Albert Collins, Rod Piazza, and George Smith all got around with cords. They had people feed the cord while they were walking through the clubs playing as the people looked on. I'm sure Eddie wouldn't have too much trouble finding someone to do the same.
Tone, the tone you heard in the years you stated, could have been what Eddie was going for. Then changed his direction in sound. I know he used to use that Mighty Mite strat, or was it a Kramer (both?)? Then had the guitar that Peavey made for him, right? I'm not the expert on EVH you are! 
But that change in guitar could not have really changed his tone, but more or less the direction he wanted to go towards. An opportunity really, to get out of the same routine- no matter how good it was/is.
Wes Montgomery had a similar problem playing octaves, Hendrix burning his guitar, and the Who destroying their equipment.
When life starts imitating art, it's a scary thing. 
in the early days ed made his own guitars, in 86-88 he played a Kramer guitar and used his old marshal amp, in 91 he experimented with a saldano amp, he did a couple of appearances at NAMM with it-I just know the names, don't really know what they mean. In 91-93 ed played a music man EVH model and used a peavy 5150 amp, that sounded great...too bad ed got caught screwing the owner of music man's wife so in 95 he hooked up with peavey to design the wolfgang, basically it looked pretty much like the musicman but it had a "drop d tuner" installed in it, ed also came out with a 5150 II amp and he used the old kramer 5150 and marshal amp on a couple of tunes on balance-I know he used it for aftershock (great song). The amp was rebuitl by a guy in holland...can't remember his name....
in 04 Ed switched to charvel's which he would paint up and then they would sell them so if you look at pics he's playing a ton of different guitars during that tour, now I think he plays charvel on this tour..,.I'd have to double check that so don't quote me on it.
in the early days when ed built his own guitar I think he used charvel's and put humbuckers in them if that makes sense (I really only know this stuff from reading interviews, I don't know anything about guitars), in fact charvel wanted ed to endorse them, he didnt' even though he used the bodies and maybe the necks...there's pics of ed taken where he put tape over the charvel on the headstock cause he was pissed at them for running ads with his name....
let's see...ed's played a stienberg guitar-dont' know if that's the actual name but he used it on summer nights and get up, it's got a trans-trem on it, he's also played a ripley whcih is a stereo guitar (Top Jimmy and From Afar from vh III).
that's what i knwo about ed's gear, in 04 and on this tour he's using a 5150 II amp I think....David Cook from american idol had a EVH 5150 amp setup on monday....yes i'm that much of a geek that I noticed that.
ed used a wireless at least since 86, don't know about the previous tours, I'd have to chekc but I'd guess he was using one since at least 82.
