Mick Mars

Eddie Van Halen’s $3M Kramer resurfaces—wear, tear, and a Mars detour included

Played on tour between 1982 and 1983, Eddie Van Halen’s black-and-white-striped 1982 Kramer—an offshoot of his concocted ‘Frankenstrat’—resurfaces through Sotheby’s as part of Grails Week this fall. Modified by Van Halen at Kramer’s New Jersey factory, he famously posed with it in a print ad claiming it was “the best guitar you can buy today.”

Later gifted to guitar tech Rudy Leiren with an inscription, it landed in Mick Mars’ hands for the recording of “Dr. Feelgood.” Expected price tag: $2–3 million, with wear to prove its history.