10 Iconic Rock Stars' Guitars

1. Eddie Van Halen - Frankenstrat

Alongside Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen was the most influential guitarist of all time. Everything he did was copied and adapted by millions of followers desperately trying to find the key to what made him the greatest guitarist since Hendrix. As well as being uniquely innovative as a player, he was also someone who reinvented and redefined the equipment used to play rock music.

Eddie was a tinkerer, always looking for ways to mod his equipment, both amps and guitars. He was never afraid of experimentation and potential disaster as he chopped parts from old guitars and carved out spacings for pickups etc. He invented the concept of the 'super-Strat' - the most copied guitar idea of the '80s, which was to take a Strat, add a lockable tremolo arm and a red hot humbucker at the bridge to create the ultimate shred machine for the ultimate shred guitarist.

The 'Frankenstrat' was the nickname for the most well-loved of his creations. Finished with his distinctive striped livery, a look he carried into several other Strat-styled guitars. His EVH signature equipment range offers modestly priced copies of this legendary axe and they are a no brainer purchase for anyone wanting to get a little close to the spirit of the late legend.

Contributor

Lifelong music obsessive, regular contributor to US guitar magazines, sometime radio presenter, singer/guitarist in Star Studded Sham, true believer in the power of rock'n'roll and an amp turned up to 11, about to publish first novel, The Bulletproof Truth.