Originally Posted by: mruniverceCan you guys do a lesson on how to tune down a half step to get that Van Halen sound. And can you use a capo to get THAT SOUND?.
Tuning down a half-step is called "slack tuning". The DLR era Van Halen albums are largely tuned down. Can't use a capo to tune down. Only to raise the pitch.
You can tune down by tuning each string a half step lower. Low to high:
E to E-flat
A to A-flat
D to D-flat
G to G-flat
B to B-flat
E to E-flat
But EVH's tone comes mostly from his playing style & equipment. He used a Strat style guitar with a humbucker into a cranked Marshall amp. He famously used cheap MXR effects pedals & a Variac power transformer to "starve" the amp of voltage.
But the foundation of that VH tone is a humbucker into a cranked Marshall & EVHs unique playing style! :)[br][br]Dave did a whole tutorial aimed at breaking down that amazing style.
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2034
Hope that helps! Have fun with it!