Old internet article on the recording of Eruption

[TWANGGG]

You've got it right mightymike. Eddie talks in detail about how he came to use a variac in this 2012 Esquire interview.

I really appreciate that he divulges so much here: the stock amp, the variac as volume knob, and that he obviously felt really awful about the crank it to 140 bullshit. Thank you Eddie

ESQ: Really? Joe Walsh?
EVH: Yeah. Grab it. Tell him I'm in the middle of an interview. But, so — okay, what I did was the amp was completely stock, but I used a light dimmer.

ESQ: You used a light dimmer on what?
EVH: I bought an English version, I had my 100-volt Marshall. I bought one through the recycling or the newspaper that was from England, and it was set on 220 volts. I didn't know. So I plugged the thing in, but I'm going, "Fucking thing doesn't work. I got ripped off." I just let it sit there. After about an hour, there's sound coming out, but it's really quiet, cause it's running on half voltage. So I go, "Hey, wait a minute. It sounds exactly like it's supposed to all the way up, but it's really quiet." So we had a light dimmer in the house, and I hooked up the two leaves from the amp to the light, so I did it backwards, blew out the fuse box. Then I went down to DOW Radio and asked, "Do you guys have any kind of super duper light dimmer?" They go, "Yeah, it's all Variac, variable transformer, you know." And on the dial you could crank it up to 140 volts or down to zero. So I figured, if it's on 220 and it's that quiet, if I take the voltage and lower it, I wonder how low I can go and it still work. Well, it enabled me to turn my amp all the way up, save the tubes, save the wear and tear on the tubes, and play at clubs at half the volume. So, my Variac, my variable transformer was my volume knob. Too loud, [makes knob turning sound] I'd lower it down to 50.

ESQ: That's amazing. But still, that was it? That was the only modification you did?
EVH: Just out of necessity. I need an amp I could play in clubs. We wouldn't get hired, I would play so loud, you know, I'm going, what can I do? What can I do? Okay, I turned the voltage, the wall voltage into my volume knob.

ESQ: Did you lie to Guitar Player?
EVH: Wait, wait, wait, what I was gettin' at was when I did my first interview, I told people the complete opposite. I told them I raised it up 140 volts. I felt so bad. I felt so fucking horrible, man. They said, "Please don't attempt what Eddie Van Halen said in the last interview, because everyone was blowing their amps." Everyone fried their amps 'cause of me. I felt so bad. I never lied again after that.

[jnew]

The only problem I have with that story is that the actual plugs for a 220V receptacle, is not the same pattern as 110/120. I noticed this when I lived in Germany. I could not plug my US made practice amp into the 220V wall socket if I tried. I had to buy a transformer. The plugs aren't compatible so he shouldn't have been able to just plug it in a 110/120V socket. But hey, as I think about it, maybe it's true and he spliced a 110/120V plug to the amp's power cable. Which could explain why the power cord in the Japan photo has all the tape on it, that is plugged into the variac on the right, as you look at the photo of the front of the head. Assuming of course that it was the head he was running. Oh, but then if it's running at 1/2 power already, it wouldn't need to be plugged into the variac. Unless it's true that he did turn it up to 140V's. Aye yay yay.
And all that wouldn't explain why the AC cord for that same variac, on the right, has been manipulated as well as the power toggle removed. Running it between a head and cab, very well could.

[TWANGGG]

Oh, but then if it's running at 1/2 power already, it wouldn't need to be plugged into the variac.

EVH: I bought an English version, I had my 100-volt Marshall. I bought one through the recycling or the newspaper that was from England, and it was set on 220 volts. I didn't know.

I may be mistaken, but I take this to mean he already had his "100-volt Marshall", and then bought another amp that he says was an English version. Being impressed by the English version running so well at half power inspired him to find out how to run his other amp at reduced voltage.

[jnew]

Maybe that's the case but still has a little bit of a hole with the plug compatibility issue.

[guitar007]

I believe Ed's last statement is a lie. Somebody grab Maury and his lie detector...

[mr.twistyneck]

The only problem I have with that story is that the actual plugs for a 220V receptacle, is not the same pattern as 110/120.

IF you go by Ed's Smithsonian interview, there were two Marshalls. The one he bought while working at the music store delivering pianos and organs that got him club owner hatred for being too loud. Then, he bought another out of the paper that was from the UK. If it was from the UK, it probably had the Bulgin setup on the back, and the switchable power selector. And if it was in the US, then somebody probably switched the UK wall plug to a US equivalent. Sounds to me like Ed just bought a head with the mains selector set to 220, and a US plug, and left it turned on. Then he liked the sound. Then he blew up the light dimmer switch at his house. Then he went to Dow Radio and got a variac. And he says that when they played Gazzari's he'd be at 60 volts, and for bigger places maybe 80 volts. Recording sweet spot was 89 volts. Didn't they stop playing Gazzari's before they started playing the Whiskey per Van Halen Rising, or am I just imagining things? If that's the case, I still think the variac was the knob of shame, and then he got addicted to the tone. And I think he did all the crazy tone chasing stuff we do nowadays, way back then.

Smithsonian Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuddpdSVh8I

Painstakingly transcribed, with as much er's and ums left in as I could stand. God he sounds like my Dad...
@19:58 "So then I had a guitar,um, and I used to work at a music store, uh, delivering pianos and organs, and one day a Marshall amp comes in! And I've only seen pictures of these things, y'know! Only Eric Claption - Gods - play these, y'know, not-not kids on the street. Um, and-and I said, I gotta have that amp! So, I-I worked all summer to buy that amp, and, y'know, we were already too loud as it were. Okay, now, now I have a 100 watt Marshall that was SO damn loud that I did everthing from face it backwards, to leave it face down, you name it. And then we'd be auditioning in the clubs and "Nah, your guitarist is too psychadelic, too loud, and too much uncontrolled energy, and blah lah lah lah lah" y'know, all this stuff because I was just too-too damn loud, okay?

I saw an ad in the paper for another Marshall head, and I'm going well maybe this one will be different. And well it certainly was 'cause when it showed up it and I plugged it in, it didn't work. But, I left it on, okay? What I didn't realize was that this thing was from England and it was 220 volts. So I plugged it into the wall and it was set, I-I didn't bother to look in the back until later, but it was set on 220. So it took a long time for it to warm up at-at half-half voltage. And when I picked up my guitar I'm going "it sounds incredible!", but incredibly quiet. It was, it was so-so quiet, it - only my-my dog and I could hear it, y'know? heh.

and, and uh, and then I.. it dawned on me, I'm going say waitaminute, the voltage! Okay, I can control the level of the amp output by voltage. So I proceeded to try to hook it on to the, the uh, the light dimmer at the house, and blew the power out, and so on and so on. So finally I went to this place called Dow Radio in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd, and I asked "Do you guys make any kind of industrial, uh, variable transformer, like a huge light dimmer, y'know?" and uh, yeah, he said "Yeah, we got this thing called a variac". and uh, I said "ok, cool", So i take it home and I plug the-the amp head into it. So, and-and i would lower the voltage from 110 down, slowly down to 100 and then, uh, the lowest i ever really went was like 60. Depend-depending on the size room you're playing. uh, I-I'd set it anywhere between 60 and 100. and that became, because the-the only way the amp sounded good was with everything all the way up. And, if it was at - running at 110 volts it was just so damn loud, y'know? so that became my volume knob. oh, y'know like when we'd used to play Gazzari's I'd have it down to 60 volts. If we played some-somewhere a little bit bigger I'd crank it to 80. and uh, and uh, for recording the sweet spot seemed to be 89 d.., 89 volts.

[mightymike]

The only problem I have with that story is that the actual plugs for a 220V receptacle, is not the same pattern as 110/120. I noticed this when I lived in Germany. I could not plug my US made practice amp into the 220V wall socket if I tried. I had to buy a transformer. The plugs aren't compatible so he shouldn't have been able to just plug it in a 110/120V socket. But hey, as I think about it, maybe it's true and he spliced a 110/120V plug to the amp's power cable. Which could explain why the power cord in the Japan photo has all the tape on it, that is plugged into the variac on the right, as you look at the photo of the front of the head. Assuming of course that it was the head he was running. Oh, but then if it's running at 1/2 power already, it wouldn't need to be plugged into the variac. Unless it's true that he did turn it up to 140V's. Aye yay yay.
And all that wouldn't explain why the AC cord for that same variac, on the right, has been manipulated as well as the power toggle removed. Running it between a head and cab, very well could.

I have a UK Model with a bulgin socket and regular wall plug. There's a voltage selector on the back for US or UK Voltage. The selector was just on 220v is all.

[jnew]

Well the possibility is not to be discounted. Just something that raises a warning to me, that's all. So first had his 68 Rose Palace head. It's too loud so he buys another 100 watt head in hopes that it is quieter. Not a 50 watter, since volume is already an issue? And low and behold, the recycler amp is quieter because it's on the 220V tap, which he didn't know about? IDK. Just doesn't add up to much logic but yes. It's possibly true.

[rgalpin]

Remember how we did tests with a Fender Bassman where if you plug the speaker cable into the EXT SPKR without plugging one into the main speaker out, you get (once again) cranked amp tone at a very low volume. Doesn't Ed tell this story of playing in his bed room with this setup? And the story is strikingly similar. Not saying I don't believe the 220V amp story... just saying that it's odd that Ed kept running into this same scenario where he accidentally discovers how to run his amps on full at low volume.

mightymike, ever tried to plug that UK amp into 120 with the volt selector at 220V? How could one resist!?

[jnew]

I do remember that. I was always curious to know if not having a load on the main speaker out, would be inviting trouble.

Also, by my math, a 220V head running on a variac at 140V's, is the same as normal plexi running at 75V's. Within a % or two. Which by my experience, would be good volume for rehearsal and club gigs. Not trying to reinforce the 140V story as truth but just sayin.

[rgalpin]

Also, by my math, a 220V head running on a variac at 140V's, is the same as normal plexi running at 75V's. Within a % or two. Which by my experience, would be good volume for rehearsal and club gigs. Not trying to reinforce the 140V story as truth but just sayin.

I KNOW!! I was thinking the same thing!!

My #2 variac is on my Christmas list... COME ON SANTA!

[jnew]

Cannot wait to hear your clips.

[mightymike]

Remember how we did tests with a Fender Bassman where if you plug the speaker cable into the EXT SPKR without plugging one into the main speaker out, you get (once again) cranked amp tone at a very low volume. Doesn't Ed tell this story of playing in his bed room with this setup? And the story is strikingly similar. Not saying I don't believe the 220V amp story... just saying that it's odd that Ed kept running into this same scenario where he accidentally discovers how to run his amps on full at low volume.

mightymike, ever tried to plug that UK amp into 120 with the volt selector at 220V? How could one resist!?

I never did, and all my builds have that setup too. Crazy that I never tried it.

[jnew]

Just happened across this old thread. As I re read through it, it occurred to me that the 220V amp Ed talked about, wouldn't have been a plexi. (not that he said it was a plexi) All the 68 and earlier amps didn't have the 110/220/240V options. They had to be changed inside at the PT. Either way, I'm not sure I buy that whole story anyway.