When I was a kid, playing guitar, I always wanted the same guitar that my heroes were playing. At that time it was either a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul, an Ibanez RG or a Jackson of some sort. Of course the ones my heroes were playing were high end custom shop models costing thousands of dollars, but I was always able to find a similar guitar, same brand, at the music store for a few hundred bucks that got me excited that I had the same kind of guitar that Steve Vai or Jimi Hendrix played.
Boy times have changed. As an adult player I am very unlikely to buy a signature guitar. I want something unique for myself, not to look like I am copying someone else. But what about my son, or all the other kids in the world that will grow up like me idolizing the guitar work of Eddie Van Halen. You are out of luck guys. The entry level to the Eddie Van Halen series guitars is just short of three thousand dollars.
I am not saying that these guitars are not worth that kind of money. Well, yes I am, but that’s not the point. I am saying that there are few things that kids grow up watching and dreaming to do professionally. There is sports of course, and the entry point to some Lebron James sneakers is about $140. There is golf, and you can buy a reasonable priced set of Nike clubs to dream that you are Tiger Woods when you tee off. These days the music world seems to have lost touch with the fans on so many levels.
I can’t say I blame Lars Ulrich for not wanting people to steal Metallica music, I can get his point. I am not saying that Eddie Van Halen doesn’t deserve to have a top of the line guitar that reflects his unique playing style. I am saying that it’s a shame that I can’t go buy Andy a guitar that looks like the one Eddie Van Halen plays for Christmas if he gets excited about guitar.