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

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love amp settings — Peavey ValveKing 20

The Van Halen guitar tone for “Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love”, dialed in for a Peavey ValveKing 20 with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Van Halen I (1978) — the iconic arpeggiated riff tone

Original rig

Late 1960s Marshall Super Lead 1959 100W Plexi (variac at ~89V, both channels jumpered, cranked), Frankenstrat with rewound PAF humbucker (bridge), MXR 117 Flanger, MXR Phase 90, Echoplex EP-3 for preamp coloration

Crunchy, aggressive rhythm crunch with tight low-end, biting upper-mids, and raw power-tube saturation — the signature 'brown sound'

Amp settings — Peavey ValveKing 20

CHANNELLeadBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	4

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Flanger (MXR M117R or similar)

RECOMMENDED — not owned. This is THE signature effect on the intro riff. Eddie ran regen maxed with the other three knobs around 11 o'clock. Without this pedal, you get the core crunch but lose the swooshing character.

Manual 4 · Width 4 · Speed 4 · Regen 10

Why these settings

The ValveKing's Lead channel is tighter and more modern-voiced than a Plexi — less saggy low-end, more focused mids. I dropped bass from Eddie's maxed settings to 5 to avoid mud, kept mids strong at 7 for that aggressive bark, and pulled treble to 6 (Plexi treble is darker than the VK's). Gain at 7 delivers the crunch without modern saturation. The Plexi's magic came from power tube breakup at insane volume; the VK's master volume lets you approximate this at lower SPL.

PRO TIPThe riff is all downstrokes with a slightly muted palm anchored near the bridge — not fully palm-muted, just enough to tighten the attack. Dig in hard with the pick angled slightly. The Pacifica's Alnico V humbucker is hotter than Eddie's PAF, so back off your guitar volume to 8 if the attack gets too compressed.

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