“#1 Edward Van Halen Model”: Eddie Van Halen’s modded 1982 Kramer guitar – also used by Mick Mars to record Dr Feelgood – is headed to auction
It’s the kind of guitar that belongs in a museum – but this October, it’ll be on the auction block instead.
Eddie Van Halen’s custom-built 1982 Kramer electric, one of the most recognisable instruments in rock history, will go under the hammer for the very first time at Sotheby’s this fall.
The sale is part of the auction house’s inaugural Grails Week in New York (21-28 October), where it’s expected to fetch between $2 million and $3 million.
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Based on Eddie’s original “Frankenstein” from 1975, the Kramer was personally modified by Van Halen himself during a visit to the Kramer factory in Neptune, New Jersey. Photos from the time show him working on the guitar with an electric drill before it was finished in his trademark black, white, and red striped design. The back of the headstock is marked “#1 Edward Van Halen Model.”
The guitar made its live debut on Van Halen’s Hide Your Sheep Tour in 1982 and was played throughout 1982 and 1983 on US and South American dates, including shows in Philadelphia, Caracas, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires.
Eddie later gifted the instrument to his longtime guitar tech and friend Rudy Leiren, inscribing it: “It’s Been a Great Ten Years – Let’s Do Another Ten. Eddie Van Halen.” Leiren eventually sold it to Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars, who used it extensively during the recording of Dr. Feelgood.
“Van Halen was endlessly striving to create the ultimate guitar for tone, playability and dependability,” the listing notes. “This Kramer guitar personifies not only EVH’s innovative playing style but also his passion for design and engineering.”
As Sotheby’s notes, the original 1975 Frankenstein guitar – which this Kramer was based on – was the manifestation of Eddie Van Halen’s goal to combine elements of Fender and Gibson electric guitars into a new instrument not commercially available at the time.
The auction lot also includes the original Kramer hard case and a letter of authenticity from Mars, who wrote: “Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Also it’s a great piece of history.”
Learn more at Sotheby’s.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
