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EVH has announced the limited edition Star TOM electric guitar – a contemporary revision of the pointed ax Eddie Van Halen spent much of his early career playing.

Combining the “legendary qualities that defined early Van Halen music with modern performance enhancements,” the decidedly 1980s-esque instrument has evolved with the times.

As such, EVH has described this revision as “a modern interpretation of (though not quite a recreation of)” the guitar Eddie played during the band’s 1980s World invasion tour.

A basswood body provides sustain and crunch, while its one-piece quarter-sawn neck features an EVH-modified C-profile. It has an ebony fingerboard with 12-16″ compound radius and 22 jumbo frets.

A single EVH Wolfgang humbucker sits in the bridge position – primed to capture the essential essence of Eddie’s no-nonsense original Star – and is paired with a single volume control for a streamlined setup. A kill switch is also a fittingly playful addition.

The not-so-subtle guitar has been updated with a Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stopbar tailpiece, meaning it’s not made to channel Eddie’s signature whammy bar trick. But EVH is quick to talk about its “exceptional sustain” instead of such acrobatics.

Another version of The Star guitar was released last year, with a Floyd Rose tremolo. Both versions were inspired by Eddie’s Charvel and Danelectro hybrid.

The original Star debuted during the band’s 1980s World invasion tour and married a Charvel Star body with a Danelectro style neck and single pickup design.

Interestingly, while Van Halen’s eye-catching ax used a genuine Charvel Star body, he had actually inspired the instrument in the first place. Charvel – now part of the Fender stable alongside EVH and Jackson – had seen Eddie’s modified Ibanez Destroyer, nicknamed “The Shark”and went to town with it for a custom design.

The limited edition EVH Star TOM is available now and costs $1,299.99. There are three colors to choose from: Stealth Black, Silverburst and Vintage White.

Go to EVH to learn more.

In related news, Alex Van Halen has released the last song he and his brother worked on before he passed away in 2020.