When did Ed first start usin a Strat ?

[Tone Slinger]

I first notice a Sun Burst strat (Ed claimed it was a old Fender, but I'm thinking it was a Japanese copy, which in '76 would have been better than a NEW Fender strat imo). I take it that Ed ALWAYS used the bar when he was playing a strat, so when was the first bootleg of Ed and a tremelo bar ?

It seems that Ed must have used that Sun Burst strat up to at least the spring of '77. I'm thinking that Ed must have actually got the Franky in the Summer of '77 and had a version of it just ready in time for the first album (all black ?)

Whats everyone's take on this ?

[wjamflan]

I take it that Ed ALWAYS used the bar when he was playing a strat, so when was the first bootleg of Ed and a tremelo bar?

2/18/77 - Pasadena Civic

It seems that Ed must have used that Sun Burst strat up to at least the spring of '77. I'm thinking that Ed must have actually got the Franky in the Summer of '77 and had a version of it just ready in time for the first album (all black ?) Whats everyone's take on this ?

This has been discussed many times as you know - I'll just add that he said he built Franky in 1976.

[Tone Slinger]

Cool, thanks .

Ed mentions putting a hb'er in "a '58 Strat", saying it got close. He then said he built the Franky. Assuming that it was Feb. of '77 that he first starts using the bar, I'd say that he had just gotten the strat thing togather (the 'Fender'). Assuming that he stopped using the 'Fender' as soon as he got hold of the Franky, that would have to be post Feb. '77.
Ed was lying from the get go, BUT, he would get 'caught' by forgetting what he had lied about, and saying something else. He said he was born in '57 for the longest.

Ed even said, when asked, in that $25,000 Franky replica video thing, that he built it in "ughhh, maybe '74....'75".

Seems like 1977 was more accurate, huh ?

[evhguitars]

When did Ed first start usin a Strat ?

76 or even earlier..

http://www.musikfoto.com/rockpics.php?t ... an%20Halen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Believe it or not Fender strat experts have seen these color photos from this 76 shoot and have said it is an actual Fender!!

[leadguy]

Hmmmmmmmmm!

One set of those musikfoto photos can be dated because there is a motels piece of equipment in one of the photos and VH played with the Motels on

01/15/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening acts: Randy California and The Motels.

02/25/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening act: The Motels.

02/26/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening act: The Motels.

Ed is using a Burst Strat of some sort with a non original Fender logo on the headstock and it has a white Mighty Mite Distortion pickup.

Doesn't seem like a real Fender to me, what with the non original Fender logo and whatever.

The Franky seems to be in a photo from the end of May 1977 and was Black and it also had the non original Fender logo on the headstock neck and the pickup is a Zebra pickup which seems to be a Mighty Mite.

Ed is all over the place in the early interviews, some things true or nearly true and some things that have a bit of poetic license in them so to speak, so I wouldn't bet on things Ed said as always being 100% correct but in general there is a thread of truth in those early interviews in amongst other stuff.

[wjamflan]

01/15/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening acts: Randy California and The Motels.

02/25/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening act: The Motels.

02/26/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening act: The Motels.

1/18/77 and 1/19/77 at the Starwood: Destroyer and 335 - no Strat

The February dates seem more reasonable b/c of that. Not to say that he couldn't have used one on 1/15, but we don't have audio evidence of it, nor do we have solid dates for the photos from the photographer.

[evhguitars]

The photographer's website says Van Halen 1976.
http://www.musikfoto.com/rockpics.php?t ... an%20Halen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Marshall SL12301]

Cool, thanks .

Ed mentions putting a hb'er in "a '58 Strat", saying it got close. He then said he built the Franky. Assuming that it was Feb. of '77 that he first starts using the bar, I'd say that he had just gotten the strat thing togather (the 'Fender'). Assuming that he stopped using the 'Fender' as soon as he got hold of the Franky, that would have to be post Feb. '77.
Ed was lying from the get go, BUT, he would get 'caught' by forgetting what he had lied about, and saying something else. He said he was born in '57 for the longest.

Ed even said, when asked, in that $25,000 Franky replica video thing, that he built it in "ughhh, maybe '74....'75".

Seems like 1977 was more accurate, huh ?

yeah he made a mistake on that vid because elsewhere he said he built frank right before the 1st record

[JimiJames]

Pinpointing when he used one on a recording would be a challenge, but Jap copy, nah.
I do agree if it were any manufacturer other than Fender it would of been way better than the '76 through '79's. Shit Fenders all around (even for Gibson that at time. LPC's took the biggest hit) Revamping of the their business's.

(Timeline: Born in '55, Demo tapes, etc. , let's see availability)
The small headstock Stratocaster; neck was a RW Slab board which puts it late'50's to early '60's and the Large most likely before '71 still being the 4 bolters.
(Wasn't there a video interview where he says when or where he got it - stole it or borrowed it and never gave it back) ?
Those era Stratocaster's were so bad why do you think Ed finally had enough frustration went the route he did with Charvel.
Then with YJM just saying fuck it and slappin' a 4 bolt plate on and be done with it. (Shit man I shoulda' done that on a couple of mine...) I got rid of a of mine when the last straw was the Maple neck "rollercoasting"
Blackmore just smashes them... I don't blame him...

All he needed was that Destroyer with a whammy... game over !

[garbeaj]

01/15/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening acts: Randy California and The Motels.

02/25/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening act: The Motels.

02/26/77: Whisky A GoGo, West Hollywood, CA. Opening act: The Motels.

1/18/77 and 1/19/77 at the Starwood: Destroyer and 335 - no Strat

The February dates seem more reasonable b/c of that. Not to say that he couldn't have used one on 1/15, but we don't have audio evidence of it, nor do we have solid dates for the photos from the photographer.

How do we know of the 335?! Is there a pic of him playing the 335 that I haven't seen?!

[Marshall SL12301]

How do we know of the 335?! Is there a pic of him playing the 335 that I haven't seen?!

i pretty sure he destroyed that poor axe pretty early on!

[wjamflan]

On this fine evening at the Starwood both Joe and Dolemite were in the house to make sure that Dave and Alex kept their $85 poker winnings, and Van Halen were opening the show for Yesterday & Today, the first of a two night run. Eddie was using his pale mint-green Gibson ES 335 and white Ibanez Destroyer, neither of which had a whammy bar. For the record, I was at this gig and no 'strat'' of any kind was used. This recording is a digital transfer direct from the Starwood soundboard master. Additionally, this recording is not the June 29th or June 30th 1976 gig; the accurate date of this recording is Tuesday January 18, 1977. Now Dolemite gonna lay some heavy details on ya: The 'complete' circulating recording for this show starts half way into 'Somebody Get Me a Doctor' because the 'fool' at the soundboard forgot to press start on the tape. He also forgot to set the recording levels properly and left 'em barely moving at about 2-3. Dolemite was none too happy when he discovered this after the set, but whaddya gonna do? So to get any good gain in the transfer, all that villain HISS gonna hit ya hard...but hey, this is rock n' roll, not the LA Philharmonic. Brought to you exclusively by the Dolemite Archives.

[garbeaj]

On this fine evening at the Starwood both Joe and Dolemite were in the house to make sure that Dave and Alex kept their $85 poker winnings, and Van Halen were opening the show for Yesterday & Today, the first of a two night run. Eddie was using his pale mint-green Gibson ES 335 and white Ibanez Destroyer, neither of which had a whammy bar. For the record, I was at this gig and no 'strat'' of any kind was used. This recording is a digital transfer direct from the Starwood soundboard master. Additionally, this recording is not the June 29th or June 30th 1976 gig; the accurate date of this recording is Tuesday January 18, 1977. Now Dolemite gonna lay some heavy details on ya: The 'complete' circulating recording for this show starts half way into 'Somebody Get Me a Doctor' because the 'fool' at the soundboard forgot to press start on the tape. He also forgot to set the recording levels properly and left 'em barely moving at about 2-3. Dolemite was none too happy when he discovered this after the set, but whaddya gonna do? So to get any good gain in the transfer, all that villain HISS gonna hit ya hard...but hey, this is rock n' roll, not the LA Philharmonic. Brought to you exclusively by the Dolemite Archives.

I guess these are the notes accompanying the bootleg recording?
The "pale mint green" 335 had to have been the color Eddie chose since he said he sanded it and painted it and basically ruined it! I wonder if this is the same 335 as the pick-axe photos and the "And The Cradle Will Rock" solo?!

[Marshall SL12301]

I wonder if this is the same 335 as the pick-axe photos and the "And The Cradle Will Rock" solo?!

Nah look closely at it.that is a stock 335

[wjamflan]

On this fine evening at the Starwood both Joe and Dolemite were in the house to make sure that Dave and Alex kept their $85 poker winnings, and Van Halen were opening the show for Yesterday & Today, the first of a two night run. Eddie was using his pale mint-green Gibson ES 335 and white Ibanez Destroyer, neither of which had a whammy bar. For the record, I was at this gig and no 'strat'' of any kind was used. This recording is a digital transfer direct from the Starwood soundboard master. Additionally, this recording is not the June 29th or June 30th 1976 gig; the accurate date of this recording is Tuesday January 18, 1977. Now Dolemite gonna lay some heavy details on ya: The 'complete' circulating recording for this show starts half way into 'Somebody Get Me a Doctor' because the 'fool' at the soundboard forgot to press start on the tape. He also forgot to set the recording levels properly and left 'em barely moving at about 2-3. Dolemite was none too happy when he discovered this after the set, but whaddya gonna do? So to get any good gain in the transfer, all that villain HISS gonna hit ya hard...but hey, this is rock n' roll, not the LA Philharmonic. Brought to you exclusively by the Dolemite Archives.

I guess these are the notes accompanying the bootleg recording?
The "pale mint green" 335 had to have been the color Eddie chose since he said he sanded it and painted it and basically ruined it! I wonder if this is the same 335 as the pick-axe photos and the "And The Cradle Will Rock" solo?!

I don't know if they're the same guitar or not.

These notes came from the man who posted a master recording clip from the 1/18/77 show on youtube. The trading community was questioning his dating of the clip, so he sent the above message. He has other unreleased VH going way back, including recordings of Mammoth. He posted one and got so many questions about it he quickly pulled it. Folks in the trading community have talked with him about releasing some stuff and he wants no part of it. We'll have to wait and see what happens from here. Maybe someday....