Eddie Van Halen ‘Frankenstrat’ Guitars Hit the Public sale Block

Regarded as one of Eddie Van Halen’s iconic “Frankenstrat” guitar — which the rocker talented to gradual Mountain guitarist Leslie West — is decided to hit the public sale block Sunday.

The “Kramer Striker/Ripley Rosewood Fingerboard Frankenstrat Solid Body Electrical Guitar” — in point of fact one of an arsenal of customized guitars that Eddie Van Halen designed and “spray-painted and striped by hand, presumably by hand,” Heritage Auctions acknowledged — was as soon as made for the guitarist in 1984, and was as soon as believed to be Van Halen’s backup guitar on both the excursions in support of 1984 and 5150.

Within the gradual-Eighties, Van Halen gave the instrument to in point of fact one of his guitar heroes, Mountain’s Leslie West, who in flip talented in 1990 to his bodyguard, who on Sunday will sell the guitar to the highest bidder.

The guitar — which has a Rosewood neck, as in opposition to Van Halen’s unparalleled maple necks —comes with a notarized letter of authenticity besides “various nicks and metal coating wear are known to be from Eddie Van Halen,” Heritage Auctions provides.

Other notable devices at Heritage Auctions’ guitar-filled sale Sunday encompass any other of Van Halen’s Frankenstrats (this one from 2017), the ESP 400 that Kirk Hammett played in Metallica’s “One” video, in point of fact one of Prince’s white “Cloud” guitars and Michael Jackson’s Flying V guitar from his “Issue” video.

In December 2020, correct form two months after Eddie Van Halen’s death, three of the guitarist’s Frankenstrats sold at public sale for $422,000 blended.