Andy Dear | Monday, 25 July 2022
Recently I have been listening to a podcast called Tone Talk. Hosted by Marc Huzansky and David Friedman of Friedman Amplification, Tone Talk is dedicated to the discussion of all things related to guitar amplification. Whether it's vintage Fenders or Marshalls or modern day digital amp modelers Tone Talk features interviews with all of the amplifier design gurus both old and new. For an a former 1980's heavy metal guitar picker like me, it's a very deep, very interesting dive into an old passion of mine, that still holds my attention today.
A few years back Dave and Mark had the former amplifier designer from Peavey Electronics, James Brown on for an interview. James, among other things, had the unique privilege of being the lead designer for the Peavey Eddie Van Halen 5150 signature series amplifier that changed the landscape of high gain amplification back in the early 1990s. Aside from being a great amp designer, James gave a fantastic interview, filled with nostalgic stories and good humor....well worth a listen if you are a guitar nut or a Van Halen fan.
Speaking of nostalgic stories, James detailed an interesting event during the design of the 5150-II amplifier that I could certainly relate to from an angling perspective. As the story goes, James took several prototypes of the new amp out to California for Eddie to test in his studio. According to James, there was one of the prototypes that Eddie seemed to like much better, and could hear a significant difference from the others. As it turned out, the lady who built the main circuit boards back at the factory had accidentally installed an "incorrect" capacitor with a different value in a critical part of the circuit that had a profound effect on the tone. Upon figuring this out, James explained to Eddie what had happened, and according to the story, Eddie Liked the amp even more after that, because in his view, that accident was no accident at all...it meant something. In James words, he considered this coincidental accident "a gift from heaven."
I can't tell you how many times this phenomenon has crossed my mind during fishing trips where an unexpected or forced change is required due to weather, broken tackle, non-working boat motor, or whatever, and it ends up being a banner day in terms of fish caught and memories made. When something like this happens, one can't help but think that there must be some omniscient force in the universe that decided to unveil itself momentarily by re-directing your plans for the day with inclement weather, forcing you to fish a spot you hadn't planned. Or, maybe you are forced to fish for Redfish with a Crazy Charlie or a Keys style Tarpon fly from the Bonefish or Tarpon box you "accidentally" packed by mistake. Many times I have been in similar situations, and more often than not, something "special" ends up happening due to what was originally perceived as a "mistake".
I have been a Van Halen fan for a long long time...more than 40 years as a matter of fact. And, there's not a day that goes by when I can't believe that Eddie isn't with us on planet earth anymore. However, when I hear stories like this, that detail his superstitiousness about happy accidents...it makes me love him and his music even more.
Hope you all are having a great week,
Andy