Awesome video Rob! As someone who wasn’t alive to see Van Halen at their peak it’s awesome to get to hear some of the history behind Eddies guitars! I’d love to hear everything you know about the Kramer double necks!
Great info man! Love the info about the replicas as well...and ths is good timing because I'm getting ready to add the "dirt" to the fretboard soon! Take care!
I've been a model airplane builder for over 30 years & basswood is one of the most common materials I work with & you're absolutely correct about the grain of both woods! On a flat surface, grain depression wouldn't be noticeable on basswood but very obvious on ash!
Cool. First time on the channel, always good to see other VH Fanatics. Also always floors me how many youtubers predict they'll be slayed for claiming something, especially something which is either purely subjective or there aren't any hard n' fast facts for lol
Thank you very much for taking the time to making this interesting video. You can rest assured that I won't be using any of your secrets to build my own. It's too much work! I have a few super strats. But I really have always valued the profile of the hockey stick neck. That's why I love the kamikaze. But anyway! That was a lot of fun. Eddie was probably the most influential musician in my life. Love ya bro!
I’ got meet and hang with EDDIE AND THE BAND IN 2004, San Jose Ca. A AWESOME FELLOW THAT GREW UP WITH THOSE GUYS TOOK ME TO ACTUALLY HANG WITH THEM 5 HOURS BEFORE THE SHOW STARTED AND HAD PERSONAL SEATING WITH VAN HALEN/SAMMY FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WERE THERE. WE WERE ELEVATED UP ABOVE THE AUDIENCE AT STAGE LEVEL WITH SOME SOME CREW/LIGHTING MEMBERS/CAMERA CREW THAT WAS FILMING. One of SAMMYS FAMILY MEMBERS WAS STANDING/Sitting NEXT TO ME THE WHOLE CONCERT,, THIS SAMMY FAMILY MEMBER KEPT CLIMBING DOWN THRU THE HAND RAILS THAT WENT AROUND OUR 50’foot ish ELEVATED STAGE. THERE SOME STEPS THAT WENT UP TO OUR PRIVATE AREA AND A HUGE SECURITY GUARD CHECKING VIP ID’s THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE OR YOUR NOT GETTING IN OUR VIP SEATING WITH SAMMYS/EDDIES FAMILY MEMBERS/CLOSE FRIENDS! IT WAS AMAZING! ED GAVE ME PERSONAL THINGS THAT NIGHT DUE TO I SHOWED UP WITH A LIFE LONG VERY CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER! There’s more this story but that’s enough for now! EVH-RIP! SOME SAY EDDIE WAS SUMMONING THE GUITAR GODS WHEN HE PLAYED! I SAY NO-HONEY ED IS THE GUITAR 🎸 GOD!!!!!!!!
Wow dude, you really nerd it up on all things EVH! You should do a comprehensive book about the history of his guitars. The fans would absolutely buy a book like that, because you know so many details
Awesome video brethren. Luckily I live about 11 mins from "The Original Guitar Guy" Mr. Paul Unused is an incredible human being. The man will answer any question you may ask without reservation. Gives you more of his really precious time (if you knew how busy this man is on the daily) than I deserve. Happy to speak with you. I always leave there feeling like there was no other place to be at that time but there talking to him. I also live 25 or so mins from Neptune where Kramer was located. I am also friends with Henry Vacation one of the owners of Kramer. In addition to that I live 20 mins from Floyd Rose in Wall Township N.J. (although Floyd is relocating to I believe Ft. Myers Florida. All this time I have been dead smack in the middle of greatness. Thank you for the video Rob I will be subscribing anticipating Thank you John From jersey.
Love it.... I know Johnny being knows the guitar I built back a week after the first album came out, from just the album cover photo, I made that black and white I did a backwards though hahaha I painted a white and then I did the stripes after there's pictures of them on my Instagram. And instead of painting over the black and white one and 79 as soon as I saw and heard that Eddie did that in the magazines I just made another one so that way I had both. I was actually asked by Wayne Charvel back and 79 to help him be his Midwest connection, so people can call me and order parts bodies necks etc which I did, mainly for me hahaha until Grover bought it out from Wayne. But seeing all those guitars there yeah I made everyone that Eddie had done except for that double neck creamer that is just freaking awesome I'll probably notice a couple other ones in the back too but pretty much anything that Eddie had in a photo magazines oh God I had boxes and boxes and boxes of all those magazines till the X through them all out so I need to keep watching and shut up this is awesome man!
Dude, this is freaking AMAZING! Love the story of shaking Ed's hand. Love this video. I've gotta contact you're buddy Chris Hubbard and see if he'll work his magic on my Musikraft 5150 body & neck.
Body was poplar according to Paul and Baretta Pacer bodies at the time were maple or poplar. cool video though. Also Basswood and poplar are very similar woods so the consistency is similar. Both are soft woods.
Hey Rob it’s pretty awesome that I found your channel and subbed to it, I’m really into the content and hope to see more of the live shows. I have a question, I’m sure you’re familiar with Divebomb inc, they are making 5150 necks and claim to have them done in a week. In the pics the necks look outstanding but there’s only so much you can get out of a picture. All direction you can give me is greatly appreciated, thanks brotha and I’ll see you when you go live. 🤘🏼✌🏼
One of those if I had only known moments but I have probably been through 25 sets of the 5150 strings...They were like $9.95 a set, every guitar store sold them...Wish I would have saved a few sets!
Just found your site and WOW! Thanks for your contributions to the build community. The only piece of the puzzle left for a replica is the fretboard radius. As you said, Sterling did a computer trace in ‘91-ish and the signature model specs out as 10” w an asymmetrical profile on the back. Could you shed some light on this as I’ve spent 100’s of hours online and come up empty handed. Thanks
Eddie used to prime and seal the front and back of his guitars but leave the sides bare. That's what he did on the frankenstein. While that grain on your basswood there looks great, the grain on the bottom is a giveaway...Eddie's has rings on the bottom of the guitar and the growth rings on the top have a considerable gap/indentation that's characteristic of ash...but in this case being that the guitar is lightweight it is believed to be swamp ash which can be featherweight. And apparently it was confirmed by Chip Ellis. Basswood endgrain would be more like dots kinda like mahogany.
Ok that guitar in the middle is the Kramer Ad Franky. In the future I’m going to be purchasing multiple guitar kits from Locke Guitars and I’m going to have a Professional painter paint them for Me. But the guitar kits will all be routed for straight pickups instead of the slanted pickups. My guitars won’t be reliced. They’ll all be Factory Painted.
I always speculated the headstock broke during the recording of "Judgement Day" on For Unlawful... I read somewhere that's the guitar on that song and possibly they mentioned the headstock break happening "during recording". My speculation is from this article, plus after the solo on Judgement Day you hear Sammy say "is everything alright?" And Ed does one of his little noises. I have a Kramer with a fixed up headstock I repaired at 17 and I did guitar class with that headstock and it held tune by virtue of the locking nut. It could have been he finished the song with the broken headstock. The magazine was an 89 or 90 issue of Guitar World or Guitar Player. Can't remember which one, it was a long time ago.
Great video. It’s been confirmed that the original had a basswood body and the pickup was analysed by Larry Dimarzio, he has stated that it was a broken JB, so he made him a ‘broken pickup’ for his Musicman.
I’m going to have the 1984 Hot For Teacher, Kramer Ad Franky, and the 5150 Locke Kramer kit. I’ve decided to get the accurate guitar bodies for each guitar. All will be Basswood.
Hey Rob I just got a string guide like Evh 5150 from Ebay. There very hard to find. Thanks for the videos and knowledge all Evh. If your interested i have a candy apple red Kramer 3000 Evh style on Reverb check it out. Rock On!
Leaving out important info... the reason why he went to charvel for the bumblebee is because he did no want a pickguard. He says the pickguard would cover his paint scheme. He said in an interview it was his idea to rear loaded and told charvel how he wanted it done... he goes on to say the only reason he did not do it himself is because he did not have a wood router at home. Charvel them took the rear loaded idea and ran with it... it’s what is known now as the Cali hotrod strat. It was just another of ed’s influence on the guitar
Excellent work Rob. I'm new to your channel but big kudos from one huge VH fan to thee for your incredible chronological knowledge and passion. NOW, here is the burning question that comes to mind. Out of all the research that you and every other maniacal EVH fan has done over the years on the history behind Eddie's guitar weaponry, the one burning question is, where did the wood come from? If a guitar was basswood, alder, poplar etc...where was the wood sourced from? What region? By no means am I an expert in dendrology but I think, for the most part, we can agree that a particular type of wood can play a big factor in the overall tone and sound of the instrument. Based on the interviews I have read from the early beginnings to his unfortunate passing (RIP), Eddie was extremely meticulous about selecting the frankie body, stripping the vinyl from his amps, etc. His ear was uncanny. Wood to him was everything. You can even say he was a luthier to some extent based on his relentless efforts at crafting, reconstructing, fine tuning and hacking up wood. An exercise in futility? Perhaps, but Eddie's neverending search for the divine tone stemmed revolved around wood types. He experimented with endless types of woods for guitar bodies! Why were some guitars "at arms length" more than others? Because of the WOOD! Does anyone have any historical data from the Kramer/Boogie/EB/P/EVH factories that explained where the wood was sourced? Someone must have records! You can almost say that his guitars could be compared to a fine wine? Region? Climate? Maybe I'm being too meticulous but these conversations on guitars that were sooo dear to Eddie beg the question as to why? WHY was the Frankie, 5150, '84, EB sooo special to him? He had a plethora of instruments over the years and some extremely rare axes but he always came back to his babies. Does anyone want to jump into the rabbit hole? Pass me a red cup...actually, I'll take the blue cup Rob. Pour me some of that juice you got and let's venture. Anyone?
Just found you and subbed, awesome uploads, just the content I want to see. Love the mythology of EVH guitars and history. Can anyone tell me is the EVH striped series 5150 lookalike, really worth double that of the EVH striped series b&w, bumblebee or the red,white&black guitars? Im looking at buying the the b&w but the 5150 looks cool AF! but is the looks worth double?
Dean Martin Blue steel are the best for a floyd.They are more flexible and do not break as much on the saddle,like when you bend metal 1000 times.And you can boil them like eddie.
Amazing video man, your collection is very impressive! I would love to collaborate with you and the other guys you build with, I have a nice guitar shop at my house and love building guitars. I've built super Strats for people and some what I consider generic EVH guitars but I really want to build some highly detailed replicas.
Thanks for the video, terrific history lesson on the 5150. You mentioned Chris Hubbard, any idea how to reach him, I had a project I wanted to do if he is still doing guitar work.....
Just found your videos, and I have to say this is pretty awesome. I'm impressed with your VH knowledge, not to mention the guitar collection. :) I am curious though about one thing. Being a VH fan for a little over 40 years now, owning a couple of original Kramers back in the early/mid 80's, and into woodworking for around 50... why do you think the 5150 was basswood? (Yes, I know this debate has been going on for years). I'm asking because you seem to have a lot of inside info, and I think basswood would be the least likely candidate, given the history of Kramer, Eddie, and Paul Unkert's own comments. Poplar can have a very similar grain pattern to basswood, and would have been the most likely choice, based on them just grabbing what they had laying around (as eluded to many times as to the paint, tape, etc). And I would think that if Eddie really did specify that he wanted a certain wood at that time for his own personal guitar (which I doubt, based on the general consensus of the relationship with him and Kramer at the time), he would have prefered a lighter version of the frankie... i.e. swamp ash. If the 5150 isn't poplar, my logical mind says it would have been swamp ash...not basswood. Again, no disrespect or anything intended at all. Just curious as to why you are convinced the 5150 was basswood, as you you seem to be genuinely more knowledgeable on this than 99% of the people I've heard talking about it over the years.
You don’t have GFTPM mag w 5150 transcription and pic of Ed w red sweater holding up the guitar? Most details close up there. Neck probably didn’t have lacquer cuz his sunburst strat had a same wear on neck. He probably just scrapped off normal green dirt aggressively and too hard, into wood of both of those necks. One question is the barretta related to this or something else?
Hey Rob Great show! I have two questions. One is the dupli color Chevrolet orange red paint. Is that the engine paint? The second one is where did you get the 1884 stickers? Thanks for sharing bro!! I love the purple double neck Ed used on spanked. Live without a net!! That guitar was soooooooo cool looking and sounded AMAZING as well!! Oops not live without a net but Right Now!!
What guitar is that in the background between the Yellow Double Neck and the guitar on the far right??? Is the middle guitar a 1984 Hot For Teacher guitar???
Rob, I am designing my own EVH 5150 style guitar. I already have a 5150. This one will be the 1996 guitar. I have the design on my laptop. You should build one as well.
What’s the deal with the whale tails? What video can I go back to, to catch up? Dude, this is killer info. Also, do you list the books you recommend for photos?
Hey thanks Scott.... if you can hang in there for a couple days I am doing a special on the Whale tail bridges.... I will also touch on the Books that should be used with the best pics for photos... great idea man. Stay tuned ill be hitting on both those topics :)
Question....why did EVH decide to go with a different neck than the original....I hate hearing people say all the guitars feel the same....like they never have played a 1 5/8 or R2 neck ..which I prefer...this is the only reason I'm not getting the current evh 5150....do you know if they will ever do a relic with the correct neck ..hell even the Wolfgang USA has a 1 5/8 neck ..and people said oh it feels the same as the Wolfgang standard...horsepucky
Thank you for your level of detail! I am about to start my next passion project, which is an EVH inspired hockey goalie mask. It'll be an homage to the Kramer guitars as well as the Frankie. I'm gonna put 5051 and 1984 on either side running down the cheeks. On the back I think I may put a couple reflectors to honor the Frankie. You are obviously an EVH superfan. Any advice on things I can add to honor Eddie and the group?
Was the show Eddie played the 5150 guitar with the weird neck in 2004? I was at the Atlanta show it was after hurricanes. Eddie had RED in large white letters across his chest.
Question I have been really wanting to know! Was the 5150 album actually recorded with the 5150 Kramer? I had always heard no, but would love to know the truth
Zac T yes it was recorded w the 5150 however some songs were done w other guitars like Best of Both worlds was done on a fender strat and he used the Steinberger Trans Trem on Get Up and Summer Nights and also used the Kramer Ferrington on Dreams plus Good Enough was on the 1984 Kramer as it had an A Bass string for a low E for heavy thump etc but yes the 5150 was his main road guitar and for the album
Absolutely great vid! Thanks mate! I always wanted a 5150. It is the most iconic guitar there is in my opinion! I have no where to paint though. Would you take on a project and help me out? I dont know as far as parts but Musikraft seem do know what they are doing?
Hey rob been watching and liking your feeds… your black and white evh.. what paint did you use to make the stripes right, Also could you hook me up with the guy who supplied your pick guard… ref the paint.. I have the evh relic but want to make the stripes correct, any idea on the paint they used at fender, thanks
Will Neal Hi Will. The 5150 is not based off of anything it’s based off of what Eddie was looking for and wanted. The Beretta was something close they made to the 5150. I guess if you had to put a guitar to the 5150 the closest thing would be a pacer special. Basically they used a pacer special body as the template
Thanks man got it. I’m only 25 but I’m a Van Halen freak too. Hey if you have time watch a video I made a few years back. Just type in wilneal1 and it should titled Van Halen style solo. Thanks
The frankie was a Charvel. The white guitar is the frankie. The 5150 guitar was a pacer with a pacer neck. Look at the jump video it doesn't have a banana neck. It has the Focus Pacer neck.
Does anyone know how many coats of paint were sprayed on for each color of the 5150 guitar? Also did Eddie wetsand the body as well or did he not? Wouldn't surprise me if he didn't as he probably wanted to slap it all together quickly while on the road. I built a Frankenstrat guitar 15 years ago and think I put at least 3 coats on per color and it has help up pretty well. I wouldn't be surprised if he only did 2 coats per color which would make it age and look worn faster.
Lando Kris Eddie broke the headstock in half back in 90 so it was repaired and they added an extra peg to keep the pressure off the end original 6th peg
What is Space tape? I had a relic made by a guy from St Louis about 10 years ago, do yo know who that might have been? It is very good and now that I have begun to play again, of all my "wall art" guitars it is the most playable. Set up beautifully, nice relic'd paint.
Impressive collection. I remember the 5150 strings!
Super light.
I loved this video so much, I’ve watched it 4 times by now. Just love all the information you shared with us!
Thank you for this! I had a great time learning about the history of arguably the most iconic guitars of all time!
Awesome video Rob! As someone who wasn’t alive to see Van Halen at their peak it’s awesome to get to hear some of the history behind Eddies guitars! I’d love to hear everything you know about the Kramer double necks!
John Gordon thanks brotha
Brilliant just brilliant
Fender Guru. Thanks bro
Great info man! Love the info about the replicas as well...and ths is good timing because I'm getting ready to add the "dirt" to the fretboard soon! Take care!
Thanks for all of the great information in one place, and sharing your wisdom! Much appreciated!
So much knowledge amazing
Johnny Jam Jar thank you bud
Tuning in from The Land Downunder - awesome video & info here Rob5150 EVH
Man i love these videos Rob! That clip of Eddie dropping his guitar is priceless.
I've been a model airplane builder for over 30 years & basswood is one of the most common materials I work with & you're absolutely correct about the grain of both woods! On a flat surface, grain depression wouldn't be noticeable on basswood but very obvious on ash!
Man, So much Information that i needed and wanted to see for a long time, Thankyou so much Rob for this amazing video. Keep Rocking!!
Faraz Khurshid thanks bro. Many more to come
Dude has an EVH museum back there... and God bless him for it!
Thanks for the great review on the 5150 Kramer and from knowing Paul Unkert personally I think you are spot on!
loved this video - so much great information! thank you!!
Dude, Rob is the Man when it comes to EVH, thanks for sharing all the knowledge, keep up the good work, R.I.P. EVH
You have a healthy obsession with EVH👍🏻🎸
Fantastic video buddy! Such a cool guitar!
Watched it a couple weeks late but awesome information. Thanks
Cool. First time on the channel, always good to see other VH Fanatics. Also always floors me how many youtubers predict they'll be slayed for claiming something, especially something which is either purely subjective or there aren't any hard n' fast facts for lol
I think you're right about basswood being used for the body. He then carried that over to Music Man.
I was thinking the same thing, if you were designing your signature guitar, wouldn’t you use the same tone wood from the guitar you love?
Yup...live without a net! The 5150 is definitely the best...wish the new 5150s had the same neck specs
Thank you very much for taking the time to making this interesting video. You can rest assured that I won't be using any of your secrets to build my own. It's too much work! I have a few super strats. But I really have always valued the profile of the hockey stick neck. That's why I love the kamikaze. But anyway! That was a lot of fun. Eddie was probably the most influential musician in my life. Love ya bro!
I’ got meet and hang with EDDIE AND THE BAND IN 2004, San Jose Ca.
A AWESOME FELLOW THAT GREW UP WITH THOSE GUYS TOOK ME TO ACTUALLY HANG WITH THEM 5 HOURS BEFORE THE SHOW STARTED AND HAD PERSONAL SEATING WITH VAN HALEN/SAMMY FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WERE THERE. WE WERE ELEVATED UP ABOVE THE AUDIENCE AT STAGE LEVEL WITH SOME SOME CREW/LIGHTING MEMBERS/CAMERA CREW THAT WAS FILMING. One of SAMMYS FAMILY MEMBERS WAS STANDING/Sitting NEXT TO ME THE WHOLE CONCERT,, THIS SAMMY FAMILY MEMBER KEPT CLIMBING DOWN THRU THE HAND RAILS THAT WENT AROUND OUR 50’foot ish ELEVATED STAGE. THERE SOME STEPS THAT WENT UP TO OUR PRIVATE AREA AND A HUGE SECURITY GUARD CHECKING VIP ID’s THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE OR YOUR NOT GETTING IN OUR VIP SEATING WITH SAMMYS/EDDIES FAMILY MEMBERS/CLOSE FRIENDS!
IT WAS AMAZING!
ED GAVE ME PERSONAL THINGS THAT NIGHT DUE TO I SHOWED UP WITH A LIFE LONG VERY CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER! There’s more this story but that’s enough for now!
EVH-RIP!
SOME SAY EDDIE WAS SUMMONING THE GUITAR GODS WHEN HE PLAYED!
I SAY NO-HONEY ED IS THE GUITAR 🎸 GOD!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for this video. I learned a lot and you awensered a lot of questions i often thaught!
Wow dude, you really nerd it up on all things EVH! You should do a comprehensive book about the history of his guitars. The fans would absolutely buy a book like that, because you know so many details
Nice job,I painted my first 5150 in late 90s..
Awesome video brethren. Luckily I live about 11 mins from "The Original Guitar Guy" Mr. Paul Unused is an incredible human being. The man will answer any question you may ask without reservation. Gives you more of his really precious time (if you knew how busy this man is on the daily) than I deserve. Happy to speak with you. I always leave there feeling like there was no other place to be at that time but there talking to him. I also live 25 or so mins from Neptune where Kramer was located. I am also friends with Henry Vacation one of the owners of Kramer. In addition to that I live 20 mins from Floyd Rose in Wall Township N.J. (although Floyd is relocating to I believe Ft. Myers Florida. All this time I have been dead smack in the middle of greatness. Thank you for the video Rob I will be subscribing anticipating Thank you John From jersey.
I could listen all day, thanks brooo
Eddie got to the point where he would endorse anything for money!!
When I picture Eddie I see him with the 5150 guitar.
Thank you so much for all of your great info ! New sub from Quebec !
Love it.... I know Johnny being knows the guitar I built back a week after the first album came out, from just the album cover photo, I made that black and white I did a backwards though hahaha I painted a white and then I did the stripes after there's pictures of them on my Instagram. And instead of painting over the black and white one and 79 as soon as I saw and heard that Eddie did that in the magazines I just made another one so that way I had both. I was actually asked by Wayne Charvel back and 79 to help him be his Midwest connection, so people can call me and order parts bodies necks etc which I did, mainly for me hahaha until Grover bought it out from Wayne. But seeing all those guitars there yeah I made everyone that Eddie had done except for that double neck creamer that is just freaking awesome I'll probably notice a couple other ones in the back too but pretty much anything that Eddie had in a photo magazines oh God I had boxes and boxes and boxes of all those magazines till the X through them all out so I need to keep watching and shut up this is awesome man!
5150 was my favorite of all. I built a Frankie back in the 80s but the 5150 was it to me
Im glad to see someone who thinks that the 5150 guitar is the most awesome looking guitar ever besides myself
I love the Butala necks. They look exact. Bought a new one in 2013 from Butala’s ebay.
The 5150 Kramer was played on the 2004 tour with hagar with a different neck
He mentions that about an hour in
Dude, this is freaking AMAZING! Love the story of shaking Ed's hand. Love this video. I've gotta contact you're buddy Chris Hubbard and see if he'll work his magic on my Musikraft 5150 body & neck.
Subbed - love this channel!
Body was poplar according to Paul and Baretta Pacer bodies at the time were maple or poplar. cool video though. Also Basswood and poplar are very similar woods so the consistency is similar. Both are soft woods.
I never ever relickd my 5150 neck. My dirt and grime is all...natural!
The coolest guitar ever made imo...
The 5150 show sent me
checked in for a bit here, very good stream!
Hey Rob it’s pretty awesome that I found your channel and subbed to it, I’m really into the content and hope to see more of the live shows. I have a question, I’m sure you’re familiar with Divebomb inc, they are making 5150 necks and claim to have them done in a week. In the pics the necks look outstanding but there’s only so much you can get out of a picture. All direction you can give me is greatly appreciated, thanks brotha and I’ll see you when you go live. 🤘🏼✌🏼
Thank you for sharing hope you are well God loves you deeply shalom 🤗🐼♥️✝️💐 Philippians 4:8
One of those if I had only known moments but I have probably been through 25 sets of the 5150 strings...They were like $9.95 a set, every guitar store sold them...Wish I would have saved a few sets!
Just found your site and WOW! Thanks for your contributions to the build community. The only piece of the puzzle left for a replica is the fretboard radius. As you said, Sterling did a computer trace in ‘91-ish and the signature model specs out as 10” w an asymmetrical profile on the back. Could you shed some light on this as I’ve spent 100’s of hours online and come up empty handed. Thanks
Eddie used to prime and seal the front and back of his guitars but leave the sides bare. That's what he did on the frankenstein. While that grain on your basswood there looks great, the grain on the bottom is a giveaway...Eddie's has rings on the bottom of the guitar and the growth rings on the top have a considerable gap/indentation that's characteristic of ash...but in this case being that the guitar is lightweight it is believed to be swamp ash which can be featherweight. And apparently it was confirmed by Chip Ellis. Basswood endgrain would be more like dots kinda like mahogany.
Not to mention eddie has been using the eventide harmonizer and splitting the signal since fair warning so recorded tone is out the window!
Ok that guitar in the middle is the Kramer Ad Franky. In the future I’m going to be purchasing multiple guitar kits from Locke Guitars and I’m going to have a Professional painter paint them for Me. But the guitar kits will all be routed for straight pickups instead of the slanted pickups. My guitars won’t be reliced. They’ll all be Factory Painted.
I always speculated the headstock broke during the recording of "Judgement Day" on For Unlawful... I read somewhere that's the guitar on that song and possibly they mentioned the headstock break happening "during recording".
My speculation is from this article, plus after the solo on Judgement Day you hear Sammy say "is everything alright?" And Ed does one of his little noises. I have a Kramer with a fixed up headstock I repaired at 17 and I did guitar class with that headstock and it held tune by virtue of the locking nut. It could have been he finished the song with the broken headstock.
The magazine was an 89 or 90 issue of Guitar World or Guitar Player. Can't remember which one, it was a long time ago.
Great video. It’s been confirmed that the original had a basswood body and the pickup was analysed by Larry Dimarzio, he has stated that it was a broken JB, so he made him a ‘broken pickup’ for his Musicman.
Basswood is not confirmed. Pickup is kinda confirmed.
I’m going to have the 1984 Hot For Teacher, Kramer Ad Franky, and the 5150 Locke Kramer kit. I’ve decided to get the accurate guitar bodies for each guitar. All will be Basswood.
Awesome video👍 We're can I find a string guide like the one you have like the 5150? I found some on ebay but there brass...
David Rocha context Chris Hubbard he has them
Awesome Thanks👍
Hey Rob I just got a string guide like Evh 5150 from Ebay. There very hard to find. Thanks for the videos and knowledge all Evh. If your interested i have a candy apple red Kramer 3000 Evh style on Reverb check it out. Rock On!
Leaving out important info... the reason why he went to charvel for the bumblebee is because he did no want a pickguard. He says the pickguard would cover his paint scheme. He said in an interview it was his idea to rear loaded and told charvel how he wanted it done... he goes on to say the only reason he did not do it himself is because he did not have a wood router at home. Charvel them took the rear loaded idea and ran with it... it’s what is known now as the Cali hotrod strat. It was just another of ed’s influence on the guitar
This guitar is why I started playing the guitar in the first place in 1985! Not Ed.
Incredible ❤
Excellent work Rob. I'm new to your channel but big kudos from one huge VH fan to thee for your incredible chronological knowledge and passion.
NOW, here is the burning question that comes to mind. Out of all the research that you and every other maniacal EVH fan has done over the years on the history behind Eddie's guitar weaponry, the one burning question is, where did the wood come from? If a guitar was basswood, alder, poplar etc...where was the wood sourced from? What region?
By no means am I an expert in dendrology but I think, for the most part, we can agree that a particular type of wood can play a big factor in the overall tone and sound of the instrument. Based on the interviews I have read from the early beginnings to his unfortunate passing (RIP), Eddie was extremely meticulous about selecting the frankie body, stripping the vinyl from his amps, etc. His ear was uncanny. Wood to him was everything. You can even say he was a luthier to some extent based on his relentless efforts at crafting, reconstructing, fine tuning and hacking up wood. An exercise in futility? Perhaps, but Eddie's neverending search for the divine tone stemmed revolved around wood types. He experimented with endless types of woods for guitar bodies!
Why were some guitars "at arms length" more than others? Because of the WOOD!
Does anyone have any historical data from the Kramer/Boogie/EB/P/EVH factories that explained where the wood was sourced? Someone must have records! You can almost say that his guitars could be compared to a fine wine? Region? Climate? Maybe I'm being too meticulous but these conversations on guitars that were sooo dear to Eddie beg the question as to why? WHY was the Frankie, 5150, '84, EB sooo special to him? He had a plethora of instruments over the years and some extremely rare axes but he always came back to his babies.
Does anyone want to jump into the rabbit hole? Pass me a red cup...actually, I'll take the blue cup Rob. Pour me some of that juice you got and let's venture. Anyone?
I have the original Barreta and the Kramer American. Butcher, VTM,Ultra and 6505+
The shop that made the bumblebee, Charvel Mfg. , Karl Sandoval made it, has something to do with the history of the Kramer.
This was great.. Do you have a regular show now Rob?? I liked, subscribed and hit that bell.🙂
Guitar Collector 12 yup
Gonna be doing shows pretty much weekly now
Just found you and subbed, awesome uploads, just the content I want to see. Love the mythology of EVH guitars and history.
Can anyone tell me is the EVH striped series 5150 lookalike, really worth double that of the EVH striped series b&w, bumblebee or the red,white&black guitars? Im looking at buying the the b&w but the 5150 looks cool AF! but is the looks worth double?
Leon Mohan thank you my friend. Much appreciated
Dean Martin Blue steel are the best for a floyd.They are more flexible and do not break as much on the saddle,like when you bend metal 1000 times.And you can boil them like eddie.
Do you take orders for guitars?
Great video, man! Just discovered you...
Amazing video man, your collection is very impressive! I would love to collaborate with you and the other guys you build with, I have a nice guitar shop at my house and love building guitars. I've built super Strats for people and some what I consider generic EVH guitars but I really want to build some highly detailed replicas.
Such an awesome video!!!
Thanks for the video, terrific history lesson on the 5150. You mentioned Chris Hubbard, any idea how to reach him, I had a project I wanted to do if he is still doing guitar work.....
Just found your videos, and I have to say this is pretty awesome. I'm impressed with your VH knowledge, not to mention the guitar collection. :)
I am curious though about one thing. Being a VH fan for a little over 40 years now, owning a couple of original Kramers back in the early/mid 80's, and into woodworking for around 50... why do you think the 5150 was basswood? (Yes, I know this debate has been going on for years).
I'm asking because you seem to have a lot of inside info, and I think basswood would be the least likely candidate, given the history of Kramer, Eddie, and Paul Unkert's own comments. Poplar can have a very similar grain pattern to basswood, and would have been the most likely choice, based on them just grabbing what they had laying around (as eluded to many times as to the paint, tape, etc). And I would think that if Eddie really did specify that he wanted a certain wood at that time for his own personal guitar (which I doubt, based on the general consensus of the relationship with him and Kramer at the time), he would have prefered a lighter version of the frankie... i.e. swamp ash.
If the 5150 isn't poplar, my logical mind says it would have been swamp ash...not basswood.
Again, no disrespect or anything intended at all. Just curious as to why you are convinced the 5150 was basswood, as you you seem to be genuinely more knowledgeable on this than 99% of the people I've heard talking about it over the years.
edds guitar specs on his own guitars are almost always basswood.
What pickup model was in 5150 Kramer?
Excellent show Ron! Can’t wait till the 1984 and Neptune episodes. I learned a lot!! Any chance of Hubva coming on as special guest?
I meant Hubbs.
You don’t have GFTPM mag w 5150 transcription and pic of Ed w red sweater holding up the guitar? Most details close up there. Neck probably didn’t have lacquer cuz his sunburst strat had a same wear on neck. He probably just scrapped off normal green dirt aggressively and too hard, into wood of both of those necks. One question is the barretta related to this or something else?
Has your opinion on the wood changed since this video? Swamp ash has become a popular opinion as of late.
5150 baby
Sweeet. Thanks!
Hey Rob
Great show! I have two questions.
One is the dupli color Chevrolet orange red paint. Is that the engine paint? The second one is where did you get the 1884 stickers?
Thanks for sharing bro!!
I love the purple double neck Ed used on spanked. Live without a net!!
That guitar was soooooooo cool looking and sounded AMAZING as well!! Oops not live without a net but
Right Now!!
What guitar is that in the background between the Yellow Double Neck and the guitar on the far right??? Is the middle guitar a 1984 Hot For Teacher guitar???
Rob, I am designing my own EVH 5150 style guitar. I already have a 5150. This one will be the 1996 guitar. I have the design on my laptop. You should build
one as well.
What is your opinion about kne bodies and necks? :)
Hi Rob! Great video! Thank you! Could you please say the name of the spray paint again? Chevy something? Thanks!!
engelmann82 hey thanks man. Eddies original was Schwin sunset orange but ya can totally duplicate that to a tee w duplicolor Chevy orange red
@@5150rob Thank you for your quick answer! I really want to re-do my 5150 now!! :-D
What’s the deal with the whale tails? What video can I go back to, to catch up? Dude, this is killer info. Also, do you list the books you recommend for photos?
Hey thanks Scott.... if you can hang in there for a couple days I am doing a special on the Whale tail bridges.... I will also touch on the
Books that should be used with the best pics for photos... great idea man. Stay tuned ill be hitting on both those topics :)
Rob’s EVH Guitars TV sweet! Thanks!
Question....why did EVH decide to go with a different neck than the original....I hate hearing people say all the guitars feel the same....like they never have played a 1 5/8 or R2 neck ..which I prefer...this is the only reason I'm not getting the current evh 5150....do you know if they will ever do a relic with the correct neck ..hell even the Wolfgang USA has a 1 5/8 neck ..and people said oh it feels the same as the Wolfgang standard...horsepucky
Have you been playing as long as you been collecting?
How much would a paint job like this cost me if I were to have someone do this?
Thank you for your level of detail! I am about to start my next passion project, which is an EVH inspired hockey goalie mask. It'll be an homage to the Kramer guitars as well as the Frankie. I'm gonna put 5051 and 1984 on either side running down the cheeks. On the back I think I may put a couple reflectors to honor the Frankie. You are obviously an EVH superfan. Any advice on things I can add to honor Eddie and the group?
Was the show Eddie played the 5150 guitar with the weird neck in 2004? I was at the Atlanta show it was after hurricanes. Eddie had RED in large white letters across his chest.
Question I have been really wanting to know! Was the 5150 album actually recorded with the 5150 Kramer? I had always heard no, but would love to know the truth
Zac T yes it was recorded w the 5150 however some songs were done w other guitars like Best of Both worlds was done on a fender strat and he used the Steinberger Trans Trem on Get Up and Summer Nights and also used the Kramer Ferrington on Dreams plus Good Enough was on the 1984 Kramer as it had an A Bass string for a low E for heavy thump etc but yes the 5150 was his main road guitar and for the album
Absolutely great vid! Thanks mate! I always wanted a 5150. It is the most iconic guitar there is in my opinion! I have no where to paint though. Would you take on a project and help me out? I dont know as far as parts but Musikraft seem do know what they are doing?
Rob what pickup gets you the best all around early evh tone ? In your opinion
Hey rob been watching and liking your feeds… your black and white evh.. what paint did you use to make the stripes right, Also could you hook me up with the guy who supplied your pick guard… ref the paint.. I have the evh relic but want to make the stripes correct, any idea on the paint they used at fender, thanks
I have a question. What is the 5150 based off of ? I know people say it’s based off the Baretta but not really.
Will Neal Hi Will. The 5150 is not based off of anything it’s based off of what Eddie was looking for and wanted. The Beretta was something close they made to the 5150. I guess if you had to put a guitar to the 5150 the closest thing would be a pacer special. Basically they used a pacer special body as the template
Thanks man got it. I’m only 25 but I’m a Van Halen freak too. Hey if you have time watch a video I made a few years back. Just type in wilneal1 and it should titled Van Halen style solo. Thanks
I love the 5150 more than frankie
The frankie was a Charvel. The white guitar is the frankie. The 5150 guitar was a pacer with a pacer neck. Look at the jump video it doesn't have a banana neck. It has the Focus Pacer neck.
There were many 5150s . Ed spent a day at the Kramer factory making many 5150s for a tour . Don't know which year .
Does anyone know how many coats of paint were sprayed on for each color of the 5150 guitar? Also did Eddie wetsand the body as well or did he not? Wouldn't surprise me if he didn't as he probably wanted to slap it all together quickly while on the road.
I built a Frankenstrat guitar 15 years ago and think I put at least 3 coats on per color and it has help up pretty well. I wouldn't be surprised if he only did 2 coats per color which would make it age and look worn faster.
Why does it have a extra tuning peg
Lando Kris Eddie broke the headstock in half back in 90 so it was repaired and they added an extra peg to keep the pressure off the end original 6th peg
Rob loved it but please please please get a new microphone!!
Scotty P. Yeah if you caught my show last night I addressed this. Mic coming
What were the paints used on the 5150, are there specific colors that get close. Also is the paint enamel and not laquer
What is Space tape? I had a relic made by a guy from St Louis about 10 years ago, do yo know who that might have been? It is very good and now that I have begun to play again, of all my "wall art" guitars it is the most playable. Set up beautifully, nice relic'd paint.
The space tape are the reflective 5150 number
On my Original 6 Tuner Kramer 5150 builds, I use Gotoh 90 Degree Tuners. I see you used Gotoh 45 Degree Tuners.
Does anyone know what type of pickup and bridge eddie had in the kramer 5150?