Eddie Van Halen’s Guitar Is A National Treasure

If there was ever any doubt that Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was a national treasure (despite being Dutch) it was dispelled when he donated a replica of  his famous 'Frankenstein' guitar (lovingly called Frank 2)  to the Smithsonian's  National Museum of American History.

He answered some pretty interesting questions in the latest issue-

Speaking about the original guitar, which he built in 1975, he says,

"It was a result of me tinkering and experimenting with different elements of electric guitars that I liked... If I could combine those elements into one guitar, then I could have an instrument that enabled me to create and play what I heard in my head without any restrictions."

As for donating the replica, he says,

"What better home for it than the Smithsonian Institution where it could be on display for the rest of time so others can appreciate it. It's the highest honor I could imagine for something so dear to me."

And when asked what his favorite collaboration was,it came as no surprise to me that he said The King Of Pop- If you didn't know already, the guitar solo on 'Beat It' was done by Eddie. Go back listen to it and you'll hear it- those significant hammer-ons and pull-offs- the whammy and tremolo- all earmarks of EVH's shredding.

He relates the experience:

"Quincy Jones called me up and asked me to play on it. When I got there it took me 15 minutes to rearrange the song and I played 2 solos and told them they could pick the one they liked best. Then Michael walked in and said wow! I really like that high fast stuff you do. It was a lot of fun to do. Its crazy that something could take such a short amount of time and can grow into something beyond anything you could ever imagine."

Van Halen is reportedly in the studio now mixing their new album with David Lee Roth, which they plan to release later this year.