Article: How Eddie Van Halen Hacks a Guitar

EVH has always had a unique way of approaching the guitar. Popularizing the tapping technique, creating wild sounds with the whammy bar, and incorporating effects to make some entirely new sounds, Eddie Van Halen is an innovator to say the least. Withal, EVH often experimented with amps, guitars, and pedals, disassembling them and reconstructing them to suit his unique style. In a recent article by Popular Mechanics, the story behind Eddie’s self-tailored guitar building is explained; with a few entertaining stories from EVH himself.

“My playing style really grew from the fact that I couldn’t afford a distortion pedal. I had to try to squeeze those sounds out of my guitar. The first real work I did was in my bedroom. I added pickups, because I didn’t like the sound of the originals. I couldn’t afford a router—I didn’t even know what a router was—so I started hammering away with a screwdriver. That didn’t work at all. Chunks of wood flew off and there was sawdust flying all over the place. But I was on a mission. I knew what I wanted and I just kept at it until I finally got there…. “

Read the entire article at Popularmechanics.com!