Eruption amp settings — Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb
The Van Halen guitar tone for “Eruption”, dialed in for a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb with a Gibson Les Paul Modern. Studio version, Van Halen (1978)
1968 Marshall 1959 Super Lead (Variac to ~90V, all knobs cranked) + Frankenstrat (Gibson PAF humbucker) + MXR Phase 90 + Maestro Echoplex EP-3 + Sunset Sound plate reverb
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 4 |
| Master | 10 |
01MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive / High-Gain Marshall-in-a-Box
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Required to achieve true Brown Sound saturation into a clean Fender platform.
02MXR Phase 90 (Script)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the slow, sweeping vocal chew heard throughout the track.
The Tone Master Deluxe Reverb has a scooped-mid, pristine clean analog Fender circuit with no physical midrange control or high-gain preamp. Diming the amp's Volume (gain) and utilizing the rear-panel attenuator will give power-tube style breakup, but it cannot reach Eddie's cranked Marshall Plexi saturation alone. Adding a dedicated Brown Sound overdrive pedal running into the clean Vibrato channel (Volume dropped to 2-3) along with a slow Phase 90 completes the tone.
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These settings are for a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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