EVH's "Brown" Sound...How?

[CandidPicker]

Although I've not researched this myself, like many, I'm fascinated by EVH's "Brown" sound he employed with many of his amps.

What did Eddie's amp techs do, if perhaps you know to achieve EVH's classic "brown" sound? I'd like to know what amps and cabs Eddie used during his DLR early days, before Eddie signed with Peavey and used his Wolfgang and 5150 series amps.

IIRC, it had to do with voltage sag so that the amps were driven using lower than 110 VAC. Does this sound familiar? If so, please elaborate and describe how one could emulate this with modeling amps.

(Even if it weren't possible, please elaborate regards Eddie's former 5150 amps and rig during his Van Hagar days...this might be more realistically imitated with a modeling unit than needing a specific amp head or cab...)

 

[Ovibos]

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/28272-signal-to-noise-the-brown-sound

And my Katana has a "Brown" model.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Maybe this will won’t help with your digital set up Bob, but it’s still an interesting watch.

 

[11top]

 

[CandidPicker]

Don't forget to jiggle the handle...

 

[CandidPicker]

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/28272-signal-to-noise-the-brown-sound

And my Katana has a "Brown" model.

Thx, will check this out in a minute...

Maybe this will won’t help with your digital set up Bob, but it’s still an interesting watch.

Appreciated. Will view later this evening while votes are being tallied...

 

[CandidPicker]

Am wondering if my HeadRush's modded '82 Marshall 100W models are close enough for rocket science?

Good article to read. Describes the process in simple layman's terms most high school grads could understand....

FTR, that Jimi tone in Rick Beato's vid was the shiznit!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Grin and bear it!

 

[RickP]

Eddie said he used a Variac with a Marshall 100 watt head. Apparently, 89 volts was his favored setting, as he recalled it. MXR phaser, and a sack of badass chops. That should do it!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Eddie said he used a Variac with a Marshall 100 watt head. Apparently, 89 volts was his favored setting, as he recalled it. MXR phaser, and a sack of badass chops. That should do it!

The first part is pretty much what Rick said in his YT vid.

 

[CandidPicker]

The first part is pretty much what Rick said in his YT vid.

Am wondering if my HeadRush doesn't have some form of modded Marshall 100W head that comes close to the variac tone (am almost certain yes). I've some time tomorrow afternoon to review this, almost sure the '82 LEAD 100W model is a modded Marshall...will try to find a list of amp models built into the Gigboard Wednesday and present my findings...

I do know that the Doc McFarland YT Channel tried to imitate the EVH tonestack (where the '82 LEAD 100W idea originated for EVH's sound.)

 

[Deleted member 5962]

If you’ve ever used a variac, or an amp that had a feature like that (variable voltage reduction) you’ll quickly understand the brown sound. People always say “plexi’s don’t have that much gain.” When you reduce the voltage they do, because everything in the circuit overdrives easier because every gain stage in the amp has reduced headroom. The clipping has a different character because of this as well.

Eddie always tried to hide his tone secrets from people back in the day, but apparently later on started to open up about some of them. That interview that was put up here a few weeks ago, he said that the only way the Plexi sounded good was wide open,but it was too loud. So he took the variax and adjusted the voltage to the size of the room. The smaller the room, the lower he set the voltage.

When I was modding and building amps, I had a VVR feature on one. When I had my VHT Special 6 Ultra, it had a VVR built in. The more you turned it down, the more gain and browner the amp sounded, even though it was more of a Tweed voice amp to start with. Very interesting results with both of those amps using the VVR features. But more than anything, really showed me what really made the brown sound.

 

[CandidPicker]

If you’ve ever used a variance, or an amp that had a feature like that (variable voltage reduction) you’ll quickly understand the brown sound. People always say “plexi’s don’t have that much gain.” When you reduce the voltage they do, because everything in the circuit overdrives easier because every gain stage in the amp has reduced headroom. The clipping has a different character because of this as well.

Eddie always tried to hide his tone secrets from people back in the day, but apparently later on started to open up about some of them. That interview that was put up here a few weeks ago, he said that the only way the Plexi sounded good was wide open,but it was too loud. So he took the variax and adjusted the voltage to the size of the room. The smaller the room, the lower he set the voltage.

When I was modding and building amps, I had a VVR feature on one. When I had my VHT Special 6 Ultra, it had a VVR built in. The more you turned it down, the more gain and browner the amp sounded, even though it was more of a Tweed voice amp to start with. Very interesting results with both of those amps using the VVR features. But more than anything, really showed me what really made the brown sound.

Part of the article that @Ovibos quoted said that Eddie used 100W Plexis with 2 power tubes removed, as well as using a variac that mitigated the voltage powering his amps. It was likely this reason EVH could use the amp wide open, but attenuated to 2 power tubes power. 89 VAC was Eddie's magic number. According to Rick Beato, Eddie dimed his modded Marshall's 1st volume channel. @Ovibos' article also said using decreased voltages did not harm the amp, but likely wasn't beneficial towards tube life longevity. It did say that one should never increase a variac's power beyond what the incoming line voltage is, as that will damage the amp and likely cause fires. Clearly, overloading a circuit is not healthy for an electronic device.

I'd likely not bother trying to locate a variac for my HeadRush, as only analog circuitry might respond well to a variac. The "sponginess" or "sag" that variacs achieved in amps had their advantage towards amps that were built back when line voltage was 110 or 117. Builders back then had the foresight to built amps that allowed certain tolerances in voltage as evidenced in modern day, with 120 to 123 or 124 VAC being common to many people these days.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Part of the article that @Ovibos quoted said that Eddie used 100W Plexis with 2 power tubes removed, as well as using a variac that mitigated the voltage powering his amps. It was likely this reason EVH could use the amp wide open, but attenuated to 2 power tubes power. 89 VAC was Eddie's magic number. According to Rick Beato, Eddie dimed his modded Marshall's 1st volume channel. @Ovibos' article also said using decreased voltages did not harm the amp, but likely wasn't beneficial towards tube life longevity. It did say that one should never increase a variac's power beyond what the incoming line voltage is, as that will damage the amp and likely cause fires. Clearly, overloading a circuit is not healthy for an electronic device.

I'd likely not bother trying to locate a variac for my HeadRush, as only analog circuitry might respond well to a variac. The "sponginess" or "sag" that variacs achieved in amps had their advantage towards amps that were built back when line voltage was 110 or 117. Builders back then had the foresight to built amps that allowed certain tolerances in voltage as evidenced in modern day, with 120 to 123 or 124 VAC being common to many people these days.

If you actually considered it, don’t variac a digital device. Reducing voltage to a digital device is not even a little bit like doing it with a tube amp.

 

[Tony M.]

He ran the amplifiers at around 90 volts and dimed them IIRC.

 

[CandidPicker]

If you actually considered it, don’t variance a digital device. Reducing voltage to a digital device is not even a little bit like doing it with a tube amp.

I had reasoned as such. Humor me, if you will. You know why BBQ food tastes so good? It's slow-cooked at a low temp that makes the meat all juicy and succulent. Compare that to high heat food, like a seared steak, for example. Timeframe is vastly different. What's the same? They both smell incredibly good. Only issue is if you get a grease fire in the kitchen. Then you gotta air out the room.

Eddie used low voltage the same way...the tone was noticeably more juicy and tasty. Had he run the voltage above line voltage, he'd have fried his amp for sure, and his beefy tone would have been a burnt-to-the-crisp former strip steak...

He ran the amplifiers at around 90 volts and dimed them IIRC.

Yep. That's what I read, as well.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

I just built a clone of the Wampler Pinnacle pedal - ridiculously close to the brown sound as I’ve ever heard. Sure, it’s the easy way out, but who wants to futz with an old Plexi stack, variac, and other dark arts to get those hallowed tones!?

 

[CandidPicker]

I just built a clone of the Wampler Pinnacle pedal - ridiculously close to the brown sound as I’ve ever heard. Sure, it’s the easy way out, but who wants to futz with an old Plexi stack, variac, and other dark arts to get those hallowed tones!?

/\ This. I've heard about the Wampler Pinnacle. Have heard it imitates the brown sound quite well. Perhaps if that were my goal, I'd do well to consider something of this type.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I just built a clone of the Wampler Pinnacle pedal - ridiculously close to the brown sound as I’ve ever heard. Sure, it’s the easy way out, but who wants to futz with an old Plexi stack, variac, and other dark arts to get those hallowed tones!?

You build pedals? I've got a BSIAB pedal that was built with lower gain transistors. I have two more BSIAB kits unbuilt, (I need to fix that!) but this one sounds GREAT!!! I dime the gain and it's very open and plexi-ish.

Where did you get the board to build the Pinnacle clone?

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Have heard it imitates the brown sound quite well. Perhaps if that were my goal...

uh.... CP.... what was this thead about again???