: what is the best pickup to use to get the van halen sound? : Jon O’Neill Hello Jon, I actually work with Seymour here in Santa Barbara,CA. For the VH sound [early], EVH played lighter bodied Kramers with one humbucker in the bridge only. He needed a pickup that would give him a warm, smooth, fat tone without sacrificing clarity. Essentially a mid range push without the "mud". Seymour’s answer was what became the SH-11 Custom Custom humbucker from the current product line. It is also available in a Trembucker version, which is spaced wider to accomdate the sting flare created [at the bridge] with a locking Floyd Rose type tremolo, the TB-11. This is all assuming that you’re using a lighter body type guitar [alder, ash, etc.]. Everything changes if you are using a heavier guitar body. See ya.