THE GUITAR MAN~EDDIE VAN HALEN'S GUITARS Book

[garbeaj]

[rgorke]

Look how that high E string is barely on the fretboard, if at all!!!

Thanks Alan!!

[JimiJames]

yes, Thanks !

[garbeaj]

Yes...and conversely, look at how much extra space there is on the low E string on the opposite side of the fretboard!

[GilmourD]

Yes...and conversely, look at how much extra space there is on the low E string on the opposite side of the fretboard!

Could just be a funny angle... But the body looks straight on. Weird. Did somebody bump the neck loose?

[rdodson]

Yes...and conversely, look at how much extra space there is on the low E string on the opposite side of the fretboard!

Could just be a funny angle... But the body looks straight on. Weird. Did somebody bump the neck loose?

I've explained this before but here goes: the body was cut to the then experimental bigger neck pocket dimensions that Charvel was then toying with (and later became standard). The neck was cut to Fender standard (and what would later be used for the Warmoth templates when LE sold to Paul).

Ed slapped it together and didn't know how to align when he drilled the neck mount pilot holes. He references this in a Guitarist interview when he spoke of the difficulty in mounting the neck. The neck was crooked, the bridge was put on improperly...it was a total POS. Good tone, but a horrible guitar.

[garbeaj]

If it isn't obvious to everyone at this point...Ron is absolutely, 100% right.

[rdodson]

If it isn't obvious to everyone at this point...Ron is absolutely, 100% right.

I think it is quite ironic that most everyone here would give all their equipment for that guitar in original form...then we'd all either not play or want to modify it. What makes it cool is what it was used to do and who used it.

It is like the holy grail in that capacity. The Carpenter's cup was most likely nothing special.

[NY Chief]

The guy was a hack as much as we all were at that age.

[Rich_D]

Correct, it has been established and marveled at that the high E hung off the damn fret board for all that brilliance.

[vanhalen5150]

You can tell that neck was handmade. What's with the back of the headstock? Looks like they couldn't decide what to do there.

[Tone Slinger]

KnE's Franky clones have the high E string positioned closer to the edge of the fretboard as well. My take on it is that both the neck and the pocket were cut to Fender spec.I do not see a gap at either edge of the bodies neck pocket in any photo's. I think the 6 screw bridge mount was what was 'slightly' off,making the high string nearly miss the fretboard. Anyways, I PREFER having the high E closer to the edge of the board. You can get a certain playing touch with it like that, like up in the 17-20 'A pentatonic box'.

[popskull]

I may be wrong but it looks like the high E string is caught on the side of a fret somewhere--if you look closely at the nut on the high E string there is some string coming down the neck like on a normal setup gtr then it goes off to the side--has anyone heard about this neck being in a box of junk Ed was going to throw away when someone(don't know who) saw that neck and told him man you should not toss this out

[JimiJames]

KnE's Franky clones have the high E string positioned closer to the edge of the fretboard as well. My take on it is that both the neck and the pocket were cut to Fender spec.I do not see a gap at either edge of the bodies neck pocket in any photo's. I think the 6 screw bridge mount was what was 'slightly' off,making the high string nearly miss the fretboard. Anyways, I PREFER having the high E closer to the edge of the board. You can get a certain playing touch with it like that, like up in the 17-20 'A pentatonic box'.

what? Total dealbreaker... Thanks for the heads up on that particlar body that I'll never get...

[Tone Slinger]

Here is a pic, not quite as close to the edge as Ed's, but still noticable. I love it like this