Any Van Halen fans?

Rook 3 · Dec 7, 2006

I just got into this Playstation game 'Guitar Heroes' and got a wild idea to make a guitar controller that looks like the '1984' Kramer Guitar Eddie Van Halen used with the '1984' album. This is the red, white and black striped version.

I picked up a DOA real Kramer guitar (a stripped one without strings or any other hardware)
off ePay already.

I've seen lots of photos of his '5150' guitar which is similar, but no real good images of the '1984,' which is painted slightly different.

Does anyone know of a source/site that has good images of the '1984'?

Thanks in advance,

Russ "See, I can do things that are NOT gun props" Krook III

patsmear · Dec 7, 2006

Here ya go:

http://www.vintagekramer.com/5150f.htm

Pat

bigbaddaddyvader · Dec 7, 2006

Good grief.... :confused
:lol

UnitPD · Dec 7, 2006

www.eddievanhalen.com

AndySertin · Dec 7, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rook 3 @ Dec 7 2006, 04:57 PM) [snapback]1373540[/snapback]</div>

I just got into this Playstation game 'Guitar Heroes' and got a wild idea to make a guitar controller that looks like the '1984' Kramer Guitar Eddie Van Halen used with the '1984' album. This is the red, white and black striped version.

I picked up a DOA real Kramer guitar (a stripped one without strings or any other hardware)
off ePay already.

I've seen lots of photos of his '5150' guitar which is similar, but no real good images of the '1984,' which is painted slightly different.

Does anyone know of a source/site that has good images of the '1984'?

Thanks in advance,

Russ "See, I can do things that are NOT gun props" Krook III
[/b]

Wow, I thought slash had it BAD...

Apollo · Dec 7, 2006

Pfft, minor collections compared to what John Entwistle had. :lol

Rook 3 · Dec 7, 2006

The 'vintage kramer' site was where I started looking. But the photo just Isn't big enough.

I'm probably going to be forced into making a new neck, as the OEM version Isn't thick enough to allow room for the fret buttons and PCB.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Russ

slave1pilot · Dec 7, 2006

is this it? or just a copy? (make sure you click the pic twice after it opens for the full size)

It looks like this one

Pete Schmitz · Dec 7, 2006

I'm a little unclear which guitar you mean- do you want the original frankenstien as in the above pic? I think you mean the one in the "hot for teacher" video, which was very similar to the 5150, but w/o an angled pickup and the star and 5150 stickers. I think the headstock was a little off as well- is that the one you mean?

Rook 3 · Dec 7, 2006

Tough call on that one. Apparently Eddie stripe painted several guitars in a similar style.

He also apparently pulled the original neck off his 1984 guitar and put it on one that he donated to the Hard Rock Cafe in 1985.

The main difference I've been able to find between the 5150 and the 1984, aside from the fact that the 5150 had "5150" in Space tape numbers, and the 1984 had '1984' in space tape letters.

The 1984 also had a black "X" shape stripes at the bottom, and the 5150 had an "L" black stripe on the left hand side.

And big thanks to UnitPD for the link to the eddie fan site. After perusing their site and forums for a while, I found a set of Ref pics of the 1984. I'm still trying to figure out why so many people are making replicas of the 5150? I mean, I liked the album too, but I wonder if there's a deeper reason than that.

@Pete: This is the 1984 that I'm thinking about replicamaking (Look it up, it's a word. Honest.

), and the Hot for Teacher version.

Russ

Gigatron · Dec 7, 2006

Just out of curiosity, wouldn't it just be a thousand times easier to repaint the "guitar hero" controller to look like the '1984' guitar instead of trying to retrofit a real kramer?

-Fred

Rook 3 · Dec 7, 2006

Wouldn't it be easier to buy a solid brick of resin that looks like a pulse rifle, than buying airsoft guns, shrouds, metal gun parts and painting/cutting/gluing/bolting it all togeather? :lol

To answer your question, yes, yes it would be easier. :lol

But I've rarely been one to take the easy route. Just ask my mother about that long birthing process.

:lol

I originally considered just doing a repaint of the Red Octane controller, but the styles were different, and the size is quite a bit different as well.

And I'm a glutton for punishment. Have I told you the one about how I was up for 36 hours strait to get my Halloween costume ready? The day BEFORE halloween? :lol

Fabulous resource Youtube is as well. The Frankenstein pictured above by Slave1pilot was used in the video 'Jump.'

Russ

Jedi-72 · Dec 7, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rook 3 @ Dec 8 2006, 03:44 AM) [snapback]1373645[/snapback]</div>

Tough call on that one. Apparently Eddie stripe painted several guitars in a similar style. He also apparently pulled the original neck off his 1984 guitar and put it on one that he donated to the Hard Rock Cafe in 1985.

The main difference I've been able to find between the 5150 and the 1984, aside from the fact that the 5150 had "5150" in Space tape numbers, and the 1984 had '1984' in space tape letters.

The 1984 also had a black "X" shape stripes at the bottom, and the 5150 had an "L" black stripe on the left hand side.

And big thanks to UnitPD for the link to the eddie fan site. After perusing their site and forums for a while, I found a set of Ref pics of the 1984. I'm still trying to figure out why so many people are making replicas of the 5150? I mean, I liked the album too, but I wonder if there's a deeper reason than that.

@Pete: This is the 1984 that I'm thinking about replicamaking (Look it up, it's a word. Honest. ), and the Hot for Teacher version.

Russ
[/b]

The main reason people replicate the 5150 guitar is that it is largely the one most widely associated with him. It has little to do with the album. He was playing that guitar way before 5150 was released. He toured with it in support of 1984. That was his main guitar for about six years...1984 through 1989. The 5150 logo on it also wasn't really directly linked to the album. In fact the song 5150 was recorded with an old vintage stratocaster and not the Kramer. 5150 is a police code for a crazy person or escaped mental patient. It sort of fit Ed's unique guitar design. It's become his signature so to speak.

The 1984 guitar was a tour back-up for the main 5150 guitar. Aside from differences in the patterning of the stripes, it also had a black Floyd Rose locking tremolo in place of the standard chrome Floyd on the 5150. It was very much the same guitar from an aesthetic point of view. But feel-wise, Ed much preferred the feel and sound of the 5150. That guitar had a unique voice. And that was Ed's thing. He'd fall in love with a tone for a while and then move on. For a while, that 5150 guitar was his live tone. It was the neck of that guitar that was digitally copied for his signature Ernie Ball guitar line. Having one, I can vouch for the perfect, broken-in feel of the neck. I can see why he favored it.

Next to the original Frankie, the 5150 is the most legendary Van Halen built axe. Built by Ed right here in Jersey at the old Kramer factory. He toured with what was left of the guitar in 2004. The body remains, but he now has some new and much less mojo-ish sounding pickup in the bridge postion in place of the old PAF, a Charvel copy of a strat neck, and I think it still has the original tremolo.

Rook 3 · Dec 7, 2006

5150 is a police code for a crazy person or escaped mental patient. It sort of fit Ed's unique guitar design. It's become his signature so to speak.[/b]

Ah, I forgot about the 5150 code designation. Thanks for clarifying/reminding me, and thanks for the history clarifications as well.

It all makes sense now.

But damn, now which look do I go for?

Russ

kell · Dec 7, 2006

:thumbsup The 1984 tour was the first concert I ever went to. :thumbsup

IronFist · Dec 8, 2006

While vacationing in Steamboat Springs, CO one summer, I was wandering through a snowboard shop and they were selling a brand new deck with that distinctive deco pattern. Tres cool.

Beeb89 · Dec 8, 2006

Must...have...Frankenstrat...guitar.. That was always my fav out of all of Ed's guitars.

Good luck on the build. Keep us posted.
-B89.

bkay · Dec 8, 2006

I always loved that guitar (and all of Eddie's for that matter) but I think the guy could play ANYTHING and make it look and sound amazing.

Me, I stick with my American Standard Stratocatsers and Telecasters...they have served me well for MANY years and they still look and sound great

jedi5150 · Dec 10, 2006

Jedi-72 pretty-well nailed it there.... Only thing I could add is that (IIRC) the 5150 Kramer is seen in the video for "Panama".... so yep, Ed was using it way before the 5150 album.

I'm also in love with the 5150... In fact, last summer I set out to find a guitar I could practice the paintjob on before I drop the $$$ on a vintage Kramer. I scored this Peavy Nitro at a pawn shop for $80.00, and a few cans of paint later:

Rook 3 · Dec 10, 2006

Well done. Since you've already gone the paint route maybe you can answer a couple questions?

What do you use to mask the thinner stripes? I imagine hand cutting pieces of tape would be a pain.
Is there an easier way? Some sort of automotive striping tape, or custom width masking tape?

Most of the repros I've seen have used a white base coat, then the designs were masked off,
painted red, remasked the areas that will be black, painted black and finally layers of clearcoat.

The major hangup for me is the different widths of the masking tape.

Thanks.

Russ

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