The TRUTH about Ed's pickups

[Aceman]

Somebody PLEASE find the guy who bought this, and offer $4,000,001 Dollars so we can extract the pickup and bury this dead horse

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/eddie-van-halen-hot-for-teacher-kramer-sold

 

[Archer250]

Crazy how that one guitar that's used on 1 music video and as a backup on 1 tour went for that much.

Imagine how much Frankie, the Shark or the 5150 would bring.

Frankie was insured for like 10mil, right? That's the impossibly low baseline I'd say. That is if Wolfgang ever sells it.

Anyways he most likely, like most of us, had a bunch of different pickups in different guitars at different time anyways lol (actually well documented that he did, just not 100% certain what they were).

 

[Securb]

Jim Isley probably bought it. He buys every guitar and actually plays them. The man is a world-class idiot.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Someone has too much time on their hands, and too much money in his pockets, and too few marbles in his brain.

 

[soulforger]

I'd have thought the actual 5150 Kramer or Frankenstein might fetch that kind of dough, but this particular Kramer I would have thought maybe 250k or so, Eddie had a habit of gifting the guitars that he didn't play to friends or techs, producers etc.and the HFT is probably in that category. As far as the pickup in it, since it was a backup built for the tour by either Kramer or Eddie's tech, and he never really played it so he probably never bothered putzing around with it, my money's on a stock JB or CC!

 

[Aceman]

I'd have thought the actual 5150 Kramer or Frankenstein might fetch that kind of dough, but this particular Kramer I would have thought maybe 250k or so, Eddie had a habit of gifting the guitars that he didn't play to friends or techs, producers etc.and the HFT is probably in that category. As far as the pickup in it, since it was a backup built for the tour by either Kramer or Eddie's tech, and he never really played it so he probably never bothered putzing around with it, my money's on a stock JB or CC!

But he WOULD have COULD have....

So it IS a definitive EVH pickup

 

[soulforger]

True, as a tour #2 it probably would have had whatever was in the 5150 at the time, it would be cool to know either way. I've never chased the Eddie tone but I do enjoy reading about what gear was used on certain albums and tours by any guitarist I am a fan of...and even some I'm not, lol!

 

[51501984]

He played it live at least once

 

[SFW]

I thought the Kramers were either Custom Custom or 59. Depending on the source of the info. I do know that a CC in an alder body guitar gets damn close.

 

[Aceman]

I thought the Kramers were either Custom Custom or 59. Depending on the source of the info. I do know that a CC in an alder body guitar gets damn close.

The answer is whatever is in that guitar. FACT!!!

 

[Securb]

he probably never bothered putzing around with it, my money's on a stock JB or CC!

Keeping in mind at that point EVH was EVH, I doubt at that point he ever picked up a soldering iron. If he played the guitar and didn't like the pickup he would simply request a pickup change from his guitar tech. So anything could be in there. As Aceman keeps stressing even if the tech put a used Kent Armstrong pickup in the guitar it is a definitive EVH pickup.

 

[PFDarkside]

I thought the Kramers were either Custom Custom or 59. Depending on the source of the info. I do know that a CC in an alder body guitar gets damn close.

The 5150 had a broken JB in the late 80’s when Larry Dimarzio was tapped to clone it for the Music Man project.

Ed used “1984” has the primary #2 backup during the first half of the Sammy years. (Pre MM). I think that whatever is in this HFT guitar would be a good pointer toward what the other Kramers used.

None of this relates to the Frank, Shark, Bee, etc. The Frank and Shark have the tones that a lot of people revere from the VH1 - 1984 albums.

The funny thing is that this is called the “Hot for Teacher guitar” as it appeared in the video, but Ed used a 50’s Flying V on the track!

 

[SFW]

The funning thing is that IMHO, his tone was killer with the 5150 guitar. This is my favorite tone.

 

[Aceman]

As Aceman keeps stressing even if the tech put a used Kent Armstrong pickup in the guitar it is a definitive EVH pickup.

Well said B


Show me one example of someone going "Wow - Ed's tone just sucks balls today? Wonder what pickup that is?"

 

[Securb]

What is in EVH's guitars or his live recordings could be anything. When I worked for Aerosmith in the 80's, guitars, pickups, pedals, and amps would show up on a weekly basis unsolicited. Sometimes I would deliver the stuff to Joe, Brad, or the road manager, but most got dumped in the warehouse/rehearsal space and used for parts or given away as gifts.

EVH was definitely bombarded with free unsolicited gear. I am sure if you asked EVH's tech he would tell you it is virtually impossible to keep up with all of the pickups, pedals, and amps that passed through EVH's hands and created the EVH sound.

If you look at the Wolfgang VH video Distance Ed has a SSS Wolfgang and even a Wolfgang with lipstick pickups. Tying one or a handful of pickups to the EVH sound is not going to happen. VH recorded well over a hundred songs and toured for decades every piece of gear under the sun was used.

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, but the EVH 'mysteries' sell a lot of gear...and snake oil.

 

[Aceman]

And of course NO ONE ever recorded two parts with two different guitars or amps...

 

[Securb]

.

 

[jeremy]

dont worry, hendrix did too