I built a few before the Internet too. None looked as cool, but some played pretty well. FWIW, EVH/Fender just released another Frankenstrat that has recently hit the street for around $1600. They're backordered now, but super accurate and a way better bang for the buck than those $25k ones they made a while back. I think they made 300 of those. They sold out pretty fast, but didn't hold their value. That may change now.

Just noticed that Baz's post #5 shows the Flying V he used on Hot For Teacher and the Ripley prototype he used on Top Jimmy.

I heard through the grapevine Ed sold his old '68 Marshall Plexi a year ago for $250k. He used it on every album.

Yes- aforementioned friend has acquired one of the MX ones. We were, coincidently, having an EVH love in just the week before this news, with that git, several of his builds and one of the early 5150 signature Peavey 120watters. I told him he was nutz to spend cash on that guitar because his own are better.

But- we reckon we pretty much nailed VH1 Brown that afternoon.

The Brown Sound has been figured out. Lots of boutique builders - Bray, Friedman, Suhr, Bogner, Metropoulos, etc - make those amps or mod Marshalls to sound like them. I still think my '69 100w clone build and an SD-1 get close enough for a fraction of the price. Still, no one else has those hands. And Ed could make a plywood Sears guitar through a Pignose amp sound great.

Absolutely.

I never understood why people bought a Pignose. If portable sounds that bad, f*** it. Im staying home.

This is the most definitive EVH interview ever.
This was in 2015, he must have gotten his cancer diagnosis, and he pulls back the curtain on everything.
Nothing left to protect.

Sit back, pour a drink, and enjoy this one.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yb26D8bBZB8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I wanted to fly back to DC for that event, but it was announced almost a year in advance and I was so sure it wasn't going to happen. I have a friend who was there and he said the meet and greet afterwards was really a free for all. No security, no handlers and everyone got to talk with Ed. Alex and Wolf were there too.

What a cool post.

Such an incredible player with a great ear and a sense for wild abandon. I remember the 1st time I saw VH at Gazzarri's I thought sheez... I need to take my playing in a whole different direction because I don't think I can get there from here. To this day I have total respect to the point that I refuse to cover his stuff. I simply cannot do it proper justice and I refuse to play it half-azzed.

David Gilmour, Clapton, Santana, Peter Green, Larry Carlton? Let's go!

I met Eddie many years ago in Studio City at a gas station. He was driving a Mini with the Dutch flag painted on the roof. A little hard to understand with 1/2 his tongue removed (cancer). Nice guy. He had ended up with a Convertible D that was raced by friends of mine, but sold to him as a Speedster.

I wasn't sure I needed 55 minutes to listen to EVH chat.

I was wrong. I had no clue.

That was great.

If you're about my age, this one will grab you.

http://www.fototime.com/9831F61C03F6F11/standard.jpg

If you've got Apple Music, pull up Van Halen Essentials. I had that cranked up last night. Great song list. A few Sammy Halen songs that I skipped but overall a good list.

I have everything they've ever released. I think the first two albums are the only ones I didn't buy the day they came out because I hadn't gotten my allowance by then in the week. I got the third album instead of using the money my mom gave me to go see Lady and the Tramp at the mall when I was nine.

Album? What's that?? :D

Was never a big EVH fan...but I appreciate his music. Just wasn't what I was into at that time.

What I don't like is...being a sirius xm subscriber, they play EVH all day, non-stop on Deep Tracks Channel for tribute. Give it a break...listeners will be tired of it within the first few hours.

Thanks much for posting. Had not seen. Interesting to see a measure of maturity and perspective. Time and life-changing medical diagnoses can have that effect but doesn't always. Glad to see and hear it.

I bought a ticket for the Nashville stop on that '79 tour mainly to see VH. Wasn't a big BS fan. Go to the show, VH plays and were everything I expected. Great show. So we wait for BS. We wait and wait and wait and finally it's announced that the BS show has been rescheduled for two days later. It seems that Ozzy had gone MIA. Came back two days later to see VH play again plus a great BS show.

Ozzy passed out for 24 hours in the wrong hotel room after snorting mountains of blow for a couple days.