--- title: Vannyboy's Top 10 Guitarists of All Time - Number 1 description: Vannyboy's Top 10 Guitarists of All Time - Number 1 - Edward Van Halen - from the Rusty Playground Podcast image: https://therustyplayground.com/hubfs/EVH%20-%20SOCIAL%20SIZE.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://therustyplayground.com/vannyboys-top-10-guitarists-of-all-time-number-1#main-content) [![The Rusty Playground Logo](https://therustyplayground.com/hubfs/NAME---The-Rusty-Playground---HORZ-01.png "The Rusty Playground Logo")](https://therustyplayground.com) ## A Gen-X-Centric Podcast [![The Rusty Playground Logo](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LOGOs/The-Rusty-Playground-Logo---200x200.png?width=150&height=150&name=The-Rusty-Playground-Logo---200x200.png "The Rusty Playground Logo")](https://therustyplayground.com) - [Home Base](https://therustyplayground.com) - [Episodes](https://therustyplayground.com/episodes) - [Blog](https://therustyplayground.com/blog) - [Home Base](https://therustyplayground.com) - [Episodes](https://therustyplayground.com/episodes) - [Blog](https://therustyplayground.com/blog) Top 10 Guitarists of All Time # Number 1 ## **Edward Van Halen** ![01 - EVH 18 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2018%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=750&name=01%20-%20EVH%2018%20-%201000x660.jpg) I’m not sure the **internet** has enough memory for me to express **the genius of Edward Van Halen.** I’ve spent **hours and hours** working on this. Hell, I **wrote, rewrote, rewrote**, and then rewrote the **Randy Rhoads** post. I kept adding to it, even in rewrites. I said to myself, “**Mr. Pickles** (the name the voices in my head gave me), you’re supposed to be writing a brief on why Randy Rhoads is the **second greatest guitarist of all time**, not his full biography.” **True**. But it’s **nigh impossible** to separate the art from the artist, and **TOTALLY impossible** to separate the artist from their experiences. So, it was important to add what I did. Well, if I had that much to say about **Randy Rhoads**, how am I going to limit myself with **Edward Van Halen, the greatest guitarist to ever live**? The answer? **Not easily**. So, bear with me if this gets winded (and let’s face it, **it already has!**), but there are a **LOT** of reasons I will give to back up my claim, and in doing so, **I will touch on parts** of his life that got him to that point. —---------------------------   **What** is the **first thing** you think of when you think of **Eddie Van Halen**? The **hammer/tap/pull** that made him so famous, that changed the face of **rock guitar** like nothing else **before or since**? ![01 - EVH 11 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2011%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2011%20-%201000x660.jpg) At the piano, [**blowing smoke rings**](https://youtu.be/fuKDBPw8wQA?si=pWwhds6krTwE5gkj&t=101) as his then wife, **Valerie Bertinelli** smiles in a chair in the [**Panama video**](https://youtu.be/fuKDBPw8wQA?si=wOtttu5rPBzJCMMN) that we all watched a **billion times** on **MTV**? His **Frankenstrat**, the **red/white/black striped monstrosity** that he created out of parts to get a sound **so unique** that musicians at the time were **perplexed** as to how he got sound out of it, much less use it to make the most **groundbreaking rock album** since…well…hell, I don’t know. ![01 - EVH 09 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2009%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2009%20-%201000x660.jpg) The “**dead set in the 80s**” style of clothing that was **so iconic** that when you see cartoons where characters are in rock bands, **they wear those clothes**? **Sex, drugs, and rock and roll**? All of these are **correct**, and **more**. There was **a lot more** to Eddie Van Halen and what he **accomplished** than most people know. Some of what I will lay out here are **from stories** told by **friends and family**, and, in some cases, **enemies**. Some will be simple, provable facts that happened in front of others. I’ll try my best **to be honest** about the man, **Edward Van Halen**, just as I will try my best to be honest about what he brought to the table…**and gave us**. I’ll be as **open** and **impartial** as I can be. Here we go…   —------------------------------------   I believe that, when I get to Heaven, **angels' voices will sound like Edward Van Halen’s guitar.** **I mean that**. When I hear his guitar, be it a **screaming solo** or a **smoothly textured rhythm**, it sounds like what I think angels sound like. I can **HEAR** things in his playing. And, **no**, I’m not on LSD. **At this moment.** **“The Brown Sound”**, as it was referred to by EVH, was the tone that he always worked towards. You might have heard jokes from **South Park** and such about **“the brown sound”** being the one note that makes you **poop your pants**. Yeah. They got that from **EVH**. That is where we will start. ----------------------------------- **The Brown Sound** ![01 - EVH 04 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2004%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2004%20-%201000x660.jpg) Eddie Van Halen has **THE most distinct tone** in the history of rock and roll. Don’t believe me? I bet you **Mattyman’s house** that I could play you **50 guitarist’s** playing the **same 10 notes** and you could pick out **which one** was EVH, even if you’re just a casual fan. And what is even more **incredible**, is that, through the **35 years that he was active**, his tone changed dramatically, but always rooted in the same…**feel**? I don’t even know how to describe it. Listen to [**THIS**](https://open.spotify.com/track/6fybp4N6eW3bsFAvARxyVe?si=e8ed7f14f413499c). 1978. Now, listen to [**THIS**](https://open.spotify.com/track/3iAjbWycpCN2GjbuwlnYKH?si=cdf1f672c3dd4216). 1995. **Same guy.** Can you tell? Yes, you can. **Very much so.** There are a **LOT** of stories out there from other **guitarists who idolized** and met EVH personally. Many of them got to go to his **5150 Studio** and even play with his **guitar**, through his **amp**, through his **effects**, in his **studio**. All of them said the same thing. “**I didn’t sound like Ed. I sounded like myself.**” I’ve seen interviews with **Zakk Wylde**, **Steve Vai**, and **Dweezle Zappa** all saying the same thing. In fact, those same guys said that, when **Ed played through their setup**…he sounded like **Eddie Van Halen**! Even with different effects you could tell it was him. But when he played through his **ever-evolving Brown Sound**, he sounded even **MORE** like Eddie Van Halen. It’s wild. It’s unique. It’s been **studied and copied**. But there was **only one** Eddie Van Halen, because part of what made Eddie sound like he did (besides his techniques) was that, famously, **Edward Van Halen** was a tinkerer. ----------------------------------- **The Tinkerer** The **most famous**, iconic guitar of all time is Eddie’s **“Frankenstrat”**, also known as **“Frankie”**. Its **paint scheme** is so iconic that it’s basically a **visual metaphor** for “**rock and roll band**”. You can see this type of visual shorthand all over the media through the past 40 years. **More people** would recognize **Eddie Van Halen** through that guitar than through a picture of the man. ![01 - EVH 06 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2006%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2006%20-%201000x660.jpg) I won’t bore you with the **technical stats** and whatnot, but to sum it up, **Frankie** is an attempt to combine the sound of a **classic Gibson guitar** with the **tremolo bar functionality** of a **Fender Stratocaster**. Ed, **the most copied guitarist of all time**, had only one working pickup in the guitar. There were **three in all** that were observable, but **only one worked**. He did that so people trying to copy his sound would **never get it right**. Sort of like putting three locks on the door and **only locking one**. Any thief would simply lock the unlocked locks in an attempt to unlock them all. **Same mentality**.  Ed **lied a lot** about his equipment until he was established **internationally**. As mentioned in my previous post, **Number 2 Greatest Guitarist, Randy Rhoads**, Ed did not share his secrets at all when he was trying to break through. **Rhoads saw Van Halen** at a concert for the first time. Afterwards **Randy asked Eddie** how his guitar stayed in tune while using the tremolo so often. Eddie said **“That’s my secret to keep.”** ![02 - Rhoads 19 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_02%20-%20RANDY/02%20-%20Rhoads%2019%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=02%20-%20Rhoads%2019%20-%201000x660.jpg) Rhoads, **a teacher** who shared everything, was **dumbfounded** and **insulted** that Edward would not share that information. What Randy didn’t know is that the guitar didn’t go out of tune because **Edward had modified it HIMSELF**. He had **tinkered** and **labored** for a very long time figuring out how to do this, apparently something **that no other guitarist** had ever done. He invented a different **peghead** to keep guitar string tension. He **had** to create it because his playing **required it**, and, **instead** of changing how he played, he **invented** a way to alter the guitar. Ed guarded his tone **like it was his child**. In many ways, **it was**. Lots of people wanted to **steal it.** Ed would have his amps set up in a way that **some of them had wires** sticking out of them to look like he **changed them**, and others that were changed but **showed no signs**. He made his own **amps**, just like he made **Frankie**. In spite of the fact that **Frankie** was **one-of-a-kind**, Eddie’s son, **Wolfgang**, told a story about how **he and a friend** were hanging out at his house. They asked him if **he knew where something** was and he said “It’s in the closet. **I’ll get it.**” He started throwing things out of the closet to get to it, and Frankie…**THE Frankie**…was **near the bottom**. Ed grabbed it and **tossed it across the room** onto the couch. Wolfie and his friend freaked out! “**Dad!**,” Wolfgang said, “ That’s **the most famous guitar in the world**! You can’t just **throw it around!**”   To which **Ed replied** “Why not? **It’s just a guitar.**” It wasn’t the only alteration Ed **contributed** to **guitars and amps**. Edward has **3 U.S. patents**, but that just scratches the surface. “It was like **a whole new bag of tricks** and all this other stuff that **nobody thought was possible**. And the way **he changed amplifiers** and everything like that...not only with his playing technique, but down to **pickups**, **tremolo bars** with the Floyd Rose, the way **amps are designed**, with more high gain and everything like that. I mean, **he changed EVERYTHING**, across the board. Not just because of **him doing taps** and everything like that. Even the way guitars are made and amps are made. **He changed it all**.” - **Zakk Wylde**, Ozzy Osbourne guitarist ![01 - EVH 19 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2019%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2019%20-%201000x660.jpg) ----------------------------------- **The Technique** Literally…how do you **describe** the **indescribable**? Ed’s technique **rocked the guitar world** and is a **singularity** in rock music like no other guitarist before **or since**. “I thought that Edward was **really the game changer**. There have been **two game changers** so far: And a lot of really great guitar players that have contributed. But as far as **‘What the fuck?!’** There was **Hendrix** and there was Edward. To me, there **hasn’t been a third**. There’s guys, as you know, that make me sound old, slow, and sloppy. **And even Edward!** You know, they make him sound slow. But, there’s a **craftsmanship** and **artistry** to the whole picture that he had. It was in the, **not one hit**, not twenty hits, not one record that **sold 10** million, **but multiple**. Just like a **brutal** kind of whacking off of the head of **everything that came before**.” - **Steve Vai**, Guitar god ![01 - EVH 20 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2020%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2020%20-%201000x660.jpg) Let’s face it, **the first thing you think of** when thinking of Eddie Van Halen is **finger tapping**. If not, then you know nothing, **Jon Snow**. Ed **didn’t invent** the finger tapping thing. He **never claimed to**. He **DID** come up with it himself, but he didn’t invent it. “Uhh, **what does that mean**, Vannyboy?”  Well, Edward is **self-taught** on guitar. He did take **piano lessons** as a kid. His father was a **famous Dutch** brass musician. He wasn’t a stranger to **music and theory** and all of that. But, in the days **before the internet** or anything like that, people would listen to records or **go watch a show** to see how other musicians did things. According to Ed, he saw **Jimmy Page** do what is called a “**hammer-on"** in guitar: where you have your index finger on a string and use your ring finger to “hammer” down on a string, often followed by pulling it off again. It had been done for a **very long time**, but Eddie saw Page do it and **was inspired**. So, like he often did, he **made it better**. [**Ed said that one night**](https://youtu.be/QRyt7fbWCTw?si=T0MRE65SmugYZxpI) he was messing around with the **hammer-on technique** and wondered what it would **sound like to “tap”** a fret on that same string, a fret maybe **five frets away**. So he did. He tapped..then hammer-on with his ring finger, pulled it off, then pulled his index finger off. Thus…the Eddie Van Halen fingering technique was born. ![01 - EVH 22 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2022%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2022%20-%201000x660.jpg) **It was a revelation**. He just figured it out for himself, and in the process he started playing **like no one else**. It made his playing **so unique**, which seems impossible because, **by the mid-80s**, you simply didn’t have a rock guitarist that didn’t use some, **if not all**, of Ed’s techniques. **The Solo of solos** [**Eruption**](https://open.spotify.com/track/2tAeN2TKlQLOoSPXtARzBV?si=5c2016bb570f4cce). It’s **THE** most influential guitar solo of all time. **Period**. Ironically, it’s not really Eddie’s best solo (in my opinion that’s either [**Hot For Teacher**](https://youtu.be/6M4_Ommfvv0?si=jZLpxFekGge3x9Pk&t=213) or [**5150**](https://open.spotify.com/track/6Xd3sEwne19qbUzxOrUl40?si=a0922b43227548f6)), but it is, without question, the **GREATEST** solo of all time. It birthed a hundred million guitarists. [HERE](https://youtu.be/L9r-NxuYszg?si=U0nDYTniYbsjXcAD)is a live version of Eruption, one that contains many of Ed’s **signature sounds** and techniques. Eruption is **a culmination of techniques** and speed that very few outside of **Southern California** had heard, and those only heard it from watching **Mammoth**, who changed their name to Van Halen. It’s just a true **slap at your senses**. Even today, when **Gen Z** hears it for the first time their **faces melt**. It’s a lot of fun to watch these kids. That must have been **exactly** what my face was when I first heard it. And also, that **thousandth time**. As I said, **Edward had better solos**. Solos that fit within a song, **but none**, not by him, not by anyone else, have had the effect of Eruption. ![01 - EVH 05 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2005%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2005%20-%201000x660.jpg) **The Second Solo of solos** Edward got a call one night from **Quincy Jones**. **He hung up**. He called back, “Ed this **IS** Quincy Jones.” “**Yeah, right**,” said Eddie. “Fuck you.” **And hung up**. Toto guitarist, **Steve Lukather**, who Ed knew, called him and said, “**Hey, it’s really him, Ed**.” So, when **Quincy Jones** called back, **Ed answered** for real. You see, Quincy was **working with a kid** on a **solo project**. The kid wanted to **cross over**. He was kind of **famous for dance tunes** and just wanted to bring **some rock to his songs**. He was **young**, **black**, and the **music industry** was pretty **segregated**.  Ed went over to the **studio** and met with Quincy and his client, **Michael Jackson**. Michael had written a song called [**“Beat It”**](https://open.spotify.com/track/1OOtq8tRnDM8kG2gqUPjAj?si=6bf9b268290745c9) with Lukather. They wanted to lay down a killer solo. **Lukather suggested Edward**. Eddie listened to the song. He said, “Sure, **I’ll do it three times** and you can **pick the one you like** best, okay?” **He did**. **They did**. And then Michael and Quincy **went to lunch**. While they were gone Ed asked Lukather if he could **mess around with the mix**. So **Eddie changed** where some of the spots were. When Michael came back **he was blown away**.  That is one of the **biggest songs of all time** and helped send Michael Jackson **through the roof.** Thriller, the album it is on, is the **highest selling album of all time**. It probably always will be. **Ed was uncredited and unpaid**. See, he and Van Halen were on a break between tours. They had a **standing agreement** that they **wouldn’t do solo projects**. But, Ed didn’t figure that this would count. After all, as Ed once told Larry King, “I thought, ‘**who’s going to hear me** on this black kid’s record anyway’?” **Nearly everyone alive, Ed**. After it came out, Ed was in a **record shop** looking around for new music. **Billie Jean** was playing on the speakers.He heard **some kids near him**, with their backs to him, say, “Hey, that **HAS to be Eddie Van Halen**.” The other kid said “Nah. He wouldn’t be on this album.” Edward said **“Yeah. It’s me.”** and walked away. He **laughed while telling the story** because the kids were **obviously shocked**. That **uncredited solo** helped elevate Thriller, Jackson, and MTV. Not bad for **about 10 minutes** of work.  **![01 - EVH 10 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2010%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=990&height=660&name=01%20-%20EVH%2010%20-%201000x660.jpg)** ------------------------------------ **Innovative Rhythm Playing** Of course, besides the **tapping**, besides the **tone**, besides the **technical hardware**, Edward also had other very **innovative techniques**. He always claimed that **he never** set out to write songs that were **different just to be different**. He just dicked around with the guitar and when something would click he would **add it to his repertoire**, often writing sections of songs around it. For example, [**Cathedral**](https://open.spotify.com/track/3fXFhoffpzywnfHC3BpyuX?si=524cfb25ab594447). He achieved that effect by adding a “**delay**” and “**chorus**” pedal, which does exactly what it says: he strikes a note and **it repeats** a bit as well as sounds like it’s in a **large room**. Then he would strike the notes as he **rapidly rhythmically** turned the volume knob **up and down** on his guitar. If I **didn’t just tell you** how he did it, it would take you a **hundred years** to figure it out. On the same album ([**Diver Down**](https://open.spotify.com/album/6Ft0JILsEo5ZP2ddjECznc?si=j_T6Hj2ISVuMV76LN9EJ6Q), Ed’s **least favorite** album Van Halen, you have the masterpiece called **"Little Guitars”**. It has an [**opening section**](https://open.spotify.com/track/2uvAhfgNAzt5FFKkBc43Uk?si=1b0b86182eb24997) where Edward makes it sound like a **Spanish acoustic guitar**. He doesn’t use the **multi-finger** approach that a **classical guitarist** would. He uses s**peed picking** and **hammer-ons**…Edward style! And in the[**full song**](https://open.spotify.com/track/18fIsTimWvKXA2whjHYON3?si=ebcd415eaddc4b34) he uses **harmonics in the verse**. It’s just incredible song writing and kudos to **David Lee Roth** on being able to write songs to that. And, of course, there is the opening to [**Mean Street**](https://open.spotify.com/track/1eGSgC6ZhJ8D4nrZZ83LyA?si=276e0c39189d46bc) from the album of the [**same name**](https://open.spotify.com/album/4KlqAmR1tA1dERWo7MHhzO?si=qV-0MhdlRKuVBNLAb84H_w). The opening part is done **using his fingers like drumsticks** and the **fretboard like drums**. It’s just nuts. I know many **great guitar players** that can’t play it, and some that can and it **really took a lot of work**. And that was **KNOWING** how to play it. Ed **just made it up**! ![01 - EVH 23 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2023%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2023%20-%201000x660.jpg) For the **layman**, Ed’s fills and solos are **what stand out**. But to **us guitar players**, it’s his **rhythm playing**. I once told a friend who asked me about his rhythm work and I said “**what sounds hard** is usually fairly easy, but what sounds fairly easy **is brutally hard**”. Of course, some of what **sounded hard** was also **brutally hard**, but you get my meaning. Ed **never wrote songs** to be a guitar god. He was a **guitar god that wrote songs**. Amazing songs. Songs that have **lasted**. Songs that have made Van Halen nothing short of one of the **most influential** and **copied bands** of all time. --------------------------------------- **5150 Studios** The **first five albums** by Van Halen were recorded locally in California. Recording was expensive and you **paid by the hour.** Also, you had **limited time**. If you’re **The Beatles** in 1967…take your time. If you’re **Van Halen pre-1984** it was “**be ready to record everything**”. So Ed was.  His wild solos were **snappy and tight**. When Ed sat down to play a solo, **he had already played it,** cleaned it up, **added**, **subtracted**, and then **relearned it**. When they hit **“record”**, he didn’t need too many takes. The **upside of this** is that he really had to have solos **worked out before** he got there, so he gave them **lots of thought**. The **downside of this** method is that he didn’t have the opportunity to **experiment** solos and songs on the spot. It was just **too expensive**. Another problem with using **someone else’s studio** is that the producer **has near complete and total control**. Ed was often getting vetoed in his own band by **Roth** and producer **Ted Templeman**. And, Roth being a **dance fan**, always pushed for **covers**. Probably because he didn’t really have to do any work. By the time they forced out **Diver Down**, Ed was **D-O-N-E** doing covers and writing for others. “**David Lee Roth** had the idea that if you covered a successful song, you were half way home. C’mon…Van Halen doing “**Dancing In The Streets**”? It was **stupid**. I started feeling like I would **rather bomb** playing **my own songs** than be **successful** playing **someone else’s** music.” - **Edward Van Halen**  ![01 - EVH 12 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2012%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2012%20-%201000x660.jpg) So, between **Diver Down** and what would eventually become **1984**, Edward built **5150 Studio** in his **home**, where it **didn’t matter** how much time he took and, also, no one would **tell him what to do**. Edward was **not above input** from others. He was **open to ideas** and often made changes…if they were **GOOD changes**. He just wanted to have more **control**, more **time**. The **upside** of having his own recording studio with unlimited time was that…**he got a LOT better**. A lot better at **songwriting**. A lot better at **guitar**. I mean, he was already Eddie Van Halen! But, by the **end of the 1984 album** the Edward Van Halen that made **Van Halen 1** couldn’t have **played** the music on **1984**. ![01 - EVH 03 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2003%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2003%20-%201000x660.jpg) Ed would **write the songs** and not worry about the **solos**. When he got to the part where the solos would fit he **would just riff** multiple times and take out the **pieces he liked** and **put them together.** His solos got a **hell of a lot harder**, I can tell you. He was **constantly pushing** himself, and therefore, pushing everyone else too. **Eddie Van Halen had leveled up**. Another thing having **his own studio** did was it allowed Edward to use his **keyboard**. Edward was a very **incredible pianist**, but, being a **guitar god**, no one in the **band or record company** wanted him to play it! Roth literally told him “You’re the **best guitar player** in the world. Nobody wants to **hear you play keyboard**.” Well, the only reason [**Jump**](https://open.spotify.com/track/7N3PAbqfTjSEU1edb2tY8j?si=ccb5ddcc1da44e4e), Van Halen’s **first keyboard-heavy song**, didn’t reach number one on the charts was because of the industry breaking **Thriller** album. It made it to number 2. So, **Diamond Dave** didn’t know what he was talking about. And the other keyboard heavy song on the album, “[**I’ll Wait**](https://open.spotify.com/track/2TIKWWCf6qAtVP6AGa7e9k?si=dab9c1ead0eb44ed)” was also a big, big hit. \[**Editor’s Note:** I’ll Wait was co-written by **Michael McDonald**, who was uncredited on the original print of the album. The record company thought is would make VH look bad…as if **Gen-X** didn’t love Michael McDonald or something.\] To be honest, **it wasn’t** that people **were ready** for Van Halen to have **keyboard music**…it’s that Eddie was just great at **writing amazing songs**. The songs were good, **guitar or keyboard**. The **DOWNSIDE** of Ed having 5150 Studio was that, and **this is just subjective,** their music began to have a “**more produced**” sound. Not the same “**raw to the bone**” sound they had on the previous five albums. And the **next five albums** would have even more of a produced feel. Again, this is subjective. Some “**fans**” jumped off when **Hagar** joined because they didn’t like that produced sound. Me? **I love Van Halen**. **![01 - EVH 01 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20-%20EVH%2001%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2001%20-%201000x660.jpg)** **Diamond Dave And Sammy Hagar** Not only did Edward Van Halen **reinvent** the way the **guitar was approached** and even played, he did it using **two different lead singers**. With **David Lee Roth** from **1975-1985**, and **Sammy Hagar** from **1985-1996**. Both singers also contributed to reunion tours and such. **Roth** may have had very limited **vocal range**, but he made up for it with his **sheer mind-blowing performances**, cheeky **songwriting**, and **over the top personality**.  ![01 - EVH 17 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2017%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2017%20-%201000x660.jpg) “There are certain things **that come along that are undeniable** and it’s just a matter of watching the **momentum as it goes along**. When that album came out it was, ‘Okay, here’s a **game changer**.’ And **every band that they played** with **suffered the consequences** of having them opening because they were just a **force to be reckoned with**. You didn’t want to follow that.” - **Paul Stanley**, KISS “One of the reasons **I left Black Sabbath** was because **Van Halen was blowing us off the stage every night**. It was embarrassing.” - **Ozzy Osbourne,** Prince of Darkness   **Hagar**, a 15-year veteran of rock and roll **by the time** he joined **Van Halen**, has a much more powerful voice than Roth, more **commercially viable** songwriting skills, and is absolutely about fun. ![01 - EVH 15 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2015%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2015%20-%201000x660.jpg) With Roth, Van Halen **reached number 1** on the **Billboard Charts** with **Jump**, but by then had become a staple of rock and roll through their **endless touring and energy**. Much like **Bon Scott and AC/DC**, Roth’s Van Halen had pushed Van Halen to the **pinnacle of rock** and MTV. When he left, many thought that **Van Halen was over**. But, much like **Brian Johnson with AC/DC**, Hagar came in, **rejuvenated** the band, and took them to **heights not seen by very many acts**. And he did it for **10 years** with **4 number 1 albums** and **10 number 1 songs on the US charts**. There **have** (and **always will be**) debates between “**who was better, Roth or Hagar**”. That shouldn’t be the question. It really should be “**who do you like better, Roth or Hagar**”. Both iterations were **incredible**, both iterations had Edward Van Halen **leading the way**. But with Hagar, Edward was free to bring anything he wanted to the table. **Hagar** believed **he was in a band** with Edward Van Halen. **Roth** believed Edward Van Halen was **in a band with him**. Before you say “Hey, **Vannyboy**, what about the **failure that was Van Halen III** with **Gary Charone**?” Well, **Van Halen III** is an **unbelievable** album. It’s incredible **from top to bottom** with Eddie browning the **Brown Sound to almost black.** It’s great, it really is. But…**it’s not Van Halen**. It doesn’t have that feel. The band had just **lost its “fun factor”**. ----------------------------------- **Edward The King, Edward The Man** By **ALL accounts**, Eddie Van Halen was simply **a gem of a guy**. Everyone he met says the **same thing**. He was the kind of guy that would **give you the shirt off his back**. But he was also the guy who **jealously guarded** his innovative techniques and equipment…until he made it big, then **he shared everything**. Ed also did things[**like visiting**](https://youtu.be/cN3Gn8W4ZvA?si=xGfyrhRFQ8p2JBjk) former David Lee Roth guitarist, **Jason Becker**, who is **suffering from ALS**, bringing him a **guitar**, playing it on **video**, and then **signing it for him**. Why? Ed knew that some day **Jason may need to sell that guitar** to pay for **medical expenses** or **just to live**. It’s a guitar that is **hand delivered by Ed**, played **on video by Ed**, and **signed by Eddie** for a fallen star. Jason recently sold that guitar at **auction for $110,000**. ![01 - EVH 13 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2013%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2013%20-%201000x660.jpg) This next one will **choke you up**, folks. **Pantera** guitarist **“Dimebag Darrell”** (real name **Vinnie Paul Abbott**) and his brother, the drummer for Pantera, were **MASSIVE** Van Halen fans. Vinnie credits Eddie for **being the reason** he wanted to play guitar in the first place. **Before each performance**, Vinnie and his brother would say “Van Halen!” to each other before they stormed the stage. It was their way of saying **“let it all hang out”**. In 2004, Vinnie **got the chance to meet** Eddie Van Halen. Afterwards, **on the plane**, he told his brother “**I just met Eddie Van Halen**. If this plane goes down now **I’ll be okay**.” One day **while hanging out**, Vinnie/Dimebag asked Ed if **he could buy one** of his guitars. He said that the black and yellow **“Bumblebee”** guitar that Eddie made [**Van Halen II**](https://open.spotify.com/album/3w93PGkmXAmEAdJVvmPbzI?si=lEIGHNcESvauP-UstWUTvQ) with was his **favorite guitar ever**. Ed said “Nah, I’ll make one just for you”. ![01 - EVH 14 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2014%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2014%20-%201000x660.jpg) **He never got the chance**. A **few weeks** after meeting his hero, Vinnie Paul “Dimebag Darrell” Abbott **was murdered** on stage by a **deranged fan**. The last words Vinnie ever said were “**Van Halen!”** Before his funeral **word got out** that Vinnie’s family wanted to **bury him with a guitar**, since that was the **center of his life**. So Ed called and asked **if he could donate one**, and they said **of course**. He asked “what color” and they said “yellow and black was his favorite”. **Ed showed up** to the funeral with his **“Bumblebee”**. Not a **replica**. **THE Bumblebee** guitar that Ed had written Van Halen II with. Vinnie was buried **with his favorite guitar ever**, one that was worth **hundreds of thousands of dollars**. **That’s the kind of heart** Eddie Van Halen had. While it doesn’t seem that Roth was **ever a friend**, **Ed and Hagar were neighbors** and **best friends** for **years and years**…until they weren’t. **Why did it end** between guys who claimed to be like brothers? **Greed**, **paranoia**, and **drugs**. **All on Ed’s side**. I’ll briefly explain… In 1996, **KISS started a “Reunion Tour”** with the **original lineup**, back in make-up. They were set to make **$100M**. Edward, with the **wrong people around him**, began to see **dollar signs**. In fairness, that is a **LOT** of dollar signs. **His manager**, a different guy than he had had for the first 8 years with Hagar, started telling Ed **“hey, dump Hagar, get Roth, and make a large fortune”**. Ed’s plan? To make a **Greatest Hits** record and invite **Roth** to do a **reunion tour**. Hagar wanted none of it. So the Van Halen brothers **fired Hagar**. They famously showed up on **The MTV Music Awards with Roth**, who couldn’t help but ham it up now that he was important again. But what Dave saw as “hamming it up”, Ed saw as [**“very disrespectful to Beck”**](https://youtu.be/m0wXXTcDQYI?si=ON_ouGl50E3aXttz), who was on stage getting an award. So that tour was **canceled that night**. ![01 - EVH 16 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2016%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2016%20-%201000x660.jpg) Ed had some **reunion tours** with **both Sammy and Dave**. Dave didn’t care enough about Eddie personally **to be hurt** by anything he might have said or did, he only **cared about the money.** Sammy did **one reunion tour**, which was a disaster **personally**, and **broke their friendship up for a decade**. Ed, who had always been an **alcoholic**, was now using **meth**. **I think it was meth**. Nobody has said it, but that is what **it looked like to me**. He became **erratic**. He would play **out of tune** in concerts. He became a **shell of himself**. It was really hard to watch.  In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the [**Rock and Roll Hall of Fame**](https://youtu.be/Zf9eTL9NH0Q?si=QG7GjIip2ATyIT5D). Only **Sammy Hagar** and bassist **Michael Anthony** showed up. **No Roth**. **No Alex**. **No Ed**. Ed was in rehab. In 2012, Van Halen released their last album, **A Different Kind of Truth**, with David Lee Roth **at the helm.** The album was **modern releases** of songs that they **had written with Roth in the 70s** that hadn’t made it to other albums. The **music was great**, but seemed like a step backwards to me. Roth had **completely lost his range** and sounded more like Barry White. **Michael Anthony** had been **unceremoniously fired** from the band and replaced with Eddie’s incredibly talented son, **Wolfgang**, a move that was **handled very poorly**. On **October 6, 2020**, Edward Van Halen **died of cancer**. He had smoked **since he was 12**, yet still blamed previous tongue cancer on holding **aluminum picks** in his mouth while he played. Hard headed as hell, or just **unwilling** to accept the blame. He had been **sick for a long time** but **few people knew** it. He died **surrounded by his wife**, his ex-wife, **Vallerie Bertinelli**, and his son **Wolfgang**. Wolfie wrote an incredible song for his father called [**“Distance”**](https://youtu.be/HI3aPJkZmNU?si=uYExuJEVH50RWcII). Ed got to hear it, but **didn’t know it was about him** and that his son knew **he was on his way out**. Edward, you see, was a family man. **He adored his son**, Wolfie. Clearly, **Wolfie felt the same**. ![01 - EVH 21 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2021%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2021%20-%201000x660.jpg) **Sammy Hagar** revealed, after Edward’s death, that **he and Ed had made up** and were **friends again.** They talked every week, **but never about the band**. They were just…**friends**. **Right Now**  The **biggest**, most **impactful song** that Van Halen ever did was [**“Right Now”**](https://open.spotify.com/track/6N1sNzq3CArC1pMSaZTxaT?si=b0c56e54d78e48e2), off of the [**For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge**](https://open.spotify.com/album/42WP0R0fgGMJ97RaIablW9?si=qG__yfU0QpecPYv2AHU46w) album, in 1991. In the era of grunge, the video beat **Nirvana’s** [**“Smells Like Teen Spirit” video**](https://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg?si=vREfZHVR_nqp4MRU) for **MTV’s Video Of The Year Award**. It’s a song about **living for now**. Move **past the mistakes** in your life and **head for something better**, but all of that begins right now. **At this moment**. ![01 - EVH 02 - 1000x660](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%2010%20Guitarists/_01%20-%20EVH/01%20-%20EVH%2002%20-%201000x660.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=01%20-%20EVH%2002%20-%201000x660.jpg) Since the release of **Van Halen I** in 1978, there **hasn’t been a moment** that rock music has not been affected by the **brilliance of Edward Van Halen**. He, **like no other guitarist** before or since, changed the **landscape** of rock music, changed the **techniques** in how to play guitar, changed how the guitar was **made**, and **melted faces** of literal **billions of people**. All other guitarists **pale in comparison** and recognize his contributions. For that, and for **making my life so, so much better**, I have **Edward Van Halen** at **number one**. **The Greatest Guitarist To Ever Live.** [![NAME---The-Rusty-Playground---HORZ-01](https://therustyplayground.com/hs-fs/hubfs/NAME---The-Rusty-Playground---HORZ-01.png?width=1290&height=154&name=NAME---The-Rusty-Playground---HORZ-01.png "NAME---The-Rusty-Playground---HORZ-01")](https://therustyplayground.com) The Rusty Playground is a fair-use podcast. We don't own the sampled materials in this podcast, just use them to inform and entertain. [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/RustyPlayPod) - Pages - [Homepage](https://therustyplayground.com) - [Episodes](https://therustyplayground.com/episodes) - [Blog](https://therustyplayground.com/blog) © 2022 All rights reserved.