Eddie Van Halen

• Bridge humbucker only — single coils or neck pickups won't give the right saturation
• Pick with the edge of the plectrum at a slight angle for articulated, aggressive attack
• Tone knob on guitar stays fully open — brightness and harmonics are essential
• Two-handed tapping: right-hand index finger hammers on at higher frets while left hand frets normally
• Whammy bar for vibrato throughout, not just dramatic dive bombs
• Phase 90 runs in front of the amp — adds movement without changing pitch
• EVH's amp was surprisingly clean on the dial; the saturation came from volume and pickup output
• MXR Flanger in its "through-zero" setting for the iconic flanged intro of Unchained
• Harmonics are everywhere — practise artificial harmonics and pick-harmonics at various positions

Eddie Van Halen's "brown sound" reset the entire guitar world's expectations — a humbucker-loaded Frankenstrat through a modified Marshall Plexi, delivering warm, full saturation rather than harsh gain. His two-handed tapping, explosive picking attack and whammy bar technique defined an era.