Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen – The guitarist who changed everything
Origins and Early Years
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was born on January 26, 1955 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His family emigrated to Pasadena, California, in 1962. Together with his brother Alex (drums), he founded Van Halen in 1972, later joined by Michael Anthony (bass) and David Lee Roth (vocals).
Guitar Revolution
The debut album, Van Halen (1978), was a seismic event in rock history. The solo on “Eruption” popularized the two-handed tapping technique, revolutionizing electric guitar playing. “Jump” (1984) reached #1 in the United States.
Van Halen sold more than 80 million albums, with successive lead singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.
The “Frankenstrat”, built by Eddie Van Halen from a Charvel/Boogie Bodies body and a Fender neck, was hand-painted by Eddie himself using masking tape and spray paint. This DIY guitar, built for only a few hundred dollars, changed the history of the electric guitar. Eddie also co-invented the D-Tuna, a device that allows instant switching from standard tuning to Drop D.
Legacy
Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6, 2020, at the age of 65 from cancer. He is considered the most influential guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Iconic Guitar
Eddie Van Halen created the “Frankenstrat”, a guitar assembled from parts with distinctive hand-painted stripes. His collaborations with Ernie Ball Music Man and later Fender (the EVH Wolfgang model) left a lasting mark on guitar history.
Discover the guitar: EVH 1979 Bumblebee Tribute Relic – Eddie Van Halen signed limited edition
