Song Rig
For the Love of God
Steve Vai · Passion and Warfare · 1990
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
Vai's most emotionally transcendent tone — Carvin Legacy into high gain, with the Ibanez JEM's tremolo arm used for sustained, crying vibrato passages. Every note is saturated and singing, held with a vibrato that mimics the human voice at its most expressive. The song opens with the sound of Vai playing for 10 hours in a fasted state, which he claimed produced a more raw, emotionally unguarded performance.
Signal Chain
- 1Ibanez JEM 777 (neck pickup)
- 2Carvin Legacy amp (high gain)
- 3DigiTech Whammy (used sparingly)
- 4Boss DD-2 Digital Delay (long, 3 repeats)
Amp Settings
High gain with a balanced, full-range EQ — no scooped mids despite the high gain level. The Carvin Legacy amp provides a more refined, less compressed character than a Mesa Boogie at similar gain levels, allowing individual notes to speak clearly within sustained passages.
Technique
How to Play It
Extreme left-hand vibrato combined with tremolo arm micro-bends — Vai simultaneously uses fret-hand vibrato and arm tremolo on sustained notes, creating a beating, wavering quality impossible to produce with either technique alone. The emotional effect is primarily delivered through the vibrato quality, not the note choices.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
Any guitar with a Floyd Rose or similar trem + high-gain amp (Mesa Dual Rectifier, EVH 5150) + Boss DD-8 on long delay (400ms, 2–3 repeats). The combined arm+hand vibrato technique is the essential element.
Your Gear
Adapt to My Amp
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