From the first moment I saw the black-and-white guitar Eddie Van Halen was holding on the Van Halen I album cover, I lusted after that guitar, or at least tried to find one like it, with the same intensity as a 1977 Polaris Leaf Spring SnoPro. Don’t worry if you don’t know what that is, because that’s a whole ’nother story.
In 1982, I bought a bumblebee-painted Charvel that looked exactly like Eddie’s guitar on the cover of Van Halen II. Ever since I sold that guitar, I’ve been trying to replace it. I modified every guitar I got my hands on to be some version of that idea: single pickup, Floyd Rose, one volume knob, stripped-down and loud. But none of them ever truly scratched the itch.
Fast forward to 2020, when I discovered the EVH Striped Series. I hadn’t even heard of the 2007 Master-Built Custom Shop version, so I assumed this was as close as anyone was ever going to get to the real thing. The 2020 Frankenstein, like the rest of the “Striped Series” guitars, are lower-cost, made-in-Mexico EVH-branded instruments. But they’re fantastic.
The fret sizes aren’t the same on each model, which I assume is because they followed the fret sizing Eddie had on his originals. But they all feel great in their own way. Every one of them sounds great, and with just a little setup work (they all needed fret-end cleanup) and fine tuning, I genuinely enjoy picking these up every chance I get.
🎸 2024 — EVH Striped Series Crop Circles
The original Crop Circles model, as I understand it, was used to play Unchained on the 1981 Fair Warning tour, which also happens to be the one and only time I ever saw Van Halen live. This one is probably my favorite to play, second only to Frankenstein.
🎸 2022 — EVH ’78 Eruption
Inspired by the very guitar Eddie wielded on Van Halen’s 1978 debut and immortalized in the incendiary solo “Eruption,” Eddie later converted this original guitar into Frankenstein. This model has some relic work, and I love the look of it. I keep it tuned down a half-step, and I completely fell in love with the fat Strat headstock because of this guitar.
🎸 2014 — EVH Limited Edition Star
A nod to some of the lesser-seen but equally influential guitars from Eddie’s arsenal, the Star model channels raw simplicity: a stripped-down layout built for bite and sustain, with a Wolfgang humbucker and a neck modeled after the original Danelectro neck Eddie used.
🎸 2020 — EVH Striped Series Frankie
This is the first one I got my hands on, and I still love it. I found it shortly after I heard these were available at Bizarre Guitar in Phoenix.
🎸 2021 — EVH Striped Series Shark
Featuring a pau ferro fingerboard and punchy humbuckers, it’s based on the guitar Eddie played on the cover of Fair Warning another album cover I stared at for countless hours when it first came out.
🎸 2021 — EVH ’79 Bumblebee Tribute
Debuting around the Van Halen II era, this guitar became legendary on tour and in photos. The tribute reproduction stays true to the original specs: ash body, birdseye maple neck, and that scream-worthy Bumblebee humbucker. Imagine my surprise when I walked into Marguerite’s Music in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1982 and saw a shiny new guitar hanging on the wall that looked exactly like Eddie’s, black headstock and all. I don’t think I’ve ever spent money faster in my life. I couldn’t get that pile of graduation cash out of my pocket quickly enough.
I wish I could find that guitar now. But until then, this one holds the memory.
🎸 2022 — EVH 5150 Series Standard
A modern flagship from EVH Gear that channels Eddie’s later-era tones. Basswood body, powerful Wolfgang humbuckers, a compound-radius neck, and a banana headstock. Look-wise, this is my least favorite, since I was never as big a fan of the Van Hagar era, but I’m a sucker for any Strat or Les Paul with an Explorer-style headstock.
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The first time I heard Van Halen, it didn’t just sound like music. It felt like ignition. Like something in the air had shifted. Like a door had opened that you didn’t even know existed yet.
Eddie Van Halen changed what the guitar could be. But more than that, he changed what it felt like to hear someone push beyond the rules and make something joyful, reckless, and alive.
I never met the man. But his passing still hits hard. Because some people don’t just shape music, they shape memory, imagination, and identity. They become part of your story without ever knowing your name.
These guitars aren’t just instruments; they’re artifacts of that feeling. That first spark. That first moment of wonder. That sound that made everything else louder, brighter, and possible.
And that never really goes away. 🎸
