Eddie Van Halen to give a talk on guitar inovation.

Top rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen will speak about the guitar innovation he has experienced and also playing style that he has developed from being a kid to now and where guitar playing will go in the future. The event takes place on February 12th 2015 and the subject of the guitar icon’s talk at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and Zócalo Public Square be part of the ‘What It Means to Be American’ program.

A Dutch immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen, Van Halen will talk about his American journey, his role in creating one of the biggest American rock bands of all time and how he has reinvented the way the guitar is played and designed.  He’ll also answer the question, “Is rock and roll about reinvention?” Entertainment journalist Denise Quan will moderate.

Though the event is sold out, it can be seen on February 13 at www.whatitmeanstobeamerican.org. so get logged on there. As probably every guitarist knows, Eddie is among the great modern pioneers of the instrument. A self-taught inventor, he has developed guitar technology, technique and instruments that have redefined how the guitar is played and heard.  His company, EVH, is known for its innovative approach to guitars, amplification, pickups and accessories, all of which draw from Eddie’s own experience and preferences.

For the event, Eddie and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation will donate a master-built replica of his famous white-with-black-stripes Stratocaster-style guitar, which he built himself and used when Van Halen first broke through to fame in 1978. To show the path of progressions in his instrument designs, a Stealth-finished EVH Wolfgang guitar will also be included to represent his modern-day workhorse.

Van Halen and Fender will also donate an EVH 5150-III amplifier and cabinet to represent the journey and progression of his amplifier designs from the early Seventies through the modern day.