John 5 on being gifted a guitar by Eddie Van Halen

John 5 owns many guitars. The Michigan-born guitarist is a self-confessed Telecaster addict – he owns over 100 – and through his stints with David Lee Roth, Rob Zombie, and now Mötley Crüe, he’s accumulated a war chest of six strings, but little hold as much significance as his EVH Strat .

He features in the latest issue of Guitar Player , talking about some of the standouts from his dizzying collection. That includes his “Goldie” Tele , a guitar he played so much Fender said it posed a health risk.

But away from his Tele obsession lies a guitar that holds immense personal value to him: A Charvel EVH Art Series in Black / White.

“This is a guitar Eddie Van Halen gave to me when these guitars first came out, and I was just absolutely blown away that he did it,” he says. “My hero gave me one of his guitars, and he was so proud of it as well. That was a time I'll never forget. I cherish this guitar.”

The series, released by Charvel in 2004 as part of its 25th-anniversary celebrations, saw each guitar hand-painted, played, and signed by the late guitar icon before hitting the market.

It comprises a basswood, Strat-style body, bolt-on maple neck with a 22-fret maple fretboard, and a Floyd Rose tremolo complete with Eddie's innovative Drop-D Tuna system.

Its specs are rounded out by a single humbucker, black pickguard, and a white top hat-style Tone knob, meaning there's a notable absence of a Volume control.

Speaking to Guitar World last year, John 5 listed Van Halen as the most influential player in shaping his sound.

“My number one is like a lot of other people's number one, and that's Eddie Van Halen,” he said. “He's a player who fits what [the category of] genius. 'Oh, that guy can play' isn’t genius to me. I think genius is something I can't see.

I was just obsessed with his playing. Thank god we had Eddie Van Halen

John 5

“Eddie created something that changed the world forever – it's very hard to explain, but it's just so unbelievable. He did that with his songwriting, amazing guitar playing, inventions, and designs, too. I was just obsessed with his playing, like all the other guitar players in the world. Thank god we had Eddie Van Halen, that's for sure.”

John 5 has previously given Guitar Player readers his top 5 tips for beginner, and veteran, guitarists , which included an anecdote on how he ended up playing for Van Halen frontman Roth.

“When I was just getting going, I called David Lee Roth’s people out of the blue,” he recalled.

“I wanted to further my career, so I got a number and called because I thought, ‘Maybe they’re looking for some music.’ It worked out, and that turned into a 30-year friendship.”

In late 2020, two Art Series guitars played onstage by Van Halen sold for over $370,000 at auction , but when it comes to personal value, John 5's EVH Strat is surely priceless.

To pick up the July issue of Guitar Player – which features John 5 discussing his most prized guitars, and the events that have shaped his life and music – head on over to Magazines Direct .