Frankenstrat

The Frankenstrat, also known as the "Frankenstein", is a guitar created by Eddie Van Halen. Its name is a portmanteau of Frankenstein, the fictional doctor who combined body parts to create a monster, and the Fender Stratocaster, an electric guitar made by Fender. A copy of the Frankenstrat is housed in the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Overview

The Frankenstrat was Van Halen's attempt to combine the sound of a classic Gibson guitar with the physical attributes of a Fender. It was made from an ash Stratocaster body, with pickup routing which he modified to fit a Gibson PAF humbucking bridge pickup. The guitar has a maple neck and fretboard and chrome hardware, and had a different paint black and white striped design until it arrived at its final combination of red and black-and-white stripes. It is a six-string guitar, with a Floyd Rose tremolo.

Design

Body and neck

Van Halen bought the Frankenstrat's ash body and maple neck for $130 from Wayne Charvel and Lynn Ellsworth, who sold Boogie Body bodies and necks. Because it was not cosmetically attractive, the body was a factory second. Since the body had a knot in the wood, Van Halen bought it at the discount price of $50. The $80 neck had jumbo fret wire, and its truss rod was adjustable at the heel.