Eddie Van Halen’s journey into guitar modification began early in his career. In a new mini-documentary shared online, classic interviews with the legendary guitarist illustrate how his experimentation led to the creation of his iconic Frankenstein guitar.
Eddie’s modifications were part of his quest for the perfect tone. From a 12-string model to a Gibson ES-335 and his first Fender Stratocaster, each guitar played a crucial role in developing the signature sound that defined Van Halen.
Produced by Icons Remembered on YouTube, the mini-documentary features interviews and previously unheard audio of Van Halen, in which he shares his early modding stories in his own words.
Reflecting on his initial experiment, Eddie recalls how purchasing a Univox 12-string guitar opened the door to customizing instruments. “I remember one of the very first guitars I bought was from a place called Lafayette, kind of like a Radio Shack, and they had a 12-string guitar,” he explained.
“I liked the guitar, but I didn’t want 12 strings; I wanted six,” he continued. “So I asked the guy, ‘Can I take six strings off and try it?’ He said, ‘No.’ I replied, ‘Why not?’ He said, ‘If you buy it, you can do whatever you want.’ So I bought it, took off six strings, and loved it. That was my very first successful attempt at changing something standard to fit my liking.”
As he progressed, Eddie’s 1963 Sunburst ES-335 became one of his most experimental guitars. He had been using it with the band before they landed a record deal.
“It sounded fine, but the band was like, ‘Come on, you look like Roy Orbison,’” he remembered. “That was my main experimental guitar. I did everything you could imagine to ruin it. It’s too bad because that guitar would have been worth some serious money today, but I ruined an expensive guitar to learn what I know now about building guitars, which I guess was worth it.”
Although no Van Halen tribute is currently planned, vocalist Sammy Hagar recently launched the Best Of All Worlds tour, forming a supergroup with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham to perform classic Van Halen songs. For the tour, Satriani even modified his own EVH Striped Series Frankenstein electric guitar.
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