New Van Halen book comin'... includes tribute to EVH by world's greatest...

[Gifthorse]

Listening to Outta Love right now. God the drums are good. I mean they groove. The interaction between Alex and Eddie is incredible. That is something that is so obvious but because of the marketing all anyone talks about is EVH. Eddie is a shell without Alex there to float the boat. He is easily JUST as impressive.

[Guitarzan]

stick a stupid drummer in there and ..yuck.

alex really brought those riffs to life. "loss of control" was a roller coaster ride ready to derail.

alex has lots of cool Jazz like feel. which makes a tune way more interesting.

[alanfc]

Originally posted by guitarzan:

.............. and the tone isn't that thin. i kind of like its crispness.

yes you're right I'm probably used to the VH #1-on tone.!

[Guitarzan]

that rivera + strat must sound sweet. what are you using for a bridge pickup?

[alanfc]

hey-

 

call it sacrilege but I put an SD JB junior in there.

 

I tried for a few weeks to stay with the Texas Special single that was in there, but my roots/genes are humbucker Eddie VH/Alex Liefson/Scorpions y'know what I mean

 

here's the guitar:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/alanfc/strat.jpg

 

thinking of doing this to it:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/alanfc/gldblkstrat2.jpg

 

the white is a little to vintage-y for me.

but its the best neck I've ever played in 23 yrs.

[Guitarzan]

black does look sweet. and i know what you mean with the humbucker in the bridge. i like strats loaded like that. and i feel the same way about fender necks, they are ultra comfy.

[Shredaholica]

Wow, it's great to see all the terrific responses!!! I mean it, too. I'm totally stoked and I hope anyone and everyone here who picks up a copy will enjoy it.

 

Someone asked about my "history of tapping" section. Well, I mainly started it with dudes like Merle Travis and, of course, Jimmy Webster, cuz Jimmy wrote the first official book on tapping (known as "touch-style" guitar back then). I just wanted to give credit where credit was due. And since dudes like Mandel and Hackett laid it to tape before EVH, i just thought it would be cool to mention that. Well, it went from a simple mention to me speaking with both these men and getting them to participate!!

 

You know, EVH popularized and used it his own way, but people were tapping for many many years before. Hell, it's impossible to pinpoint just who invented it, but I was able to at least pinpoint the earliest examples and who wrote the first official book on it. Oh, and remember, dudes like Emmett Chapman (who actually participated in the tribute to EVH in my book). Emmett and his creation, the Stick, took tapping to another level back in the 60s, too.

 

Also, someone joked about reading my book front to back and believing like 10% of it. Dude, trust me, it's NOT one of those kind of books!! haha...Seriously, this is a fact-based book dedicated to the history, music, impact & influence of EVH & his band. I didn't do some silly tabloid tell-all type of book. So you can believe 100% of my manuscript, cuz it's totally and completely hype and bullshit free. In fact, in a section titled "The Greatest of All-Time," I actually mention that perhaps Allan Holdsworth is the sickest player, chops wise, in history!! Hell, EVH himself says Allan is the man! Now, honestly, who woulda had the cojones to point that out in a freakin' VH book?? Well, I did.

Not to mention the fact I interviewed Allan for this book. He made a terrific contribution to the Tribute section. He is a total class act.

 

Anyhow, thanks again for the cool responses. When it's all set and rarin' to go, I'll come back and let ya'll know where to pick up a copy if you like...Thanks...

[Gifthorse]

Cool dude, sounds like a cool book. And I do believe Allan is the sickest chops guy ever for electric guitar.

[Shredaholica]

Thanks flagshipmile...

 

Yeah, Allan is otherworldly. And may I add he is quite the class act, too. When I spoke with him for my book, he was nothing but cool. It was a privilege to speak with that man. And he had nothing but kind words about EVH. Not just as a musician, but as a person, too. Apparently, Allan and EVH met up around 1982 and became friends. In fact, Allan even told me that EVH got him a record deal with Warner Bros. for crissake!! No bullshit. Back in 1982, EVH hooked Allan up and Allan has never forgotten that. He is just the coolest.

 

I think that's one of the things that will set my book apart. The fact I talk about and give major respect to many players, from Django to Jimi, from Randy to Buckethead. Hell, in the tribute section alone there are sooo many different and great players. I mean, even Bireli Lagrene participated and gave me a cool quote about EVH!! Now, most people may not even know Bireli, but he is incredible. And it turns out he is a huge EVH fan, so he was more than happy to participate.

[Gifthorse]

Eddie, is as amazing as any of those guys you mentioned in his own way. His technique is exact, doing exactly what he wants to--with Alex throwing the background. Eddie is amazing because he is Eddie, but also because his brother is amazing. They have influenced each other and as a result they stand alone with a synergistic chemistry that has its own genetic code. Of course Roth and Micheal Anthony are HUGE!! Nobody is dispensable. But Eddie and Alex are the backdrop always. Roth is a god. I worship Roth as much as Eddie or Alex. He is a mega talent on every level. If they don't tour together again, I will never go see them again. I also miss the Marshall plexi tone he used to have. I think the Peavey 5150 is too soupy. It is a great amp, but the old tone was so much better. Maybe it was Ted Templeman. I think the more gain the amp has, the less tone it has in the end. I am not an expert, but from listening to VH TONS, it is apparent. I think the 5150 is a great amp, but Id love to hear Eddie through a Marshall, or a VHT Pitbull CL 50 or something!

[Shredaholica]

Oh, I'm with you 100%. In fact, in my book I point out the fact that Alex, not Eddie, is the foundation of this band!!! No doubt EVH and AVH are the nucleus. But without AVH, this band would not be. Not only cuz he is the backbone and one half of the nucleus, but in so many other ways, too. For example, Alex's distinct snare sound, which he coined "brown sound," influenced EVH's overall tone & sound. Till this day many people out there have NO IDEA that Alex, not Eddie, coined that term!!

 

Far as his classic tone, yeah, that shit was insane. His old 100w Marshall Plexi was killer. Well, I think his overall sound comes from his hands, really. But yeah, there was somethin' to his tone on those early records. Remember that he also use to run his amp through a variac. He used to starve his Marshall at about 92 volts, which really makes the amp fight and scream.

 

Far as his chops are concerned, yeah, no doubt he is a virtuoso. I mean, hell, none other than Allan Holdsworth himself, who is friends with EVH and has jammed with him, told me that Edward is a "fantastic guitar player" and "a truly organic musician." Allan also told me EVH is one of the few musicians he's ever come across that he can relate to. If that ain't high praise, shit, i dunno what is!!!

 

There's also a cool quote in my book from Pat Metheny that I located from an interview he did. Pat said he once went backstage at a VH show (he's a huge EVH fan and has attended many VH shows) and was absolutely blown away when he witnessed EVH doin' his backstage warmup. Basically, Pat said that EVH played more sick mind-blowing shit in those 30 minutes of warm-up time than he did during all the VH concerts he'd attended!!! Man, when people like Holdworth and Metheny say those kinda things, well, again, what more do you need?!?!??!

[Darklava]

Anything in the book about Ed jammin with Steve

Morse and couldn't keep up so he unplugged and

walked off stage?I read this somewhere and find it

hard to believe he did that.

[timrocker]

Shredaholica;

I wrote the post about reading every page and then believing a percentage of it. I did not mean to express skepticism in you or in your project. I meant to say that I am (as a very dedicated VH fan) looking forward to reading it very much.

 

It is necessary for me to point out that a great deal of what is said and written about legendary music and musicians is unreliable. If you want to keep both feet on the ground, it really pays to read with a grain of salt at the ready.

 

Just let me know how to order a copy, and I'm on it. Thanks.

[Shredaholica]

Hi Dark...

 

Yeah, that is addressed in my book. Kind of, anyways. You see, both Steve Morse and Albert Lee took part in the EVH tribute in my book. Steve told me he was quite impressed with EVH's chops and overall musicality when they played together. In fact, it was a jam back in the early 90s to promote Ernie Ball. Steve Morse, Albert Lee, EVH and Steve Lukather were all with Ernie Ball at the time, so they got together and did a couple of jams in public for fun.

 

What you heard about EVH not keeping up and unplugging is complete and total bullshit. There was one writer -- and i forget his name and the magazine he worked for -- who ripped EVH in a review of that jam. I believe the basis for ripping his entire performance was based on EVH's performance on one of Albert Lee's tunes, "Country Boy."

 

Well, when I interviewed Albert for my book, he brought up the jam with Steve M, Steve L, and EVH. He told me that EVH was actually pretty nervous to jam on "Country Boy" cuz it's just so different from anything he's ever done!! Albert told him to just relax and wing it, and so EVH was a good sport about it and did just that. Albert told me he really enjoyed playin' with EVH and has the world of respect for him as a musician and as a person.

 

However, that idiot reporter apparently didn't much care for EVH's playing on "Country Boy" that night (probably doesn't really care for EVH at all) and so he ripped him to pieces in a review of that show. Unbelievable.

 

Hi Tim Rocker...

 

Thanks for gettin' back. I get what you're saying. Believe me, I totally get where you're comin' from. My project is not Motely Crue's "The Dirt," you feel me? I didn't write that kinda book. The only ones who could are VH. Besides, after hearing many of the stories I heard about VH and all the shit they did from musicians I interviewed, man, VH would probably have to write a series of books to cover all the crazy shit they did!!! haha... So thanks for clearing that up. I mean, obviously I dont know you and it's sooo hard to tell, in a simple post, who is joking, who is being sarcastic, and so forth. So yeah, the grain of salt technique works...

[Gifthorse]

Well, it is cool you got to talk to Holdsworth! I don't see Eddie as being the kind of guy who could jam spontaneously with just anyone. There are plenty of guys like that but he is more personal the way he plays. Yeah Alex is a super god on drums. How many guys can you hear and in 1 sec you know it is him? I know Bonham, or Copeland, Bruford, Starr.

[Darklava]

Thanks Shread Looking foward to the book

and keep up the good work.Btw whats going on with

Ed and Alex?I heard Ed was in the hospital.

[Shredaholica]

Well, I'm not some "privileged insider" or whatever. And if I was, and EVH was indeed in a hospital, well, I honestly wouldn't tell you!! Nor would I tell anyone else, for that matter. You know, cuz that would be the man's personal biz. But I have spoken with and been in contact with enough people throughout the making of my book and, frankly, I have not heard ANYTHING concerning EVH being in a hospital. Nothing at all.

[Darklava]

Sorry Shread I understand and thank you for all

the info.

[Shredaholica]

Believe me Dark, I TOTALLY get where your comin' from. I'm simply saying that if I was privy to such info, I certainly wouldn't pass it around to anyone else. That's all. I know you understand. However, I can say again that I have honestly not heard anything about him being hospitalized or in a hospital or anything of that sort. In fact, EVH seemed to be in pretty damn good shape when I saw him on the recent 2004 tour.