Fact #81175
When:
Short story:
In the early hours of the morning, while in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Eddie Van Halen buys a mint condition 1958 Gibson Flying V guitar prototype from famed vintage guitar collector and roadie Dan Martin. Later in the day, on their Hide Your Sheep Tour [aka the K.A.T.N. (Kicking Ass and Taking Names tour) Tour], Van Halen play at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, supported by After The Fire.Full article:
Jason Miller : I remember the day that a guy named Dan from the St. Charles Guitar Exchange started coming around. My grandfather owned one of the original twelve prototypes of the original Gibson Flying V guitar and Dan would stop at nothing to acquire this guitar. Dan lied to my grandfather’s face for a profit and to begin what would become a very lucrative guitar acquisition project for none other than Eddie Van Halen himself.
My grandfather had purchased the guitar new from a music store in south St Louis. It was sitting in a window and he liked the looks of it. The guy told him it was a special breed of guitar that Gibson was trying out but that Gibson was not going to produce them. I believe there were only about twelve of the prototypes made and I think there are only 3 or 4 of those still in existence. It was mid 1980 when Dan first approached my grandfather about the super rare instrument.
My grandfather ended up accepting the offer for the red Gretsch and Gibson stereo amp once Dan promised he was just collecting it and it would stay under his mom’s bed at her house, and that grandpa could play it anytime he wanted to. Turns out my grandfather didn’t really care for the sound of the Gretsch and in about 6 months took it back to Dan and got the red Gibson BB King Lucille. When he returned to see Dan he discovered that Dan had flat out lied to him and sold the guitar to Eddie Van Halen for a reported ten thousand dollars. It would be the first guitar that he sold to Van Halen which would lead to many more deals to follow.
(Source : Rock'n'Roll Cocktail)
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My grandfather had purchased the guitar new from a music store in south St Louis. It was sitting in a window and he liked the looks of it. The guy told him it was a special breed of guitar that Gibson was trying out but that Gibson was not going to produce them. I believe there were only about twelve of the prototypes made and I think there are only 3 or 4 of those still in existence. It was mid 1980 when Dan first approached my grandfather about the super rare instrument.
My grandfather ended up accepting the offer for the red Gretsch and Gibson stereo amp once Dan promised he was just collecting it and it would stay under his mom’s bed at her house, and that grandpa could play it anytime he wanted to. Turns out my grandfather didn’t really care for the sound of the Gretsch and in about 6 months took it back to Dan and got the red Gibson BB King Lucille. When he returned to see Dan he discovered that Dan had flat out lied to him and sold the guitar to Eddie Van Halen for a reported ten thousand dollars. It would be the first guitar that he sold to Van Halen which would lead to many more deals to follow.
(Source : Rock'n'Roll Cocktail)