Eddie Van Halen's Guitar, Gifted to Jason Becker

Click here to watch a video about this guitar.

When it comes to guitar legends, no one would question the extraordinary talents of the late Eddie Van Halen. Fewer, however, will know of Jason Becker, the sixteen year old phenom who exploded on the Rock scene in the mid 1980’s only to contract ALS by the age of twenty. Although Jason continues composing music (by using his eyes in a system developed by his father), his days as a lead guitarist were short. But two albums (produced with his friend Marty Friedman) and stints with David Lee Roth cemented Jason’s place forever in the world of Rock greats.

Several years ago, this auction sold the three instruments Jason himself played. The proceeds from that sale have gone a long way in easing the life of a man, now in his fifties, forever burdened by his crippling disease. But demands are such that we are now offering Jason’s most treasured instrument - Eddie Van Halen’s personal Peavey EVH Wolfgang guitar.

While Eddie was known to have greatly admired the work of Jason for years, on August 31, 1996 the two men met for the first time when Van Halen visited Becker’s Southern California home. In a video (linked below) recorded by Jason’s parents, Eddie Van Halen played a section of Eruption (as well as other tunes) on the guitar before handing it over to the wheelchair-bound artist. He then inscribed the instrument: “Jason. We will play guitar together in the future. Love - from heart to your soul. Eddie Van Halen, ’96.” The two men remained close friends through the end of Eddie’s life.

Production of the Peavey EVH Wolfgang signature guitar (named after Eddie’s son) had just begun at the time of the gift. Jason’s instrument, designated #69, had been culled from the first 100 examples of the model that were made after Eddie tested each one and selected a handful that he deemed best for his personal use. Once selected, the guitar was re-inspected and set up by Jim DeCola, Peavey Guitar Design Engineer / EVH Wolfgang Designer. Jason Becker’s thumbprint now appears on the back of the neck, reflecting its ownership by two true guitar icons.

The instrument comes with an original Certificate of Authenticity and, should the buyer wish, an opportunity to meet with Jason Becker.