Eddie Van Halen's 1982 Kramer electric guitar, which bears his signature stripes design and played a surprise role in a glam metal classic, is headed to auction this fall.
Going under the hammer as part of Sotheby's inaugural Grails Week (October 21 to October 28), the electric guitar is expected to go for $3 million, considering its heritage. That would make it the fifth most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, falling just behind another red, white, and black-striped Kramer – Eddie's "Hot For Teacher" axe, which sold for $3,932,000 in 2023.
If the guitar is to fetch that price, it would knock John Lennon’s “Help!” 12-string Framus Hootenanny out of the top bracket. The acoustic guitar sold for $2,857,500 in 2024, after it hadn't been seen or played in 50 years.
The Kramer is based on Eddie’s infamous home-built Frankenstein Strat, which was last used by Wolfgang Van Halen during the recording of Mammoth’s new track, “The End”. The Kramer featured prominently across Van Halen’s 1982-83 tour dates, having been played in Philadelphia and extensively across South America.
Featuring a Floyd Rose tremolo and a humbucker in the bridge and single coil in the neck – complete with a vacant middle cavity to mirror the Frankenstein – it’s the epitome of EVH luthiery. Signs of heavy wear, particularly across its maple fretboard, show the guitar has been used and abused plenty during its lifetime.
Known for gifting his guitars – just ask a teenage Dweezil Zappa, and Mark Tremonti – the virtuoso later gave the twin pickup guitar to his longtime tech, Robin "Rudy" Leiren. It even has a personalised inscription on the guitar from Van Halen to Leiren on the bass side horn.
By the end of the decade, it was in Mick Mars’ hands, and he used the guitar across the recording of Mötley Crüe's 1989 album, “Dr Feelgood”, when the band were at the height of their powers. It’s been confirmed that it was used on the track “Slice of Your Pie”.
“Played during some of Eddie's most iconic performances and later used by Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars, this instrument connects two giants of heavy metal,” says Sotheby’s Ian Ferreyra de Bone. “With its custom build and incredible backstory, it's a true grail.”
The guitar will be put on display in Monterey, California, from August 13 until August 16, ahead of its sale.
In related news, Eddie Van Halen’s lifelong friend has opened up on how he was a “pretty complex” character, while a recording engineer who worked on “A Different Kind of Truth” has explained why he didn’t double-track his riffs.
