TWO OF EDDIE VAN HALEN’S CUSTOM GUITARS HITTING THE AUCTION BLOCK

Two of Eddie Van Halen’s custom made guitars will be going on the auction block at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills. Only for the most amped-up of fans, the guitars carry estimates of $40,000 to $80,000.

Each of the instruments up for auction come augmented with special goodies: The 2004 Charvel Art Series electric guitar is packaged with photos that show Van Halen personally applying his iconic crisscrossing graphics.

“He did it with tape,” Darren Julien, president and CEO of the auction house, told The Post. “It’s like pin-striping on a car.”

It also comes with an added layer of authenticity: a cigarette burn from a night in 2004 when he played the guitar in San Antonio, Texas. “There is a burn on the fret board where he had his Camel tucked under the strings,” Julien said.

The other one was a gift to the late Bryan Cush, owner of the Centenary Oyster House in Shreveport, Louisiana, the town where Eddie met first wife Valerie Bertinelli backstage after a show in 1980.

This particular guitar was built by Van Halen and his tech. It bears his distinctive imagery and is autographed to Cush. (“Let’s get Shucked up” Van Halen scrawled above his signature.)

The rarity comes with Van Halen’s guitar pick and two backstage passes. Van Halen reportedly played the guitar in the bar where it had been kept on display before being obtained by the anonymous person now selling it…

…“I feel that the estimate is low in light of Eddie’s passing,” Julien said. “I won’t be surprised if they sell in the six figures. At our last rock ‘n’ roll auction, we had a guitar of Kurt Cobain’s sell for $6 million. The bar has been raised for this category. Rich millennials have really helped the market.”

Picture of Eddie Van Halen courtesy of Julian’s

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4 Responses

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  • Rattlehead on

    Shame on whoever currently owns these guitars by trying to capitalize on EVH’s passing. I think it’s just morally wrong…..


    • genesraccoonwig on

      Agreed Rattle – they would be prized possessions if I owned them.



  • jeffrey heffernan on

    well that did not take long,vipers!!!!!!!!


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