NAMM 2019: EVH Announces New Striped Series Shark Model

NAMM 2019: EVH has unveiled its new Striped Series Shark Model. The model is based on the iconic striped electric guitar that Eddie Van Halen debuted during the first Van Halen world tour in 1978.

Eddie Van Halen first took his angular offset axe and sawed a chunk out of the body, leaving jagged edges in the wood that resembled teeth. After applying a coat of silver paint, Van Halen added tape to create his famed striped pattern and then grabbed a rattle can of burgundy Schwinn bicycle paint to finish the job. The final product notably appeared on the back cover of Van Halen's 1980 album, Women and Children First.

The EVH Striped Series Shark features an angular ash body that is paired with a set maple neck, carved to a modified “C” profile. The neck also features a “hockey stick” headstock and the same striped paint job as the body on the back, while the 12”-16” compound radius Pau Ferro fingerboard has 22 jumbo frets and white dot inlays.

The guitar is fitted with custom designed EVH Wolfgang alnico 2 Humbucker bridge and neck pickups. Like the original, the bridge pickup features parchment bobbins with metal braid wire, while the neck pickup features black bobbins with metal braid wire.

A low-friction volume knob with a treble bleed cap provides for high frequency retention when lowering the volume, while a chrome-plated solid-brass harmonica bridge provides massive attack, presence and sustain.

The guitar also features black numbered speed knobs, a three-way toggle switch housed on a brass mounting plate, a brass nut, gold and chrome custom EVH-stamped Gotoh tuners and chrome eye hooks with turnbuckles.

The EVH Striped Series Shark will be available in May at an MSRP of $2,068.95.

For more on the guitar, head on over to evhgear.com.