On the cover of Van Halen’s 1978 eponymous debut album, Eddie Van Halen thrusts his black-and-white striped Strat®-style guitar towards the camera as if he’s showing you the future. He played this guitar on his unprecedented and mind-blowing “Eruption” guitar solo, thus its nickname, and almost immediately, this monumental instrument became a timeless icon, symbolic of a paradigm shift in guitar-driven rock and roll.
Back when this trailblazing album first appeared, nobody had ever seen or heard a guitar like that because no such guitar ever existed. What was this? You couldn’t buy one.
That’s because he made it himself. The 22-year-old Eddie Van Halen had the mind of not only a great musician, but also of an innovative inventor – a constant tinkerer who was always messing with his gear. Eddie would say it was out of necessity as no off-the-shelf guitar had the features he needed to really do his job and realize his full potential. So, he took matters into his own capable hands – refretting the neck, installing a humbucking pickup which he potted in paraffin wax, as well a single master volume knob (famously labeled as “Tone”), brass nut and tailpiece from a ’58 Strat, cutting out and mounting his own homemade black and of course, coming up with iconic striped motif.
The all-new EVH® Striped Series ’78 Eruption guitar combines many of those famed mods along with modernized features and a relic treatment.
The Stratocaster®-style body sports Eddie’s famed white-and-black-striped paint job and has been paired to a quartersawn maple neck with a hand-rubbed satin urethane back finish. The 12″-16″ compound radius maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets was designed for fast and furious playing styles with maximum comfort, while a heel-mount truss rod wheel makes for time-saving neck adjustments.
A single EVH Wolfgang® humbucking bridge pickup provides classic Eddie Van Halen guitar tone – from crystal cleans to fat and rich mids and lows, while the brass nut and six-saddle vintage Fender® Stratocaster synchronized tremolo bridge with a 43mm brass block allow for authentic EVH tone.
Other features include a skirted white Strat-style volume control knob (labeled “tone”) with 500K EVH Bourns® low friction pot and treble bleed circuit, black pickguard, chrome hardware, oversized strap buttons, EVH neck plate and larger, ’70s-style licensed Fender Strat headstock with gold EVH logo.

LEVANTE LVCL4100 Bb CLARINET ABS BODY NICKEL PLATED
JACKSON JS1X DINKY MINION BLACK
DADDARIO ACCESSORIES 25LK02 KISS STRAP
YAMAHA TP-3329 PORTABLE TIMPANI 29 RANGE F - Db
YAMAHA YSL 882G Bb/F CUSTOM XENO TENOR TROMBONE GOLD BRASS BELL
JACKSON JS-32 DINKY SNOW WHITE ELECTRIC GUITAR MAPLE FINGERBOARD
DADDARIO ACCESSORIES 50A07 WOVEN GUITAR STRAP CELTIC
IBANEZ UV70P-BK STEVE VAI 7-STRING
SENNHEISER HD280 PRO
D'ADDARIO RICO ORGANIC SELECT JAZZ FILED 2MEDIUM SOPRANO SAXOPHONE (X 3)
IBANEZ GSR180-BK
DADDARIO WOODWINDS RICO HEMKE SSAX 2
WITTNER TAKTELL PICCOLO RUBY RED 834
TAKAMINE GN20-NS
DADDARIO ACCESSORIES 25PRF05
ROLAND CUBE BLUES STAGE
TAYLOR BABY TAYLOR MAHOGANY BT2
KLOTZ TM.STEVENS FUNKMASTER ANGLED 9M
ROLAND CUBE 10GX
BLACKSTAR ID CORE 40 V4 COMBO
K&M 252 MICROPHONE STAND
YAMAHA YTR 8445 CUSTOM C TRUMPET
YAMAHA YCL SE AMA A CLARINET ARTIST MODEL
STAGG PB43 BLACK POLISHED BLACK VINYL
MEINL 16BYZANCE JAZZ MEDIUM THIN CRASH
MEINL 20MB10 MEDIUM RIDE
K&M 12297 PIANO LIGHT GOLDEN
KLOTZ KIK 1,5M INSTRUMENT CABLE BLACK
K&M 230/2 GOOSENECK XLR NICKEL
DADDARIO WOODWINDS RICO LA VOZ ASAX MEDIUM SOFT
ROLAND JC-120 JAZZ CHORUS
EVANS EC1 COATED 10 INCH
BOSS MT2 METAL ZONE
AKG C520 PROFESSIONAL HEAD-WORN CONDENSER MICROPHONE WITH STANDARD XLR CONNECTOR
DADDARIO ACCESSORIES 50CL000 SOUNDHOLE STRAP
K&M 17781 FLUTE PEG
IBANEZ GSR200 BLACK
DADDARIO ACCESSORIES 50E03 WOVEN GUITAR STRAP SAUGERTIES
YAMAHA FG800II BROWN SUNBURST
BOSS XS-1 POLY SHIFTER EFFECTS PEDAL
TAKAMINE GD71CE-BSB
SHURE BETA57A
WITTNER METRONOME WALNUT 845131
DUNLOP JCS-50C JOHNNY CASH CAPO
KORG VOLCA KEYS
IBANEZ GRX70QA-TBB GIO TRANSPARENT BLUE SUNBURST
DADDARIO ACCESSORIES KEITH URBAN SIGNATURE PICKS MEDIUM
YAMAHA YTR 2330S Bb STUDENT TROMPET SILVER PLATED + SOFT BAG
IBANEZ GRG170DXBKN
IBANEZ GRG170DXL-BKN LH BLACK NIGHT
CLAVIA NORD LEAD A1
KORG OT120 ORCHESTRAL TUNER
STERLING SILO20BK 