interview part 1.” YouTube, uploaded by OfficialMontrose, 20 July 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_T0esoENPM.
