Eddie Van Halen Guitars Sell for $422,000 at Auction, Wolfgang Van Halen Disapproves
Three Eddie Van Halen guitars were just sold at auction for $422,050, but the event has been criticized by son Wolfgang Van Halen, who claims the guitars belong in a museum rather than strangers’ homes.
A signed Kramer guitar once gifted to Eddie Van Halen’s close friend Bryan Cush brought in the most cash, selling for $231,250. The Kramer was reportedly built by EVH and his guitar tech at the Van Halen shredder’s 5150 home studio.
One of Eddie’s Charvel guitars — which was reportedly played onstage in San Antonio, Texas in 2004 and sports a cigarette burn to the front — sold for $140,800. A stage prop guitar used by child actor Bryan Hitchcock in the “Hot for Teacher” video was the third axe sold by Julien’s Actions, selling for $50,000.
Wolfgang Van Halen disapproved of the auction, claiming none of the instruments were stage guitars despite the Charvel being advertised as a “stage played electric guitar.” “
“The headline should read: ‘Three guitars that are striped were sold at an auction for charity.’ They weren’t stage guitars. I had nothing to do with this,” Wolfgang tweeted. “I don’t EVER plan on selling any of my father’s iconic guitars. The only place they’d possibly belong in is a museum.”
He added, “Also one was a gift. I don’t know who’d want to give that away. Timing is a little fishy to me,” before correcting his charity auction statement. “Oh wait, scratch that. It WASN’T for charity. They’re just taking advantage of my father’s passing. What a surprise. Fuck ‘em.”
The three Eddie Van Halen guitars were part of Julien’s Auctions’ Icons & Idols event, where nearly 900 pop culture items were sold, including memorabilia from Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Little Richard and many others. Eddie Van Halen’s Kramer guitar was the highest-selling item of the entire two-day auction.
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