“He was across the hall and I mentioned my tone troubles to him…” How Steve Stevens saved Steve Vai on his David Lee Roth debut

Steve Vai has looked back on the time Steve Stevens came to his rescue while he was in the studio tracking his first album with David Lee Roth.

Sometimes, songs demand specific gear to let them truly shine. Fortunately for Vai, whose own gear at the time left much to be desired, he had a bona fide rock guitar great right next door to call upon.

In 1985, David Lee Roth left Van Halen – apparently, Van Halen's secret recording of Michael Jackson’s Beat It solo was the last straw for him. So, he set out on a solo career and recruited a new guitar foil who he thought could outgun Eddie’s alien talents.

Vai, coming off the back of grueling work as Frank Zappa’s transcribist and then his guitar player proper, was the man handpicked by Diamond Dave for the job.

Their debut album, Eat ‘Em and Smile, thanks to the MTV-championed single, Yankee Rose, would go on to be certified platinum. But behind the scenes, getting the right sounds for an album that was meant to see DLR stick it to his former bandmates wasn’t easy.

“When I joined Dave, I was embarrassingly inexperienced with what people would call ‘big rock guitar tone,’” Vai confesses in the new print issue of Guitar World.

He arrived at New York's Power Station studios – where Chic, David Bowie, and Dire Straits had recorded before them – armed with his Carvin X-100B amplifier. He quickly realized it wasn’t up to the task.

David Lee Roth - Yankee Rose (Official Video) [HD] - YouTube

Watch On

“The Carvins weren't cutting through for the more aggressive tracks,” he explains. “Luckily, Steve Stevens was recording across the hall. I mentioned my tone troubles, and he lent me one of his favorite Marshall heads and cabs. Boom! Instant magic. I ended up using his rig for most of the album.”

Judging by the timeline, with Eat ‘Em and Smile released in 1986, Stevens could have been recording his parts for Billy Idol's Whiplash Smile at the time. However, recording for Ric Ocasek's This Side of Paradise and the Top Gun soundtrack also took place around then, so we can't be definitively sure. Either way, Vai was thankful for his aid.

“He saved my bacon,” Vai laughs.

Vai is among the Ibanez artists to get a new signature model for 2026, and his Gold Flame PIA is a work of art. Vai will also feature on Matteo Mancuso's forthcoming second album, having once called the young shredder “the evolution of the guitar.”

The guitarist’s full interview can be found in the new issue of Guitar World, which also features conversations with Ola Englund, Andy Powers and more. Head to Magazines Direct to grab a copy.