“A civilian variant of Eddie Van Halen’s iconic Frankenstrat”: EVH launches the Frankenstein Relic Series, deconstructing Eddie’s famed striped colorway

After previewing its newest trio of electric guitars earlier this year, EVH has now officially launched its Frankenstein Relic Series with three six-strings that take apart the iconic striped colorway of Eddie Van Halen’s original model. 

Described as “a civilian variant” of Van Halen's fabled Frankie, the new instruments deconstruct the timeless striped aesthetic of the mythical original, with each new Frankie-inspired guitar exclusively opting for a red, black or white finish.

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As you’d expect, the color difference is the only thing that differentiates these three models, which follow the precedent set by the brand’s current Frankenstein guitars.

For the body, a solid block of basswood – heavily relic'd, of course – is utilized, and is teamed with an EVH Modified C Backshape-profile svelte quartersawn maple neck. Elsewhere, a compound-radius maple fingerboard, fitted with 22 jumbo frets, also makes the cut.

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In the pickup department, a direct-mount EVH Wolfgang humbucker is in charge of tones, and can be tamed by way of a volume pot labeled Tone. This bridge pickup is paired with a faithful dummy neck single-coil.

Intriguingly, the Frankenstein Series models stay true to the original Frankie by arriving with an HSS open cavity, which is occupied by the aforementioned pickups – however, the neck pickup can be wired into the circuit, if so desired, for extra tonal options.

As is the case with every other Frankie throwback offering, a D-Tuna Floyd Rose tremolo – letting you “mimic Eddie’s signature trem work” and instantly access Drop D tuning – is accounted for, with a 1.69” locking nut also onboard.

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These are the latest aged Frankenstein guitars to be released by EVH, whose roster currently includes the white-and-black Striped Series '78 Eruption and the classic Striped Series Frankie models.

Having said that, the latest Relic Series models are the most affordable of the bunch, with each iteration carrying a $1,699 price tag.

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The red, white and black Frankenstein Relic Series models are available now.

For more information on the guitars, head over to EVH Gear.