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
Out went David Lee Roth and Frankenstein, in came Sammy Hagar and Kramer – the story of Van Halen’s rebirth
It was the end of an era. Roth’s exit, Frankenstein's last hurrah. But it was the start of a new one as Eddie Van Halen got experimental on 1986's blockbuster, 5150
Guitars gifted, played and modded by Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Keith Richards are all going to auction
Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas acoustic also features the lot expected to smash into a seven-figure total
Donn Landee, the engineer who masterminded 5150 Studios, and helped shape Van Halen’s sound, dies at 79
The recording engineer was a key figure in Van Halen’s first eight albums and made Eddie Van Halen's ahead-of-his-time vision for 5150 Studios a reality
The 16 most expensive guitars of all time
Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction
Joe Satriani put Nuno Bettencourt’s name forward for the failed EVH tribute tour with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth
Before embarking on the Best of All Worlds tour with Sammy Hagar, Satch was close to hitting the road for a Van Halen tribute tour with Roth and Alex Van Halen
That time Eddie Van Halen visited the EVH workshop while they were building the Wolfgang
Fender Master Builder Andy Hicks hadn’t been in the job long before he received a visit from the guitar great, who came to oversee the making of his signature
Steve Vai has recorded a new solo over Van Halen’s Jump
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker also features on the track
Eddie Van Halen once asked Paul Gilbert to give Wolfgang a guitar lesson – here’s why it never happened
The Mr. Big virtuoso has been reflecting on his guitar teaching methods, and why he thinks it’s time to bring back the shred
