EDDIE VAN HALEN's 'Hot For Teacher' Guitar Could Fetch Between $2 Million And $3 Million At Auction
The guitar Eddie Van Halen used in the music video for VAN HALEN's "Hot For Teacher" is going up for auction at Sotheby's.
The custom-made Kramer axe has a minimum bid of $1.8 million, and is valued at between two and three million dollars.
According to Sotheby's, stage-used and -filmed guitar was custom made by Paul Unkert of Kramer Guitars for Eddie Van Halen, including important innovations customized for Eddie's evolving guitar technique. It served as one of Eddie Van Halen's primary guitars in 1983 and 1984. The guitar was gifted by Eddie Van Halen to the band's retiring drum tech Gregg Emerson around 1990. Emerson subsequently gave the guitar to his nephew, who sold the guitar to Neal's Music in Huntington Beach, California. Neal's Music then sold the instrument to its current owner.
The guitar comes with a letter of provenance by Unkert, a signed photograph from Eddie Van Halen, its original case with tour and Warner Brothers tags, and the strait jacket and white gloves worn by Van Halen in the video.
Unkert's accompanying letter details the guitar's history: "The 'Hot For Teacher' Van Halen [guitar] was built by me at the Kramer Green Grove Road Plant in Neptune, NJ around 1982-1985/ #CO176. Look for 'Unk' stamps on Neck and Body. It was my last project for Ed and Kramer."
Bidding for the guitar closes next Tuesday, April 18.
"Hot For Teacher" appeared on VAN HALEN's album "1984". The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) objected to the song after its original release, calling for it to be pulled from both the radio and television, due to the track's sexually suggestive lyrics referring to sex with a teacher, and a female teacher stripping in the video, among other issues.
In 2009, "Hot For Teacher" was named the 36th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
The "Hot For Teacher" video was filmed at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, California. Because the school had been shut down due to insufficient funds at the time the video was recorded, VAN HALEN not only paid to rent the school for four days of filming but they also contributed money to the city to help get it reopene
Yeah I heard this guitar was being auctioned for crazy money. The sad thing for me is it will probably end up in some billionaires collection and never be played again by a real musician.
That is the thing I liked about the fact the Kirk Hammett bought Peter Green's Greeny guitar as he actually plays it on tour. Same with Joe Bonammasa, when he buys a rare guitar or amp. He actually uses it.
Do love the story about how VH paid the school for using it in the video and donated $$$ to allow it to open again.
Fender combo practice amp and portable Bluetooth speaker.
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/fender-audio-riff-speaker
The $20,000 Guitar Review | 2023 Gibson Kirk Hammett "Greeny" Les Paul Custom Shop Murphy Lab Aged
The $50,000 Guitar Review | 2022 Gibson Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul Collector's Edition
Hey Dean!!! Get your checkbook out!
https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/dean-armadillo-must-pay-160000-gibon-legal-costs/
Epiphone 1958 Korina Explorer and Flying V review
https://www.guitarworld.com/reviews/epiphone-1958-korina-explorer-and-flying-v-review
@bill_graham Gary with a unusually good solo at the end with the Les Paul.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Live from Nashville...CHRIS SCRUGGS!!!!!
PRS SE McCarty 594 Singlecut and SE McCarty 594 Singlecut Standard review
Watch "Duane Allman Gibson Custom Shop - A Rare and Cool Gibson"
Watch "Duane Allman - History Of Guitars" on YouTube
This may have been posted before but this is for you RD as you know a lot about Duane's guitars.
@bill_graham Duane had a good number of guitars for someone who left us at 24 years of age.
Duane was always, like many great players, looking for something else or some tweak.
Dickey said when the Allman Brothers Band formed in March of 1969 Duane was playing a Strat and Dickey played an ES-335.
Soon Duane found a GoldTop Les Paul he liked for live shows and switched. Later in 1969 Dickey switched to a Strat apparently because of his appreciation for Clapton. Then in 1970 Dickey went to a SG and a few months later because of liking the sound Duane was getting a lot, Dickey went to a Les Paul but Red Dog and Joe Dan said Dickey got it in Detroit but he never liked it so Dickey tried several Les Pauls until he got the right one for his tastes.
But Duane changed guitars too and eventually to the tobacco burst Les Paul with DUANE on the back spelled with old frets.
These are the most valuable vintage Fender finishes according to Reverb
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/most-valuable-fender-finishes
@bill_graham This my favorite finish. I call it tobacco burst.
I got very close to this guitar and one of Dickey's signature Goldtop Les Pauls at an Allman Betts show a few years ago in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Duane Betts said Norm at Norm's guitars in California dated it as mid 1950's hardtail ( No whammy bar ). It strings through like a Telecaster.
The pick guard is not original and the neck pickup has been modded with a hot rail. Dickey also had the knob closes to the strings removed. So just two knobs instead of three.
Dickey had this guitar around for years for certain rhythm tracks in the studio but in the mid 90's had those modifications made when he decided to play a Strat which he did until about 2000. Dickey was mad, or disappointed may be a better word, at Gibson for ignoring him until Gibson came out with a Dickey signature Les Paul Gold Top in 2001.
This Strat has a lot of wear on the body where your right arm is close to the body on top and the neck is very worn on most frets.
Slash was interviewed on one of the cable TV channels here and they talked about guitars. Slash years ago played a B. C. Rich but because of Led Zeppelin and pictures of Jimmy Page with a Les Paul, pictures of Eric Clapton playing a Les Paul and Jeff Beck on the cover of Blow By Blow playing a Les Paul, Slash decided that was the guitar for him.
What perked up my ears was when Slash said " I have two 1959 Les Pauls which sound fantastic. You can't top how they sound to me. They are tops!! But just because it was made in 1959 does NOT mean it's a good Les Paul. I have played a couple of 1959's that were not good guitars."
I remember Dickey saying that. It's how the wood turned out back in the 50's so Dickey's advice was to play the instrument without an amp in the men's room or somewhere and that will tell whether it's one of the good ones. And we know Dickey had a couple of Les Pauls he didn't like.
He also talked about a fantastic 1959 Les Paul he got from Joe Perry and he said Duane Allman owned it at one time. But Slash later gave it back to the Aerosmith guitarist.
Perry recently revealed that he indeed played his 59 Les Paul at the early years of Aerosmith live, he actually played a Strat on most tracks of the band's first few albums.
I can't remember why he did.
Slash was interviewed on one of the cable TV channels here and they talked about guitars. Slash years ago played a B. C. Rich but because of Led Zeppelin and pictures of Jimmy Page with a Les Paul, pictures of Eric Clapton playing a Les Paul and Jeff Beck on the cover of Blow By Blow playing a Les Paul, Slash decided that was the guitar for him.
What perked up my ears was when Slash said " I have two 1959 Les Pauls which sound fantastic. You can top how they sound to me. But just because it was made in 1959 does NOT mean it's a good Les Paul. I have played several 1959's that were not good guitars."
He also talked about a fantastic 1959 Les Paul he got from Joe Perry and he said Duane Allman owned it at one time. But Slash later gave it back to the Aerosmith guitarist.
Perry recently revealed that he indeed played his 59 Les Paul at the early years of Aerosmith live, he actually played a Strat on most tracks of the band's first few albums.
I can't remember why he did.
Just read this article about when Slash gave Joe Perry his 59 Les Paul back.
Slash Recalls Reuniting Aerosmith's Joe Perry With His Legendary Les Paul, Says Not Every '59 LP Has to Sound Good
BTW, the wife and I saw The Joe Perry Project last night at the Foxwoods Casino in CT with Gary Cherone (Exteme, VH) on vocals.
Great concert, they played 2hrs., and Joe can still pick at the tender age of 72. I will do a short review and post some pix later of Joe playing various guitars.
A Guide to the Gibson J-45 | GC Riffs
This is for you acoustic guitar lovers
https://www.guitarcenter.com/riffs/buying-guides/guitars/gibson-j45-acoustic-guitar-history-guide
@bill_graham That is cool! Glad you saw that. I've always liked Joe!
Keith!!!! In the pocket. Keith is a riff master!
https://youtube.com/shorts/LMqx7zk9gxc?feature=share
Keith Richards owns 3,000 guitars but says " I own 3,000 guitars but have just 2 hands so I only play about 10 of them".
https://www.guitarlobby.com/keith-richards-guitars-and-gear/
Keith Richards 2023 net worth is $500 million. He has earned this staggering amount of money as a songwriter, guitarist and second singer since 1962 for the Rolling Stones which ask for $9 million 600 thousand for 1 performance.
You shell out $9.6 mill and they take care of the rest and anything over $9.6 mill is yours big daddy.
As Biden said to Obama " This is a big ******* deal". The Rolling Stones are rocking to people in Cuba!!
Castro had to write the check because there ain't no millionaires in Cuba!!
Love watching the Cuban people enjoying themselves.
Keith Richards owns 3,000 guitars but says " I own 3,000 guitars but have just 2 hands so I only play about 10 of them".
https://www.guitarlobby.com/keith-richards-guitars-and-gear/
Yeah I had read that keef had a huge guitar collection in storage.
I am guessing there will be a huge guitar and other equipment estate auction once he passes.
Details on the mods to his famous Micawber Telecaster
https://www.fender.com/articles/behind-the-scenes/iconic-mods-the-legend-of-keith-richards-micawber
@bill_graham That is cool! Glad you saw that. I've always liked Joe!
Some video from the concert last night
A real surprise is they played "Lightning Strikes" from the "Rock and a Hard Place" album that Joe had nothing to do with and did not play on.
@bill_graham That is cool! Glad you saw that. I've always liked Joe!
Some video from the concert last night
A real surprise is they played "Lightning Strikes" from the "Rock and a Hard Place" album that Joe had nothing to do with and did not play on.
That is a peculiar surprise about Lightning Strikes. I always liked that track "Somebody" from they're debut. Looks like he is digging out some deep stuff.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Some pix from the show Saturday showing Joe's guitars. We had great seats 5th row center so got some decent pix. He also played a Gibson LP Goldtop with P90's and but I don't have any pix of him playing that guitar.
Setlist
Joe playing his Dan Armstrong Plexi
Gibson ES
Gibson Firebird
Black Strat
Heavily relic'd reverse Tele
Beside a Marshall stack looks like Joe was playing a modern reissue Fender Vibroverb. Not sure what the unit is on top of the amp, maybe a real tape echo unit?, but Joe kept fiddling with it during the concert.
Last minute add of Joe playing a beat-up reverse strat with what looks like a Tele neck.
Warm up bands in case anyone is interested
Robin Taylor Zander, son of Cheap Trick Robin Zander, yet unnamed band. They have an album coming out but no name for the band yet. Pretty good and sounded a bit like Cheap Trick IMHO
Mickey James Band. Singer Mickey James was very glam and very animated dancing around the stage. I liked their music as it was different but the older crowd there to see Joe Perry seemed perplexed and not impressed watching him dancing around. Reminded me of a cross between Slider era TRex and Ziggy era Bowie. The band was only him a guitar player and a drummer but they had backing tracks with bass and keyboards.
"Let the Music Do The Talking" from the Boston House of Blues last night.
This a great song from Joe Perry Project's first album after Joe left Aerosmith. The redid it for the "Done with Mirrors' reunion album when the band reformed in 1985.
Joe playing some dirty slide on his Dan Armstrong Plexi. The man can still pick it for his age.
I was tempted to go but there is nowhere to sit down on the floor and my feet can't take 3 hours of standing in one place anymore.
