“When I pull up, Ed is standing there with the wah. He goes, ‘Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?’” Eddie Van Halen’s tech helped John Frusciante track down a rare wah pedal – but the guitar hero didn’t approve of his gear choice

Eddie Van Halen and John Frusciante
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ former guitar tech Dave Lee has revealed that Eddie Van Halen’s tech once helped John Frusciante source an elusive vintage wah pedal – but the electric guitar god wasn’t particularly impressed with his gear choice.

Lee joined the RHCP’s wider circle of behind-the-scenes pros during Dave Navarro’s short stint in the band, having originally been recruited by the Jane’s Addiction man. Four years later, though, Lee was helping Frusciante – who rejoined the band in 1998 – to assemble his Californication pedalboard.

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Phil Weller

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.

With contributions from
  • Senior Staff Writer, GuitarWorld.com