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Selasa, 23 Oktober 2012

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eric Johnson
Background information
Also known as "EJ"
Born August 17, 1954 (age 58)
Austin, Texas, United States
Genres Rock
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active 1969–present
Labels Ark21, Warner Bros., Capitol, Favored Nations
Associated acts G3, Joe Satriani, Alien Love Child, John Petrucci, Electromagnets, Mariani
Website http://www.ericjohnson.com
Notable instruments
Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster|Dunlop Eric Johnson Signature Fuzz Face|Eminence EJ1250 Guitar Speaker
Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American musician, songwriter, and vocalist from Austin, Texas. Best known for his electric guitar skills, Johnson is also a highly proficient acoustic, lap steel, resonator, and bass guitarist as well as an accomplished pianist and vocalist.
Johnson has mastered a wide array of musical genres evidenced by the many different styles incorporated in both his studio and live performances including rock, blues, jazz, fusion, soul, folk, New Age, classical, and country and western.[1]
Guitar Player magazine has called Johnson "one of the most respected guitarists on the planet".[2] His 1990 platinum-selling, full-length album, Ah Via Musicom, produced the single, "Cliffs Of Dover", for which Johnson won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.[3]

Life and career

Born into a musically inclined family, Johnson and his three sisters studied piano and his father was a whistling enthusiast. Johnson started learning the guitar at age 11 and rapidly began progressing through the music that would heavily influence his future style, including Mike Bloomfield, Chet Atkins, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Jerry Reed, Bob Dylan and Django Reinhardt, among others. At the age of 15, he joined his first professional band—Mariani, a psychedelic rock group. In 1968, Johnson and the group recorded a demo, which saw extremely limited release; years later the recording became a prized collector's item.[1][4][5][6][7]
After graduating from high school, Johnson briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin and traveled with his family to Africa. He eventually returned to Austin, and in 1974 joined a local fusion group called Electromagnets. The group toured and recorded regionally, but did not attract attention from major record labels and as a result disbanded in 1977. However, the strength of Johnson's playing attracted a small cult following to the group's early recordings, and decades later their two albums were given wide release on compact disc.[8][9]
The Electromagnets with Eric Johnson performing at N.C. State University, Raleigh, N.C., on April 11, 1976
Following the Electromagnets' demise, Johnson formed a touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock. They played to audiences around Austin and in 1978 recorded a full length album entitled Seven Worlds. Although the album showcased the band's sound, contract disputes held up the album's release for several years. Seven Worlds was eventually released in 1998 on Ark21 Records.[10][11] Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson began working as a session guitarist for some well-known acts, including Cat Stevens,[12] Carole King, and Christopher Cross, among others.[13] While a session musician, Johnson continued to perform locally, developing a flashy but tasteful electric guitar sound. His career rebounded in 1984 when he was signed to Warner Bros. Records. There is some disagreement about exactly how Johnson caught Warner Brothers' attention, with some reports suggesting that pop superstar Prince recommended him after hearing him perform on the public television program Austin City Limits. Others suggest that it was singer Christopher Cross and producer David Tickle who recommended Johnson to the label.[14] In any case, Johnson's major-label debut, Tones, was unveiled in 1986 with Tickle as co-producer.

Success

In May 1986, Guitar Player magazine ran a cover story about Johnson. The article helped promote the release of Tones and brought Johnson critical praise as well as elevating his profile in the guitar and music community.[15] The album's track "Zap" was nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, but as a whole the album didn't sell well and Warner Brothers let Johnson's contract expire. He signed on with indie label Cinema Records, distributed by Capitol Records.[16]
By the time Johnson released his 1990 Capitol Records debut album, Ah Via Musicom, he was regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Johnson also drew recognition for the rich, violin-like tone he coaxed from his vintage Fender Stratocaster. The album's second track, "Cliffs Of Dover", exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Ah Via Musicom was a crossover hit, and was certified platinum.
Fellow Texan, the late comedian[17] Bill Hicks, opened for Eric Johnson on at least one occasion in the Eighties. The highly intoxicated Hicks made light of Eric's lack of hit singles, as well as his vegetarian and teetotal lifestyle, by suggesting that if Eric were to eat a Hamburger and drink a beer he would be able to write more popular songs. After this incident Bill Hicks was not asked to open for Johnson ever again.[18]
Johnson is an admitted perfectionist, and those traits seemed to work against Ah Via Musicom's follow-up release. Unhappy with his recordings, Johnson mastered, then later scrapped, several completed tracks for the new album and delayed its release for three years, on top of the three years he had spent touring in support of Ah Via Musicom. He also had setbacks involving musical growth and personal issues while recording his next album Venus Isle.[19][20]
Venus Isle was finally released on September 3, 1996. It was a unique album with world influences that demonstrated Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, producer, musical arranger and vocalist. But the album received mixed reviews and did not match the success of its predecessor. As a result Johnson was dropped from Capitol Records. He rebounded with a successful tour from October to November 1996 with fellow guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Named the 'G3' tour, it resulted in a successful platinum-selling compact disc and DVD titled G3: Live In concert.
In 1998, Eric Johnson was among the judges in Musician magazine's "Best Unsigned Bands" competition, along with Ani DiFranco, Moby, Art Alexakis of Everclear, Keb' Mo' and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.[21]
In 1994, Johnson formed a side project called Alien Love Child and played shows sporadically while recording Venus Isle. The positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig. A live performance recording, Live And Beyond, was finally released in 2000 on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, showcasing their new songs. The Alien Love Child project helped Johnson move away from his perfectionistic tendencies and loosen up enough to embrace and release a live album.[22][23][24]
Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing Souvenir in January 2002 on his own Vortexan Records. The album, released on the Internet, received nearly 65,000 plays in the first seven weeks after it was made available on mp3.com.[25] Johnson promoted Souvenir with an electric tour in 2003 and an acoustic tour in 2004.[26][27]
In 2004, Eric Clapton invited Johnson to perform at his first successful Crossroads Guitar Festival. According to Johnson, he was scheduled to perform onstage with Clapton, but it fell.[28]
Johnson's next studio album Bloom was released in June 2005, again on Vai's Favored Nations label. The album was divided into three sections with different musical styles, intended to showcase Johnson's versatility.[29] His December 1988 Austin City Limits performance was released on both DVD and compact disc on New West Records in November 2005. His instructional guitar DVD, The Art of Guitar (Hal Leonard Corporation), was also released at the end of 2005.
In January 2006, a man named Brian Sparks was arrested for posing as Johnson and in the process defrauding businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment.[30] Also in 2006, some of Johnson's guitars that had been stolen 24 years before were recovered.[31]
In September 2006, Johnson took part in a theatrical production titled "Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar" – the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colorful and controversial 3,500-year history. In September 2007, Johnson participated in a second theatrical production by the same company titled "Love In: A Musical Celebration" in which he performed a Jimi Hendrix set, a tribute to the year 1967, often called "The Summer of Love".[32] Also in late 2006 Johnson participated in a second G3 tour in South America, with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci.
Johnson had been working on an all-acoustic project[33] and a live video from his 2006 Tour with Satriani.[34] However these were shelved in 2007 in favor of cutting a new studio album.[35]
His hit single "Cliffs Of Dover" appears in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Johnson has also signed up with "Operation Immortality", a project to create a digital time capsule of their DNA and humanity's achievements in the event of a global calamity.[36]

Guitar and equipment

Guitars

Johnson is best known for playing stock Fender Stratocasters and Gibson ES-335 electric guitars through a triple amp setup that consists of Fender, Dumble and Marshall amplifiers. Johnson has also played other guitar brands such as Robin, Rickenbacker, Jackson and a Charvel, which appears on the cover of the Ah Via Musicom album. In 2001, Johnson added a Gibson Custom Shop '59 Les Paul Reissue to his guitars of choice.
Johnson has had several models built to his specifications for sale in the mass market. In 2003, C. F. Martin & Company released a limited-edition Eric Johnson Signature MC-40 guitar built to his specifications. Johnson donated 5 percent of the profits of the guitar's sales to his father's alma mater, Jefferson Medical College.[37]
In 2005, Fender released an Eric Johnson Signature Fender Stratocaster also built to his specifications. This was followed up in early 2009 when Fender released the Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Rosewood model, featuring the same specifications as the Eric Johnson Maple Neck guitar, with the addition of an unusual 3-ply, 8-hole white pick guard, hotter treble pickup and a bound rosewood laminate fingerboard with pearloid dot position markers.
Johnson has also released other signature gear such as GHS Eric Johnson Nickel Rockers Electric Guitar Strings, DiMarzio DP211 Eric Johnson Signature Custom Pickups, and a Fullton-Webb amplifier. Jim Dunlop also has released an Eric Johnson signature Jazz III plectrum and an Eric Johnson signature Fuzz Face. 2012 also saw the introduction of the Eminence Eric Johnson signature 12" alnico guitar speaker.

Effects

He uses effect pedals such as the BOSTON HEAVY METAL,[38][39] Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, BK Butler Tube Driver, MXR KD IV Stereo Chorus, Vox CryBaby wah-wah[40], ToadWorks Barracuda flanger[41], Prescription Electronics Experience octave fuzz[42], Xotic AC Booster, MXR Flanger/Doubler, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man delay, Boss Corporation DD-2 Digital Delay[43], MXR 1500 Digital Delay, Line 6 Echo Pro Studio Modeler, and up to two Maestro Echoplex tape delays.[44][45] All of these are connected to multiple A/B boxes to create sounds and tones that are both clean and distorted. Although the majority of Johnson's setup is vintage, he has recently started using more modern equipment, including a stereo chorus made by Analog Man and a Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx.[46]

Recording

In late 2006, Johnson switched from recording in analog[47] to digital format.[48]

Popular culture

Guitarist Alex Lifeson of Rush gave a thank you to Johnson in the liner notes of Counterparts for being the inspiration for the guitar solo in the song "Cut To The Chase".
Guitarist Steve Morse recorded a song titled "TruthOla", which is a tribute to Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, and Eric Johnson. The song is on Morse's album "Major Impacts".

Solo albums

Early singles played on

  • "Re-Birth Day"/"Memories Lost And Found" by Mariani (1970)
  • "Come In Out Of The Rain" by Jay Aaron Podolnick (1975)
  • "Talkin' About Her"/"It's All With You" by Christopher Cross (1976)
  • "Thermal Underwear" by Project Terror (Bill Maddox) (1977)
  • "That Rider Down" by Bill Colbert (1982)

Albums played on

Group albums

  • Perpetuum Mobile' by Mariani (1970)
  • Electromagnets by Electromagnets (1975)
  • Live and Beyond by Alien Love Child (2000)
  • Electromagnets 2 by Electromagnets (2006, originally recorded in 1976)

Compilations

  • The Austin Christmas Collection by Various Artists ‒ "What Child is This" (1980)
  • The Austin Christmas Collection, Vol. 2 by Various Artists ‒ "What Child Is This" and "Is There A Santa Claus" (1983)
  • Guitar Speak by Various Artists ‒ "Western Flyer" (1988)
  • KLBJ's Local Licks Live by Various Artists ‒ "Camel's Night Out" (1990)
  • Instrumental Moods by Various Artists ‒ "Cliffs Of Dover" (1991)
  • Guitar's Practicing Musicians, Vol. 2 by Various Artists ‒ "Cliffs Of Dover" (1991)
  • KLBJ's Local Licks Live by Various Artists ‒ "Desert Rose" (1993)
  • True Voices by Various Artists ‒ "At The End Of The Day" with Susan Cowsill (1995)
  • KLBJ's Local Licks Live by Various Artists ‒ "S.R.V." (1996)
  • 13th Millennia Soundtrack by Various Artists (1996)
  • G3: Live In Concert by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson (1997)
  • Merry Axemas Volume 1 by Various Artists ‒ "The First Nowell" (1997)
  • Guitar Gods by Various Artists ‒ "Trademark" (1998)
  • KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol. 7 by Various Artists ‒ "Tribute To Jerry Reed" and "The Only Thing That's Real" (1999)
  • KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol. 8 by Various Artists (1999)
  • The Best of Rockline by Various Artists ‒ "S.R.V." (1999)
  • Moods Box Set by Various Artists ‒ "Cliffs Of Dover" (1999)
  • Rock Guitarist Forever Best by Various Artists ‒ "Soulful Terrain" (1999, Japanese-only release)
  • KLBJ Local Licks Live by Various Artists ‒ "Shape I'm In" (2001)
  • Band Together by Various Artists ‒ "Shape I'm In" (2002)
  • Texas Guitar Slingers Vol. 1 by Various Artists ‒ "Enzo Shuffle" (2002)
  • Relief Fund Compilation Album Benefiting the World Trade Center by Various Artists ‒ (2002, unreleased)
  • Fender Stratocaster 50th Anniversary by Various Artists ‒ "Trademark" (2004)
  • Don't Mess With Texas Vol. 2 by Various Artists ‒ "Boogie King" (2004)
  • KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol. 12 by Various Artists ‒ "Song For George" (2004)
  • Austin Music Vol. 6 by Various Artists ‒ "Sunarround You" (2007)
  • Keep Punching by Various Artists ‒ "Forever Yours" (2007)
  • Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High Definition by Various Artists ‒ "World Of Trouble" (2008)
  • Various Artists: This is Fusion Guitar by Various Artists ‒ "Beck's Bolero" (2009)

Guest appearance work

  • Once Upon a Rock by American Peddlers ‒ "Circle Song" (1977)
  • Back to Earth by Cat Stevens ‒ "Bad Brakes" (1978)
  • Gene Morris by Gene Morris ‒ "My Friend" (1979)
  • Pearls by Carole King ‒ "Dancin' With Tears In My Eyes" (1980)
  • Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88's by Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88's ‒ "No More" (1980)
  • Christopher Cross by Christopher Cross ‒ "Minstrel Gigolo" (1980)
  • The Shake Russell/Dana Cooper Band by The Shake Russell/Dana Cooper Band ‒ "Waitin' Here For You" and "Goin' Down Judah" (1981)
  • Sunrise In Corpus Christi by Faron Evans (1982)
  • One to One by Carole King (1982)
  • Long Time Friends by Alessi ‒ "Rise Up" (1982)
  • Til You Came Along by Bobby Giles (1982)
  • Tomás Ramírez by Tomas Ramirez ‒ "SA Stroll" (1983)
  • World Beat by Dan Del Santo ‒ "Ain't That Askin' A Little Too Much?" (1983)
  • Pressure by Pressure ‒ "Save A Little Time" (1983)
  • Peripheral Vision by McColl & Tracey (1984)
  • Marc Anthony Thompson by Marc Anthony Thompson ‒ "Recover Gracefully" (1984)
  • Stand Up by Steve Morse Band ‒ "Distant Star" (1985)
  • Street Language by Rodney Crowell ‒ "Ballad Of Fast Eddie" (1986)
  • Guitar Speak by Various Artists ‒ "Western Flyer" (1988)
  • Willie Jones by Willie Jones ‒ "So Long Mary Jane" (1990)
  • Inside Out by Jay Aaron (Podolnick) ‒ "Ronda" (1990)
  • The Urge by Stuart Hamm ‒ "On Our Dreams" and "Lone Star" (1991)
  • Rush Street by Richard Marx ‒ "Keep Coming Back" (1992)
  • The Hunter by Jennifer Warnes ‒ "Lights Of Louisiana" and "I Can't Hide" (1992)
  • Rendezvous by Christopher Cross ‒ "Nothing Will Change" (1992)
  • Herman Harris & the Voices of Hope by Herman Harris (1993)
  • Read My Licks by Chet Atkins ‒ "Somebody Loves Me Now" (1994)
  • What The Hell Was I Thinking? by Dweezil Zappa (1994, unreleased)
  • Wave of the Hand by Carla Olson ‒ "I'm Tryin'" (1995)
  • Angelica by Various Artists ‒ "Ave Maria" (1997)
  • Merry Axemas by Various Artists ‒ "The First Nowell" (1997)
  • Angels, Horses & Pirates by Little Blue ‒ "Wait Until You Get Here" (1997)
  • Rosebud by Stephen Doster ‒ "There Is No Time" (1998)
  • Walking in Avalon by Christopher Cross ‒ "When She Smiles" (1998)
  • Koko's Hideaway by Van Wilks ‒ "Vanquila" (1999)
  • Fingers And Thumbs by Adrian Legg ‒ "Lunchtime At Rosie's" (1999)
  • Been A Long Time by Double Trouble ‒ "In The Garden" (2001)
  • Last Of The Cowboy Vampires by Lance Keltner ‒ "Chain Gang" (2001)
  • More To Life Than This by Mike Tramp ‒ "On The Good, The Sad, And The Ugly" (2003)
  • A Guitar Supreme, Giant Steps in Fusion Guitar by Various Artists ‒ "Resolution" (2004)
  • Fusion For Miles, A Guitar Tribute: A Bitchin' Brew by Various Artists ‒ "Jean Pierre" (2005)
  • Industrial Zen by John McLaughlin ‒ "New Blues Old Bruise" (2006)
  • Viva Carlos: A Supernatural Marathon Celebration by Various Artists ‒ "Aqua Marine" (2006)
  • Hero Shuffle by Rex Paul (Schnelle) ‒ "Hero Shuffle" and "Reminds Me of Austin" (2006)
  • Walk On by Roscoe Beck ‒ "Together All The Time" (2006)
  • The Devil Knows My Name by John5 ‒ "The Washing Away Of Wrong" (2007)
  • Freeway Jam: To Beck and Back by Various Artists ‒ "Beck's Bolero" (2007)
  • Lovers by Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel ‒ "Layla" (2008)
  • From The Reach by Sonny Landreth ‒ "The Milky Way Home" (2008)
  • Bridging the Gap by Doyle Dykes ‒ "Red Clay" (2008)
  • Big Neighborhood by Mike Stern ‒ "6th Street" and "Long Time Gone" (2009)

Instructional DVDs

  • Eric Johnson: Total Electric Guitar by Hot Licks (1990)
  • Eric Johnson: The Fine Art of Guitar by Hot Licks (1996)
  • Eric Johnson: The Art of Guitar by Hal Leonard Corporation (2005)

Television appearances and videos

  • Austin City Limits (1984, 1988, 1996, and 2000)
  • One To One Tour (Video) by Carole King (1983)
  • Nova (PBS Special) – "Nautilus: 500 Million Years Under the Sea" The Chambered Nautilus (1987)
  • Live at the Bottomline, New York – Japanese TV broadcast (1990)
  • MTV Rock N' Jock Softball – performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" (1991)
  • The Tonight Show – performing "Cliffs Of Dover" (1991)
  • Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's "Guitar" – Japanese release – Warner Brothers (VHS and LaserDisc) (1991)
  • BB King And Friends...Live At The Woodlands by Houston PBS (1993)
  • Chet Atkins and Friends (TNN Special) ‒ "Read My Licks" (1994)
  • Baseball: Inning 9: Home by The Baseball Film Project (1994)
  • G3: Live In Concert by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson (1997)
  • Electromagnets: Live on PBS Playback (1975) re-released on VHS (1998)
  • Double Trouble with Special Guests – Austin City Limits (2001)
  • House Of Blues (Webcast Live) – Alien Love Child Tour (2001)
  • Big Wreck and Friends (Webcast Live) – Roy Thomson Hall – Toronto, Ontario (2001)
  • Guitar Show – Australian Television Broadcast (2002)
  • Jennifer Warnes DVD-A from AIX – unreleased (2003)
  • Crossroads Guitar Festival (2004)
  • 107.7 The Bone Studios Radio Show (2005)
  • James Burton International Guitar Festival (2005, unreleased)
  • Live in Austin, TX (2005)
  • Satriani Live (2006)
  • Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar (2006)
  • Love In: A Musical Celebration (2007)
  • Anaheim (Live) (2008)

Video games

Awards and chartings

  • Albums:
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Michael Angelo Batio

Michael Angelo Batio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Angelo Batio
Background information
Also known as Mike Batio, MAB
Born February 23, 1956 (age 56)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Genres Instrumental rock, neo-classical metal, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, jazz
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer, columnist
Instruments Guitar, bass, keyboard, vocals, drums
Years active 1984–present
Labels M.A.C.E.
Associated acts Nitro, Holland, Jim Gillette, C4, The Michael Angelo Band, Katrina Johansson, Bill Peck, Dave Reffett
Website www.angelo.com
Notable instruments
Dean MAB1 Armorflame
Dean MAB1 Lazer
Dean MAB2 Aviator
Dean Speed Of Light
Double-Guitar
Quad Guitar
Michael Angelo Batio (play /ˈbeɪti.oʊ/;[1] born February 23rd, 1956)[2] also known as Mike Batio or MAB, is a guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. His work has encompassed many genres, notably metal and its subgenres. Batio was voted the "No. 1 Shredder of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine in 2003.[3][4] He was also listed as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time" by Guitar World Magazine, for which he wrote the column Time to Burn, and one of the "20 Greatest Shredders of All Time" by Total Guitar Magazine, both in April 2008. Batio also won the 2009 Guitar World Magazine Readers Choice award in the "Best Shredder" category. In November 2011, Michael won the Guitar World Magazine Readers Choice Award and was voted the "Fastest Guitarist of All Time." Over 440,000 votes were cast.

Biography

Early life and career

Michael Angelo Batio started playing the piano and composing music at the age of five, and first played guitar at the age of ten. By twelve he was playing in bands in youth clubs, churches, and shows, playing for 10-12 hours on the weekends.[5] By the the age of 13 his guitar teacher literally told him "I can't teach you any more. You're faster at 13 than I was at 22."[5] He started listening to and watching professionals and sitting down and trying to work out riffs and tunes.[5]
At the age of fourteen he started playing jazz guitar, and within two years he had won the Chicago-based "All-State Jazz Solo Award". He attended Northeastern Illinois University and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition. After he had graduated, Batio looked to become a session guitarist in his hometown. When he asked for a job at a nearby studio, he was given a piece of music and simply asked to play it. He managed to play it adding his own improvisations and fills, making him the studio's primary call-out guitarist.[6] As a session player, Batio recorded music for such companies as Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, United Airlines, United Way, McDonalds, Beatrice Corp. and the Chicago Wolves hockey team.

Holland, the Michael Angelo Band and Nitro (1984–1993)

Batio began his recording career in 1984 when he joined new Chicago-based heavy metal band Holland, an eponymous project set up by ex-Steppenwolf singer Tommy Holland. With major label Atlantic Records, the band released their debut studio album in 1985 entitled Little Monsters, which saw moderate success in the United States. The band split up soon after, and a compilation of material from the Little Monsters sessions, Wake Up the Neighbourhood, was released in 1999 through Batio's label M.A.C.E. Music.
After the breakup of Holland, Batio started his own eponymous band with singer Michael Cordet, bassist Allen Hearn and drummer Paul Cammarata. The Band did not release any albums, though three of their songs appeared on the 1998 Nitro compilation Gunnin' for Glory.[7]
In 1987 Batio joined glam metal artist Jim Gillette on his solo album Proud to Be Loud, before founding the band Nitro with bassist T.J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. In 1989 Nitro released their first studio album, O.F.R., from which they released two singles, "Freight Train" and "Long Way From Home". The music video for "Freight Train", which received much airplay on MTV, was notable for featuring Batio playing his now famous 'Quad Guitar', a notion which FHM Magazine voted one of the "50 most outrageous moments in rock history".[8]
1987 was also the year Batio released his first instructional video with "Star Licks Productions" as part of the "Masters Series" and was one of the first recognized rock guitarists to make the jump into video instructional material. This video was the very first "shred" instructional program showing many modern guitar concepts for the first time.
By 1992, Comet and Racer had been replaced by Johnny Thunder and Ralph Carter respectively, and it was in this year that they released their second studio album entitled Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S.. Included on the album was a cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever", which the band also recorded a music video for. Nitro disbanded shortly afterwards.

Solo career (1993–present)

In April 1993, Batio founded his own record label, M.A.C.E. Music, which became one of the first labels online in 1996.[9] He used this label when he began recording his first album, No Boundaries, which he released in 1995. Batio's second studio release was Planet Gemini in 1997, which showed a very progressive, experimental side to his playing. In 1999, Batio released his second instructional video, Jam With Angelo, which came with his third studio album as a companion CD: Tradition. This was quickly followed by a fourth full-length album in 2000, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity, which was credited to "Mike Batio and Rob Ross", the latter being the drummer.
In 2001, Batio released a CD with his band "C4," covering songs from his Holland years and including the original "Call to Arms." It was his 1st all vocal CD since recording with Nitro.
In 2003, Batio released his first DVD, the title release in his Speed Kills series, followed by the second, Speed Lives, in 2004. It was also in this year that Batio released a compilation album, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2, which featured songs from Tradition and Lucid Intervals.
In 2005, Michael released his highly anticipated cover/tribute/studio album, Hands Without Shadows, which featured guest appearances from such musicians as Mark Tremonti (of Alter Bridge fame), Rudy Sarzo (of Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Dio fame) and virtuoso newcomer Bill Peck. In 2006, DVD Speed Kills 2 was released, in addition to the first in the new Hands Without Shadows series, Performance. Batio's latest release came in 2007, when his first two albums - No Boundaries and Planet Gemini - were remixed and remastered with additional drums, for an album entitled 2 X Again; the title of a song from the first album. Angelo also released three DVDs in 2007: Speed Kills 3, 25 Jazz Progressions and MAB Jam Session.
In 2011, Michael debuted his multi media show "Hands Without Shadows - A Tribute to Rock Guitar" in Las Vegas. In 2012 Michael is touring the world with this show. It is a chronological tribute to rock guitar.

Film appearance

In 1991, Batio's guitar work appeared in the low budget horror film Shock 'Em Dead, recording tracks for the soundtrack as well as playing the guitar parts of the demonically possessed main character Angel Martin in close ups.[10]

Style

Batio is ambidextrous, a skill he taught himself. This enables him to play two guitars at the same time either in synchronization or using separate harmonies. This includes playing completely different parts at once, as shown while playing his famous Double-Guitar. Though naturally left-handed, he plays as right-handed when playing one guitar. Batio invented and often demonstrates the "Over-Under" technique,[11] which involves flipping his fretting hand over and under the neck rapidly, playing the guitar both regularly and like a piano.
Batio gave lessons to guitarist Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame) while at college. Morello has credited MAB with teaching him in a feature article in Guitar World Magazine in 2005. Michael also gave lessons to guitarist Mark Tremonti after Creed broke up and Tremonti wanted to learn more techniques. Batio is also widely known for his extremely fast and well articulated alternate picking, which he credits to his use of anchoring, or planting the fingers he does not use while picking on the body of the guitar to restrict motion.
Batio has an advanced knowledge of music theory, having a deep understanding of complex scale combinations and time signatures which assist him in his compositions. Batio has cited F-sharp minor and F-sharp phrygian dominant as one of his favorite keys. He has described F sharp minor as a "demonic" key, giving a dark, evil sound.

Equipment

Guitars

Batio has an extensive collection of guitars, which he has collected since the 1980s including a Dave Bunker "Touch guitar" (double neck with both bass and guitar, similar to the Chapman Stick), a mint condition 1968 Fender Mustang, a 1986 Fender Stratocaster 1962 re-issue and several other vintage and custombuilt guitars. Among his custom made guitars is a 29 fret guitar made of military grade Aluminium, which makes the guitar very light. He stated in a Guitar World Magazine video interview (featuring his recording studio in 2008) that he has "around 67 guitars" and he humorously added that he would like 67 more.[12] Batio currently has over 100 guitars in his collection. For live performances Batio is an exclusive user of Dean Guitars, both electric and acoustic.[13] In 2007 he designed and developed a signature guitar with Dean, known as the MAB1 Armorflame.[14] Another signature piece of equipment Batio developed is the "MAB Hands Without Shadows" pickup, which he uses in his Double Guitar when touring. The pickup is specially designed for shred guitar, and provides the clean tone Batio is accustomed to. The Armorflame, Batio's signature guitar, uses EMG 81, 85 and SA pickups, as his signature DMT pickups were still being developed at that time.
Earlier on in his career when he was first endorsed by Dean guitars he also embraced Dean's tradition of popularising Dimarzio pickups and had used Dimarzios in his guitars. These include the Dimarzio PAF, Super Distortion (sometimes using the Super Distortion both in the neck and bridge position, as he did in his Gibson Charvel Circuit Board double guitar. This was the main setup during the recording of No Boundaries). Batio has also used pickups of other brands including Seymour Duncan, namely the Pearly Gates and JB models and also Bill Lawrence pickups. Currently other than using EMGs in his signature guitar he also has a collection of the other brand pickups in his Dean limited edition collectors' models, such as Dimarzio Custom Super Distortions (based on the Super 2 and Super Distortion) in his USA Dean Time capsule Blue Burst ML and the Seymour Duncan pair he used (refer to above) in his USA Dean Collectors edition Hardtail.[15]
The Double-Guitar
Batio was the inventor of the Double-Guitar, a V-shaped, twin-neck guitar which can be played both right- and left-handed. The first version of this instrument was actually two separate guitars simply played together, as opposed to being one entity. A Flying V was fastened to a snare drum in a left-handed position, while another one was strapped around his shoulder. The next version of the guitar, as designed by Batio and guitar technician Kenny Breit, featured a flight case latch attached to the back of each guitar, which could reportedly be assembled in five seconds. By far his most famous and definitely his most photographed double guitar is his USA Dean Mach 7 Jet Double-Guitar along with its custom Anvil flight case.[16]
When the Double-Guitar was first used in concert, Batio noticed that the guitars created a lot of feedback when played together. He decided that he needed to invent a way to 'dampen' the strings when both guitars were played at the same time, hence the invention of the "MAB String Dampener", which is now available to buy from M.A.C.E. Music.[17]
The Double-Guitar was recently named as the 8th "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.[18] His iconic Dean 'Jet' Double-Guitar has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum and was put on permanent display in February 2012. This guitar was built by Mike Lipe for Dean Guitars.[19]
The Quad Guitar
As well as the Double Guitar, Michael Angelo also invented and designed the Quad Guitar.[20] The guitar was originally built in conjunction with Gibson, and built by Wayne Charvel in California. The top two guitars have seven strings, while the bottom two have the regular six. The first Quad, as used in the video for Nitro's "Freight Train", was stolen in El Paso, Texas after the second show of Nitro's O.F.R. tour. When Batio was performing in November 2004, a young fan named Simon Jones and his father turned up with a guitar case which held inside the two top guitars of the Quad, as found by Mick Seymour. Dean designed and had Mike Lipe build a new Quad Guitar in 2008.
The Quad Guitar was recently named as the 2nd "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.[21]

Effects

Batio's effects pedals are exclusively made by T-Rex, with whom he has also developed a signature model, the "MAB Overdrive".[22] In his years with Nitro, Batio used Boss overdrive (DS-1, SD-1) pedals.
In the studio, Michael also uses the following effects pedals:

Amplification

Batio typically uses Marshall JCM 2000 amps on tour and for newer studio records. In the studio, he also uses the Marshall JMP-1 preamp and Rocktron Chameleon and Voodoo Valve preamps. During his years with Nitro, Batio used Randall amplifiers. He has been an avid Marshall amp user throughout his career and has used the JCM 800 (mostly Jose Arrendondo modified circuitry, very early in his career) and JCM 900 (especially when recording No Boundaries). Batio's cabinet setup consists of 4x12 Marshall cabinets loaded with Celeston vintage 30s and Greenbacks in mono and stereo.

Other equipment

Strings
Batio uses Ernie Ball guitar strings, favouring the .009 to .042 models for soloing and most rhythm guitar parts while thicker gauge strings are used for detuned guitars. The acoustic gauge is normally .010 to .046 or .011 to .052.
Picks
Michael uses black Dunlop Jazz IIIs as his guitar pick of choice, and has used the 'teardrop' shape of pick since he first started playing. Different picks are sometimes used for acoustic work.

Discography

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Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen onstage in 2007
Background information
Birth name Edward Lodewijk van Halen
Also known as EVH
Born January 26, 1955 (age 57)
Nijmegen, Netherlands
Genres Hard rock, heavy metal
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Guitar, keyboards, vocals, bass, drums
Years active 1972–present
Labels Warner Bros.
Associated acts Van Halen, Steve Vai, Michael Jackson, Sammy Hagar, Brian May
Website www.van-halen.com
Notable instruments
"Frankenstrat"
Ernie Ball Music Man EVH model
Peavey EVH Wolfgang
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (born January 26, 1955) is a Dutch guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the eponymous hard rock band Van Halen. He is often considered as one of the world's greatest guitarist, with Allmusic describing him as "Second to only Jimi Hendrix... undoubtedly one of the most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century."[1] He is ranked 8th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of the Top 100 guitarists.[2]. In 2012, Guitar World's poll named him as the greatest guitarist of all-time.[3]

Biography

Early life

This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2011)
This section may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (July 2012)
Born January 26, 1955 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Edward Lodewijk van Halen is a son of clarinetist, saxophonist and pianist father Jan van Halen and mother Eugenia. Eugenia van Halen was originally from Indonesia which was a former Dutch colony; Eugenia was half Dutch and half Indonesian. Edward's middle name "Lodewijk" was derived from composer Ludwig van Beethoven (Lodewijk is the Dutch version of Ludwig). Edward continued this naming tradition by naming his son Wolfgang Van Halen after composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In February 1962 the Van Halen family moved to the United States, settling in Pasadena, California.[1]
Eddie and his older brother Alex learned to play the piano as children.[1] The brothers were shuttled from Pasadena to San Pedro to study with an elderly man who taught them classical piano. Eddie and Alex hated the commute, but continued as their mother would discipline them if they refused to go. Eddie revealed in an interview that he never could read the music; he learned from watching and listening. During recitals of Bach or Mozart, he would simply wing it. Afterward, the judges would comment that he had an interesting interpretation of the classical piece; Eddie thought, "What? I thought I was playing it correctly!" However, playing the piano did not prove to be challenging or interesting to him — he once said in an interview.[4] Consequently, while Alex began playing the guitar, Eddie bought a drum kit and began practicing for hours day after day.
After Eddie heard Alex's performance of the The Surfaris' drum solo in the song "Wipe Out", he grew annoyed that his brother had overtaken his ability and decided to switch and begin learning how to play the electric guitar. He stated[citation needed] as a teen he would often practice while walking around at home with his guitar strapped on or[citation needed] sitting in his room for hours with the door locked. Van Halen notes the importance of supergroup Cream, holding their improvisation in high regard, considering 'I'm so Glad' on 'Goodbye Cream' to be mind-blowing.[5] He once claimed that he had learned almost all of Eric Clapton's solos in the band Cream "note for note". Eddie has stated: "I've always said Eric Clapton was my main influence, but Jimmy Page was actually more the way I am, in a reckless-abandon kind of way."[6]
Eddie and Alex formed their first band with three other boys, calling themselves The Broken Combs, performing at lunchtime at Hamilton Elementary School in Pasadena and this was identified as the first time when the desire to become professional musicians was formed, Eddie was in the 4th grade.[7]

Formation of Van Halen

Main article: Van Halen
Van Halen, originally called Genesis with bass player Mark Stone, changed their name to "Mammoth" when they discovered there was already a band from England with the name Genesis. The band consisted of Eddie Van Halen on guitar and vocals, his brother Alex on drums, and bassist Mark Stone. Mammoth had no P.A. system of their own, so they rented one from David Lee Roth[8] — a service for which he charged by the night. Eddie quickly became frustrated singing lead vocals,[8] and decided they could save money by letting Roth into the band.,[8] Michael Anthony replaced Mark Stone on bass. The group opted to change the name of the band because David Lee Roth suggested that the last name of the two brothers "sounded cool." Roth also revealed in an interview that he thought that changing the name would give the group "staying power; would people think it was a name? A place?"
At one point the group considered calling themselves Rat Salade, before deciding on Van Halen.[9] The band originally began playing cover material, ranging from pop to disco, before settling on original material.[9] In 1976, Rodney Bingenheimer took Gene Simmons to see one of Van Halen's shows.[10] Simmons then produced a Van Halen demo tape with recording beginning at the Village Recorder studios in Los Angeles and finished with overdubs at the Electric Lady Studios in New York.[11] In mid-1977, Van Halen was offered a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. After recording a set of demos, they recorded their first album "Van Halen" in mid September to early October 1977, which was released on February 10, 1978.

David Lee Roth

Van Halen in New Haven, 1977
Van Halen released a total of six albums with vocalist David Lee Roth: Van Halen (1978), Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down (1982) and 1984 (1984). However, the band had trouble working together as a cohesive unit. According to Gene Simmons' book Kiss and Make-Up, Eddie Van Halen approached Simmons in 1982 about possibly joining Kiss, replacing Ace Frehley. According to Simmons, Eddie did so chiefly due to his personality conflicts with Roth.
Simmons and Alex persuaded Eddie to remain in Van Halen, while Kiss replaced Frehley with Vinnie Vincent, and shortly afterwards the band released the album 1984, which yielded the band's first #1 hit "Jump". Other singles released from the album performed well, particularly "Hot for Teacher", the video for which featured a skimpily dressed model playing the part of a female elementary school teacher and school-age boys portraying younger versions of the band members. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts, behind Thriller by Michael Jackson, on which Eddie also played.
Jimmy Page said at the time: "For my money, Eddie Van Halen was the first significant new kid on the block. Very dazzling".[12] In 1982, Eddie was invited by producer Quincy Jones to contribute the guitar solo for Michael Jackson's recording for Thriller's "Beat It". Van Halen improvised and integrated for the recording the familiar Van Halen-styled guitar solo bridge in the new song. Part of rock lore was that credit for his work on the noteworthy track would be sufficient and Van Halen declined the payment he was offered for his performance.[citation needed]

Sammy Hagar

With the arrival of former Montrose singer Sammy Hagar in July 1985, the band's sound changed somewhat to adapt to the strengths of the new vocalist, as Eddie's keyboard playing became a permanent fixture, heard in songs such as "Dreams" and "Love Walks In". Even on the more guitar-driven songs, Eddie's performances became looser, less aggressive, and some[who?] said more thoughtful, while others[who?] said more commercial. The change in sound and pace prompted many fans, both positively and negatively, to refer to the band as "Van Hagar" or "Sam Halen". However, tensions within the band again arose over identity and artist direction, and Hagar, like Roth earlier, departed in June 1996.
Hagar appeared on 4 studio albums with the band, 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995), as well as one live album, Live: Right Here, Right Now (1993). Even though some fans of the original Van Halen were upset over both the separation of Roth and the hiring of Hagar, the band achieved something never attained by the original line-up, a #1 record. With Hagar, all four studio releases reached #1 on the Billboard charts. "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" was awarded the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal. And their live album Live: Right Here, Right Now peaked at #5.

Gary Cherone

Following Hagar's departure, the group briefly reunited with original singer David Lee Roth and released Best of Volume I, a greatest hits package, in October 1996. Two new songs were recorded for the album, "Me Wise Magic"—reaching #1 on the mainstream rock chart as a single—and "Can't Get This Stuff No More". However, previous disagreements resurfaced and the reunion did not last, as Roth left in September 1996, after the MTV Video Music Awards.
The band auditioned many prospective replacements for Hagar, finally settling on Gary Cherone, former front man for Extreme, a band also represented by Van Halen's manager. Cherone predicted that the new line-up would last 'ten years', however the Van Halen III (1998) album was poorly received. The band completed a world tour with their new single "Without You" and did go back in the studio to start on a second record. However, Cherone soon had an amicable departure, and without a lead singer, Van Halen went on hiatus.

Reunion with Hagar and Roth

Van Halen (right) with David Lee Roth (left), November 2007
In 2004, Van Halen returned with Hagar as their lead singer. A greatest hits package, The Best of Both Worlds, was released to coincide with the band's reunion tour. The album included three new tracks recorded with Hagar, "Up For Breakfast", "It's About Time" and "Learning to See". The band toured the U.S., covering 80 cities.[13] On February 2, 2007, it was officially announced on the band's website that David Lee Roth would rejoin Van Halen for their summer tour.[14] The excitement regarding the tour waned when on February 20, 2007, reports surfaced that the tour was indefinitely postponed. A previously planned compilation of Roth era Van Halen hits was shelved.[15]
After six months and a stint in rehabilitation for Eddie, it was confirmed by the band on August 13, at a press conference in Los Angeles, that they would do a tour with the new lineup from late 2007-2008 across North America, with worldwide touring and a new album proposed to follow.[16] Persistent rumors had long indicated the Van Halen brothers were in talks with Roth to rejoin the band for a tour and/or new material. Van Halen's then 15-year old son Wolfgang was to play bass in Van Halen in the fall, replacing Michael Anthony. Van Halen claimed his son's presence would have a positive effect on the band.

2000s

Suffering from lingering injuries from past high-risk acrobatic stage antics and crashes, Eddie Van Halen underwent hip replacement surgery in November 1999, after his chronic avascular necrosis, which he was diagnosed with in 1995, became unbearable.[17] In April 2001, Eddie confirmed that since May 2000, he had been undergoing treatment for tongue cancer. The subsequent surgery removed roughly a third of his tongue. He was declared cancer-free in May 2002. Since the 2004 tour, Eddie Van Halen had largely disappeared from the public eye, with the exception of occasional appearances such as the 14th annual Elton John Academy Awards party and a performance at a Kenny Chesney concert. In December 2004, Eddie attended "Dimebag" Darrell Lance Abbott's funeral, and donated the black and yellow guitar featured on the Van Halen II album inlay, stating that it was always a favorite of Dimebag's. The guitar was put in Darrell's Kiss Kasket and was buried with it.[18]
On December 5, 2005, Eddie's wife, Valerie Bertinelli, filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court, after four years of separation. On March 8, 2007, Van Halen announced on the official band website that Eddie was entering rehabilitation for unspecified reasons. However, both Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have made statements indicating that Eddie's personality had changed due to alcohol abuse. Van Halen emerged from rehabilitation and appeared publicly as an honorary official during the April 21, 2007 NASCAR event at Phoenix International Raceway. He also unveiled a new Fender Stratocaster with a paint-job made for the NASCAR races before the ceremony. In 2007, Eddie was honored in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. A player receives the "Eddie Van Halen" achievement for hitting 500 or more notes in succession.[19]
Van Halen toured the U.S. and Canada from September 2007 until summer 2008. On October 6, 2008, it was reported that Eddie Van Halen proposed to his girlfriend Janie Liszewski, an actress and stuntwoman who became Van Halen's publicist in 2007. He proposed to her while vacationing in Hawaii. The two married on June 27, 2009 at his Studio City estate, with his son and ex-wife Valerie in attendance.[20] The rocker's brother, Alex Van Halen, officiated the ceremony, while his son served as best man.[21] On January 1, 2011, Eddie attended Valerie Bertinelli's wedding, along with his son Wolfgang. In mid-January 2011, he attended the winter NAMM Show to present his new Wolfgang guitars, sharing the Fender booth with fellow guitar player Yngwie Malmsteen.
Van Halen released their twelfth studio album, A Different Kind of Truth, on February 7, 2012: their first album for 14 years and their first album with David Lee Roth since 1984.
In August 2012, Eddie Van Halen underwent an emergency surgery for a severe bout of diverticulitis.[22] His recovery time is four to six months, causing Van Halen to postpone their Japanese tour, which was originally scheduled to begin in November 2012.

Style and influence

Eddie van Halen's approach to the guitar involves several distinctive components. His use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking, combined with his rhythmic sensibility and melodic approach, have influenced an entire generation of guitarists. The solo in "Eruption" was voted #2 on Guitar World magazine's readers poll of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.[23][24]

Tapping

Main article: Tapping
The instrumental "Eruption" showcased a solo technique called tapping, utilizing both left and right hands on the guitar neck. Although Van Halen popularized tapping, he did not, despite popular belief,[by whom?] invent the tapping technique. The tapping technique in blues and rock was being picked up by various guitarists in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Duane Allman, Frank Zappa and Ace Frehley, tapped with a pick in the early 1970s. Steve Hackett used tapping to play Bach like keyboard passages on the guitar in the early 1970s. Larry Carlton also had a tapped note at the end of his solo on the song Kid Charlemagne.
Queen's Brian May also used the tapping technique, which he picked up in America in the early 1970s, on songs such as "It's Late" from the News Of The World album. From a January 1983 Guitar Player Brian May interview,
I stole it from a guy who said that he stole it from Billy Gibbons in ZZ Top.[25]
George Lynch has said in an interview that he and Eddie saw Harvey Mandel tap at the Starwood Club in the 1970s. From a March 2009 Metal Den George Lynch interview,
We both witnessed Harvey Mandel from Canned Heat do a neo classic tapping thing at a club called the starwood in Hollywood back in the 70’s. Other people were doing it to a limited extent, Brian May from Queen dabbled… George Van Eps was doing it in the 50’s.[26]
Early Van Halen stage photographs,[27] and demo and bootleg recordings from 1976 and before, do not indicate Eddie using any tapping techniques. Eddie's comments about how he came across the tapping technique vary from interview to interview. This is one interview excerpt,
I think I got the idea of tapping watching Jimmy Page do his Heartbreaker solo back in 1971. He was doing a pull-off to an open string, and I thought wait a minute, open string... pull off. I can do that, but what if I use my finger as the nut and move it around? I just kind of took it and ran with it.[28]
Eddie also employs tapping harmonics. He holds the pick between his thumb and middle finger, which leaves his index finger free for tapping and also makes for easy transitions between picking and tapping. In support of his two-handed tapping techniques, Van Halen also holds a patent for a flip-out support device which attaches to the rear of the electric guitar;[29] this device enables the user to play the guitar in a manner similar to the piano by orienting the face of the guitar upward instead of forward.

Tone

Van Halen (a self described "tone chaser") achieved his distinctive tone, known as the "Brown sound", by using the EVH "Frankenstrat" guitar, a stock 100-watt Marshall amp, a Variac (to lower the voltage of the amp to keep the same tone as an amplifier running full-blast at lower volumes) and effects such as an Echoplex, an MXR Phase 90, an MXR Flanger and EQs. Van Halen constructed his now legendary Frankenstrat guitar using a Boogie Bodies factory "2nd" body and neck, a single vintage Gibson PAF humbucker pickup sealed in molten surfboard wax done at home in a coffee can to reduce microphonic feedback, This also warped the bobbin of the pickup. a pre-CBS Fender tremolo bridge (later to be a Floyd Rose bridge) and a single volume control with a knob labeled "tone". Eddie has used a variety of pickups including Gibson PAF's, 1970s Mighty Mites, DiMarzios and Ibanez Super 70s. Eddie was using Mighty Mite pickups in 1977 club photos, just prior to the recording of the first Van Halen album. Mighty Mite pickups were OEM pickups made by Seymour Duncan [30] and were copies of DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups and can be identified by their lack of bobbin holes. Seymour Duncan started advertising pickup rewinding services In late 1977/early 1978 [31] and apparently rewound a Gibson PAF for Eddie around the early 1978 period.[32]
The now famous single pickup, single volume knob guitar configuration was the chosen platform due to Van Halen's lack of knowledge in electronic circuitry, primitive wire soldering skills, and his disappointment in not finding an adequate, durable bridge and neck pick-up combination on his own. Upon installing the humbucking pickup he did not know how to wire it into the guitar circuit, so he wired the simplest working circuit to get it to function.
His later guitars include various Kramer models from his period of endorsing that company (most notably the Kramer "5150", from which Kramer in its Gibson-owned days based their Kramer 1984 design, an unofficial artist signature model) and three signature models: the Ernie Ball/ Music Man Edward van Halen Model (Which continues as the Ernie Ball Axis), the Peavey EVH Wolfgang (which has been succeeded by a similar guitar called the HP Special), and the Charvel EVH Art Series, on which Eddie does the striping before they are painted by Charvel.
In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in July, 1985, Van Halen states that his "brown sound" is "basically a tone, a feeling that I'm always working at ... It comes from the person." He continues, "If the person doesn't even know what that type of tone I'm talking about is, they can't really work towards it, can they?"

Volume swells

Eddie used a volume technique in the instrumental "Cathedral". He hammered notes on the fretboard with one hand while rolling the volume knob with the other. This altered the attack and decay of the notes so they mimicked the sound of keyboards. This "volume swells" sound (also known as "violining", because of the way it sounds) was originally popularized by 1970s progressive rock bands like Genesis (Steve Hackett), Focus (Jan Akkerman), Yes (Steve Howe), and Rush (Alex Lifeson) but was usually performed with a volume pedal, at a slower pace. "Cathedral" also employs an electronic delay, with the delay set at 400 ms and the delayed note set at the same amplitude as the original note. Most of the composition's notes come from hammering on the notes of a major 5th string barre chord (ascending and then descending) and replicating this pattern up and down the neck of the guitar. The end result of this technique made the composition sound as if it is being played on a church/cathedral organ.

Equipment

Guitars

Eddie Van Halen built his guitar (Black and White) by hand, using an imperfect body and a neck bought from Wayne Charvel's guitar shop. The body and neck were constructed by Lynn Ellsworth of Boogie Bodies guitars, whose parts were being sold by Wayne Charvel at the time. Eddie installed a humbucker in the bridge position essentially creating a Fat Strat. In 1979, Eddie began to play a black, rear loaded Charvel with yellow stripes. This was later replicated by Charvel along with the black and white striped model and the red white and black model (EVH Art Series Guitars). He also used a stock unmodified Ibanez Destroyer on a lot of the tracks on Van Halens first album such as You Really Got Me and Runnin' With the Devil. This same Ibanez Destroyer was later modified and nicknamed by Van Halen fans as "The Shark" guitar. Another mostly stock Ibanez Destroyer painted red/orange was borrowed from Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P. for the recording of most of the on the Women and Children First album.
In 1979 Eddie's original guitar was repainted with a layer of red (with stripes left unpainted to reveal the original black and white underneath). Eddie also changed the neck, removed part of the pick guard and eventually installed a Floyd Rose vibrato unit. The guitar is known both as a "frankenstrat" and as the "Frankenstein." Fender issued a replica of the guitar in relic form at a retail price of $25,000 in 2007. A "new" (non-relicced) Frankenstrat was available through the Charvel company for significantly less, but it was discontinued. This Fender/Charvel series was the first time Van Halen had consented to the commercial release of a guitar with his signature graphics on it.
Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat Guitar
In 1983, Eddie began to use a brand new Kramer guitar with artwork similar to its predecessor and with a hockey-stick or "banana" headstock, which came to be known as the "5150." This guitar was rear-loaded (no pick guard), had a Floyd Rose vibrato unit and a neck that was later electronically mapped in order for it to be copied on the later Music Man and Peavey signature models. This guitar was last used on the track "Judgment Day" on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album. Various versions of it can be seen in the music videos for "Panama","When It's Love" and the concert video, Live Without a Net. The guitar itself was a variant of a Kramer Pacer, although not a model that was technically available at the time.
It was painted with Krylon paints by Van Halen and used through the OU812 tour, after which it was "retired." However, Eddie did break out the guitar for use on the 2004 reunion tour, although the neck had finally failed and had apparently been replaced. A copy of this guitar was available (although not with Van Halen's permission) through the current manufacturer of Kramers, Music Yo, a subsidiary of the Gibson company, sadly Gibson ended the Music Yo business and Kramer is just known as a "Gibson Sister Company". In 2012 the Gibson company again began producing the "1984" model Kramer. These guitars did not feature the custom graphics of the 5150 guitar, as the striped EVH graphics are trademarked by Edward Van Halen.
Eddie has used a Steinberger GL-2T guitar with TransTrem on several songs, including "Get Up" and "Summer Nights" (from 5150). It was custom painted with the "Frankenstein" graphics. He has also used Kramer and Peavey model guitars fitted with the Steinberger TransTrem unit.
In the early 1990s, Ernie Ball produced an EVH signature "Music Man" guitar, and Eddie used this on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance albums. This guitar is still commercially available under the "Axis" name, and retains all of the original features of the Edward Van Halen model. Although rumours abound of a personal falling-out between Edward and the Ernie Ball company's Sterling Ball, the official reason for the cessation of the commercial relationship was that Edward was upset that Ernie Ball could not produce enough of this guitar to meet demand.
Eddie named his line of Peavey signature Wolfgang guitars after his son, Wolfgang. The guitar itself was similar to the previous Axis line, but with a slightly altered shape and many additional options available in Peavey's much larger custom shop. These guitars included a device called a "D-Tuna" which enabled a guitarist to tune the low E string down to D with a slight turn of a knob attached to the end of the bridge.
In 2003, at the NAMM show, the relationship between Peavey and Eddie began to strain. Peavey constructed a glass enclosed stage for Eddie in which to play for VIP's at 2 p.m. Eddie arrived late, shocking fans there with his disheveled appearance, as he immediately went upstairs and initially refused to play. After an hour of negotiations, Eddie came down while fans, who had lined up for hours prior to the appearance, roared with approval. Eddie ended up spending his short time on stage, talking about Wolfgang guitar production and his promise to take a keen interest in quality control. Eddie left, having only played a few notes and small riffs, much to the dissatisfaction of the fans and Peavey.[citation needed] The end came in 2004, when Peavey company parted ways with Van Halen, reportedly because Eddie launched an on-line sale of hand patterned (by Edward) Charvel guitars, sold by the name of the "EVH Art Series Guitars", while he was still contractually obligated to Peavey. The guitars sold for large sums on eBay, and were essentially replicas of his famous "Frankenstrat" guitars, played by Van Halen mainly during the David Lee Roth era of the band. Eddie also launched Frankenstein replicas as noted above, which are the only Van Halen guitars currently endorsed by Eddie.
Most recently Eddie has collaborated with Fender guitars to produce a replica of the Frankenstrat. Eddie and Chip Ellis of the Fender Custom Shop teamed up to produce a guitar priced at each. Also, Eddie has collaborated with Fender to launch his own EVH brand of guitars, amps, and musical instrument equipment, starting with his new EVH Brand 5150 III amplifier. Eddie now uses prototypes of his new EVH Brand Wolfgang, which is an updated version Eddie's Peavey Wolfgangs but with new pickups, knobs, a thinner but very elaborate quilted maple top to allow the basswood the dominant tone, providing more tonal resonance but with a balanced high sustain. Also, the new Wolfgang is equipped with an Original Floyd Rose. In addition, the new guitar has a slightly altered headstock. This is because this was Ed and Hartley Peavey's original design for the headstock, which Eddie had patented without the scoop on final version of the Peavey Wolfgang. He has been seen with three new Wolfgang guitars, first a sunburst one, then a black one which he stated he liked less than the sunburst one and now he uses a white one, the best sounding one out of the three prototypes according to Ed.
The EVH Wolfgang was planned for initial sale to the public in early 2009, and is now commercially available to purchase.[33] As of February 2012 Eddie Van Halen has released different variations of the Wolfgang Guitar, for instance, there is an option called the "Stealth" it has all black hardware, and an Ebony fretboard. Since NAMM 2011 the Wolfgang Hardtail was introduced with either the aforementioned "Stealth" style or the standard Maple Fretboard/Chrome Hardware option. Eddie has also released the EVH Wolfgang USA Custom, similar to the Wolfgang Hardtail but with a bone nut rather than a locking one, also has a Les Paul style control layout.
In 2011 Eddie Van Halen donated the Frankenstein 2, a replica of the original guitar that was occasionally used on the 2007/2008 David Lee Roth reunion tour, to the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution.[34]

Amplifiers

Eddie's main amplifier in the early years was a 100 watt Marshall amplifier that had a 12301 serial number, which dates it to the 1967-1968 transitional period at Marshall when the circuit of the 100 watt Marshall 1959 changed gradually from the "Bass" circuit to the "SuperLead" circuit. Eddie's main Marshall's original circuit had an 820 ohm/0.68 uf resistor/capacitor pair on the cathode of Valve(Tube) 1 and the same on the cathode of Valve(Tube) 2. Eddie's main Marshall had a white knob installed at the back of his Marshall head, as seen in the 1978 world tour Japanese leg photos and the Van Halen II studio photos from late 1978. Photos of Eddie's main Marshall in the 1990s show that the white knob had been removed.
For Van Halen I, a single Celestion speaker cabinet was used and a variac set to around 90 volts was also used on Eddie's main 100 watt Marshall head, mainly to lower the amplifier's volume. The volume control and all other controls on his Marshall head were set to maximum or 10. Eddie's Van Halen I recorded guitar tracks were re-amped[35] by using the Sunset Sound studios live reverb room.[36] The first Montrose album was recorded in this way[37] by Ted Templeman and Donn Landee who also produced and engineered the Van Halen I album. Van Halen I was recorded in Studio 1 at Sunset Sound and Van Halen II was recorded in Studio 2 at Sunset Sound.[38]
From the mid 1980s, Eddie has used a real time re-amping or Master/Slave slaving amplifier setup that was originally designed by Bob Bradshaw and was published in the September 1986 issue of Guitar World Magazine, with the first amplifier being a Tube Amplifier and the second amplifier being a H&H MOSFET solid state power amplifier. Between 1993 and 2004 Eddie was sponsored by Peavey Electronics to use their 5150 Amplifiers, which he had a part in designing. Following the ending of this relationship, Peavey renamed the amplifier as the "Peavey 6505", with slightly updated styling but original circuitry. Eddie is now sponsored by Fender and has debuted his new amp called the 5150 III. The 5150 III features three channels with their own independent controls, a four-button foot-switch and his famous striped design on the head. In 2011 there will be an inexpensive 5150 III, 60 watt, 2 speaker, combo amp and 50 watt miniature head in production.

Floyd Rose system

Floyd Rose Original
A crucial component of Van Halen's style is his use of the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, released in 1977. Early tremolo bars allowed the guitarist to impart a vibrato to a chord or single string via movement of the bar with the picking hand, but the slackening of the strings when the bar was heavily depressed could lead to detuning. The addition of the locking bolts at the nut and bridge kept the strings taut and allowed for drastic depression of the tremolo bar to create effects such as the dive bomb. Van Halen went on to collaborate with Floyd Rose on improvements to Rose's device.

Steinberger TransTrem

Eddie Van Halen pioneered the mainstream use of the TransTrem system on the Steinberger line of guitars on "5150", most notably on the songs "Summer Nights" (locking the tremolo arm in different positions throughought the song; essentially shifting the guitar into several different tunings during the course of the song) and "Get Up" (where the tremolo bar on the TransTrem is pulled up and down, causing entire chords to shift up and down). Eddie also used the TransTrem on "Me Wise Magic" off of Best of Volume I and on "Fire In the Hole" off of "Van Halen III" where the songs go through several tuning changes while retaining the same chord voicings. The TransTrem system allows for the effect of an instant "capo", increasing the pitch of all strings by up to a minor third or lowering the pitch by as much as a perfect fourth, as well as giving the player the ability to "whammy" entire chords in-tune.[citation needed]

Intellectual property

Edward Van Halen is owner of US 4656917.[39] The main claim is for a supporting member on the back of a stringed instrument allowing the musician to play and/or fret the instrument in new ways.
He is also owner of US 7183475,[40] which is the patent for the D-Tuner he invented to enable a non-floating floyd rose equipped guitar to quickly change the tuning of the low E string by a whole step.
Another patent he owns is US D388117[41] this is the patent for the headstock design for the EVH Wolfgang guitars.

Other work

Eddie van Halen has appeared on several projects outside of his enonymous band.
  • Eddie van Halen was invited by Quincy Jones to play guitar on the song Beat It, from Michael Jackson's 1982 album, Thriller. Steve Lukather of Toto played the main guitar riff and rhythm, while Eddie played an improvised guitar solo.
  • In 1983, Eddie collaborated with Queen guitarist Brian May on the Star Fleet Project, a three-track EP consisting of a rock styled rendition of the theme to the popular anime children's show, a May penned track (Let Me Out), and an improvised blues track (Blues Breaker).
  • In 1984, Eddie recorded several instrumentals for a movie called The Wild Life. Some of those recordings used ideas that showed up later in Van Halen songs such as "Good Enough", "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)", "Right Now", and "Blood and Fire". However, only "Donut City" was included on the soundtrack album, which was released on vinyl and cassette, and never made it to CD format.
  • Also in 1984, he provided the score for the 1984 television film, The Seduction of Gina.
  • He played bass on Sammy Hagar's 1987 solo album I Never Said Goodbye.
  • Also in February 1987, he appeared on Saturday Night Live as a guest musician with G. E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band when Valerie Bertinelli hosted the show. About twenty seconds into the performance, G. E. Smith could be seen telling Eddie, "Go faster!" Eddie Van Halen also appeared in one sketch with Valerie Bertinelli on that evening's show, which actually featured the Robert Cray Band as its scheduled musical guest.
  • In 1989 he played bass on the opening track, "Twist the Knife" from Steve Lukather's debut album, as well as giving the guitar part which was taken from an outtake from the 5150 album titled "I Want Some Action". The main riff was also later used by Eddie Van Halen in the 3 album for "Dirty Water Dog".
  • In 1993, he co-wrote and played a song with Black Sabbath members, Tony Martin, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler called "Evil Eye" on the Cross Purposes album, but he wasn't credited due to record company restrictions.
  • He has also done soundtrack work for movies such as Over The Top (Winner Takes It All, a collaboration with Sammy Hagar), Twister (the instrumental Respect The Wind), The Wild Life (one song was reused in the movie Back to the Future, and Lethal Weapon 4 (The track Fire In The Hole from Van Halen III)
  • In 1998 he performed guitar solos for the Roger Waters song "Lost Boys Calling" from the film The Legend of 1900.
  • He has recorded with Dweezil Zappa, Jeff Porcaro, and Thomas Dolby.
  • In July 2006, Eddie Van Halen recorded two new instrumental tracks (Rise and Catherine) which debuted in an unusual format: in a pornographic feature entitled Sacred Sin directed by a friend of the guitarist, well known adult director Michael Ninn.[42][43] These tracks have since surfaced on the internet. Eddie also composed some minor uncredited piano interludes in the feature.
  • In 2009 Eddie played a cameo role in the seventh season premier of Two and a Half Men where he plays the main riff from As Is off of A Different Kind of Truth for Charlie after he exits the mens bathroom. Ed explains to Charlie that one never knows when inspiration will occur, hence him taking his guitar into the bathroom. In this instance, Ed admits that the inspiration was "two burritos and a root beer float."
  • In 2010 Eddie Van Halen appeared on Lopez Tonight and gave George Lopez one of his Wolfgang Guitars.
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