'78 Eruption Relic at The Music Zoo...

[LeftyVanHalen]

It's hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like the smaller stripes are actually painted on instead of being tape?

You would think for 19k it would get you something that was actually accurate. For that amount of money I would want wood from the same tree that was used for the body and neck, a trem system with a serial number that identifies it being forged on the same day as Ed's, etc...

Oh, and it should come with a $16k rebate check enclosed in the case

The pin stripes are actually tape and not painted on. However, they clear coated over the body so the tape won't come off. Ed didn't do that. So, it's already wrong.

[japeape]

I wouldn't want tape on this guitar, because it WILL peel off.

what's the point of that?

[EJC]

Strictly investment pieces that will never be played. Not even sure it would go up much in monetary value as they have zero historical value. There are much better investments you can make with $19,000 that will give you a greater return, but probably not as "cool" as a beat up Van Halen guitar.

When I was purchasing my Dodge Challenger last year, I came across an article where this rich guy bought the 85k Demon, and then had it delivered in a covered carrier to his home, and parked in his showroom garage to never ever be driven.

Live Life. You can't take shit with you.

~E

[Get The Show On The Road]

Minutiae dude.

He was just trying to be like Metal Mulisha...

[japeape]

It's so interesting to me that, for a guy who often celebrates his past with releasing relics
and the striped series, even the Unchained & Star guitars, he refuses to revisit that era with actual
music or live recordings from that time.
He won't even bother touring for the 40th anniversary of the debut.

[EJC]

It's so interesting to me that, for a guy who often celebrates his past with releasing relics
and the striped series, even the Unchained & Star guitars, he refuses to revisit that era with actual
music or live recordings from that time.
He won't even bother touring for the 40th anniversary of the debut.

He isn't celebrating anything with these guitars other than getting paid from Fender.
Anything officially released would only be streamed for the most part which equals very little money for the effort involved in cleaning them up.


It's all about money. Ed created his legacy over decades of recording and touring. He can now reap the profits and sit home with his dog at the same time.

I don't really blame him.

Ed probably nets 10-12k for each of these stupid guitars sold. Which probably pays his property taxes for a few months...

[RogueNT]

He isn't celebrating anything with these guitars other than getting paid from Fender.

Yep...he's just celebrating the royalty checks he gets from licensing/endorsing these things...

[Dutchie5150]

He won't even bother touring for the 40th anniversary of the debut.

I cant work out why people are so bothered about them not "celebrating" their 40th anniversary... Did they celebrate their 30th or 20th or even their 10th????

Better get a decent supply of tissues for 2028...

[Dave's Dreidel]

I don't think bothered is the word. Just a missed opportunity that most other older bands take advantage of.

Not VH's way though.

[5150rob]

The pin stripes are actually tape and not painted on. However, they clear coated over the body so the tape won't come off. Ed didn't do that. So, it's already wrong.

EVH did the same thing with the original Tour Relic guitars. All the checking in the body and peeling of the off white paint was not "felafel" to the hand because they had a clear coat over it too. When I was at Music Zoo last year I played one of them along with the 25K Franky. Again this is NOT what the real one would be like but like the 78 Relic, they are trying to protect the finish to keep it as accurate as possible. Actually very surprised they did not clear coat over the 5150 stickers on the EVH 5150 stripe series guitars too to protect the decals....

Rob

[5150rob]

I've always wondered what I would think if I got to play the original Frankie.

Something tells me I'd think it was a piece of shit.

That guitar is so unique to Ed I bet it just plays like absolute shit for anyone else.

I got to play this guitar at the Music Zoo last year and you know what...?? Great guitar and plays good. But my replica is EXACTLY the same wood, hardware, playability etc.... as a matter a fact my replica is more accurate to the original because on the original RWB 25K replicas they used Schaller tuners... the real one has gotoh crown head tuners and thats what I put on mine. Ed put crown heads on his original when he swapped the original neck out after 79

so moral of the story.... I'll take mine and save the cash lol....

[RRvh1]

EVH did the same thing with the original Tour Relic guitars. All the checking in the body and peeling of the off white paint was not "felafel" to the hand because they had a clear coat over it too. When I was at Music Zoo last year I played one of them along with the 25K Franky. Again this is NOT what the real one would be like but like the 78 Relic, they are trying to protect the finish to keep it as accurate as possible. Actually very surprised they did not clear coat over the 5150 stickers on the EVH 5150 stripe series guitars too to protect the decals....

Rob

I thought the exact same thing about the 5150 guitar decals.

[bsbll4]

If you pay 19k for a guitar I doubt you're taking it to gigs. It's an investment piece that you might plug in a couple of times to show off. I'm not sure clear coat is necessary when you're charging that much for a guitar that will never be played. Hell, for that price it should come in a glass display case.

[bjk]

If you pay 19k for a guitar I doubt you're taking it to gigs. It's an investment piece that you might plug in a couple of times to show off. I'm not sure clear coat is necessary when you're charging that much for a guitar that will never be played. Hell, for that price it should come in a glass display case.

So if it’s never gonna be played, and it’s basically for looking at, you could take a $100 Squier and make it look identical. It will look just as cool hanging on the wall and you’d save 20 grand. Or, like others have mentioned; build one using the same materials as the original that would play and look good for well under a grand.

[EJC]

So if it’s never gonna be played, and it’s basically for looking at, you could take a $100 Squier and make it look identical. It will look just as cool hanging on the wall and you’d save 20 grand. Or, like others have mentioned; build one using the same materials as the original that would play and look good for well under a grand.

I can only assume that someone with that sort of scratch to drop on a guitar is expecting that the guitar will go up in value since it's a limited production (30 pieces?)

Not an investment chance that I would ever take. I've seen a bunch of the red ones online at discounted prices awhile back.

Remember Ed used to stripe the Charvels, play for one song, and then auction them online. This is where he's at in life. Can't say I blame him, though it does come off as sorta greedy. Then again, if there were no buyers, they wouldn't make them.

I've personally sold most of my gear as I don't need that much for the occasional gig anymore. Just kept a Carvin 50/22/7w head, an Orange 112 cab, and a few pedals. 3 guitars. Even at that, I'll probably just go straight to the board through a fly rig in the future and make it even easier. The PA's have improved so much in quality that you can get a great mix from the stage monitors and it's almost like playing to backing tracks. But when I was more into it, I never paid more than $500 for a guitar, so most of this shit seems absurdly priced to me.

~E