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SHOCKING: 3 - What They Never Told You

Alex Van Halen shares rare recording of a young Eddie Van Halen playing guitar to mark the late guitar great’s birthday

The sorely missed guitar legend would have turned 71 on January 26

Guitar World

MXR's high-gain Eddie Van Halen collab headlines Jim Dunlop's fresh pedal drop – and there's an Iron Maiden Killers Cry Baby too

NAMM 2026: The MXR EVH Modern High Gain Pedal was co-designed with Eddie Van Halen in 2015 and is officially here, and it's joined by a special Way Huge fuzz and some cool Cry Babies

MusicRadar

“John's got this toolkit of unwritten rock riffs. I wouldn't say that he’s out and out, AC/DC rock – but he could easily do it”: How John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and Dave Grohl channeled Eddie Van Halen on the F1 soundtrack

Mayer, Sheeran and all-star producer Blake Slatkin reveal what went down at the studio after they were approached to write a song for the F1 movie... and the EVH Easter eggs you might have missed

Guitar World

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“I opened the door... he had the guitar in his hands. It was him playing the jazz. I had no idea that he was that good”: Mark Tremonti on Alter Bridge’s “secret weapon” and his soloing strategies for avoiding the same old pentatonic patterns

The self-confessed Dumble “addict” talks all things guitar

MusicRadar

"In the mid-80s, to get your record played, you had to take the guitar solo out." Radio stations tried to cut Eddie Van Halen's solo from one of his most iconic songs

Iron Maiden legend Nicko McBrain has hosted an epic interview with Alex Van Halen

Metal Hammer

“We submitted plans for a racquetball court”: Eddie Van Halen's 5150 Studios was decades ahead of its time – but it required a white lie to build

LA homeowners were forbidden by the city's zoning laws to build a home studio on their property. But what's rock 'n' roll without breaking a rule here and there, and sticking it to the man?

Guitar World

Speed bursts are the path to Shred Heaven: boost your rock chops with 6 jaw-dropping examples (that won't break your fingers)

Learn how short and fast sequential patterns favoured by legends such as Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and Zakk Wylde can be connected to create blazing solos

Guitar World

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“Eddie told me, ‘Roth is driving me nuts. I can't take it. I gotta leave. I know you're looking for a lead guitar player. Do you want me in the band?’”: When Eddie Van Halen asked to join Kiss – and they turned him down!

MusicRadar

“I hope your reaction is, ‘I have never heard Van Halen like this’“: New compilation album of old Van Halen rehearsals with Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang has reportedly been released – and it doesn’t feature a singer

The recordings come from the 5150 Studios soundboard as the band rehearsed ahead of their 2007 tour

Guitar World

"Be it Eddie Van Halen, Mick Mars or anyone like that, I have such respect for the person that I'm stepping in for." Motley Crue guitarist John 5 reveals the secret to stepping into the shoes of some of the world's most respected guitarists

John 5 has picked up the axe for the likes of Mötley Crüe and Rob Zombie, and he's learned a few lessons along the way

Metal Hammer

Sammy Hagar's Las Vegas residency is 'dream come true for elderly rock star'

Sammy Hagar has declared his Las Vegas residency is a "dream come true for an elderly rock star" as he prepares to bring The Best Of All Worlds show back to Sin City for two more runs next year.

BANG Premier

“I remember thinking, ‘This is like Eddie Van Halen’s death.’ He influenced so many, and he was one of a kind. His legacy is monumental”: Bruce Kulick remembers Ace Frehley, and the Frehley-era Kiss song that caused him the most trouble

The underrated guitar great recalls his 12 years trying to emulate the Spaceman while bringing something fresh to the band, all the time wondering how Frehley’s playing connected with so many guitarists around the world

Guitar World

“I had to reassess why I was even playing. I stopped playing electric guitar for a year”: Steve Stevens says going on tour with Van Halen made him rethink his relationship with the guitar – and it gave way to one of his most experimental albums

After weeks of rock 'n' roll overstimulation, Stevens pivoted and spent a year traveling with a nylon-string

Guitar World

“Do you see Taylor Swift shredding scales? I don’t think so”: Wolfgang Van Halen on how fans unfairly critique his guitar playing because of his father – and why shredding like Eddie isn’t important

The Mammoth multi-instrumentalist has pursued his own musical path – though some commenters can’t help but constantly compare him to Eddie Van Halen

Guitar World

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MusicRadar

“One night, I decided to be the DJ in Rage Against the Machine - but I was going to do it all on the guitar”: How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist

The Rage Against the Machine axe-man’s most memorable moment saw him emulate a DJ scratch breakdown using a trick that few have fully mastered

Metal Hammer

"There was a period during my teenage years where I felt emotionally abandoned, so to speak." Wolfgang Van Halen has a thing or two to say about living up to expectations

From recording with Van Halen to touring with Metallica, Wolfgang Van Halen has worked hard at standing on his own two feet

Guitar World

“Virtually indistinguishable from the all-tube original”: EVH signals the start of a brave new era with its first digital combo – which promises authentic Eddie Van Halen tube amp tones

The three channel amp is a lightweight reinvention of Eddie Van Halen's iconic 5150III in a digital combo form

Guitar World

“People don't know this. He loved it”: Jeff Beck secretly played a PRS at home – and the company is trying to get it back

Beck played Fenders, Gibsons, even Jacksons onstage – but he reportedly kept a PRS handy at home for recording

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Guitar World

“I think Jimmy's pointing at Ed, but he motions for me to come over. He said, ‘You have something that these other guys here don't’”: Steve Lukather was hanging out with Eddie Van Halen, when Jimmy Page paid him the highest compliment

Getting endorsed by the Led Zeppelin legend is something most guitarist could only dream of – but Lukather recalls the moment the icon gave him his flowers

Guitar World

“I’m gonna fight this thing”: Great White guitarist Mark Kendall reveals Stage 4 cancer diagnosis

Kendall says he's being treated by a world class team of doctors and early signs are positive

Guitar World

“They can show you what a guitar is about right away”: Wolfgang Van Halen names the 2 classic rock tracks he plays to test any electric guitar

Forget the forbidden riffs and the flashy taps. Wolfgang finds it's better to keep things simple...

Metal Hammer

Charlie Sheen remembers his “private concert” from Eddie Van Halen on the set of Two And A Half Men: “They did five takes of it, and I was like, ‘Are you sure we don’t need a sixth?’”

The guitar legend made a cameo appearance in one episode of Sheen’s sitcom in 2009

Guitar World

“It’s got one bit where I’m tapping on the frets. I got that idea from Eddie Van Halen”: The Last Dinner Party’s Emily Roberts reveals how she took a page from Van Halen’s book to craft the band's most popular track

Queen, Brian May and the theatricality of ‘70s rock is writ large in Roberts’ style, but she says she takes inspiration from all corners of the guitar world in search of a sound that’s uniquely hers

Guitar World

“He plays that amazing lead, and I'm like two feet from him. Can you get a better private concert with Van Halen, anywhere, ever?”: Charlie Sheen reveals the real story behind Eddie Van Halen’s legendary Two and a Half Men cameo

The long-running sitcom featured a rotating roster of A-list cameos, including Elvis Costello, Steven Tyler, ZZ Top, but EVH ...

Guitar World

“I had to keep Dad in check whenever he made a mistake”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his early gigs with Van Halen – and keeping Eddie in line

Wolfgang also wanted to unearth some B-sides to help honor the genius of his predecessor once he stepped into the role

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