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Van Halen - Runnin' With The Devil - Famous Riffs - Guitar Lesson

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Van Halen - Runnin' With The Devil - Famous Riffs - Guitar Lesson

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Van Halen - Runnin' With The Devil - Famous Riffs guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Van Halen Hard Rock E minor
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Runnin' With The Devil - Famous Riffs

"Runnin' With The Devil" is one of Van Halen's signature tracks and a foundational piece of hard rock guitar. Co-founded by Eddie Van Halen and his brother Alex in 1972, Van Halen built their sound around Eddie's inventive electric guitar work. Learning the famous riffs from this song gives players direct access to Eddie Van Halen's rhythm style, tone choices, and the driving groove that helped define arena rock guitar.

  • Eddie Van Halen co-founded the band with his brother Alex Van Halen in 1972, making this a decades-spanning rock institution.
  • The main riff is an essential study in tight, syncopated rhythm guitar, a core skill for any electric guitarist.
  • Eddie Van Halen served as guitarist, keyboardist, and primary songwriter, showing the musical depth behind the band's riffs.
Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Eddie Van Halen pulled a Gibson PAF humbucker from a ES-335 to load his original Frankenstrat, giving him a low-output pickup that maintained clarity during lightning-fast tapping and legato runs despite heavy gain.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Eddie's 1968 Marshall Plexi Super Lead, run through a variac at 90 volts, created his legendary 'brown sound' by pushing power tubes into sweet, spongy saturation at gig volumes, defining his harmonic sustain and responsiveness.

Soldano SLO-100
Amp

Soldano SLO-100

Eddie adopted the Soldano SLO-100 as a tonal alternative to Marshalls, delivering the high-headroom, articulate gain he needed for his finger-tapping technique while maintaining clarity in complex legato passages.

Peavey 5150
Amp

Peavey 5150

Eddie co-designed the Peavey 5150 to capture his signature tone in a modern platform, offering three channels from clean sparkle to crushing high-gain with EL34 power tubes for dynamic responsiveness across his entire playing vocabulary.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Eddie employed the Dunlop Cry Baby wah strategically on select solos, using it to add vocal-like expression and sweep to his lead lines without relying heavily on effect-driven tones.

MXR Phase 90
Pedal

MXR Phase 90

Eddie's MXR Phase 90 script-logo version created his signature swirling, vocal sweep on 'Eruption' and 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love,' becoming one of rock's most identifiable effect tones through minimal, tasteful use.

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