Tone library / Van Halen / Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love amp settings — Blackstar ID 30 TVP

The Van Halen guitar tone for “Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love”, dialed in for a Blackstar ID 30 TVP with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Van Halen (1978)

Original rig

1975 Ibanez Destroyer (Shark) / Frankenstrat (PAF bridge) -> MXR Phase 90 -> MXR Flanger -> Echoplex EP-3 -> cranked 1968 Marshall Super Lead 1959 (Variac to ~90V) -> Celestion 25W Greenbacks

Classic Brown Sound — warm, sagged, mid-heavy Plexi crunch with subtle phaser swirl

Amp settings — Blackstar ID 30 TVP

CHANNELOD1 (ISF set to British / Marshall 8.0, TVP set to EL34)BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Reverb	3
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01MXR Phase 90

RECOMMENDED — not owned (vital for the intro riff swirl; set speed slow around 9 o'clock)

Speed 3

02Tape Delay / Slapback (Echoplex style)

RECOMMENDED — not owned (or use the ID:30 built-in Delay section on Tape mode)

Time 3 · Repeats 2 · Mix 3

Why these settings

The Blackstar ID:30 TVP achieves the cranked Super Lead sound best on OD1 with EL34 tube emulation and the ISF knob turned strongly British (around 8/10). The Ibanez GIO's ceramic Infinity R bridge pickup has a sharper high-end spike than Eddie's PAF/Super 70 humbuckers, so keep treble controlled at 6 while pushing mids to 7 for the iconic woody crunch. The ID:30 has no physical presence knob, so power-tube top-end sparkle is shaped entirely via the Treble and ISF controls.

PRO TIPPalm-mute heavily right against the bridge saddles on the intro arpeggio, digging in with a rigid pick to pop out the natural percussive pick click and harmonic overtones.

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