How Les Paul Inspired Eddie Van Halen

08/08/2012
. (hennemusic) On a break from his band's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour, Eddie Van Halen sat down with the Guitar Center to talk about his line of EVH Gear and his need to explore and expand the reach of his instruments.

After years of product endorsements by a variety of equipment manufacturers, Eddie launched EVH Gear out of necessity, along the lines of how guitar inventor � and innovator � Les Paul got started. "When I first met Les, I was amazed at how much we had in common," explains Eddie. "Our approach � we didn't like anything that existed � so, we became friends because we'd always piss and moan about, 'Why doesn't this do what I want? Why doesn't that do what I want,' so we became very close friends. Not a year would go by where we wouldn't talk and just have it out about other people's gear and just cartoon on stuff. Everything we did was out of necessity. Nobody else made what we needed."

Van Halen now has a complete line of guitars, amplifiers and more. "I guess because I've developed enough designs to warrant a line and a brand rather than just have a signature model with a guitar company," he says. "Another reason is that most guys don't build their own amps and they play a personalized version of a company's standard issue guitar. I build my own guitars and amps. These are the tools I need to do my job." more on this story

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