Edward Van Halen was the guitarist and lead songwriter behind the band that bore his name: Van Halen. Eddie’s technical and melodic prowess – most famously his iconic use of the two-handed tapping technique – sparked an arms race in the 1980s rock scene, birthing the shred guitar movement.
Van Halen was also renowned for his tonal innovations and famed for relentlessly modding and, later, designing his guitars and amps – notably, the Frankenstein guitar, the Peavey 5150 amp, and the Peavey Wolfgang – before establishing the EVH brand. He passed away in 2020, but is widely regarded as the greatest electric guitar player of his generation – and, arguably, of all time.
Latest about Eddie Van Halen
Glitter predates the band’s debut album by four years, making it the earliest Van Halen track to be released
José Arredondo modified amps for some of guitar’s biggest stars. Dave Friedman’s Jose amp pays tribute to this elusive legend and makes his formerly secret mods available to everyone
From the Archive He was regularly compared to Eddie Van Halen, but Randy Rhoads struggled with the height of his hype
From the Archive The guitarist had taken a break from the rockstar life and started working at a department store when Van Halen came knocking
The Van Halen-obsessed shredder has called working on the guitar's new promo video a “dream come true”
Lee looks back on his days in one of guitar’s all-time greatest secret supergroups
From the Archive Beck shared his thoughts on the Van Halen school of guitar back in 1985
A collection of studio and stage gear amassed over the years is going under the hammer
