" SIGNED BY EDDIE VAN HALEN "

EVH® FRANKENSTEINTM RELIC® HUMBUCKER:

The legendary humbucking pickup from the guitar that changed everything. Each EVH® FrankensteinTM Relic humbucker is custom-wound to the exact original specifications, and is uniquely “Relic’d” to re ect the years of wear and tear of Eddie’s original. Each limited edition pickup is hand-signed by Eddie and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Production was limited to 500 units worldwide.

Released in early 2009, the Seymour Duncan-manufactured EVH Frankenstein humbucker has become one of the most popular and sought-after pickups on the market. For years, guitar players and fans had been chasing down other pickups that supposedly had the right magnets, strength, tone, and appearance that matched the black humbucker that Edward Van Halen pulled from an early Gibson (cover removed) and placed in his striped Frankenstein guitar. Now we have his signature pickup and the ability to get close to the Brown Sound.

BROWN SOUND HISTORY
Two of the key factors in achieving the EVH Frankenstein Brown Sound tone are in the magnet type and the resistance level, which can be related to output levels (but not always). Without getting into other technical specs like the type of winding wire, Direct Current Resistance (DCR), magnet degaussing, and what Alnico (Al Ni Co) stands for, it's essential for the player to understand Guitar Pickups 101, and Van Halen himself demonstrated that when putting together his Frankenstein guitar - specifically when taking apart a stock Gibson Patent Applied For (PAF) humbucker.

Edward Van Halen apparently pulled a Gibson PAF from a 1961 ES-335 model guitar, removed the metal cover, and then swapped the stock magnet for an Alnico 2 (between 1961 and 1975, Gibson used Alnico 5 magnets in the PAF humbuckers). Van Halen then potted the pickup in wax to cut down on unwanted microphonics (howling). This is the pickup he then installed in his Frankenstein guitar. Over time the Alnico 2 magnets weakened (degaussed) and the pickup had a resistance around 9K ohms. Other stories have EVH swapping magnets in DiMarzio Super Distortion and Mighty Mite humbuckers, or even using these ceramic-magnet pickups virtually stock to increase gain and amp drive. At this point, it's doubtful EVH would remember or be forthcoming to the secrets of his tone, which floored everyone beginning in the late 1970s.