(born Edward Lodewijk van Halen on January 26, 1955[1] in Amsterdam, Netherlands), is a guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer most famous for being leader and a co-founder of the hard rock band, Van Halen.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood
Edward Van Halen was born to Jan Van Halen, a Dutch father, and Eugenia, an Indo (Eurasian) mother, in Amsterdam, Netherlands and spent his early childhood in Nijmegen in the east of the country. The Dutch Van Halen family moved to Pasadena, California, from the Netherlands in 1962. Edward immediately started classical piano training, and won several talent competitions as a child . Upon their arrival in America, his parents immediately sought a piano tutor for him and his older brother, Alex Van Halen.[2]
However, playing the piano did not prove sufficiently engaging - he once said in an interview, "Who wants to sit in front of the piano? That's boring." Consequently, whilst Alex began playing the guitar, Eddie bought a drum kit and began practicing drumming. According to Eddie, while he was delivering newspapers (to pay for his drum kit) Alex would practice on it.[citation needed] 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.[2]
Eddie was approximately twelve years old when he started playing guitar, and practiced constantly.[citation needed] He has stated that he would often walk around at home with his guitar strapped on and unplugged, practicing. He once claimed that he had learned almost all of Eric Clapton's solos in the band Cream "note for note" by age 14;[2] in later interviews he stated he could never play the solos precisely, instead he would modify them slightly to suit his style.
In April 1996, in an interview with Guitar World, when asked about how he went from playing his first open A chord to playing "Eruption", Eddie replied:
| “ | Practice. I used to sit on the edge of my bed with a six-pack of Schlitz Malt talls. My brother would go out at 7pm to party and get laid, and when he'd come back at 3am, I would still be sitting in the same place, playing guitar. I did that for years — I still do that.[3] | ” |
Eddie has many influences; most notably Eric Clapton, however he has also acknowledged the influence of Queen guitarist Brian May and fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth.
[edit] Van Halen formation
Van Halen, originally called "Mammoth," was formed in 1974 in Pasadena, California. The band consisted of Eddie Van Halen on guitar and vocals, his brother, Alex, on drums, and bassist Mark Stone. They had no P.A. system of their own, so they rented one from David Lee Roth[4] (who had auditioned for the band, but failed) - a service for which he charged $50 a night. Eddie quickly became frustrated singing lead vocals[4], and decided they could save money by letting Roth into the band[4]. Soon, Michael Anthony replaced Mark Stone on bass. They opted to change the name of the band, reportedly due to another band operating with the same name - Roth is normally attributed with suggesting the name 'Van Halen'. Roth stated "If you name a band "Electric Blotz" in two years you are expected to play electric blotz." Naming a band after a person [or people] does not have limits.
In 1977 Gene Simmons saw one of Van Halen's shows and subsequently financed their first demo tape, flying the band to Electric Ladyland studios in New York to record "House of Pain" and "Runnin' With the Devil". Eddie disliked his playing on the demo, because he wasn't using his own equipment, and had to overdub guitar parts (which he had never done before.)[4]
In 1977, Van Halen was offered a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. Later that year, they recorded their first album, "Van Halen", which was released on February 10, 1978.
[edit] Roth years
Van Halen went on to achieve great success, releasing a total of 6 albums: Van Halen (1978), Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down (1982), and MCMLXXXIV (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 as a replacement for Ace Frehley, who was suffering from severe substance abuse problems. According to Simmons, Eddie did so chiefly due to his personality conflicts with Roth.
Simmons persuaded Eddie to return to Van Halen, and shortly afterwards the band released the album 1984; which yielded the band's first #1 pop hit, "Jump". Other singles released from the album also sold well; particularly "Hot for Teacher", the video for which featured a skimpily dressed model playing the part of elementary-school teacher and school-age boys portraying younger versions of the band members.[citation needed] The album was praised by critics[citation needed], peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts behind Thriller by Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen played the guitar solo on the song "Beat It" from that album - see below).
David Lee Roth left Van Halen on April 1, 1985, citing personal differences with Eddie. He stated in Kerrang! magazine, "Eddie Van Halen isn't happy unless he's unhappy."
[edit] Hagar years
With the arrival of former Montrose singer Sammy Hagar, the band's sound changed somewhat, as Eddie's keyboard playing became a permanent fixture, heard in songs such as "Dreams" and "Love Walks In". The change in sound prompted many fans, both positively and negatively, to refer to the band as "Van Hagar." This was a very successful time for Van Halen - eclipsing the success of the Roth years commercially.[citation needed] All four studio albums produced during this period reached #1 on the Billboard pop music charts. However, tensions within the band again rose, and Hagar departed in 1996.
Following Hagar's departure, the group briefly reunited with original singer David Lee Roth and released a Greatest Hits package in 1996. Two new songs were recorded for the album, with the single "Me Wise Magic" reaching #1 on the mainstream rock chart. However, previous disagreements resurfaced and the reunion did not last.
The band auditioned many prospective replacements for Hagar, finally settling on Gary Cherone, former frontman for Extreme, a band also represented by Van Halen's manager. Cherone predicted that the new line-up would last 'ten years'; unfortunately this would not prove to be the case; the album (Van Halen III) was received poorly. Cherone soon left the band; his departure was amicable. Once again without a lead singer, Van Halen went into hiatus.
[edit] Hagar reunion
In 2004, after several years on hiatus, 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. All bass parts on the new material on the album were played by Eddie Van Halen rather than Michael Anthony; this would prove a serious point of contention between the two[citation needed].
The band toured the US, covering 80 cities.[5] Despite taking $55 million dollars, it was revealed in Rolling Stone that the promoters had actually lost money on the tour. The final date on the tour appeared to bring tensions between Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar to the surface, culminating in Eddie violently smashing his guitar before leaving the stage on the last date.
Reviews of the tour differed - some reviews were enthusiastic, whereas many stated the band had poor musicianship and the concerts contained apparently drunken behaviour.[6] Michael Anthony stated that Eddie regularly performed in an alcoholic stupor:
| “ | I hate to talk smack about anyone in the band or whatever, but, y'know, Eddie, you know, he's still doing a bit of drinking and everything. There were nights where it was kind of like a rollercoaster, up or down, and myself, I would have liked to have seen him totally clean up if we were gonna take this further.[7] | ” |
[edit] Roth reunion
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.[8] The excitement regarding the tour waned when on February 20, 2007 reports surfaced that the tour was indefinitely postponed, and that a previously planned compilation of Roth era Van Halen hits was likewise shelved.[9]
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. In the February 2007 edition of Guitar World magazine, Van Halen had talked about working with Roth during the summer of 2006:
| “ | I'm telling Dave 'Dude get your ass up here and sing, bitch! Come on!' As it stands right now, the ball is in Dave's court. Whether he wants to rise to the occasion is entirely up to him, but we're ready to go. | ” |
Regarding the news that Van Halen's 15-year old son Wolfgang is playing bass in Van Halen this coming summer (replacing Michael Anthony), Van Halen claimed his son's presence will have a positive effect on the band:
| “ | Wolfgang breathes life into what we're doing. He brings youthfulness to something that's inherently youthful. He's only been playing bass for 3 months, but it's spooky. He's locked tight and puts an incredible spin on our shit. The kid is kicking my ass! He's spanking me now, even though I never spanked him. To have my son follow in my footsteps on his own, without me pushing him into it, is the greatest feeling in the world. | ” |
Van Halen also stated in a Howard Stern interview that although Roth is a "loose cannon," he is willing to deal with that. David Lee Roth had previously stated that reuniting with the band is "inevitable":
| “ | I see (the reunion) absolutely as an inevitability. There's contact between the two camps, and they have legitimate management. To me, it's not rocket surgery. It's very simple to put together. And, as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam... so what? It's showbiz! So I definitely see it happening.[10] | ” |
[edit] Recent events
Eddie Van Halen underwent hip replacement surgery in 1999, after an existing degenerative condition became unbearable.[11]
Since the 2004 tour, Eddie Van Halen has 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 the time between the departure of Gary Cherone and the 2004 tour, Eddie publicly stated that he has "ten albums worth of material"; however this material has yet to see the light of day.[citation needed]
In December 2004 at Dimebag Darrell's funeral, Eddie donated his famous black and yellow guitar from the Van Halen II album inlay, stating that Dimebag had always said that was his all time favorite guitar. The guitar was put in Darrell's Kiss coffin, and he was buried with it.[12]
On December 5, 2005, Eddie's wife, Valerie Bertinelli filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Complaint for Divorce revealed that the couple separated on October 15, 2001.[13] In an interview on Howard Stern's radio show on September 8, 2006, Eddie stated that he and Valerie share custody of their son, and that he sees him every day.
On March 8, 2007, Van Halen announced that he was entering rehab on the official Van Halen website, for unspecified reasons. However both Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have made statements indicating that Ed's personality had changed due to alcohol abuse. Hagar, Anthony and David Lee Roth have repeatedly stated their support and well wishes towards Ed's recovery since the announcement. Hagar stated at the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, "I hope he gets through this and we can have our buddy back" with Anthony visibly agreeing in the background. As of March 11, rumors were circulating that Van Halen checked himself out of the rehab center where he was initially presented.[14]
Van Halen emerged from rehab and appeared publicly as an honorary official during the April 21, 2007 NASCAR event at Phoenix International Raceway. He also unveiled a new EVH Fender Stratocaster guitar before the ceremony.
[edit] Cancer
During the late 1990s Van Halen was treated twice for tongue and mouth cancer. During an interview with Howard Stern on Sirius satellite radio channel 100 on September 8, 2006, Eddie claimed that holding a metal pick in his mouth 12-14 hours per day while immersed in the electromagnetic radiation of his music studio caused his tongue cancer (despite this seeming scientifically unlikely). He said he continues to smoke because "cigarettes didn't cause the cancer".[15]
Eddie also revealed that he stopped the cancer via an illegal method (the nature of which he declined to specify) in conjunction with a pharmaceutical lab with which he's affiliated in New York state. He said a portion of his tongue was removed and experimented on, and then the technique was performed on him. He said he has lost one third of his tongue, though his speech sounds virtually unaffected. Despite his battles with oral cancer, Eddie has been photographed in public as recently as July 2006 smoking cigarettes.[16]
[edit] Technique
Edward Van Halen's approach to the guitar involves several distinctive components. His innovative use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking - combined with rhythmic sensibility and a melodic approach - have influenced an entire generation of guitarists.
Whilst relatively commonplace today, Van Halen's ground breaking techniques were originally a closely guarded secret; before the release of the band's eponymous first album, the guitarist would often play solos and more complex riffs with his back to the live audience. This was done at the advice of his bandmates to prevent any guitar players from stealing his style and technique before the album came out in 1978.[citation needed]
[edit] Tapping
Van Halen has claimed he developed his signature tapping approach after studying the guitar solo from the Led Zeppelin song "Heartbreaker" (played by Jimmy Page):
| “ | 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. | ” |
Although Van Halen popularized the approach, he did not, despite popular belief, invent this technique; Steve Hackett from the group Genesis used a tapping technique as early as 1971 (in the album Nursery Cryme), Ace Frehley of Kiss has also used this technique as early as 1973 and also Brian May of Queen used the tapping technique in 1978, a year before Van Halen claimed to invent it. Van Halen is known for holding the pick between his thumb and middle finger; this leaves the index finger free for easy transition between picking and two handed tapping.
In support of his large variety of 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.[17] 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.
[edit] String boiling
Van Halen is well known for boiling new string sets before installation. This contributes to both the playability and tone of the strings.
- I boil the strings so they stretch, because if you just put them on and clamp it down, the strings stretch out on the guitar. I just take a pack and let it boil for 20 minutes in the hot water. And then I dry them in the sun, because otherwise they rust. But I only use them one night anyway, so who cares if they rust?[18]
[edit] Tone
Another critical aspect of Eddie's playing has been his guitar tone, the Brown sound. Van Halen achieved his distinctive tone by using a stock 100-watt Marshall amp, a Variac to lower the voltage of the amp to change the tone, and a "Frankenstrat" guitar Van Halen constructed using a Charvel factory 2nd body and neck, a vintage Gibson P.A.F. humbucker pickup sealed in paraffin wax (to reduce microphonic feedback), a pre-CBS Fender tremolo bridge (later to be a Floyd Rose bridge) and a single volume control ( with the volume knob labelled as 'tone' )
The now famous, single pickup, single volume knob guitar configuration was arrived at due to Van Halen's lack of knowledge in electronic circuitry and his failure to find a decent bridge and neck pick-up combination. Upon installing the humbucking pickup, he did not know how to wire it into the 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.
[edit] Tuning
Though rarely discussed, one of the most distinctive aspects of Van Halen's sound was Eddie Van Halen's tuning of the guitar. Before Van Halen, most distorted, metal-oriented rock consciously avoided the use of the major third interval in guitar chords, creating instead the signature power chord of the genre. When run through a distorted amplifier, the rapid beating of the major third on a conventionally tuned guitar is distracting and somewhat dissonant.
Van Halen developed a technique of flattening his B string slightly so that the interval between the open G and B reaches a justly intonated, beatless third. This consonant third was almost unheard of in distorted-guitar rock and allowed Van Halen to use major chords in a way that mixed classic hard rock power with "happy" pop. The effect is pronounced on songs such as "Runnin' With the Devil", "Unchained", and "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?".
With the B string flattened the correct amount, chords in some positions on the guitar have more justly intonated thirds, but in other positions the flat B string creates out-of-tune intervals. As Eddie once remarked to Guitar Player:
| “ | A guitar is just theoretically built wrong. Each string is an interval of fourths, and then the B string is off. Theoretically, that's not right. If you tune an open E chord in the first position and it's perfectly in tune, and then you hit a barre chord an octave higher, it's out of tune. The B string is always a motherfucker to keep in tune all the time! So I have to retune for certain songs. And when I use the Floyd onstage, I have to unclamp it and do it real quick. But with a standard-vibrato guitar, I can tune it while I'm playing.''[19] | ” |
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Guitars
Van Halen built his trademark red and white striped "Frankenstrat" guitar (originally black and white) by hand, using an imperfect body and a used neck picked up at Wayne Charvel's guitar shop. The body and neck were constructed by Lynn Ellsworth of Boogie Bodies guitars, who was working for Wayne at the time. In his guitar he wanted to get a Gibson sound with the Fender feel. 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). Also, in 1979 Eddie's original guitar was repainted with frankenstein artwork. Edward also changed the neck, removed part of the scratchplate and eventually installed a Floyd Rose vibrato unit. The guitar itself is known both as a "Frankenstrat" and as THE "Frankenstrat." Fender, through the Charvel company, reissued the guitar in relic form in 2007, the limited run selling out at $25,000 a guitar. However, a "new" (non-reliced) Frankenstrat is currently available through the Charvel company for significantly less, the first time Van Halen has consented to the commercial release of a guitar with his signature graphics on it.
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 scratchplate), 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 "Judgement Day" on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album. It can be seen in the music videos for "Panama", "Hot for Teacher", "When It's Love", "Feels so Good" 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 himself and used through the OU812 tour, after which it was "retired." However, Edward did break out the guitar for use on the 2004 reunion tour, although the neck had finally given out had apparently been replaced. A copy of this guitar is available today (although not with Van Halen's permission) through the current manufacturer of Kramer's, Music Yo, a subsidiary of the Gibson company. However, the commerically available copy does NOT feature the custom graphics, as the "frankenstein" graphics are trademarked by Edward Van Halen.
In the mid 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 commerically available under the "Axis" name, and retains all of the original features of the Edward Van Halen model. Edward was allegedly upset that Ernie Ball could not produce enough of this guitar to meet demand, and subsequently moved his endorsement to the Peavey Electronics corporation.
Eddie named his line of signature Peavey Guitars after his son Wolfgang (currently Van Halen's bassist). 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. In 2004 the Peavey company parted ways with Van Halen, reportedly because Eddie launched an on-line sale of hand patterened (by Edward) Charvel guitars, sold by the name of the "EVH Art Series Guitars", while he was still contractually obliged 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. Edward also launched Frankenstein replicas as noted above, which are the only Van Halen guitars currently endorsed by Edward.
Most recently Eddie has collaborated with Fender guitars to produce a replica of the Frankenstrat. Eddie and the master builders of the Fender Custom Shop teamed up to produce a guitar priced at $25,000 each.
[edit] Amplifiers
It's been widely claimed that Eddie Van Halen's #1 Marshall amplifier has either been completely stock or heavily modified. Techs who claim to have seen inside his amp such as Chris Merren and Doug Roccaforte allege[20] that at the time of recording Van Halen's first album, the Marshall amplifier was completely stock. However, amp tech Mark Cameron claimed he found a schematic of EVH's amp in amp tech Jose Arredondo's shop after he died that showed numerous modifications that had been performed by Jose. As well as the "Jose" 16 Ohm load box, it had a transformer-coupled line out that was used to create a line out signal, which was then run into another Marshall amp's input. Basically it uses the first amp like a tube stompbox, and getting increased distortion, feedback, and gain that way. Regardless of whether the amp was modded, its serial number was 12301, which dates it to the transitional period at Marshall of 1967-1968 when the circuit of the 100 watt Marshall 1959 changed gradually from the 'Bass' circuit to the 'SuperLead' circuit. The fact that most '12000 series' (serial number in the twelve thousand range) transitional amps made during this period were a mixture of the two circuits makes it more plausible that Ed's amp was in fact stock, since the mixture of the two circuits provides a tone not dissimilar to Eddie's.
The infamous use of a variac with this amp has caused great confusion among guitarists and fans alike. Sending the reduced mains voltage of 90v into the amp does not increase distortion but actually reduces the amount the amp can produce. It is also unlikely that it was used to lower volume, since the actual reduction in volume from running a fully cranked Marshall 100w amplifier at 90v is slight. The most likely use of the variac was to produce the high end roll off and increased compression in the preamp distortion that is a result of a lower B+ voltage in the preamp and phase inverter sections of the amp, but also presumably to reduce the harmful effects of the "resistor mod" that was performed on the amp in the early days of Van Halen.
The "resistor mod"[21]performed on the amp was the inclusion of a very high wattage (and thus physically large) resistor that was placed in between the output transformer primaries (pins 3) of the inner two output tubes of Eddie Van Halen's amp. This not only greatly reduced the volume, it also dramatically changed the tone and was responsible for the unprecedented amount of distortion from the power tubes that can be heard from the amp. This modification was also the reason for the large amount of power tube and output transformer failures that Eddie Van Halen's amp has become famous for. Several pictures exist today of Eddie's amp in the club days with a large resistor hanging out the back. By using a variac to lower the plate voltage being sent to the output tubes, less stress was placed on the tubes and therefore reduced the incidence of tube failure.
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 3 channels with their own independent controls, a 4-button foot-switch and his famous striped design on the head.
[edit] Floyd Rose system
A crucial component of Van Halen's personal style is his use of the fulcrum vibrato for electric guitars. Developed in the mid-20th century, early versions of this device allowed the guitarist to impart a vibrato (slight, wavering pitch change) to a chord or single string via movement of the bar with the picking hand. Pressure on the bar, attached to the guitar's bridge, slackened the strings and momentarily lowered the pitch. This vibrato device is often mistakenly referred to as a tremolo, due to an early Fender nomenclature error (tremolo correctly refers to a fluctuation in volume, rather than pitch).
Typical versions of this device are prone to tuning problems, and are generally finicky, unstable, and limited in their pitch-changing capability. Leo Fender's development of the fulcrum vibrato for his Stratocaster line of guitars in the 1950s imparted greater tuning stability and range. This technology was exploited by guitarists in the Surf music genre, as well as other artists such as Jimi Hendrix, who pioneered the use of the Stratocaster's vibrato bar for dive-bomb effects and feedback manipulation.
The Fender vibrato unit still suffered from a lack of tuning stability that would not be addressed until the late 1970s by Floyd Rose. The key to Rose's innovation was the introduction of a string clamp located near the nut of a guitar's neck; these new systems are referred to as double-locking vibrato units, and the clamp unit referred to as a 'locking nut'. This device allowed Van Halen far greater latitude in vibrato use than was possible with previous designs, and without the dramatic loss in tuning stability. With a proper setup and periodic maintenance, the double-locking vibrato is an extremely stable and reliable device.
Consequently, Van Halen was able to forge a whole new level of musical expression with the vibrato unit, expanding greatly on techniques developed by earlier players such as Jimi Hendrix. His music incorporated a vast array of never-before-heard guitar sounds, such as shrieks, growls, dive-bombs, chirps, squeals and grunts.
Van Halen went on to collaborate with Floyd Rose on improvements to Rose's device. Among Van Halen's suggestions were the supplemental (fine) tuner knobs on the vibrato unit itself which allow the player to fine-tune the pitch of the guitar after the locking nut was engaged: these fine-tuners are now a feature on virtually all such vibrato systems.
Though Rose incorporated many of Van Halen's suggestions, he was slow to give credit for the guitarist's technical contributions, ultimately resulting in a degree of animosity between the two former collaborators. More recently, Van Halen designed and patented the D-Tuna device, which enables a player to quickly detune the lowest string on a Floyd Rose vibrato-equipped guitar down a full step, extending the effective tonal range of the guitar.
Eddie plays with a non-floating vibrato configuration that allows lowering of pitch only; he shuns the full floating configuration due to its inherent lack of tuning stability. The floating vibrato configuration is particularly susceptible to tuning degradation when a broken string sets the unit into imbalance on its pivot point; typically, the tuning will go sharp from the loss of tension previously supplied by the broken string. To counter this, Van Halen's vibrato unit is configured (by slightly over-tensioning the return springs) to rest on the surface of the guitar when not in use. This serves as a stopping point for the fulcrum rotation, thereby compensating for any loss of tension due to a broken string. Moreover, this setting makes the bridge transmit much more vibration to the guitar body, thus obtaining a better sound.
Van Halen also pioneered the mainstream use of the Trans-Trem system on the Steinberger line of guitars on "5150", most notably on the song "Summer Nights" where the song goes through several key changes while retaining the same chord voicings. The Trans-Trem 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.
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