“Fingers are crossed that once I start playing Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love, it’ll be like, ‘I’m here, I’m in the zone’”: Joe Satriani is working with 3rd Power on the ultimate ’86 era Van Halen amp

As Satriani prepares for this summer’s Best of All Worlds tour with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, the guitarist has opened up on his preparation, which includes the building of a brand new amp and a deep dive into the technicalities of EVH’s playing

Joe Satriani and Eddie Van Halen

(Image credit: Getty Images / Daniel Knighton / Ebet Roberts)

Joe Satriani has revealed that he’s working on a new guitar amp designed specifically to capture Eddie Van Halen’s 1986 guitar tone.

The guitarist, fresh from releasing his first original song with Steve Vai, is preparing to perform hits from across Van Halen’s back catalog with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham this summer.

When pressed as to whether the amp will be tube-powered or solid-state, Satriani admitted that he doesn’t know yet, but did shed some light on the thoughts behind the amp’s creation.