A piece of rock history is set to hit the block.
Rocker Eddie Van Halen’s 1982 Kramer electric guitar will be auctioned by Sotheby’s New York during the house’s inaugural Grails Week from Oct. 21-28. According to estimates, the guitar, which was custom-built for the Van Halen star, is expected to fetch a whopping $2 million-$3 million. A previous Sotheby’s sale for a guitar owned by Van Halen — that one on display in the band’s “Hot for Teacher” music video — netted $3,932,000 in April 2023.
Based on Van Halen’s original “Frankenstein” design, the piece was extensively played during Van Halen’s 1982-83 tours, seen onstage during concerts in Philadelphia; Caracas, Venezuela; São Paulo, Brazil; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Van Halen gifted the guitar to longtime friend and guitar technician Robin “Rudy” Leiren, who later sold it to Mick Mars, former lead guitarist and co-founder of Mötley Crüe. Mars used it during the recording of the hit Dr. Feelgood album, including on the track “Slice of Your Pie.”
The guitar will be on display in Monterey, California, from Aug. 13-16, a date that coincides with RM Sotheby’s Monterey auctions. It will mark the first time the guitar has been seen in public in more than 40 years since Van Halen last played it in concert. Sotheby’s Grails Week is curated to showcase items from the worlds of film, music, TV and comics.
“Played during some of Eddie’s most iconic performances and later used by Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars, this instrument connects two giants of heavy metal,” explained Ian Ferreyra de Bone, Sotheby’s managing director of its luxury division. “With its custom build and incredible backstory, it’s a true grail — exactly the kind of piece we had in mind for Sotheby’s first-ever Grails Week, which shines a spotlight on the most sought-after treasures from music, film, TV and comics and puts Sotheby’s right at the center of pop culture.”
Van Halen’s 1982 Kramer electric guitar. Per Sotheby’s, the guitar shows extensive wear from playing, and the body features an inscription from Van Halen to Rudy Leiren. The red, white and black abstract design traces back to the original “Frankenstein” built by Van Halen in 1975.
Courtesy of Sotheby’s
Van Halen’s 1982 Kramer electric guitar. Per Sotheby’s, photographs show Van Halen working on the instrument at the Kramer factory in Neptune, New Jersey, using an electric drill to make adjustments.
Courtesy of Sotheby’s
Van Halen died following a battle with cancer at age 65 on Oct. 6, 2020.