CHARVEL, SAN DIMAS, CALIFORNIA, 2004

First introduced during the Van Halen Summer Tour 2004 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Charvel, the EVH Art Series was a limited edition of 300 guitars crafted to Eddie Van Halen’s exacting specifications with a Stratocaster-style body, maple neck with walnut skunk stripe, EVH humbucking pickup, and volume control labelled “Tone”, each with a custom one-of-a-kind hand-striped finish by Eddie Van Halen. Each guitar was played on tour by Van Halen between 2004-2012, signed on the body, and subsequently sold via online auction. Those with additional numbers or letters incorporated into the design are among the most sought after in the series.

With its custom red, white and black hand-striped finish and partial pickguard - based on his legendary Frankenstein guitar - with unique “78” number artwork, Eddie Van Halen played this guitar for a performance of ‘And The Cradle Will Rock’ at the Plaines d’Abraham in Quebec City, Canada, on 3 July 2008, the final concert date of the Van Halen 2007-2008 North American Tour. Amateur fan footage of the performance is currently available on YouTube. The landmark tour was notable for Van Halen’s reunion with original singer David Lee Roth for the first time since he had left the band in 1985.