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.