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

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love amp settings — Marshall MG30FX

The Van Halen guitar tone for “Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love”, dialed in for a Marshall MG30FX with a Epiphone Ghost Horse Explorer. Studio version, Van Halen (1978) - intro arpeggio and main rhythm riff

Original rig

1968 Marshall Super Lead 100W (Variac @ ~90V into 4x12 Celestion Greenbacks), Ibanez Destroyer ('Shark' Korina with PAF humbucker), MXR Flanger, Maestro Echoplex EP-3

Chewy 'Brown Sound' saturation with aggressive upper-mids, tightly controlled low-end, subtle Echoplex slapback, and MXR Flanger sweep on accents

Amp settings — Marshall MG30FX

CHANNELCrunch

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Reverb	2
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01MXR 6-band EQ

Used pre-gain to sculpt the classic EVH mid-hump and tighten the bass before amp clipping

100Hz 4 · 200Hz 5 · 400Hz 6 · 800Hz 8 · 1.6kHz 7 · 3.2kHz 5

02Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion

Clean overdrive boost pushing the Crunch channel for authentic Marshall plexi sag without flub

Level 8 · Tone 5 · Drive 2 · Color 3

03Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor

Tames front-end hiss between palm-muted stabs

Threshold 5 · Decay 2

04MXR EVH117 Flanger

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (EVH engaged his MXR Flanger on specific accents and fills throughout the riff)

Manual 6 · Width 7 · Speed 3 · Regen 6

05Boss DD-8 Digital Delay

Set to Warm/Analog mode with ~125ms slapback and 1-2 repeats to replicate the Echoplex EP-3

E.Level 4 · Feedback 2 · Time 3 · Mode 2

06Boss RV-6 Reverb

Set to Plate mode to emulate Sunset Sound's EMT 140 plate reverb panned hard right

E.Level 3 · Tone 5 · Time 3 · Mode 2

Why these settings

The MG30FX's Crunch channel provides the foundational British mid-range crunch while avoiding the harsh solid-state fizz of OD2. Setting the OS-2 as a low-gain boost and pushing the 800Hz/1.6kHz sliders on the MXR 6-band EQ recreates the pushed midrange and power-tube sag of Eddie's variac-dimed Super Lead. Keep the DD-8 on a short slapback to nail the early Sunset Sound record ambiance.

PRO TIPAnchor your palm strictly over the bridge saddles for a firm, percussive mute on the open A and low E strings, using heavy downstrokes with a stiff pick to produce the signature metallic clack.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall MG30FX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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