The Guitars of Van Halen: A Short History

[@tato4612]

Keith, why not a "Basses of......." series? You could do Geddy Lee, Phil Lesh, Bill Wyman, John Entwistle, even Michael Anthony........ Just a suggestion. AWESOME channel, please keep up the great work, it's much appreciated!

[@banditbiker5190]

Show us bass players some love

[@justinespinosa7878]

Bass stuff just doesn’t get the views unfortunately.

[@brianpoague]

Even Jaco, that'd be really sweet

[@malcolmadams2105]

On that note.. Geddy Lee has a new show Streaming. It’s called (“Are Bass Players Human Too?!””) or something like that.. 🎉🎉He hangs out with other Bass players.

[@realadamnixon]

I'd be a fan of that idea. Also, a Guitars of Frank Zappa would be cool, though it might be too much work for the amount of views it may garner.

[@mariodriessen9740]

I said it before and I’ll say it again. Eddie deserves a statue. In my hometown Nijmegen, where Alex and Eddie lived until they moved to the US, we have street names named after the greatest rock bands and important artists. Surely there must be a nice place for a statue somewhere! Around the corner of the house where the Van Halen family lived there’s a square with an ugly statue of two bull horns. Surely nobody will have a problem to replace that thing for a beautiful real life statue of my guitar hero. If anyone deserves it it’s Eddie! ❤

[@kerzytibok3211]

I think it's criminal that Nijmegen doesn't have a statue of Eddie in the town square --- that is insulting to their greatest hometown hero!

[@mariodriessen9740]

@@kerzytibok3211 : EXACTLY!!! Half of Nijmegen is named after Nina Simone. She’s great, but she only just lived here for a year. In a hotel room. And for the greatest part of that year she wasn’t even there. I’m perfectly fine with that. But if that’s how you treat someone like Nina Simone, then surely our Eddie deserves more than what he has now: absolutely nothing! It’s a shame!

[@SaintKines]

I agree... And don't call me Shirley.

[@mariodriessen9740]

@@SaintKines : 😂 “Joey, do you like movies with gladiators?”

[@ChantzMeadows]

I think there should be a statue of EVH anywhere that he has stepped foot! We all have our opinions of who is the greatest guitarist ever. Not sure why we have to label who’s #1,#2..and so on but maybe it helps people rest better at night I guess. I’ll just say EVH is very high up on my top 5. I sleep very well

[@Mike-to8hb]

I bought the first VH album while I was stationed in Korea in the US Army way back in the day. I'm 68 now. It was a bootleg copy the Koreans had made. I took it back to the barracks not knowing what I had since I had never heard of the band. We cracked open some beers and started to listen and were blown away. Music was never the same after that.

[@LAramdog]

Thank you for your service Sir!

[@VideosVarious2]

I totally agree, my Fellow Veteran Brother! Music was NEVER the same!

[@brentmaynes8934]

Never!

[@commentfreely5443]

VH great. this side of paradise guitars steve stevens ric ocasek changed guitar for me

[@Em_Dee_Aitch]

God bless Eddie. And God bless you for doing this. I’m in tears. I miss him SO terribly.

[@JJ-JOHNSON]

Eddie always had that smile, I saw VH on the 1983 tour, and Eddie smiled through that whole concert, I never meet him, but I bet he was a blast to be around.

[@tonydeaton1967]

To my mind, Edward Van Halen was the single most influential guitar player of all time. He represents a complete paradigm shift in how the instrument was played. Outclassing everything before or since in the world of guitar. Gone way too soon, we aren't likely to ever see another like him. Rest in Peace, Edward Van Halen for you, surely, have earned it. Thank you for the inspiration and thank you Keith for the video.

[@victorb656]

First saw VH at the Golden West Ballroon in Downey, CA. My bass player at the time just kept saying, “you gotta see this guy,” so we went and whoa. Eddie appeared with platform tennis shoes and a beat up 335 that was painted beige…like, painted with a roller. Looked like shite but sounded amazing…so good, so precise, SO much personality, no whammy stuff (yet). Amazing.

[@davidcraft4919]

Thank you, Keith, for this. I was in 8th grade, I had rode my bike to school, and I had a little money in my pocket. I had been playing about 2 years at that point, and I wanted to buy an album that ROCKED. My buddy had a brother that was a senior in high school, and my buddy described this new album... I pedaled over to the dime store, found the album, brought it home, put it on the turntable in my room, and my guitar trajectory changed forever. RIP, King Edward. Again, thanks for all you do Keith.

[@MarkCrosson-qz7ck]

Exactly what happened to me with the album Jimi Hendrix Smash Hits! I played it over and over and couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

[@_Fair_Warning]

@five watt world, as others have pointed out the Kramer in the photo was not the 5150, it was the “Hot For Teacher” guitar built by Paul Unkert in 1982. The 5150 came after and there was much speculation as to who built it. Recently Paul Reed Smith claimed he finished it while he was an intern @ Kramer. This period of the 80’s @ Kramer changed guitars forever

[@stevee231]

Can you imagine someone today tinkering with a '68 LP, parting out a '58 strat, taking a saw and paint to an original 70's Ibanez copy or ripping the neck humbucker out of a '59 burst?!?!?!? 😂🤣😆

[@rdmkeytohwy]

Anyone who grew up in the ‘70’s knew who Eddie Van Halen was. He was a true innovator like Les Paul and others before him. He built guitars out of necessity because his family was poor and he wanted certain features that builders were not doing at the time. He, like Hendrix before him, changed everything. And he did it all with a smile on his face and took us all along with him. The first time I heard “Eruption” I thought, “What the hell was that?” One thing that I think is overlooked a lot is Eddie’s rhythm playing. You hear people imitating him and you can hear that they don’t quite have it. Anybody can shred if you practice enough and just work on speed but not everybody can play with the swing and groove he did. Listen to “Drop Dead Legs” on the 1984 album and tell me that doesn’t get the hairs on your arm to stand up. I literally did cry the day he died. I listened to Van Halen so much in high school and college and knew the words to every song and knew the guitar parts on all of the albums. He is so missed. He was the G.O.A.T. for me.

[@MainPrism]

He's the King for a reason!!! Rest easy Eddie, you're definetly missed but not forgotten. 🤴🎸🤘🔥

[@jimjohnson-p6b]

couldn't agree more !!!

[@kurtbader9711]

Top Jimmy too.

[@rdmkeytohwy]

@@kurtbader9711 absolutely! Top Jimmy was another favorite. I listened to the album 1984 about a gazillion times in high school. Eddie was so great…….now that I think of it 1984 took a lot of heat from some hardcore fans but I think it is one of their best. After I heard Panama for the first time it was game over for me in the guitar hero category. Ed was his own category.

[@VideosVarious2]

You said it! It's called 'Riffage', and Steve Clark,, Malcolm Young, Joe Walsh, Jimmy Page, they all had it. But Eddie put 'swing' into it. And that's no surprise, since his dad, Jan, played that clarinet in, you guessed it, 'Swing Bands'. And Eddie & Alex grew up hearing 'Swing' all the time. The 'seeds' were planted at a very young age! Copping Eddies 'Swing Riffs' came pretty easy to me, very naturally, because, just like the VH brothers, my younger brother & I grew up hearing our dad play 'Texas SWING' C&W music, professionally, on 10-string Pedal Steel through the 1970s and 1980s. So, that 'swing'-element was 'engrained' in my heart and soul forever. And when I first heard "I'm The One" off VH1, I related to it immediately and after I got my first real guitar, a 1986 Peavey Impact 1 guitar for Christmas 1986, it was NO TIME before I too, was playing Eddie's 'Swing Riff' that runs throughout that song. I took to it quickly. But the more 'complicated' soloing techniques, like the 2nd solo break Ed starts off with in that song, I didn't take to it so easily, but the fast picking I 'did' take to somewhat easily, was a bit 'rough' at first, then built strength in my arm and began 'staccato-picking' like Ed recorded on the records.

[@alexcorona]

I remember being 12 years old and just getting my birthday money. I went down to the local record shop and bought 4 albums. 1984 was one of them, nothing was ever the same after that.

[@hunterkarr5618]

You must be around my age. 1984 was the first album I ever bought. I was born in 1972

[@drewhbend]

I had the pleasure of seeing EVH play three times in my life. I recall seeing the 1984 album cover at school that for some reason a kid brought to school. ( I guess I would have as well if I had one then) My first concert I ever went to was 5150 in Omaha Nebraska and back then was open admission so was able to get right up front. WOW as a teenager was blown away. Later in life got the chance to see him two more times and really could appreciate what I was seeing. in person it is amazing to watch him play so effortlessly. The smile he had on his face playing with his son on Bass on the last concert I saw was amazing. He wil be missed. Thanks for the great video.

[@norseman61]

Whenever I listen or read about the biographies of these guitar legends, I’m always curious about the formative stages of their guitar journeys. The stories are always something like “He got his first guitar for his 14th birthday, formed a band with his school buddies, and started playing gigs in town….” You NEVER hear about them learning and struggling with the instrument. It probably doesn’t exist anywhere, but wouldn’t it be cool… just once… to see a legend learning their first chords and their first songs? I just can’t picture a young Eddy fumbling through a barre chord, but I’d love to see a home movie of it!

[@TheWackyWorkbench]

I mean, with the internet, for all we know the next Elvis could be doing bedroom guitar stuff right bow

[@norseman61]

@@TheWackyWorkbench Exactly. There are SO many talented people out there. But are there really more than there used to be, or has the creation of social media just made us AWARE that they’re out there? Both, I think.

[@michaelpeterson4406]

Thanks Keith! It brings back a lot of memories. I was living in L.A. at the time Van Halen exploded on the scene. I was sitting in the back of a Camaro with brand new "Mindblower" speakers when I listened to VH1 for the first time. It was February 1978 and it turned out to be a very cloudy day.

[@karmadave]

I remember where I was when I heard Van Halen. It was blaring from a car stereo. Definitely a mind-blowing experience. I was 14 years old 🤪

[@eddiejr540]

King Edward…thank you for all you’ve given us…rest in peace Sir…

[@walterevans2118]

At 15:26 are you SURE that photo is the Kramer with which Ed put the original Frankenstrat out to pasture ? It looks more like the spare one to me (which he donated to the Hard Rock Cafe) NOT the actual one which had the numbers 5150 on it. You can tell these photos are not of that guitar because of a close look at the details of the STRIPE configurations...

[@fasteddievh2072]

You 💯🎯 correct. Thats is a pic of the Hot For Teacher guitar and not the 5150.

[@mikewithers299]

Keith i remember EVH's 1st album like it was yesterday. My best friend from middle school had just bought the VH1 tape. 8 track tapes were a thing in '78. "He said you gotta hear this". Eruption comes on. My jaw hit the floor. And we listened to the entire album on tape. This was our first year of high school. I will never forget this because he loaned me the portable tape player and it ate the brand new tape at my house. Frantically i opened it up and put everything back right. Never worked on those things before. Sweating bullets the whole time hoping it would work and sound right. I did tell my best friend what happened, but he was cool with it. This was our favorite group for ever. Thanks for the memories Keith.

[@KinkellaTeachesArchaeology]

The Rude guitar is one of my favorites because it’s so funky - extra thick body, modified Danelectro neck. Great paint job too as it does an homage to the original black and white.

[@curmudgeon154]

I totally remember the first time I herd Van Halen it was 1978, I was a freshman in High school in San Diego going to the local JC Friday night football game and my buddy was playing Runnin With The Devil at the tailgate party in the parking lot…Mind Blown🙀

[@ampman5863]

Longtime watcher, new subscriber here. I love the way you do your story lead-ins, like you looking at brother Brian after those first few chords on 'Runnin With the Devil" and him saying, "I told you so." Some things you just need to hear, no explanation will do. My experience was the same; "never heard THIS before." Thank you for your contribution to the music world. Your storytelling talent has grown over the years.

[@fivewattworld]

Thanks man!

[@matthewmcswegan7403]

your intro monologue mirrored my first experience with that first album and made me smile and very reflective about MY guitar journey …. thank you Kieth. … Thank you Eddie

[@robertdiehl1281]

Very nice video. When Van Halen came out nobody could figure out what the hell he was doing on his guitar. Some people said it wasn’t a guitar lol. His guitar sound his style of playing changed history. Much like Hendrix.

[@Pete.Franco]

Oh yes!! Fantastic video (as always...) your attention to detail is what makes your videos so good.

[@edwardskol1812]

When you discuss the Kramer 5150 guitar you showed photos of the Hot For Teacher guitar (named because it’s used in the video for that song) which was recently sold at auction and was not one of his main guitars. His main 5150 guitar from 1984-1991 is a different guitar that was never sold at auction and now belongs to his son Wolfgang since EVH passed away.

[@DirtyBlues8]

Thanks for pointing that out. I was going to comment about this as well. Beat me to it : )

[@toddprater14]

Ed had tons of them 5150’s from Kramer , research vids of 5150from back in that timeframe and you can see a shitload of prepainted bodies on the floor..

[@_Fair_Warning]

@@toddprater14That’s not correct. There was only the 5150 and the 1984. When Kramer ceased production all those bodies that were painted (likely by George Felise) were shipped to 5150 and are likely still there

[@toddprater14]

@@_Fair_Warning thats what I said … I seen a video of 5150 studio awhile ago… there were a bunch of 5150 guitar bodies on floor..Ed had to have at least more than one while touring from 84-91… most guitarists have backups… Ed definitely only had one Frankie though from 77-79, then bumblebee and a circle guitar and the Rasta one in the early 80’s. The shark.. also and some weird shaped ones

[@gameroftheyear1000]

@@toddprater14 from the 1984 to F.U.C.K., he used the 5150 pacer prototype and the 1984 Baretta was a backup to the 5150. He had the “Neptune”, “Hot for teacher”, Kramer Ad guitar, “Ripley”(a 5150 with a rosewood board) and a shit ton of other 5150 look a likes he had when he was endorsed by Kramer. There’s literally hundreds of painted bodies he probably had in his 8 years with Kramer.

[@paulterl4563]

The mini Les Paul he played live for the song "Little guitars" :)

[@john.galbraith]

Thank you Keith. That was great. I love this series. Another great job!

[@zacharysmithingell5460]

Knew I was gonna dig this video, but slapped a like as soon as I saw Pete wailing away. Great video!

[@kenthensley9974]

One guitar Eddie had was a custom made Ripley stereo guitar (he might have used it on a song called "Top Jimmy ") anyway, thanks for the video, all his guitars were great but only because he made them that way; he was the best and truly missed by all us die-hard Van Halen fans.

[@SombraPiloto]

Good call. I still have a copy of Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine from 1985 with Eddie and the Ripley on the cover.

[@ericwarrington6650]

Hey Keith!! I got pulled away from things for a bit so finally getting to this! I'm so excited..thanks bro 🤘so happy to see Pete Thorn on the intro..there's nobody better imo at Eddie's playing than Pete

[@joshramsey6893]

He set the fretboard on fire…that made my eyes well up. Great work as usual.

[@timjackson4649]

I’ve helped sell several guitars for my local guitar shop thanks to your channel. They’ve returned the love. Thank you. Keep ‘em coming

[@davidmacleod9313]

18:53 We got their album and first played it thru our 1200w PA. Epic!!!

[@chrisandries3216]

my favorite is the yellow kramer double neck. he used it for the guitar solo on his birthday night in jackson, ms in 1984. he did cathedral and everything on it. having said that, you can't beat the original frankie. another cool one, the white "circles" guitar was used a lot on the fair warning tour. it later became the rasta. and the "little guitar" deserves a mention as well. good job Keith

[@GoldAmple]

So glad this video is finally back

[@fivewattworld]

Actually i had to build it over.

[@GoldAmple]

@@fivewattworld oh wow, I commend your ability to that

[@bobbyfonts3486]

I remember hearing Eruption for the first time. I was about 14. A couple of us kids were at the playground right next to my house one afternoon and I remember another older kid from high school pulled up in a pick up and said you have got to hear this guy on guitar. It had to be early summer of 78. I was a huge KISS fan but like Yngwie said, hearing Eruption was like a nuclear bomb going off!! To this day, I'm still totally captivated by Eddie's mastery and equipment. I think every one of us can now look back and see what a special guitarist he was.

[@DreidMusicalX]

Thanks for bringing back great memories of the best time to have been alive. Like it or not Van Halen changed life for many and created an entire new era of music. For many of us to this day, it is a lifestyle.

[@dragonballz2560]

Your introduction to the content is my absolute favorite. I am amazed at your storytelling about your discovery. Very real.

[@fivewattworld]

Thanks

[@Craig_Fussell]

Great video man! Love how EVH was such a tinkerer!Would have loved to seen the story behind the black and white “circles” guitar too from around the Fair Warning days.

[@blockingthesunmusic]

Made my day, Keith, you’re the man!

[@joeriffanucci]

❤That was great Keith. Awesome having Pete on here for intro and outro too.

[@MarbsMusic]

Great video! I played Kramers and Jacksons in the 80s... while I never played exactly like Eddie they just fit. Oddly enough after ignoring them for years I picked up a Wolfgang and it just fits, super easy to play and I just feel at home with it. Now I have multiple ones from different ears, still need an EBMM, and play them most of the time. Ed truly changed everything for many of us, not just how we play but what we try at times and in many ways what we play as well. To me the Wolfgang is the perfect blend of a my LPs and my Strats, much more so than my C24.

[@thewhiskyscout1238]

I was at my friends house it was after school when his older cousin came over with his guitar, peavey amp (which only had the faceplate with the speaker and the seperate head with the controls, he leaned the speaker against the wall and spanned the head between 2 kitchen chairs) and an album. He said you guys have to hear this. He fired up the record player and you didn’t hear a sound from anyone for at least 10 min. This was August 78’ I had just turned 12 the first time I heard the VH1 album. Fast forward October 27, 2020 I was at work in NW Kansas, I had been on for 28 hours straight, got a nap drove into town for a shower. I turned the radio on and that was when I learned of his death. I am not ashamed to say I shed a tear on that long dusty drive. It was as if a book had been closed on a part of my life. Ahh, I go on too long, thanks for the review of his guitars and their sequence. It was great!

[@sharkman4928]

You forgot his custon "snake" guitar he was playing back in the garage days, the white Les Paul, the yellow Kramer double neck from 1983, and the vintage Korina Gibson Flying V. Eddie had so many awesome guitars!!!!

[@tanneryordan]

the snake guitar was made 2-3 years into their popular career… not “garage days”

[@Wargasm54]

Oh shit, the nerds are coming out of the woodwork 😂

[@MarioHernandez-zc7dv]

Oh man I missed this video, thank you Keith for bringing back the video of my top 3 favorite guitarists

[@lyonsson6480]

I’m a local country picker in El Dorado County CA, but Eddie Van Halen was one of my biggest early inspirations! Him, Kurt Cobain and Slash were the three people that made me pick up a guitar when I was in Jr High!

[@bretsager7651]

Yes, he changed every guitar players life. Mine included. He was only 2 years older than me. I’ve built my own Frankie and Bumblebee (my favorite). It doesn’t look like I can send pictures, so for now, keep up the great work.

[@MichaelDouglasSkewes]

My absolute favorite guitar is the black and yellow stripped guitar,my friend and I, my friend Brent Woods, who has played w ith numerous musicians, we just daydreamed of having that guitar,it just looked so cool! After trying to build a few ,I finally could afford to buy an Artist series EVH mod e l,and I have every other DLR era guitar ,and a black Wolfgang. I had a custom Shark guitar made that is probably the best sounding guitar that I have ever heard! My friend Brent and I were both students of Randy Rhoads, so we were both very lucky! I have a large collection of guitars, all the EVH and RR guitars,plus KISS, and just about every thing else you could think of. I hàvè amazing White Anniversary series Marshall JCM 800 modded heads and run them with 5150 or Randall stacks ,wet dry wet, have run that set up since 1987. Good video! I can still remember the first time I heard Van Halen 1. Also I ran into Eddie with my Mom at a Tom Jones show and Eddie loved my mom ,she is half Dutch with a little Cherokee, he called her mom ,and she was always on the list when Van Halen played LA ,I was always the plus one! My Mom,passed away in June of 2020 and Eddie in Oct. ,that year sucked! But ,I still love Eddie and I actually listen to some Van Hagar now ,it's like a different world!

[@StarQueenEstrella]

5:21 if I remember correctly, it was David Lee Roth’s idea to use the brothers’ last name as the band name, an idea that Eddie originally thought was “dumb”.

[@cristianlopez_8486]

Kinda coming full circle that the pre-VH band name "Mammoth" would resurface decades later for Eddie's son's band, though I'm sure it coincidentally was Wolf's personal idea first rather than as a nod to his father's old band name.

[@frankrichards3089]

Yes Roth suggested Van Halen as the name.

[@billdivine9501]

@@frankrichards3089100% it was Roth’s idea. He thought it was a cool sounding name and said that should be the band’s name, and, coming from an ego like Roth’s,…lol…that is a great compliment to the Van Halen family!

[@pawlpoche8736]

Oh my God, I just started the video I’m 18 seconds in I’m getting a drink, gonna get in my recliner, this is going to be awesome 🎉

[@JH-ks9oi]

Brilliant as always Keith

[@kurtbader9711]

He was the best. Taught a generation. Thx brother, my fingers on the fretboard will always remember you.

[@StephenLight-oc3tl]

I was blessed to see VH at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston in 78 right in front of him at the front of the stage. As a young guitarist he destroyed me.

[@monday6524]

Another great short history! I love Eddie and it was great to learn what a guitar tinkerer he was! He had a very distinct sound. BTW, I think a bass SH is a great idea. 😊

[@SeanKerns]

Merry Christmas to me! Thanks for doing this one, Keith!

[@edwardpotter2696]

Tgabk you so very much for putting in the work to remake thjs video, it was the first video I watched from your channel and I was devestated when it got taken down.

[@runabout76]

Great video as always Keith! I would love to see a Guitars of Randy Rhoads video.

[@andrewpappas9311]

Van Halen was my very first concert back in 2012 when I was 13 and Eddie has always been one of my favourite guitarists and biggest influences alongside guys like George Harrison (my first major influence) and David Gilmour (after Eddie), he had such a unique style of playing and musicianship that definitely makes him one of the GOATs and I still remember how devastated I was to hear about his passing but great vid as usual. I know these may seem a bit different because of their genres but I’d love to see a video on the guitars of Daron Malakian, James Hetfield/Kirk Hammett, John Frusciante, Billy Gibbons, Billie Joe Armstrong or Dan Auerbach

[@glennyocklin2884]

Great video, my favorite. Eddie can never be replaced.

[@NeilCrouse99]

I'm a recovering alcoholic/drug addict as well and know the battle that Eddie fought quite well. Been clean almost 20 yrs. now but was the relapse king up to that point. I've been clean and relapsed literally hundreds of times in my past. How I finally made it I'm not sure but I'm as grateful for it as a person can be. I've lost almost every good friend I've had through drug addiction and know the power of addictions. Eddie struggled and won in the end as he quit because of/for his son which is admirable and just as long it works who cares what the reason... : ). Unfortunately, the drug had done its damage and nothing could change that... RIP Eddie, thank you for a lifetime of your music...

[@TheGuitarDudeAbides]

I've had those defining music moments and Van Halen's first album was one. I was 8, I was at my neighbours after school...his dad come home, pulled the plastic off the album, put on side 1...time lost all meaning...it was set in stone, from that moment on I was a VH fan.

[@jasonremy1627]

The story behind all the mods Eddie did is insane. I had no idea how much he continuously modded his guitars.

[@hyperluminalreality1]

I remember in Circus or Creem back in the early 80's. Eddie detailing how he soaked his pickups in wax to limit feedback and that he soldered all his string ball ends and end windings. He used the Variac to lower the voltage in his amps to get the brown sound. As in brown out wall power. The brown sound is not brown in color, it describes the AC line conditions. He put the car horns in the box that we hear at the beginning of Running with the devil. He put the Echoplex in the bomb casing that we hear at the end of Eruption. They used to stand that bomb onstage. He modded his 4x12 cabs with different speakers and investigated removing the Tolex and grilles to improve sound. Eddie was a MAJOR do it yourself product improver and optimizer. That is why his sound was so damn harmonically rich and squeezy sounding. Like a big fat caricature of the Marshall sound. The best Marshall sound ever. Ever.

[@Ibaneddie76]

Yeah dude we know!@@hyperluminalreality1

[@bshingledecker]

I too remember the first time I heard van halen 1. I had set my guitar down again for another frustration break, this one being over a year. I picked it back up afterwards.

[@CPJ647]

Thank you for this Keith. I love EVH and your story telling makes the love even stronger

[@RobNY5150]

Great video! The first time I became aware of Van Halen was in 1984 when I was a kid, because of the JUMP video on MTV. I believe I received the “single” on record for Christmas. By the time I got to high school, I started to get into the back catalog and that’s when I started getting CDs. I’d say Van Halen is my favorite band, and Eddie is my favorite guitar player of all time. I currently own a Peavey Wolfgang and have a Frankenstrat replica and 5150 replica. I assembled and painted both myself. I think the 5150 is still my favorite Eddie guitar.

[@bassangler73]

I agree, the 5150 Kramer is just cool to sit and look at, definitely the best looking guitar ever!!

[@RobertNolan]

The king of modding guitars, this should be fun!

[@rstoltz]

Great video. Back in the day, I wrote for The Inside magazine and interviewed Ed a few times. Once, after a soundcheck in about 1993, I asked him if he ever brought the Bumblebee on tour anymore. He told me that it was too heavy and he didn’t like playing it live. He said that Wayne Charvel built and painted that guitar for him in an effort to ultimately get Ed’s endorsement, which never happened. So, that guitar wasn’t actually one that Ed built. He did, however, modify it through the second tour in 1979. After that tour, Ed said he “just hung it in the wall” before putting it in the guitar storage room above his home studio (5150).

[@robnamowicz8073]

I remember my trio Skyhook was booked in the old hotel in downtown Normal Illinois, doing a week before Mother's in Chicago. Before we left Michigan I had bought a really, really beat Fender Jaguar as a second backup. In Normal was a shop called Ax in Hand where the shop owner told me he could put a Mustang bridge on it and make it play in tune really well. On the shop stereo was then new band Van Halen, the tune was 'Running with the Devil.' When I heard Van Halen I said to myself, ' gonna finish the dates we've got booked and get some other job,,' That's where I was, Keith. Thanks for your work.

[@BlurredOutBoy]

My Van Halen introduction happened in almost exactly the same way, same kind of room, same time of day, with my cousins, who said "check this out". Eruption is the standout, but "Running with the Devil" is the track that did it for me. A great memory. great viddie as always

[@slicksalmon6948]

Remarkable research. I can't imagine how you pieced all this together.

[@geraldrauch1701]

another job well done, keith!!! cheers brother!!!

[@marylou5844]

Famous stolen Guitars should be next.

[@MrMorrisonAF]

Randy Bachman, Brian seltzer

[@rayfabris2512]

that's a good subject to do great idea I'd like to find my Fernandez V I paid 4 hundred for it and found one for 16 hundred my brother was (is) or was a meth head idiot I have a new Gibson les paul standard with a cool flamed top and he doesn't have my address so I'm safe and it's not far away from me my wife and kids know better or 😮 lol

[@RamsHeadRepair]

Love that you said jimmy has a “take no prisoners approach” considering that’s literally what “No Quarter” means!

[@PastorMcfly66]

Just fantastic! EVH did change things forever. He deserves that honor. I was always partial to the bumblebee!

[@shook9042]

Eddie is the reason I bought my Kramer Baretta in 1985. I saw that Bozo ad of him holding it, and I had to have it. I still have it, and I will never sell it.

[@derekclacton]

9:20 That would be a Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion - I’ve also heard it was a Mighty Mite 1400 Vintage 🤔

[@stefanlemottee6998]

Nice work Keith,. Probably the Unchained guitar is the only iconic one you missed, even though I think it had a fairly short life on the Fair Warning tour. It'd be great to see a follow up on his large collection of odd-ball guitars, like the SG he cut the lower horn off to play slide on Dirty Movies, his carved dragon guitar, the black and yellow double neck he played "Secrets" on live, the "Megazone" guitar, the mini Les Paul from "Little Guitars"

[@macsarcule]

So many gifts in such a short time from you, Keith! Thank you and wishing you a Merry Christmas! ✌️😌🎸🎄

[@ankheruramezu4815]

Dude... that intro music is NICE!!! 💯

[@insidious.92]

There's a guitar that you missed that was inspired by The Shark and that is The Star Guitar. The body was made by Wayne Charvel (not shure what type of wood) matched with a Danelectro (I believe '59) neck. About the Destroyer. Pete Thorn said for the Premier Guitar video that his 76 is maded by Japanese Ash wood called Sen. For the 5150 guitar, I think I read it somеwhere (not shure where) that is a poplar body. Also about the maple necks, that he often used unfinished birdseye maple necks (not shure of how many pieces) Anyway, good video. Thanks Keith.

[@henrycross8776]

The Strat on" Come on Baby" was my old 57 that I sold to the late guitar Pimp Dan Martin who gave it to EVH, I got out of it because it sounded thin and I didnt want to mod it, 1978, EVH restored it instead of mangling it. Gilmour and Sid and Pagey had Mirrors on the front not the back.Once again, I'll proof listen/read your stuff for free man

[@voyager7]

Great video. I was only 7 when VH1 was released, and so a bit too young to be aware of it. The first cassette I ever bought was 1984, which of course opened the door to "what other albums do they have?" Then that rising horn, then the bass, then the guitar...

[@martin_lane]

The Peavey Wolfgang headstock (17:23) looks like a smaller version of his first Teisco Del Rey (3:44).

[@wallyinthebox1]

Sorry I missed the stream. Thanks for the Info. Take care Keith

[@stoner762x51]

Love this! Took me way back, feels great being there, thank you. ❤

[@ithomas5576]

My favourite guitar is Eddie's "Unchained" (or Circles) guitar that he famously used in the Oakland '81 show! I love the "See ya later!" text graphic on the back - I thought it was very Eddie :)

[@petehalen8767]

My favorite is the Kramer 5150, I build for my self, years ago, an exact replica of it, with the original specs

[@ricklyle3739]

Thanks for the info and the acclaim to the Greatest Guitarist of my generation. True story, best concert I didn't see. In 1980 VH came to my hometown for the 1st time that night a local radio station played only VH songs the entire night I was 14 yrs old. This was the the 1st time I had ever heard VH and it changed my life forever. From that moment I never missed a VH concert that came. Saw the original, my favorite, 3 times and Van Hagar once, meh. Miss you EVH.

[@joeloschiavo1237]

Thank You Keith- nicely done How bout a 5 Watt history on The Brown Sound Amp and effects Awesome job Thanks again

[@colb999]

I'm looking forward to this, and I know hie bitsa guitars were the most played, but I have a soft spot for Steinbergers, so I'm looking forward to the GL2T. Love your work Keith.

[@fivewattworld]

Me too so it’s in there.

[@stretchyjim1]

my parents went to a van halen concert in 79 or 80 . they went with my aunt who was deaf. during eruption it was so loud that she went blind for a bit. that's the story my dad told me. he's still alive and swears it happen. that's who eddie van halen is to me. i was very young when i first heard the story.

[@muziqman100]

Another excellent video Keith. Over the years I have toyed with the idea of building my own Frankenstein copy just for fun.

[@TraneFrancks]

Fantastic yet again, Keith. Bless you for doing these histories.

[@swervituredesigns952]

Well written and presented, with some new facts. That’s hard to do with so many docs about EVH. I was never shy about buying low end guitars and experimenting, thanks to being given “permission” by the likes of Eddie and others such as Brian May.

[@rayknox4726]

Thank you for making this video. While I am a fan of Eddjie, I have to admit to not having had as high a regard. In recent weeks, I’ve had an awakening. Your video has helped me to appreciate his music. Your video was inspiring.

[@BillMcGirr]

I never sat down and hit play so fast. You are the man.💪👍🥃🎸

[@georgepagakis9854]

I saw VH back in 84 live at the Montreal Forum. I was 8 row orchestra but on Michael Anthony's side. Best Show I ever seen. They even have it on KZbin :)

[@TruthSurge]

9:17 that cannot be right. That would mean he could not play ONLY the bridge pickup and I honestly never heard him EVER play a neck pickup from album 1 onward. ? If he wired both pickups to the output jack in series OR parallel, how would he get the bridge pickup only? To use vol controls, he'd need to wire them to the volume pots THEN to the output jack.

[@tanneryordan]

the statement from the video is wrong. the neck pickup may have been disconnected, but there MUST have been an active selector switch because of the stutter effect on “You really got me” there is neck pickup on the clean parts of “Hot For Teacher”. That is from his korina flying V. The only other time I can think of is the end solo on “So is this love” although it has an octave effect and flanger on it so it’s hard to tell.

[@TruthSurge]

@tanneryordan You're right about that toggle switch effect on you really got me. That's exactly how a less paul works too. So yeah he had to have a working toggle switch to do that Or else make something else to do the same thing. I never even Associated those clean parts with a bridge pick up. I'll have to go back. Listen to the isolated track for hot for teacher and see if I can hear when he flips a toggle switch. It would have to be while he's holding that low e power chord. Thx

[@tanneryordan]

@@TruthSurge yes! the toggle switch is so loud because his flying V was incredibly microphonic… this was made clear by some new unmixed isolated tracks. right before ed starts playing the tapping in the beginning, you can hear him roll up the volume and you hear Alex’s drums through the guitar!

[@TruthSurge]

@@tanneryordan It might be the drums bleeding into his guitar mic tho instead. If they are in the same room, that is going to most likely happen. Although yes, there can be some sounds picked up via air compression. I've yelled into a guitar pickup and my voice is heard from the amp so yes, I know for a fact that can happen BUT I doubt it happens with drums across the room AND with baffles around the drums to isolate them. Again, I would say it is bleed from drums into Ed's guitar mic and that is just bleed that is there so .... that's my opinion. :)

[@tanneryordan]

@@TruthSurge you actually hear the “bassier” drum bleed FIRST and then you hear the drums feed through the guitar microphonic’s second, right before he plays the tapping. its a totally different sound as well

[@ocdadd3775]

Also, the boogie bodies guitar was not routed for a humbucker in the bridge - Ed did that himself with a chisel, hence why it looks so uneven. He also angled the pickup so that the end pole pieces would each be under an E string as the spacing between a Fender and a Gibson were not the same. Other guitars not mentioned: Kramer Ripley used on Top Jimmy which had pan controls for each string; double neck 12/6 string for Secrets; and of course how can anyone forget the 3/4 scale Les Paul used for Little Guitars?