Why EVH is such a great power trio guitarist

The man, the band, and everything else

Moderators: VelvetGeorge, RACKSYSTEMS

Post Reply
Seabean
Senior Member
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 10:52 am

Why EVH is such a great power trio guitarist

Post by Seabean » Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:08 am

When you think about what it takes to make just guitar, bass, & drums (power trio) sound great, I think EVH is one of the best for these reasons:

1. Combo of high overdrive with minimalist chords.

Think about the other top power trio guitarists at the time VH came along. Names like Page, May, & Lifeson. When these guys went off into a solo it sounded somewhat like the bottom had fallen out. But not so with EVH. Why? Those other players tended to use huge chords but not as much overdrive... so when switching to a single note at the start of a solo, there's a noticeable drop in sound density. EVH on the other hand used a plexi cranked up to 10 and then some. This provided maximum thickness for his soloing. Problem is, it was too much for chords, so he compensated by using smaller chords. For instance, the main chords in RWTD use only 3 notes, not 5 or 6 like most other guitarists probably would have. So when he goes into a solo, it doesn't sound like the bottom is falling out.

2. His solo's are eloquent.

I searched for the right word to describe EVH's solos and the best I could come up with was "eloquent". If you listen to Page/May/Lifeson solos they often sound like they're just trying to fill space over the bass and drums. EVH's sound more like a song within a song, and you pay attention to it instead of noticing the lack of backing instruments.

3. The solos follow the chord progression very well.

This is probably a big reason his solos sound eloquent: his soloing notes follow the structure of the chord progression very well. It makes the band sound like a cohesive unit going forward.

4. Start the solo with a double stop (or something full sounding)

Look at how the solos of YRGM, Light up the Sky, & Panama start off... double stops. This creates more sonic fullness and less of a disparity between the chords and the solo. If not double stops, then often a mid-rangey or pick harmonic note that sounds very full.

Anything else that anyone would like to add?

Post Reply