MUSIC MAN EDWARD VAN HALEN

  • Music Man Edward Van Halen Signature

Overview

Brand name: 

Product: 

  • electric guitars

Series name: 

Dates of manufacture: 

1991 to 1995

ERNIE BALL/MUSIC MAN made the EDWARD VAN HALEN between 1991 and 1995 with approximately 6000 made in total. They have a beautiful bookmatched figured maple top on a basswood body. The top were hand stained (usually red, amber blue or purple with a few greens) - but this stain often fades to a much lighter color . A very small number were made with solid black or gold finishes. The bridge was a choice between a strings through the body hardened steel bridge or a Music Man licensed Floyd Rose tremolo.

Pickups are two zebra bobbin DiMarzio custom humbuckers controlled by a 500K volume pot and 3-way selector switch. The volume control is labelled "Tone" - a sort of EVH joke.

Sterling Ball first collaborated with Van Halen on 5150 branded electric strings then Music Man began making Van Halen's signature guitar in 1991 after EVH severed his relationship with Kramer. In 1991 Van Halen talked to Guitar Player Magazine about his new signature model:

"I was not looking for a company that would pay me a bunch of money and just put my name on a guitar. I was real concerned about quality. I told Music Man we couldn’t sell any of them — we won’t even have a deal to make them - unless I was happy enough with the guitar to use it on our new album an play it live. So, I was blown away by the fact that I’m actually using this guitar on the record, because for years I just used that one guitar and hated everything else. But we topped it. I haven’t even touched the striped one. A yellow Music Man; that’s my main guitar now. Feels like I’ve played it for years.”

According to Sterling Ball however, Ernie Ball / Music Man were unable to manucture a sufficient number of guitars to satisfy EVH's accountants and the signature model was withdrawn in 1995 to be replaced by the Music Man Axis model.

Specifications (22)

Body

Body materialbasswood body
Body shape featuressingle cutaway
Body top materialfigured maple body top

Hardware

BridgeFloyd Rose licensed tremolo, strings-through bridge
Hardware colorchrome hardware
TunersSchaller M6 tuners, pearl button tuners

Fretboard

Fingerboard materialmaple fingerboard
Fingerboard position markersdot fingerboard position markers

General

Finish colorsgold finish, purple finish, red finish
Finish effectstransparent finish
Made inUSA
Number of strings6 strings
Scale length25.5 inches scale-length

Neck

Neck jointbolt on neck
Neck width1.625 inches wide at nut
Number of frets22 fret
Nutlocking nut
Tuner layoutfour-up-two-down tuners

Controls

Pickup selector controls3-way selector switch
Volume controls1 volume control

Electronics

Pickups brand and modelDiMarzio pickup(s)
Pickups configuration2 humbucker pickups

Prices (9)

DatePriceConditionNameComments
1991$1300newAdam
1992$1300new
1992$1500new
1993$1100excellent
1994CHF3000good
1995$2200new
1992$1400excellentJorgeTranslucent Yellow Flame Top
1991$900worn
1993$1600new

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