Van Halen Frankenstein Electric Guitar: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This Fender Masterbuilt Custom Shop guitar was played by Dutch-American musician Edward “Eddie” Van Halen ( 1955-2020) while on tour in 2007-2008. It is a replica of the guitar built by Van Halen in 1977 and named “Frankenstein” by fans (the guitar is also referred to as "Frankenstrat" and "Frankie”).The self-taught performer’s colorful, virtuosic style made him a premier guitarist of his generation and one of the most emulated musicians in rock history. In 1974, brothers Eddie and Alex formed the band Van Halen, whose innovative California-influenced heavy metal and pop sounds continue to inspire global audiences.

In 1975 Eddie Van Halen realized that no existing guitar had the features that he needed to create his signature sound. A constant tinkerer, he set out to construct a guitar to fit his standards, needs and playing style, combining different elements of long-established guitar designs into one instrument. By 2006, the original “Frankenstein” guitar had been in service for more than 30 years and was retired from performances. Chip Ellis, a master guitar builder at Fender, replicated every detail of the original guitar, which, when presented to Eddie Van Halen, appeared to be indistinguishable from the original. During the Van Halen 2007-08 North American tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen used this replica guitar, nicknamed “Frank 2,” for the majority of the performances.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 2007
• user: Van Halen, Edward
• maker: E.L.V.H., Inc.
• Object Name: guitar
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Physical Description: red (overall color)
• Physical Description: black and white (overall single or multi-hued designation)
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 39 in x 12 3/4 in x 5 in; 99.06 cm x 32.385 cm x 12.7 cm
• Measurements: overall: 39 3/4 in x 12 11/16 in x 3 7/8 in; 100.965 cm x 32.1945 cm x 9.8425 cm
• Subject: Music
• ID Number: 2010.0246.01
• accession number: 2010.0246
• catalog number: 2010.0246.01
• Credit Line: Gift of Eddie Van Halen through Jeff Cary, Senior Vice President, Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.