JFRocks.com Jeff Fiorentino's Van Halen Brown Sound Tips Page

There are couple basic rules of thumb to remember for the Brown Sound. The number 1 rule are the EQ settings you choose to use. We'll put everything all together in a nice neat table below but first let me talk a bit about processors or patches for the VH sound.

I know many of you use things like the POD or other digital amp modeling units that you dial in patches for various sounds that you want. I'm not a huge proponent of these things for the Brown Sound. The reason being the Brown Sound is simple. The early V H stuff DLR era which is what I'm the biggest fan of as far as sound goes and what I model my sound after is very simple, it's not done with much in the way of digital anything. Digital processors always sound like digital processors when they try to reproduce the early Brown Sound. This is especially true if you have a good ear for EQ like I do. Most who share my ability to pick out EQ setting 20 yards out with ear plugs in agree that it's very difficult for digital modeling units to nail a sound that is so simple and raw that really what you want is cheap yard sale crap to produce it.

This is not to say that you should get rid of your processor. NO don't do that, these units are really cool. All I'm saying is I get a lot of emails from people who want to know how to build a good patch for the early Brown Sound and I always tell them the same thing. "I can only help you to a point". "All I can do is give you the basic Brown Sound EQ formula." And the truth is that's all I really can do even if you have an amp that you're just trying to dial in. Don't over think this sound. It's really very basic. It's warm with not a lot of distortion to it. In fact it's quite clean. It has a low Bass EQ setting and a Low Mid EQ setting with a moderate to high HI EQ setting (see EQ forumla below).

I can't dial in anyone's amp from a distance, I strongly suggest you take my tips below and use them as a basic guideline to dialing in your amp or programming your patch. If you're programming a patch bare in mind that digital is a very precise thing and you will probably find the proper EQ balance but the odds are you won't get that rawness and purity that the early sound has. By the same token you may not find it with your amp either, it depends on your amp. A sound engineer once told me a long time ago, "sometimes you just have to be ok with close enough". Truer words have never been spoken. Truth is when I do a Vin Heuton Lesson I rarely worry about getting an exact match for the Brown Sound, I just dial in a sound I like that day. Notice I say that day. Every day there is a new setting I like better than the one I had the day before. I don't think there is one single Vin Heuton track lesson on this site that uses the same exact setting as the other. Slight adjustments are always needed based on weather conditions and room configuration etc. So again use the tips below as a GUIDELINE only. They're not gospel, but they do work for me on ALL of my guitar amps, which include, Crate GFX 212, Marshall JCM 800, Fender Twin Reverb 60's model.

An important side note on Fender Twin amps and the Brown Sound. I tend to put sounds of amps into colors when I'm dialing them in, Reds and Blues. Amps like Marshall and the Crate GFX are Reds, they do Brown very easily. Amps like Fender Twin Reverb or Fender Bassman are Blue. They're not known for their rich warm Brown tone. Fender amps are known for something called the "Fender Twang". They do the 60's British invasion sound like the Beatles or stuff like Surf Music from here in the US. You also get a Tom Petty sound with them etc. The point is Fender is not the best choice for a Brown Sound, however it can be done. Bare in mind if you use Fender amps to turn the Treble EQ way lower than what I suggest in the chart below. Also, raise the Low end EQ a bit higher. It won't be perfect because you're trying to make an amp do something it's not designed to do in the first place but you can get a decent Brown Sound out of a Fender Twin Reverb if you are willing to tinker long enough.

I started out on Fender amps. I'm a huge fan of them. My very first real guitar amp was a 1960's 50 watt Fender Bassman that sat on top of a Peavey 4 x 12 Speaker cab, I had used it as my practice setup back east until I moved to Los Angeles. Oddly enough this exact setup is still owned by the guy I sold it to when I moved in 1992. He recently found my website and confirmed he still has my first guitar amp. lol Keep Rockin' Stew glad to hear the old Bassman is still around. (yes Fender Bassman make great guitar amps, they've been used by artists like Tom Petty and also the Beatles too.)

Brown Sound Quick reference (use as guideline only)

EQ Settings	Bass EQ	Low to moderate 1-5 setting (Depending on amp)
	Mid EQ	Low setting 2-3 rarely higher than 3.5 on most amps
	High EQ	High 8-10 setting on most amps
	Overdrive	Depends, on Solid State fairly low 1.5 to 2.5 on tube amps you may need to crank it to 10 depending on the amp. Just don't go too high with it. There isn't' a lot of distortion in the Brown Sound. It's a warm mild crunch but the notes are very clear and can be heard.

The Effects listed below are in order of importance. If you can only afford a couple then take the top 2 first. Settings are on the VH FX settings page.

Effects Listed in order of importance	MXR Phase 90	The most important of all for early VH. I recommend the VH model or early scripts model but the frankly the re-issue will do the job if that's what you can afford to get. Rack unit Phasing or Boss Phasing is never as good as the MXR. Go with the MXR.
	Flanger	Flanger is the 2nd most important effect. The rule of thumb for VH is to use Flanging for Rhythm parts and Phasing for lead parts. This isn't always true but it's a good rule of thumb to follow if you want to know when to use each of these effects. As for a good Flanger pedal I prefer the Boss BF 3 over the MXR. Frankly it does MXR better than MXR purely because there are more options and it also can replicate the classic MXR Flanger with out flaw. If you're a purist then you must find an old MXR Flanger or, get the VH model which if not out yet will be very soon.
	Chorus	Many think the chorus is only used to get the later Sammy era VH tone. This is false. The chorus for the "HOME GUITARIST" is a key element in nailing the VH II sound such as the sound on songs like Outta Love again and Light up the sky etc. I'm not saying that Ed used a chorus on these tracks, I'm saying that I don't care about that, I only care about what I need to use to match the sound if that's the sound I want. And I have always been able to match the VH II sound by adding very light chorus to an early VH tone. The recording quality on that album is horrible and the sound is tricky to get at home. Boss CH-1 super chorus does the VH job just fine. Chorus is a very simple effect and very hard to screw up. If you want stereo chorus for the more modern VH tone like on Best of both worlds and stuff then the Chorus ensemble will be the way to go. But that's a waste of money as you can use stereo flanging blended with the chorus to get a near perfect Sammy era VH tone. If you have a BF-3 or MXR Flanger you're all set in that department.
	Digital Delay	Not at the top of the list for importance but a nice toy for things like Cathedral and ATBL etc. etc the list goes on. The Boss DD-3 is the worlds most common and popular Digital Delay and for VH application it does the job just fine. In fact it's pretty much all you need. If you want to spend the extra cash for the DD-6 go for it but you'll find its added features useful for other bands and not necessarily needed for VH application of the delay per say. I just use a DD-3 as does about 90% of the rest of the Ed heads in the world. lol
	Compressor	MXR Super Comp. That's all I'm going to say. Wire it into your effects loop. Or if you can't do that then put it LAST in the pedal chain on the floor. Read my effects commentary on the page that details my specific JFRocks setup. If you want to sound like the album, get a compressor. That applies to VH or Queen or Boston or White Tiger, Lion, Snake or any other White blah blah blah band that came around during my teenaged years. lol
	Harmonizer	There are some very expensive harmonizers you can buy including the one Ed uses which will run you about 2 or 3 grand if not more, I guess it depends on where you buy it. Frankly I have a 3000 dollar model Harmonizer and for my money and for VH application which is what we're talking about here. The Boss PS-5 Pitch shifter with expression pedal will do the job just fine when blended with a DD-3 Digital Delay and a pinch of chorus and flanging. See my JFRocks effects commentary page for more thoughts on this pedal. Harmonizer came into play around the Fair Warning era. Not a super important toy to have for VH but it is handy for some solos, rhythms and live sounding noise effects such as super delayed tap harmonics and stuff like that.

That's about it, I mean I could put Wah on the list but it's very rare that Ed breaks that out. I already suggest you get a Crybaby Fasel model on the JFRocks effects commentary page. Since there are no settings per say for a wah there really isn't much need to give it a column above.

What is given above is bare bones. The EQ settings are general guidelines and apply to any amp you may have. From there you will need to tweak and dial things in. Please also read my "dialing in a sound" page and of course my JFRocks equipment details page for additional help. Ultimately, I can't help you find the sound from a distance. All I can do is point you in the right direction.

Some final brutally honest straight shooting thoughts on amplifiers and getting a good one. First of all let me say that equipment in general is a very TO EACH HIS OWN thing. So "getting a good one" as I say is very subjective. One man's junk is another man's dream. Everyone thinks their stuff is the best stuff, and everyone has an opinion, and this is simply mine.

I'm not a huge fan of an amp that has a crappy built in reverb or a crappy built in overdrive. What I mean is I don't like to use a pedal to get my distortion or reverb. It's going to sound much better, and bigger and fatter if your amp's own Pre-amp does the overdrive and the reverb is usually better if the amp's own reverb is used. This is due to how they are wired in, they just integrate better if they're part of the amp. I've always found this to be the case over the years. Bottom line, if the amp has a lousy reverb, I DON'T BUY IT. If the amp has a lousy pre-amp, I DON'T BUY IT. Don't care who's amp it is or who's name is stamped on it. It's not what I want, so I don't buy it. lol

If your amp's reverb is crappy or the pre-amp is crappy and the overdriven sound the amp produces is muffled garbage and you have to use a distortion pedal on a clean channel to get a decent sound, then I strongly suggest you take the amp back and buy one that does what you want it to. I'm sorry to say this but the Pre-amp is the whole point of the amp. If the pre-amp isn't good it's not a good amp. It doesn't matter who made it, what celebrity endorses it. That's all just a name, and sadly most of our society these days purchases things based on the name and the status that comes with it, rather than basing their purchases on what they like, or on quality. This is true of cars, clothing, music, you name it. The marketing machine rules the world these days.

Many are surprised that I use a Crate GFX here on the site. Both by its good sound and also that there isn't much status with a Crate. It would sound much "COOLER" name wise if I used my Marshall JCM or a 51 somethin' somethin'. Fact is, I use the Crate because it sounds good for me. It loves the recording mic and it friggin' cranks. That's really all that's important, I tried out lots of fancy amps when I was trying out the Crate before purchase. The Crate won, it sounded better with my Kramer than all of the other amps I was plugging into that same day. The salesman wasn't thrilled with me because the Crate was the least expensive of the lot I was trying out. I don't exist to make his commissions higher so I couldn't care less about a salesman. I just wanted an amp I liked, for a 6 week gig I had booked. Turns out the amp worked so well for the gig and I got so many compliments on the great guitar tone that I kept it, and made it my main studio amp. The Crate GFX is a much better recording amp than a live amp, but I'm a studio guy, so that's important to me.

It should be noted that any equipment that I use for this site or mention that I use is strictly just me telling you what I use to avoid answering the same email 1000 times that asks, Dude, what do you use? I figure I might as well just put it all up on the site and show it to you.

This has to be made very clear, I'm not suggesting or recommending anything with these various equipment oriented pages. What works for me and sounds good for me, may sound like total CRAP for you at your home or studio.

The reasons for this are too numerous to list. There are a lot of variables that affect sound. The number 1 variable is Guitar. My Guitars are custom and professionally setup. They are not off the shelf guitars and do not sound like off the shelf guitars. What I mean is you might come over here and plug your guitar into my exact amp and go, "wow that sounds horrible". Then you might lean over and pick up my guitar and say, "Now that sounds great". That's the variable that I can't control. There are others too, such as weather and the amount of humidity that exists where you live. I've been on the road in the past and I can tell you that I might do a show in Tucson AZ and get an amazing sound. Then a day later fly to Florida somewhere where it's super humid and my sound goes to crap. This is due to the weight of the air caused by the moisture. The speaker moves totally different so settings have to be changed or I might even switch amps as sometimes this helps for various reasons.

All of this is why I DON'T FORMALLY ENDORSE ANYTHING I USE. I only tell you what I use specifically and tell you how I get a good sound out of it. You however, may not get a good sound out of the same exact stuff and I don't make any guarantees that if you go out and buy a Crate an old GFX 212 that you're sound will be just like mine.

One of the most common amp emails for me to receive is, and I quote, "I bought this such and such amp and I can't seem to get a good sound out of it, and I've tried all the settings you suggest, nothing I try works." (end quote)

You have to understand that the whole sales pitch for most companies is, "if you want this guy's sound you have to buy this guy's equipment."

The thing is that's a total flat out lie and people fall for it all day long and then get the equipment home and they find 8 times out of 10 that they don't have that guy's sound. Half the time they don't want to take it back because then they have to admit that their guitar hero's setup sounds like crap to them in their home and they made a fatal multi-Thousand Dollar purchase error. That's a bit of a blow to the ego for some. Well, get over it, take the amp back if you don't like it and get something that works for you. I'll put it this way, if you spend a Thousand or Two on an amp and have to email me or someone like me, to find out how to make it sound good, then something is very, very wrong because it should have sounded good before you forked out the cash for it. See my tips below for purchasing an amp.

1. Judge for yourself what equipment sounds good by trying a lot of stuff out and asking salesman to go away while you're doing it. Spend an hour with each amp if you have to and try many different settings.

2. If it doesn't sound good in the store and you still want to try it at home, make sure there is a return policy. Odds are though if you can't get it to sound good in the store, you won't have much luck at home either. BUT, some amps sound crappy in person but put a mic in front of them and they shine. So bare in mind there are live amps, and recording amps, and some do both. Point is you may need to take the amp home and record with it to see if maybe it works better for you that way.

3. Don't purchase based on brand name or endorsement. Look, I know everyone wants their guitar hero's amp. I don't really care if you buy it or don't buy it. If it doesn't work for you or it doesn't meet your expectations then don't purchase it. You've got to be your own player, odds are this purchase will be the amp you use for awhile. Don't buy based on name, buy based on sound. Many of you would be very surprised what literal junk some of the supposed legendary equipment actually sounds like in a blind fold test. A name and the reputation that's attached to it can be very blinding, my suggestion is to ignore that factor and simply play through the thing and see if you like it or not.

4. Always try out an amp with your guitar, not something from the store rack. If you use a processor at home, then bring it with you. Bring everything with you to the store that you're going to hook up at home. If you're buying online make sure you try the darn thing out at a local store first. Yeah you can always ship it back if you don't like it if you buy from Musicians Friend or something like that but, it's a pain and there's usually a restocking charge of 20 or 25%, so bare in mind you might eat some cash on that maneuver.

If all this sounds like me being harsh, I'm not. You're probably just not used to people calling it like it is anymore because not many do these days. We're bombarded by the marketing machine that we live in. The majority of the public buys things these days based more on the name and who's endorsing it than they do on whether or not it's actually a good product. You can disagree with everything I say on this page but you can't disagree with that statement, because it's 100% true and I'm not the only one who's worried about it and sees something seriously wrong with the picture.

With this page here my point is simple. I'm just giving you the same advice I would give to anyone, be it my own kid or an adult who asked for advice on buying an amp or even a Guitar. It's about being a smart shopper, nothing more, nothing less.

Ultimately remember what I say about writing your own music or riffs, "SOUNDS GOOD" means "SOUNDS GOOD TO YOU". Same deal with an amp or a guitar. "SOUNDS GOOD" means the amp or guitar "SOUNDS GOOD and WORKS GOOD FOR YOU", sounding good doesn't necessarily have come with a hefty price tag either. Usually the hefty price tag is more to cover licensing costs and to retain the services of a celeb. I should also add that they usually don't know anything more than you do about the electronics of the amp, but rather are simply a player who knows what he or she likes in their equipment and sound.

You can be like that too if you just figure out what you like by taking the advice I give in this article. Then, you won't have to pay a price premium for what someone else thinks sounds good.