Julien's Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock ‘N’ Roll auction to feature two Eddie Van Halen guitars

20 Oct 2020 by Jef |

5,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Two Eddie Van Halen guitars are upon for sale at the Icons & Idols Trilogy- Rock ‘N’ Roll auction · Source: Juliens Auctions

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Two Eddie Van Halen guitars are going up for auction at Julien’s, each expected to fetch between $40,000 to $80,000. The auction was set up before the Van Halen guitarist passed away and the autographed guitars have perfect provenance. Both guitars represent different periods in the guitarist’s career.

2004 EVH Charvel Art Series

Eddie personally ‘striped’ this 2004 EVH Charvel Art Series, and played it live as well. The guitar is also signed by Eddie and comes with documentation including photographs of him applying tape strips to the body, along with a set of photos of him playing it at a San Antonio gig. And since Eddie’s guitar tech Matt Bruck put this guitar together, it probably plays like a dream.

This black and white striped guitar is based on the famous 1978 Frankenstrat as used on the first Van Halen album and I’m sure there are a lot of die-hard fans who would love to own it. Add to that Eddie’s involvement with the paint-job and the fact that he played this very guitar live, I think it could easily go over the $40,000 to $80,000 estimate.

2004 EVH Charvel Art Series played and signed by Eddie Van Halen

Bryan Cash Kramer

The other guitar to go on auction is a red and white striped Kramer which was gifted to Eddie’s friend Bryan Cash, owner of Cash’s Centenary Oyster House in Los Angeles. It has a personal inscription reading “Yo Bryan / let’s get shucked up / Eddie Van Halen 5150”, and is also signed by Eddie. It’s a very nice guitar, though I don’t think it will appeal to fans quite the same way as the Charvel above. But I could be wrong.

Eddie Van Halen signed Bryan Cash Kramer

Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock ‘N’ Roll auction

The Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock ‘N’ Roll auction is set for 5 December and is being held at Julien’s Auction.

“As we were preparing for our annual Icons & Idols: Rock and Roll auction lineup, we were stunned to hear the sad news of Eddie Van Halen’s passing last week,” “We are honoured to include at this event two of his iconic guitars from his brilliant and blazing career as one of rock’s greatest and most gifted guitar heroes.” – Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions

With Eddie now gone, I personally think this could be a very interesting auction. It’s quite possible that a lot of fans will go a bit wild with their bidding and try to win one of these great guitars, as the provenance on both instruments is stellar, and, well, Eddie was involved with both. If you do bid and win one of the guitars, get in touch and let me know how they play!