Eddie Van Halen

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by URY914

Did Eddie design the red/black/white graphics on his guitars?

Yep, with masking tape. He said that he didnt have a conscious design, just didnt want a boring black guitar. So he taped it up and painted it white. Later on, he taped it up again and painted it red.

BTW, the LP shown above is a goldtop deluxe. His dad got it for him on financing.

[GG Allin]

If that Frankenstrat went to auction, I wonder what it'd fetch.

[Pedro '84 Coupe]

Am listening to Diver Down for the first time in decades. What a great album. His rhythm playing really shines on this one. So smooth.

Originally Posted by GG Allin

If that Frankenstrat went to auction, I wonder what it'd fetch.

There is a story that after one of Van Halen's concert's Eddie jammed at a local bar after hours. Valerie Bertinelli lived here as a child and still had ties here when they were married. EVH apparently gave away one of his guitars to a very lucky guy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vanhalen/comments/b7l656/concert_played_signed_guitar_that_my_uncle_owns/

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Pedro '84 Coupe

Am listening to Diver Down for the first time in decades. What a great album. His rhythm playing really shines on this one. So smooth.

Secrets and Little Guitars are great tracks.

There's chord changes and transitions in both that still give me goosebumps.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

For the songs on the first album with no whammy bar, he used the Ibanez Destroyer, which he had just made into the Shark guitar, later seen on the cover of the third album. It's in the video for You Really Got Me. The Frankenstrat was used mostly on the second album, was painted red before the tour, and had a Floyd Rose on it by the third album. And there are some outtake photos of him with a tobacco burst Les Paul Junior for the photo shoot for the first album. I guess they decided the Frankenstrat looked cooler for the final cut.

BTW, of all his great feats, the one I find most amazing is Hot For Teacher. He used a '59 Korina wood Flying V, the whole song is done in one take with no overdubs and that solo and tone are just to die for. Those guitars are north of $400k now.

For those who want to render their own opinion on Eddie's work on "hot For Teacher", listen to this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwWpPY6x-cY&feature=emb_logo

This is an isolated guitar track of Eddie's playing from the song. I can't really weigh-in, mostly because I suck at guitar. I just know I loved the video and my then girlfriend (now wife) pretty much hated it. She still gave me "the look" just now when she heard his guitar as she thought I was watching the original video!

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by tdw28210

This is an isolated guitar track of Eddie's playing from the song. I can't really weigh-in, mostly because I suck at guitar. I just know I loved the video and my then girlfriend (now wife) pretty much hated it. She still gave me "the look" just now when she heard his guitar as she thought I was watching the original video!

I would have killed for those isolated tracks as a kid. I wore out tapes trying to learn all that stuff on guitar. It really shows you how amazing his playing was. Panama or Unchained just as isolated tracks are up there with the best classical composers..

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

If that Frankenstrat went to auction, I wonder what it'd fetch.

Wouldnt be surprised if it ends up in the Smithsonian. They already have a replica of it.

[javadog]

Didn’t he have a whole bunch of FrankenStrats?

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

I would have killed for those isolated tracks as a kid. I wore out tapes trying to learn all that stuff on guitar. It really shows you how amazing his playing was. Panama or Unchained just as isolated tracks are up there with the best classical composers..

I have a buddy who's brother, back in the early 80's, traded some mind altering substances to a girl for a cassette tape she swiped from EVH's home studio. Here it is in his words....

"In the early 80s (prior to their "1984" release), my brother acquired a cassette tape of Eddie jamming at home by himself, practicing licks and what not. This tape was literally swiped from Ed's home by some disreputable girl that my brother knew. Ultimately, she ended up trading the cassette tape to my brother for some mind-altering substances.
Brother: 1
Druggie Chick: 0
I always wanted to get my hands on that tape, and after months of begging, I finally compelled my brother to dupe me a copy—which I've lovingly kept inside my desk drawer for nearly 40 years. It's fascinating to hear a master guitar virtuoso at work. Although he's essentially noodling without any real discipline, Eddie is so good that every note he plays sounds thoughtful and deliberate. At one point in the recording, you can actually hear him working out the seeds of their hit song, "Panama". Ask any guitar player and they'll tell you the same thing—EVH was a total game changer."

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by javadog

Didn’t he have a whole bunch of FrankenStrats?

There was one original he built, with many different necks.

He then had an endorsement deal with Kramer. A bunch of guitars painted like the original.

Much later on, Fender custom shop made a very limited series of ultra detailed copies of the original guitar. Down to the worn paint and cigarette burns.

[Eric 951]

crappy pic of a great band I snapped in 2012

[Brown747]

My first concert. 1980 Invasion Tour for the newly released Van Halen II album. Seattle Center Coliseum. My bud Larry was in the row in front of us... he had big afro hair.. someone went to hold up a lighter and brushed by the fro. Went up like the towering inferno 🔥. Good times. RIP EVH
🎸🤘

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

There was one original he built, with many different necks.

He then had an endorsement deal with Kramer. A bunch of guitars painted like the original.

Much later on, Fender custom shop made a very limited series of ultra detailed copies of the original guitar. Down to the worn paint and cigarette burns.

Here's mine. I like the US Festival-era version. This is a no name eBay neck I got for $100 and it's one of the best I've ever played,

[Rick Lee]

Found a guy on Etsy to make me a period-correct Charvel water decal for my Bumblebee headstock.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Found a guy on Etsy to make me a period-correct Charvel water decal for my Bumblebee headstock.

I'm thinking of painting the headstock on my Striped Series Bumblebee. Looks great..

For non guitar dorks....

You couldnt really buy an guitar with Eddies colors up until about ten years ago. You had to make one.

Then Eddie comes out with a new line of amps and guitars through Fender. You could finally get a quality Frankenstein for a decent price. Hence the Striped Series.

Rick and I are referring to the Bumblebee, the guitar he used on Van Halen 2 and also buried with Dimebag from Pantera.

I always thought it was the coolest looking guitar he had. The original was made by Charvel and had a black headstock like Rick's.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Here's mine. I like the US Festival-era version. This is a no name eBay neck I got for $100 and it's one of the best I've ever played,

Sometimes you get lucky like that. My main guitar has a Fender Mexico strat neck I found for $50. Just totally perfect. Could use a re-fret by this point.

[Seahawk]

I simply had no idea. Like I said, I was very late to the party.

Some of the embedded videos have told a story I just didn’t know.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I simply had no idea. Like I said, I was very late to the party.

Some of the embedded videos have told a story I just didn’t know.

King Edward....

[Rick Lee]

This is my favorite of his guitars, though this is just a photo shoot and he never used this live or on an album. The one he used on Top Jimmy was totally different, but the same concept with the stereo pan pots. Love this finish.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

I'm thinking of painting the headstock on my Striped Series Bumblebee. Looks great..

For non guitar dorks....

You couldnt really buy an guitar with Eddies colors up until about ten years ago. You had to make one.

Then Eddie comes out with a new line of amps and guitars through Fender. You could finally get a quality Frankenstein for a decent price. Hence the Striped Series.

Rick and I are referring to the Bumblebee, the guitar he used on Van Halen 2 and also buried with Dimebag from Pantera.

I always thought it was the coolest looking guitar he had. The original was made by Charvel and had a black headstock like Rick's.

Ive a friend- a former Pelican actually- who is a Frankenstrat expert. He has built and sold (each for several $'000s) a couple of dozen Frankies and a few Bumblebees. There is ton of work and skill in recreating what EVH did with a spray can, a chisel and a bottle of Jack.

Its funny that Fender Custom Shop released that Frankie at US$24000 - recreating something EVH made at home out of scavenged second parts.

For me, it wasnt long after that 1978 Guitar Player piece that Id acquired a cheap strat, a chisel and managed to stick (literaly with gaffer tape) a pair of DiMarzio buckers in there and rip out everything else. There was no internet then....

It got a bit more refined in later years.