Eddie Van Halen interviews Les Paul about his friendship with Leo Fender, the SG, and his favorite Les Paul model of all time

Les Paul (left) on stage with Eddie Van Halen at Fat Tuesdays in New York City
(Image credit: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

The following is an excerpt from a story that originally appeared in the November 1986 edition of Guitar World. 

In the summer of 1986, Guitar Center opened a mammoth music store on Sunset Boulevard in the center of Hollywood. Eddie Van Halen and Les Paul were being honored along with several other musical giants, including Stevie Wonder and amp builder Jim Marshall, as part of the store’s opening celebration. 

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