SOME KIND OF MONSTER

Some guitar players follow. Others build on what came before to innovate with new ideas. More than simply pushing things forward, they propel them into territories that are difficult to comprehend. Eddie Van Halen is the living, breathing embodiment of the latter description in every area of his approach to the guitar. From pioneering techniques and sounds that simply hadn’t been heard in the way he did them before, to forensically experimenting with his gear, he’s a one-off whose influence reaches far and wide, having set new standards for decades to come with guitar designs, amp tones, effects chains and manipulation of the guitar that are now staples in multiple genres. If Hendrix made the guitar sound like it was communicating with aliens, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it was Van Halen on the other end of the line.

For now though, let’s just focus on that guitar. You know, the one that merged Gibson and Fender traits with an