EVH Frankenstein

[cookiemonster2]

Thanks for the review. I don't intend to discourage people from sharing information. However, I don't see where LeoKV called anyone stupid for wanting to buy one. He just said it's not his thing and I agreed with him.

I did pick up some cheap art myself this weekend. Do you think I should put it on the bookcase beside my Renoir, or the pedestal beside the Munsch?



It is a contemporary modern sculpture of the mythical character Optimus Prime. Perhaps if Fender CS hooks up with Hasbro a reliced model with battle scars will be available in time for X-mas. I can only hope.

[mattsmusiccenter]

Great review... Thanks! Hopefully the dealers that bought 20 of these can move them all. I see a few on Ebay that are advertised as "used" for well below $25K.

[Soap]

Theres a couple of them currently on ebay.
If you wanna spend 25 grand on a replica wonderful if you don't wonderful.
To each their own, but I have yet to see a guitar worth 25 grand.

I'm currently building a frankie replica.
When its all said and done, everything included (OFR, D tuner, Schaller tuners, 78 model pickup, nine dollars total for spray cans, fake SSL-1 neck pickup painted red, 3/5 way pickup switch in the middle cavity, the birds eye neck and fret board, ash body) I will have spent $800.00 - $850.00 and will look identical to the original frankie. Its just too much fun to put one of these frankies together, a labor of love and I'm genuinely having a blast doing it and saving a butt load of money.

I most likely won't ever buy a store bought guitar again regardless of the name brand. Once you build one it changes you, so to speak.
You realize these big name guitar manufactures, companies and some master builders (not all) are nothing more than scavengers.
Its just a couple of pieces of wood and some electronics and hardware, nothing more. So many try their best to dress it up and add a higher price tag for their involvement and etc. Even so, when its all said and done, its still wood thats getting sold. Learn to build your own, is much more practical and rewarding.

[LEOKV2]

Thanks for the review. I don't intend to discourage people from sharing information. However, I don't see where LeoKV called anyone stupid for wanting to buy one. He just said it's not his thing and I agreed with him.

I did pick up some cheap art myself this weekend. Do you think I should put it on the bookcase beside my Renoir, or the pedestal beside the Munsch?



It is a contemporary modern sculpture of the mythical character Optimus Prime. Perhaps if Fender CS hooks up with Hasbro a reliced model with battle scars will be available in time for X-mas. I can only hope.

Exactly! It seems that this madness of grabbing a brand new guitar and scratching the hell out of it has become the "coolest" on the planet!

Hell, I was looking into a MusiciansFriend catalog and they had this Gibson "Fern" mandolin that costed 7 grand... but they also were selling the "aged" version of it and it was 25 grand!!! And it was the SAME thing, but some guy scratched it, placed dings and "wear". Wow.

[SeventhSon]

Theres a couple of them currently on ebay.
If you wanna spend 25 grand on a replica wonderful if you don't wonderful.
To each their own, but I have yet to see a guitar worth 25 grand.

so you wouldn't spend $25k on a legit 59 les paul?

I'm currently building a frankie replica.
When its all said and done, everything included (OFR, D tuner, Schaller tuners, 78 model pickup, nine dollars total for spray cans, fake SSL-1 neck pickup painted red, 3/5 way pickup switch in the middle cavity, the birds eye neck and fret board, ash body) I will have spent $800.00 - $850.00 and will look identical to the original frankie. Its just too much fun to put one of these frankies together, a labor of love and I'm genuinely having a blast doing it and saving a butt load of money.

This isn't about the worth of RAW MATERIALS + LABOR. It is about supply and demand. Limited Edition "anything" is artificially limited supply to create artificially increased demand (and ergo increased prices).

* A Picasso is worth over a million. the raw materials are worth squat.
* Your personal rendition of a Picasso is worth squat.
* An authorized limited edition print of a Picasso is worth many thousands at art galleries.

If you think this is bullshit (and I'm not saying it is or isn't) AND you have ever paid thousands for a diamond ring for your wife or fiance, you are a hypocrite. A diamond is arguably one of the Earth's most common stones, yet the DeBeers cartel artificially limits its supply to create artificial demand and inflated prices.

[mhalsey]

Would be a nice display with say a replica of Pages Les Paul, Claptons black Strat, SRV replica Strat, etc.

If I were rich, my wall art would be comprised of guitars such as these.... and then some. Wouldn't matter if they were originals or repro's cuz they'd just be cool as hell to have - the ultimate addition to your guitar room.

As far as all the "slandering" going on in this thread, if I were a bettin' man I'd bet my last dollar that 99.9% of us would buy one if we were filthy rich and honest with ourselves, myself included. Me thinks the lil' green monster is rearing its ugly head.

[Soap]

so you wouldn't spend $25k on a legit 59 les paul? Nope.

This isn't about the worth of RAW MATERIALS + LABOR. It is about supply and demand. Limited Edition "anything" is artificially limited supply to create artificially increased demand (and ergo increased prices).

Marketing, demographics, supply and demand and etc means nothing to me, because I'm not running a business. I'm just one of many, thats learned to throw guitars together and very happy that I have.

* A Picasso is worth over a million. the raw materials are worth squat.
* Your personal rendition of a Picasso is worth squat.
* An authorized limited edition print of a Picasso is worth many thousands at art galleries.

All you've said is true, I agree.
As I said in my post, to each their own.
What works for one may not work for the other and I don't frown on that.

If you think this is bullshit (and I'm not saying it is or isn't) AND you have ever paid thousands for a diamond ring for your wife or fiance, you are a hypocrite. A diamond is arguably one of the Earth's most common stones, yet the DeBeers cartel artificially limits its supply to create artificial demand and inflated prices.

I've bought my wife some nice diamond rings. She likes them and I do my best give them to her, she's worth it.
Example, If had the resources and etc learned to cut, shape the stone, and make and shape the band for diamond rings, I'd most likely say the same thing as I have about guitar manufactures and etc.

Building guitars is too much fun and I get to learn some real cool stuff I never would have otherwise. The same goes for learning anything.
The same would go for making a diamond ring. I would call the cartel and all involved scavengers too once I learned the truth. I'm a diy people, because I haven't had the bigger bucks to blow I learned to do many things for myself. Some experiences haven't been easy but most have proved worth while. I've met some real cool and decent people, made some friends and helped a many of people along the way as well. Its been good, I like being a diy person. Again, to each their own.

[LEOKV2]

If I were rich, my wall art would be comprised of guitars such as these.... and then some. Wouldn't matter if they were originals or repro's cuz they'd just be cool as hell to have - the ultimate addition to your guitar room.

As far as all the "slandering" going on in this thread, if I were a bettin' man I'd bet my last dollar that 99.9% of us would buy one if we were filthy rich and honest with ourselves, myself included. Me thinks the lil' green monster is rearing its ugly head.

Ultimate addition to your guitar room? Really? Actually, the COOLEST addition would be to have THE REAL Frankenstein or Blackie. But, really, what's cool in having a replica? Specially if it costs 25K? I get you point though, but I'd much rather have cheap replica of these guitars as an ornament, like, a poster or something, but not worth 25k... please.

I asure you, if I were filthy rich... I'd buy EVH's real guitar, his pilow and his shoes and display that (or something). But not spend cash on a replica, no way.

And SeventhSon... sure, a rendition of Picasso done by myself is surely worth nothing but think about this. Say I'm a certified luthier and I'm pretty good at it and I decide I wanna build my own version of the Frankie, and I nail it perfectly, the same as the Fender version. How is that not worth the same as the replica? I mean, after all, the guys at Fender, grabbed a Strat, scratched it, burnt it and now they want 25K for that. I can do that (If I were a luthier who could) right? That's my point. That replica was done by regular people on a paycheck. It's not like EVH did that over 20 years of abuse. So the question is: is scraching and burning the guitar at Fender's facility, worth 25K ?

[hippietim]

And SeventhSon... sure, a rendition of Picasso done by myself is surely worth nothing but think about this. Say I'm a certified luthier and I'm pretty good at it and I decide I wanna build my own version of the Frankie, and I nail it perfectly, the same as the Fender version. How is that not worth the same as the replica?

Because you are some random dude. You were not commisioned or authorized to do the work. Having Eddie's blessing on this is what makes it valuable. It is highly unlikely that Eddie would send you Frankie to work from therefore it is highly unlikely you'd nail it perfectly anyhow.

[LEOKV2]

So is EVH "blessing" worth spending for a guitar, that, in any way, "blessed" or not, was scractched and burnt by some dudes at Fender? I honestly won't see a difference between a "random" luthier replicating a guitar than a major brand company doing it, in the end, it's just a fake, expensive or not, even if EVH takes a shit on one of those and sells it himself, it's still a fake, a copy.

[SeventhSon]

I've bought my wife some nice diamond rings. She likes them and I do my best give them to her, she's worth it.
Example, If had the resources and etc learned to cut, shape the stone, and make and shape the band for diamond rings, I'd most likely say the same thing as I have about guitar manufactures and etc.

Building guitars is too much fun and I get to learn some real cool stuff I never would have otherwise. The same goes for learning anything.
The same would go for making a diamond ring. I would call the cartel and all involved scavengers too once I learned the truth. I'm a diy people, because I haven't had the bigger bucks to blow I learned to do many things for myself. Some experiences haven't been easy but most have proved worth while. I've met some real cool and decent people, made some friends and helped a many of people along the way as well. Its been good, I like being a diy person. Again, to each their own.

Well you know the truth about diamonds, yet you still fork over thousands for them. They are common stones. Even if you did know how to cut/polish them, you'd have to pay thousands for the raw stone itself. The labor cost for finishing a diamond is minuscule relative to the artificially inflated price of the raw stone itself. Unless you are going to open up a diamond mine in Africa and bypass the DeBeers cartel, you are complicit in participating in a market where the supply/demand is artificially created.

And whatever you say about your wife being worth an artificially inflated price for a rock applies the same for someone purchasing an EVH. Maybe they think they are worth the indulgence. Who are you to judge how someone in America spends their money? I can point the same judgemental finger at you and your wife's diamonds.

[SeventhSon]

So is EVH "blessing" worth spending for a guitar, that, in any way, "blessed" or not, was scractched and burnt by some dudes at Fender? I honestly won't see a difference between a "random" luthier replicating a guitar than a major brand company doing it, in the end, it's just a fake, expensive or not, even if EVH takes a shit on one of those and sells it himself, it's still a fake, a copy.

The difference is that the "blessed" version will have a Certificate of Authenticity. You are not understanding the concept of "rarity". The limited edition's "rarity" will always be established by Certificates of Authenticity.

You could get framed Picasso at the mall for a couple of hundred (mostly the cost of the frame). Or you could get a limited edition replica from the Picasso estate for many thousands of dollars. While the latter is "just a fake" and will have been made by paid employees other than Picasso himself (who is long dead), it *will* have a Certificate of Authenticity that forever establishes its rarity.

[Joe_Steeler]

Ultimate addition to your guitar room? Really? Actually, the COOLEST addition would be to have THE REAL Frankenstein or Blackie. But, really, what's cool in having a replica? Specially if it costs 25K? I get you point though, but I'd much rather have cheap replica of these guitars as an ornament, like, a poster or something, but not worth 25k... please.

Dude that nails in the head for me. Couldn't phrase it any better.

[Joe_Steeler]

You were not commisioned or authorized to do the work. Having Eddie's blessing on this is what makes it valuable.

I want to know who died and named EVH a deity or soon to be holy man.
Tim, I agree with you on many subjects but this is just gay man!!
EVH would do the same shit with someone else if the cash is there. His playing was ground breaking and Good Lord did I shit my pants when I heard Eruption the first time, but through the years he's shown he is somewhat less of a man than many others in this planet. Yes, a drug abusing slush. There I said it. I wish him the best and hope he can get well for his own sake, his son and all of us guitar freaks.
In my eyes EVH is no God, sorry.

He fucked Peavey in the ass for a "new" 5150 with FMIC.
Who's to say he wouldn't do the same thing to FMIC if someone challenges the Strat headstock copyright and wins. All of the sudden you have every Tom, Dick or Harry (Wayne C. et al) making copy Strats and EVH lets loose one of them with an all of the sudden real EVH?

How about Kramer throwing some money his way in a couple of years? to make a new 5150 EVH RBW axe? then Marshall could be making the next 5150 4.5

What happens to all the dupes banking on the Charvel/FMIC $25k for "investment"/"wall deco"?

[Shawn]

It's funny how people said this run will sell instantly like Blackie (whitch BTW did NOT!!).
In the last week I had three dealers email me and then call me (personally) to let me know they had Frankies and if I "really" wanted one, something could be worked out.
In a week I had three guys peddling this thing to me when this thing was supposed to be sold out, because it was so damned hot.

IMHO, some dealers bought Frankies to keep cool with FMIC and all the politics that go along with corporations and now are afraid they will have this dust collectors for months, while their investment money is not presenting revenue.

Well said Joe. They havent sold SQUAT of these,confirmed, and they wont. I could own one right now at hard cost, but I wouldnt in a million years. FMIC couldnt care less either, as long as they can get some sucker dealers to buy into the hype, they have done their job.

On another note, saw the Legacy Charvels last weekend in NYC. Wonderful 21 fret neck, great finish work, just awesome. Unnfortunately, priced about $6000 to high, but hey, good luck to them.

They have truly lost their minds.




Shawn