Metal Xmas \\ Photos Of EDDIE VAN HALEN 'Frankenstrat' Guitar At Universal CityWalk's Hard Rock Café

The giant guitar in front of the Hard Rock Café at Universal CityWalk in Universal City, California has been updated to a replica of Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat. Check out photos below.

The Frankenstrat represented Van Halen's attempt to combine the sound of a classic Gibson guitar with the physical attributes of a Fender. It was originally made from an ash Stratocaster body, with pickup routing that Eddie altered to fit a Gibson PAF humbucking bridge pickup. It had a maple neck and fretboard, and chrome hardware. It developed through several early paint schemes ultimately into the now famous combination of red, with black and white stripes. It is a six-string guitar with an original Floyd Rose tremolo, which Eddie helped to develop.



The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History earlier in the year acquired the VAN HALEN "Frank 2" guitar played and made famous by Eddie Van Halen through a partnership donation with Fender Musical Instruments.

The guitar was made in 2006 as part of a joint venture between the artist and Fender to produce a limited edition number of guitars for the EVH brand. Known as the "Frankenstein Replica," or "Frank 2," it will be part of the museum's Division of Culture and the Arts, which preserves a large and diverse collection of instruments.