Sterling Ball: The Truth About Those E.B. 5150 Strings And Dealings W/EVH

[chefcraig]

Not quite the tell-all you'd wish to read, yet an interesting account of how the "5150" strings came to the market in the '90's. Notice how Ball glosses over several details, including the belief held by roughly 98% of the industry that the relationship ended because Edward shagged Sterling's wife. http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-scared-smileys-283.gif (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/)

From the music-man blog at http://www.music-man.com/blog/sterling/i-guess-i-have-to-talk-about-evh.html , thanks to Steve B. for the heads-up.

I guess I have to talk about EVH….

This is a edited message that I responded to on our forum about the old 5150 guitar strings. It is an example of you never know when you take a little creative initiative where it can take you.

5150 strings are what put EVH and I together….

For years the legend was that he only used Fender strings that had been boiled. We had dealings with Rudy Leiren EVH’s high school buddy/longtime tech on other stuff but they kind of kept a lot of the mystery of EVH’S sound. A lot of the stuff was just playing with people like David Lee Roth Paternity insurance, no brown m&m’s and stuff…..

So a Guitar World Magazine cover around 1989 or 90 had EVH standing in the hovel known as 5150 Studios…He had just named the studios that and had fell in love with the whole 5150 idea.
Scattered on the ground at his feet were some real acme string envelopes…..I thought, hmmmmm another myth debunked….If he has those dogs we can kill it for him. The challenge is how do I get his attention?

So I sneak in the art department when my dad was at lunch (back then that was his turf)…….I took stencil and made red labels with a very funky black stencil with 5150 in big letters and guitar strings in small…… I went to the factory and scraped up some old pure nickel and had the guys make them in Eddie’s gauge…I sent them to Rudy who showed then to Eddie and the very next day the phone rings and its EVH.

He said ” I just got these strings and they are hysterical and great strings too…thanks man….” I said “Do you want to know what would be more hysterical?” He bit on the bait and I said ” How about if you could make a bunch of money and have your own brand of guitar strings at the same time” He was all over it and said when can we get together?

My dad was a pilot and had a single engine Bonanza…he and I flew to LA and picked up EVH, Rudy (who was not small) Engineer Donn Landee and another guy and we flew to the factory in SLO. I remember taking off at Van Nuys and a loud buzzer went off and I thought for sure it was weight related (Dont crash Dad!) but we made it fine.

When we got to the factory I gave them a tour and Eddie got to drive some of my Dad’s cars. It was time to talk business. I had passed the groups test. I said one thing. ” I understand that you have a relationship with Kramer (secret ownership) It’s been great meeting with you but I am not in the business of designing products for competitors….Are you sure that you can do this?” He said ” I wouldn’t Bleepin be here if I couldn’t”. He liked my royalty deal and it was to the races, or so I thought.

A few weeks later my good friends at DAddario (this business is actually quite friendly) called me and said “Kramer just sent this string package to us to duplicate and it looks like something you were involved with….whats the deal?”

I called Eddie and said, “WTF….You gave me your word”…..He said “I dont know anything about it”
I said that I anticipated this and had registered as a trademark 5150 for guitar strings in between the time of sending him the strings and his visit and that if there were going to be 5150 strings I would be involved. He said “I own 5150!” I said “Not for guitar strings” He said “Are you trying to rip me off?” I said “No, I won’t come out with them if you aren’t involved but you can’t come out with them if I’m not involved” I told him I would give him the trademark in exchange for a 20 year license. The attorneys said money had to change hands so I sold it to him for $20.00 but actually as a joke I told him I would only accept a bowling ball….True story I sold the 5150 trademark for a bowling ball. (Oh yeah and a 20 year license that I gave back when we separated….something I didn’t have to do, btw Karma is a good thing.)

It turns out Kramer was trying to mess with me. Eddie had no idea that they had done what they did. They sent me a letter saying that they had to be involved with EVH as he was a silent owner and was contractually obligated to include them in any products in the music business. (The original 5150 strings were Kramer by Ernie Ball on the back of the label) So I made a a deal where I would sell the strings to Kramer and they would pay EVH the agreed upon royalty. A couple of years went by and EVH’s in my opinion over her head junior accountant turned business manager called and said “You have never paid us royalties, I want an accounting immediately or I will issue a cease and desist order. I said “Wait a minute…Kramer is my customer I have paid them promptly and have zero obligation to provide you with an accounting. If you haven’t been getting royalties talk to Kramer.” She asked for the accounting again and I repeated that I didn’t have to but added, “If you ask Kramer for an audit and send me proof then I will give you an audit”

Lets just say that was the end of EVH and Kramer. Our accounting was perfect and without casting any aspersions or allegations there allegedly a disconnect between the recieving and paying of royalties on Kramers part to EVH. EVH went red assed mad and severed the relationship with Kramer.

The in my opinion over the head business manager (Who later got hers…thank god.) was now in the position of finding a new guitar company for EVH. There wasn’t anything that jumped out at them. I said “How about if I make a guitar in the interim?” We dont make enough to satisfy the demand but I can promise a great guitar, and we can make him anything he needs. We quickly designed and built a guitar that Im very proud of. Eddie made great music and some decent royalties. We made whatever he needed from double necks to baritones.

The rest is history and most of the ending history is full of rumor and falsehoods and hurtful internet gossip. The relationship was a time bomb from a personal and business relationship. EVH had some well publicized issues and there was never any way where it could make the business people happy. We just weren’t big enough, and EVH and I hit the wall.

The less said the better. It was ugly and didn’t have to be. We weren’t the only company that had the privelidge of working with EVH. We weren’t the only company that parted ways in a difficult manner. I take it as a backhanded compliment that there is more interest in our era than the others. Maybe thats who some of the BS is out there.

I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the creative process and be an integral part in a very important period of a gifted musician.

But like most things with my family it started with a little creativity, integrity, and a guitar string.

[Matt White]

Exactly what everybody guessed...EVH listens to retards & is a fuck up himself....

And people wonder why there is no NEW VAN HALEN music anywhere on the horizon?

[WARF]

Sterling Ball on his association with EVH
Thursday, 26 February 2009
From Ernie Ball’s site, Music-Man.com site:

Sterling Ball wrote this about his association with Eddie Van Halen:

I guess I have to talk about EVH…

This is a edited message that I responded to on our forum about the old 5150 guitar strings.

It is an example of you never know when you take a little creative initiative where it can take you.

5150 strings are what put EVH and I together….

For years the legend was that he only used Fender strings that had been boiled. We had dealings with Rudy Leiren, EVH’s high school buddy/longtime tech on other stuff but they kind of kept a lot of the mystery of EVH’S sound. A lot of the stuff was just playing with people like David Lee Roth Paternity insurance, no brown m&m’s and stuff…..

So a Guitar World Magazine cover around 1989 or 90 had EVH standing in the hovel known as 5150 Studios…He had just named the studios that and had fell in love with the whole 5150 idea.
Scattered on the ground at his feet were some real acme string envelopes…..I thought, hmmmmm another myth debunked….If he has those dogs we can kill it for him. The challenge is how do I get his attention?

So I sneak in the art department when my dad was at lunch (back then that was his turf)…….I took stencil and made red labels with a very funky black stencil with 5150 in big letters and guitar strings in small…… I went to the factory and scraped up some old pure nickel and had the guys make them in Eddie’s gauge…I sent them to Rudy who showed then to Eddie and the very next day the phone rings and its EVH.

He said ” I just got these strings and they are hysterical and great strings too…thanks man….” I said “Do you want to know what would be more hysterical?” He bit on the bait and I said ” How about if you could make a bunch of money and have your own brand of guitar strings at the same time” He was all over it and said when can we get together?

My dad was a pilot and had a single engine Bonanza…he and I flew to LA and picked up EVH, Rudy (who was not small) Engineer Donn Landee and another guy and we flew to the factory in SLO. I remember taking off at Van Nuys and a loud buzzer went off and I thought for sure it was weight related (Don’t crash Dad!) but we made it fine.

When we got to the factory I gave them a tour and Eddie got to drive some of my Dad’s cars. It was time to talk business. I had passed the groups test. I said one thing. ” I understand that you have a relationship with Kramer (secret ownership) It’s been great meeting with you but I am not in the business of designing products for competitors….Are you sure that you can do this?” He said ” I wouldn’t (Bleepin’ )be here if I couldn’t”. He liked my royalty deal and it was to the races, or so I thought.

A few weeks later my good friends at DAddario (this business is actually quite friendly) called me and said “Kramer just sent this string package to us to duplicate and it looks like something you were involved with….whats the deal?”

I called Eddie and said, “WTF….You gave me your word”…..He said “I don’t know anything about it.”
I said that I anticipated this and had registered as a trademark 5150 for guitar strings in between the time of sending him the strings and his visit and that if there were going to be 5150 strings I would be involved. He said “I own 5150!” I said “Not for guitar strings” He said “Are you trying to rip me off?” I said “No, I won’t come out with them if you aren’t involved but you can’t come out with them if I’m not involved” I told him I would give him the trademark in exchange for a 20 year license. The attorneys said money had to change hands so I sold it to him for $20.00 but actually as a joke I told him I would only accept a bowling ball….True story I sold the 5150 trademark for a bowling ball. (Oh yeah and a 20 year license that I gave back when we separated….something I didn’t have to do, btw Karma is a good thing.)

It turns out Kramer was trying to mess with me. Eddie had no idea that they had done what they did. They sent me a letter saying that they had to be involved with EVH as he was a silent owner and was contractually obligated to include them in any products in the music business. (The original 5150 strings were Kramer by Ernie Ball on the back of the label) So I made a a deal where I would sell the strings to Kramer and they would pay EVH the agreed upon royalty. A couple of years went by and EVH’s in my opinion over her head junior accountant turned business manager called and said “You have never paid us royalties, I want an accounting immediately or I will issue a cease and desist order. I said “Wait a minute…Kramer is my customer I have paid them promptly and have zero obligation to provide you with an accounting. If you haven’t been getting royalties talk to Kramer.” She asked for the accounting again and I repeated that I didn’t have to but added, “If you ask Kramer for an audit and send me proof then I will give you an audit”

Lets just say that was the end of EVH and Kramer. Our accounting was perfect and without casting any aspersions or allegations there allegedly a disconnect between the receiving and paying of royalties on Kramers part to EVH. EVH went red assed mad and severed the relationship with Kramer.

The in my opinion over the head business manager (Who later got hers…thank god.) was now in the position of finding a new guitar company for EVH. There wasn’t anything that jumped out at them. I said “How about if I make a guitar in the interim?” We dont make enough to satisfy the demand but I can promise a great guitar, and we can make him anything he needs. We quickly designed and built a guitar that Im very proud of. Eddie made great music and some decent royalties. We made whatever he needed from double necks to baritones.

The rest is history and most of the ending history is full of rumor and falsehoods and hurtful internet gossip. The relationship was a time bomb from a personal and business relationship. EVH had some well publicized issues and there was never any way where it could make the business people happy. We just weren’t big enough, and EVH and I hit the wall.

The less said the better. It was ugly and didn’t have to be. We weren’t the only company that had the privilege of working with EVH. We weren’t the only company that parted ways in a difficult manner. I take it as a backhanded compliment that there is more interest in our era than the others. Maybe thats who some of the BS is out there.

I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the creative process and be an integral part in a very important period of a gifted musician.

But like most things with my family it started with a little creativity, integrity, and a guitar string.

www.vhnd.com

[scottydabodi]

Good interview. Sterling is a cool cat, and his company makes great stuff.

[sadaist]

Good interview. Sterling is a cool cat, and his company makes great stuff.

I've always used Ernie Ball strings...slinky. But Ed is and always will be a gear whore. So someone says "I just bought the official Eddie Van Halen guitar", it's kinda lame you have to follow up with "which? The Ernie Ball? Peavey? Kramer? Charvel? Fender?.......???"



"It's quite simply the guitar that makes me the most money at this point in time". EVH - today, yesterday, tomorrow

[GAR]

Grover Jackson was "red-assed mad" when that first 1983 picture poster for Kramer was of a hockey-stick Charvel neck on a Charvel body with KRAMER retouched on the photo, so much so that it was installed in the break room in San Dimas and fondly addressed to as "cheating little shithead."

EVH didn't innovate the humbucker-in-a-strat idea, they had templates on the wall going back to 1975 for Rick Derringer, Billy Gibbons, Frampton.. Ed only popularized it.

Charvel would make anything for anybody because they could, if you had cash.

The only reason EVH ever had a hotrod strat was he didn't want to pay $160 for a custom routed body, Dr Music (the formerly Music for Everyone in Sierra Madre) in Pasadena had a "seconds" box with shit like knots, or blow-out chipped neck areas on the body Grover would drive by and sell out of his backseat.. I remember seeing an Explorer hardtail in the $50 and up box once and it wasn't until years later I finally nabbed one off Ebay.

But this story is a fair representation about how Ed does business. Kudos for Ball for speaking out about this guy!

[GAR]

I guess this means Fender's gonna come out with 5150 Bullet strings..

[LoungeMachine]

And people wonder why there is no NEW VAN HALEN music anywhere on the horizon?


I don't.

:gulp:

[lesfunk]

Sterling Ball on his association with EVH
Thursday, 26 February 2009
From Ernie Ball’s site, Music-Man.com site:

Sterling Ball wrote this about his association with Eddie Van Halen:

I guess I have to talk about EVH…

This is a edited message that I responded to on our forum about the old 5150 guitar strings.

It is an example of you never know when you take a little creative initiative where it can take you.

5150 strings are what put EVH and I together….

For years the legend was that he only used Fender strings that had been boiled. We had dealings with Rudy Leiren, EVH’s high school buddy/longtime tech on other stuff but they kind of kept a lot of the mystery of EVH’S sound. A lot of the stuff was just playing with people like David Lee Roth Paternity insurance, no brown m&m’s and stuff…..

So a Guitar World Magazine cover around 1989 or 90 had EVH standing in the hovel known as 5150 Studios…He had just named the studios that and had fell in love with the whole 5150 idea.
Scattered on the ground at his feet were some real acme string envelopes…..I thought, hmmmmm another myth debunked….If he has those dogs we can kill it for him. The challenge is how do I get his attention?

So I sneak in the art department when my dad was at lunch (back then that was his turf)…….I took stencil and made red labels with a very funky black stencil with 5150 in big letters and guitar strings in small…… I went to the factory and scraped up some old pure nickel and had the guys make them in Eddie’s gauge…I sent them to Rudy who showed then to Eddie and the very next day the phone rings and its EVH.

He said ” I just got these strings and they are hysterical and great strings too…thanks man….” I said “Do you want to know what would be more hysterical?” He bit on the bait and I said ” How about if you could make a bunch of money and have your own brand of guitar strings at the same time” He was all over it and said when can we get together?

My dad was a pilot and had a single engine Bonanza…he and I flew to LA and picked up EVH, Rudy (who was not small) Engineer Donn Landee and another guy and we flew to the factory in SLO. I remember taking off at Van Nuys and a loud buzzer went off and I thought for sure it was weight related (Don’t crash Dad!) but we made it fine.

When we got to the factory I gave them a tour and Eddie got to drive some of my Dad’s cars. It was time to talk business. I had passed the groups test. I said one thing. ” I understand that you have a relationship with Kramer (secret ownership) It’s been great meeting with you but I am not in the business of designing products for competitors….Are you sure that you can do this?” He said ” I wouldn’t (Bleepin’ )be here if I couldn’t”. He liked my royalty deal and it was to the races, or so I thought.

A few weeks later my good friends at DAddario (this business is actually quite friendly) called me and said “Kramer just sent this string package to us to duplicate and it looks like something you were involved with….whats the deal?”

I called Eddie and said, “WTF….You gave me your word”…..He said “I don’t know anything about it.”
I said that I anticipated this and had registered as a trademark 5150 for guitar strings in between the time of sending him the strings and his visit and that if there were going to be 5150 strings I would be involved. He said “I own 5150!” I said “Not for guitar strings” He said “Are you trying to rip me off?” I said “No, I won’t come out with them if you aren’t involved but you can’t come out with them if I’m not involved” I told him I would give him the trademark in exchange for a 20 year license. The attorneys said money had to change hands so I sold it to him for $20.00 but actually as a joke I told him I would only accept a bowling ball….True story I sold the 5150 trademark for a bowling ball. (Oh yeah and a 20 year license that I gave back when we separated….something I didn’t have to do, btw Karma is a good thing.)

It turns out Kramer was trying to mess with me. Eddie had no idea that they had done what they did. They sent me a letter saying that they had to be involved with EVH as he was a silent owner and was contractually obligated to include them in any products in the music business. (The original 5150 strings were Kramer by Ernie Ball on the back of the label) So I made a a deal where I would sell the strings to Kramer and they would pay EVH the agreed upon royalty. A couple of years went by and EVH’s in my opinion over her head junior accountant turned business manager called and said “You have never paid us royalties, I want an accounting immediately or I will issue a cease and desist order. I said “Wait a minute…Kramer is my customer I have paid them promptly and have zero obligation to provide you with an accounting. If you haven’t been getting royalties talk to Kramer.” She asked for the accounting again and I repeated that I didn’t have to but added, “If you ask Kramer for an audit and send me proof then I will give you an audit”

Lets just say that was the end of EVH and Kramer. Our accounting was perfect and without casting any aspersions or allegations there allegedly a disconnect between the receiving and paying of royalties on Kramers part to EVH. EVH went red assed mad and severed the relationship with Kramer.

The in my opinion over the head business manager (Who later got hers…thank god.) was now in the position of finding a new guitar company for EVH. There wasn’t anything that jumped out at them. I said “How about if I make a guitar in the interim?” We dont make enough to satisfy the demand but I can promise a great guitar, and we can make him anything he needs. We quickly designed and built a guitar that Im very proud of. Eddie made great music and some decent royalties. We made whatever he needed from double necks to baritones.

The rest is history and most of the ending history is full of rumor and falsehoods and hurtful internet gossip. The relationship was a time bomb from a personal and business relationship. EVH had some well publicized issues and there was never any way where it could make the business people happy. We just weren’t big enough, and EVH and I hit the wall.

The less said the better. It was ugly and didn’t have to be. We weren’t the only company that had the privilege of working with EVH. We weren’t the only company that parted ways in a difficult manner. I take it as a backhanded compliment that there is more interest in our era than the others. Maybe thats who some of the BS is out there.

I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the creative process and be an integral part in a very important period of a gifted musician.

But like most things with my family it started with a little creativity, integrity, and a guitar string.
Oh Yeah.... And he fucked my wife.
www.vhnd.com:fufu:

[indeedido]

So did Ed own part of Kramer or not? I recall a rumor back in the day, but don't know that it was true.

[GAR]

Kramer was super-profitable because they started making the necks and bodies overseas, and then had them done altogether over there with the neckplates Neptune, New Jersey.

The Justice Dept. shouda been all over that shit. Some of the bodies were plywood. I had a Kramer strat solid white, when it chipped it was clearly plywood but the neckplate said Neptune.

Kramers were and are junk, except now Gibson was doing them here in the states by an Ohio luthier named John Hill who took Dean Zelinsky's job over in Florida for Dean Guitar.

http://www.hillguitars.com/kramer.htm

They tried to get Grover Jackson to do the job because they wanted a strat type guy, but he didn't wanna move to Florida.

[jhale667]

Some of the Kramer Focus shite was definitely plywood...saw that with my own eyes...the supposedly "upper-echelon" shit was usually Poplar or Alder according to vintagekramer.com...pretty sure my Voyager body is Alder.

[indeedido]

Kramer was super-profitable because they started making the necks and bodies overseas, and then had them done altogether over there with the neckplates Neptune, New Jersey.

The Justice Dept. shouda been all over that shit. Some of the bodies were plywood. I had a Kramer strat solid white, when it chipped it was clearly plywood but the neckplate said Neptune.

Kramers were and are junk, except now Gibson was doing them here in the states by an Ohio luthier named John Hill who took Dean Zelinsky's job over in Florida for Dean Guitar.

http://www.hillguitars.com/kramer.htm

They tried to get Grover Jackson to do the job because they wanted a strat type guy, but he didn't wanna move to Florida.

Cool info, I didn't know the part about Hill Guitars.

[ELVIS]

I never bought 5150 strings mainly because they said 5150...

I always bought what was cheap, like the box of strings deals from Guitar Center or whatever I could find...

I will say Super Bullets are a good idea for a Fender, but other than that, a nickel wound string is a string...

And I like them at least several days old and clean...and I have boiled them and that seems to make them sound good as well, but it works better on bass strings...


:elvis:

[Diamondjimi]

Anyone wanna bet his relationship with Fender won't see 2012?

[ELVIS]

How bout' 2010 ??

[ELVIS]

'bout

:lmao::elvis:

[indeedido]

Yeah, I think the relationship will be lucky to see 2010. Maybe Matt Bruck with svengali him into starting up his own sweat shop in Mexico or indonesia to produce his stuff and cut Fender out.

[WARF]

bump...

[Matt White]

I don't.

:gulp:

Same here...

It's been obvious for far too long........

DAVE got the payday he's always deserved........

Besides...how many bands that hit the scene back in '78 are still relevant today?

It's the "oldies" circuit folks....

[kwame k]

Same here...

It's been obvious for far too long........

DAVE got the payday he's always deserved........

Besides...how many bands that hit the scene back in '78 are still relevant today?

It's the "oldies" circuit folks....


That's fucking true!

[sadaist]

Anyone wanna bet his relationship with Fender won't see 2012?

Who is left for him to team up with? That list must be shorter than the list of who he HAS worked with.

[chefcraig]

Who is left for him to team up with? That list must be shorter than the list of who he HAS worked with.

That's a damned valid point. Outside of what...Gibson, that pretty much leaves First Act. Can you just see it? "Exclusively at Wal Mart: The EVH line of First Act guitars and accessories. See this Sunday's ad for details". http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-ashamed-smileys-721.gif (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/)

On the plus side, maybe those dumb guitar straps would be the correct size, and the picks wouldn't be made by Herco-Flex. "It's what I use", my ass.

[Diamondjimi]

and the picks wouldn't be made by Herco-Flex. "It's what I use", my ass.

That half tongue fucker will mumble anything to sell a product...

Gearwhoring 101...he wrote the book!

[Eyes of the Night]

Cool read ...

[ELVIS]

that pretty much leaves First Act. Can you just see it? "Exclusively at Wal Mart: The EVH line of First Act guitars and accessories. See this Sunday's ad for details".

Did someone say First Act ??

<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/89h-X-tZa_w&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/89h-X-tZa_w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>

I've been looking for a good place to post this song...

The guitarist/vocalist uses a nine-string First Act...

Killer tune...


:elvis:

[Matt White]

HA!!!

HIGH ON FIRE KICK ASS

GRATE find KING!!! :rockit:

[78/84 guy]

Ed played Les Paul's in the early day's so he would never go back to them if he worked with Gibson.

[ELVIS]

Ed had one Les Paul in the early days...

[jhale667]

Ed had one Les Paul in the early days...

He had more than one. I've seen pics of him playing both a Standard and a Custom in the early days...the Custom had the neck pickup yanked..

[ELVIS]

That's true, but i don't think he had both at the same time, unless he kept every guitar he ever had...


:elvis:

[78/84 guy]

I have a large poster of Ed and Dave closeup printed in 78 or 79 and he is playing a white or yellow custom with the front pickup.It kind of look's like the new Wolfgang he used on the last tour, & he had the standard he also used on stage with the front pickup removed. Plus the one Les Paul gave him with the Floyd Rose, & two others he bought in the mid 80's to collect, a 58 & 59 I think. Not sure if he still has them all.

[chefcraig]

I have a large poster of Ed and Dave closeup printed in 78 or 79 and he is playing a white or yellow custom with the front pickup.It kind of look's like the new Wolfgang he used on the last tour, & he had the standard he also used on stage with the front pickup removed. Plus the one Les Paul gave him with the Floyd Rose, & two others he bought in the mid 80's to collect, a 58 & 59 I think. Not sure if he still has them all.

There were a batch of widely circulated photos from a late seventies festival the band played using borrowed equipment. In these images he's using a sunburst model Les Paul. Here is a shot of one of the models you are speaking of, with the front pickup removed.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/522/edles.jpg (http://img3.imageshack.us/my.php?image=edles.jpg)

The Musician Magazine feature.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5784/eddievanhalen.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=eddievanhalen.jpg)

From the eighties, another featuring some of Ed's guitars at the time.

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5381/edsguitars.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=edsguitars.jpg)

[GAR]

Not sure if he still has them all.

The 74 Les Paul Custom? His dad helped him buy that, the receipt for it is reprinted in the Wayne Charvel book, with the payment installments listed.

Ed's sold some guitars but the guitar your dad helped you buy, youd better believe I'm keeping that guitar as long as possible. I bet he still has the 74.

[jhale667]

The 74 Les Paul Custom? His dad helped him buy that, the receipt for it is reprinted in the Wayne Charvel book, with the payment installments listed.

Ed's sold some guitars but the guitar your dad helped you buy, youd better believe I'm keeping that guitar as long as possible. I bet he still has the 74.

From what I hear he's "donated" a few to the Rockwalk and Hard Rock Cafes and the like, but I have it on good authority -and have seen pictures, of a room in his house stacked to the ceiling with pretty much every guitar you remember...:)

[Diamondjimi]

but I have it on good authority -and have seen pictures, of a room in his house stacked to the ceiling with pretty much every guitar you remember...:)

I would kill to hang out there for a day...

Sup J ? Keepin busy?;)

[kwame k]

From Edward Studio/Storage Pictures (http://www.vintagekramer.com/5150e.htm)

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll103/realtodd/room4.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll103/realtodd/room1.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll103/realtodd/room3.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll103/realtodd/studio1.jpg

[jhale667]

I would kill to hang out there for a day...

Sup J ? Keepin busy?;)

I hear ya. I have friends that have, haven't been so lucky myself. :D

So busy I can't see straight, dude. :hee: But all for the greater good...lol.

And kudos to Kwame for posting the photos I was referring to! :killer:

[Nitro Express]

Kramer was super-profitable because they started making the necks and bodies overseas, and then had them done altogether over there with the neckplates Neptune, New Jersey.

The Justice Dept. shouda been all over that shit. Some of the bodies were plywood. I had a Kramer strat solid white, when it chipped it was clearly plywood but the neckplate said Neptune.

Kramers were and are junk, except now Gibson was doing them here in the states by an Ohio luthier named John Hill who took Dean Zelinsky's job over in Florida for Dean Guitar.

http://www.hillguitars.com/kramer.htm

They tried to get Grover Jackson to do the job because they wanted a strat type guy, but he didn't wanna move to Florida.

The worst guitar I ever had was a Kramer. The guy that ran Kramer just seemed like a two bit snake oil salesman to me. No Sterling Ball by any means.

But how could Ed do business. He was drunk all the time. He probably never read the contract and forgot things all the time. Ed will throw lead singers and bass players under the train. I mean this guy has zero loyalty unless you are biological family to him.