Ate dinner with Ed's Tech in Denver last night

[JohnnyGtar]

no it is definitely Stealth head for sure ---

Tom said there is still R&D going on with the EL-34 head
he didn't elaborate much on that because he mentioned that being more of Matty ( Matt Bruck )and Ed's thing
I guess they really run the EVH brand.

confirmed 3 stealth heads being used -- and hotter bias being the key ingredient to the tone on tour.

I would describe the live tone this way --- the VH2 tone on steroids.

maybe that is why I was really blown away by beautiful girls , women in love --- live

and DDL and Dirty Movies ....wow.....couldn't wipe smile from my face.

Good to know! Thank you!

[JohnnyGtar]

Ed's is using new amp and other than bias adjustments he was adamant that is stock, and I believe him.

Hi T.J.,

Forgive me if I sound dense by asking this, but when you say Ed's using the new amp, are you referring to the not-yet-released EL-34 based one that is supposed to nail the old tone?

If that's what he's using, I'm sold, because his tones are SICK on this tour. Thank you!

As I understand it he means a new stock Stealth.

They must have changed something compared to the previous tour, how they miked it or different settings or something, because it surely doesn't sound the same.

Yeah, his tone is just vicious on this tour!

[Kevin11]

Lots of speculation on whether he's using the Stealth or the new EL34 prototype, so thanks for clarifying! Bone-stock, I would agree that the Stealth might be too over-the-top for what he's getting now, but I found the amp is super sensitive to minor changes, be it pickups, tubes or EQ. Not saying he made any changes, but I'd be willing to bet he's done at least a little tweaking. I kicked up the bias in mine a little and swapped V1 for a lower gain tube and I have to say, VHII on steroids is a great description, 6L6 amp or not, especially on the blue channel. Those simple changes went a long way in shifting the tonality in a more classic direction. My preference is even a little more classic than what EVH is currently doing. It can easily do that, as well as what we're hearing on this tour. There's an overall massiveness about the amp too that sounds killer both in the room and miked. For me, it's the perfect blend of vintage and modern.

[rgorke]

Lots of speculation on whether he's using the Stealth or the new EL43 prototype, so thanks for clarifying! Bone-stock, I would agree that the Stealth might be too over-the-top for what he's getting now, but I found the amp is super sensitive to minor changes, be it pickups, tubes or EQ. Not saying he made any changes, but I'd be willing to bet he's done at least a little tweaking. I kicked up the bias in mine a little and swapped V1 for a lower gain tube and I have to say, VHII on steroids is a great description, 6L6 amp or not, especially on the blue channel. Those simple changes went a long way in shifting the tonality in a more classic direction. My preference is even a little more classic than what EVH is currently doing. It can easily do that, as well as what we're hearing on this tour. There's an overall massiveness about the amp too that sounds killer both in the room and miked. For me, it's the perfect blend of vintage and modern.

So you have a Stealth or a modded 5150 iii?

[Kevin11]

Stealth head and cab. Bought brand new a few months ago.

[patricef]

Stealth head and cab. Bought brand new a few months ago.

What tube did you use for V1 ? Got clip ?

[Kevin11]

JJ 12AU7. Haven't been a huge fan of JJ tubes in general, but that particular pre is working out great so far.

I don't have a good way to record clips unfortunately. I'll try to get some decent mobile device clips/vids recorded and posted next week.

[Kevin11]

OK, total newb at this, I hope the link works.

https://soundcloud.com/kevin11-7/evh-51 ... h-noodling

I recorded a goof-off cell phone clip of the Stealth a few weeks ago just to hear what it would sound like. It's really random, goofy stuff and wasn't meant for human consumption, but hopefully you can get an idea of how it sounds in the room. It's my Les Paul Custom with Dimarzio Transitions straight into the amp. Blue channel is first with guitar volume changes and coil splitting at various spots on both pickups. Red is full on bridge only and starts about 1:40. Both channels are dialed in fairly close with red being just a little bit "more".

[patricef]

Thanks for the clip. Sounds a bit different that what I was expected from this amp, may be due to your change of V1. Any chance to do some early VH riffs ?

[Kevin11]

I don't have the mad EVH chops some of you do here, but I'll get something posted next week. My gear is packed up for an out-of-town gig this weekend. I've got a Charvel SoCal with an EVH Frankenstein pickup that I think sounds sick through the Stealth, so I'll use that next time.

I put the clip up to try and show the amp's versatility outside of the usual EVH and chugged-out metal clips that are out there. Some of the change in tonality is the 12AU7, some is the Dimarzio Transition pickup I think. It's marketed as a hot pickup, but it's pretty vintage sounding to me. Fairly clean with kinda' vowel-like mids.

[patricef]

I don't have the mad EVH chops some of you do here, but I'll get something posted next week. My gear is packed up for an out-of-town gig this weekend. I've got a Charvel SoCal with an EVH Frankenstein pickup that I think sounds sick through the Stealth, so I'll use that next time.

That would be great as I just put a Wolfgang humbucker in my own Charvel ! I'm just some curious to hear some early EVH riff with your amp, doesn't have to be played perfectly (IMHO only a handful of guys can nail VH playing style anyway).

I put the clip up to try and show the amp's versatility outside of the usual EVH and chugged-out metal clips that are out there. Some of the change in tonality is the 12AU7, some is the Dimarzio Transition pickup I think. It's marketed as a hot pickup, but it's pretty vintage sounding to me. Fairly clean with kinda' vowel-like mids.

Yes it sounds much more "vintage" than other clips.