The NEW 2023 EVH Frankenstein Relic Guitar 

Great news! ALL of the Black, Red and White EVH Relics are back on sale at Adorama for $799 (as of 8/21/24)! They must be blowing them out to make room for the new colors. Just received my replacement Red relic today after the first went back with neck issues. (only the red models were on sale back in June).

I bought the white one. The bag sucks but the guitar is awesome. As much as I love the OG Frankie, I wanted something that had the same feel/sound without people screaming ‘Panama!!’ at me.

I never got a Frankie because I would feel like such a poser, but this has that Eddie vibe without trying to be him. This is the first Frankie I’ve ever considered buying.

If you’re playing this at a venue, no patron would know this was an Eddie Van Halen guitar. The stripes are cheesy unless you’re playing VH so I think it’s amazing that they came out with the same guitar with a different paint job. And it’s cheaper? Hell yeah I’m in!

I actually like the idea of an Ed guitar without the stripes. As much as I love the striped versions of the EVH line, I would feel lame gigging with one of those. I would much rather break out one of these in a live setting. My wife got me the Frankie sneakers which I love as a keepsake, but never wear for the same reason.

I like these thin bags, they are much easier to put in the trash can 😂

I agree that bag is an insult for that price.

I really like the idea of getting a guitar that doesn't scream Eddie! the minute you pick it up, but at the same time having a guitar that plays like Eddie's is cool. This option is what I would go for without a doubt. Totally glad that I now have that option.

I would be more likely to get this than the Frankie. It says I love Eddie, but I'm not in a VH covers band

They did it so they can run them in bulk easier. Essentially its the same as the striped one with an easier to do finish (labor cost). They make a cool thing by doing the 3 colors individually. That is probably for saving labor time too. I can see where people would like a plain solid color.

The reason I like this is because it looks like a guitar I would have built for myself when I was younger. It has the D Tuna which some of the other EVH models don't have and it's an homage but doesn't scream from across the room that you're an Eddie fanatic. I actually love it

I like the look. Also like the stripe relic too. I can see getting away from the stripes as you feel obligated by everyone who sees you with it to play a VH tune. They expect it to be flawless too with the correct phrasing, timing and feel. Note for note perfect. With these ones, you could fly under the radar for a bit.

I got the Palermo in the red/orange . He was making these for a while . It kicks ass . Birdseye neck and ash bod . Guitar is killer . Got it used much cheaper then originally priced .

I have both the Frankie and a White Relic. Both are amazing guitars. I like the White Relic for gigs because I love the strat feel, but like others have mentioned, it honors my love of EVH, but allows me to be me. Ed inspired me and I play mainly EVH gear, so this and my EVH USA Wolfgang are two of my favorite guitars ever.

Steve…It’s funny you are wondering what market the guitar is for…I absolutely dig it…I can have a frankie without all the VH “stigma”…it just looks like a generic super strat from afar…I really like what they’ve done…but, different strokes as they say👍

Bag is made from recycled "For Members Only" jackets

i feel that having a none striped version is great especially for that i want the spirit of edd and ya can be yourself and do whatever mods edd was a big be yourself guy i feel he would approve i feel if they put a Wolfgang neck on it would be a hit

I love the white one and I love Eddie, but for my own collection I'd just appreciate something slightly more minimalistic in style, that's all!

Whoever at EVH that implemented that joke bag should be tea bagged.

Wow, what a cool couple of weeks. Kramer, Vola, and now a new Frankie. Awesome! But to be honest, the whole relic thing I could pass on.

Great review Steve. Funny, when you showed the gig bag, I thought you were going to say you were joking. Your description/reaction is spot on.

If I’m not mistaken the EVH frankie relic doesn’t come with a gig bag at all, just in a cardboard box with padding

I have all the striped EVH models and a Wolfie. I would buy one just because it's cool!!

Okay so im not sure I can speak for anyone else, but at least for me, these really resemble a well loved old school Charvel san dimas (despite the headstock), they have that setup/feel of Eddie’s guitars, but also have that general-not too “Eddie” specific- look to them that is very appealing for Charvel fans that would KILL to have a relic’d import guitar like this, don’t get me wrong, I love Eddie and have nothing but amazing things to say about him and his music, as I am sure almost everyone does, but I think that this is a guitar that a lot of Charvel fans would go for because right now the closest thing we have is the Henrik Danhage SC1, which is an absolutely fantastic guitar, however i feel like it isnt everybody’s cup of tea, and I think especially for people who can really appreciate flashy colors and finishes on guitars (like myself) would really love this red one specifically, I think that this is a perfect way to expand the company and reach some new players that do prefer the solid color look while still not straying away from the Eddie vibe of the guitar that everyone can appreciate. And as far as the insulting bags go, Im pretty sure they wanted to keep these things as low cost as possible but still wanted to include at least something for the money people are spending on this thing (even though im 100% certain we would all rather just pay an extra couple hundred for a damn hardshell case). Hope this helped clear things up a bit 🙏

I have a Frankie and the Eruption model. I’m going to get one of these. I modded the Frankie by wiring the front pickup and adding a big brass block to the Floyd Rose. I modded the Eruption guitar by adding a front pickup.

Put a full pick guard that accommodates the bridge PU orientation and it might be nice. Heart of a Franky but would look kinda normal

The bag is probably just for extra protection for shipping & storing. The Black, Red, and White are awesome and not so in-your-face Van Halen. The guitar IMO is a great instrument and super well designed in every way. It really is a perfect guitar regardless of who invented it. I also love that you don’t have to worry about messing it up. The satin finish is great. The instrument just feels and sounds right.

As much as I love EVH and have for years... the "Eddie" touch with all the striping was always a little too much for me and was always stopping me from buying a Frankie. Not because it wasn't awesome...it was awesome for ED...but I'm not ED. So this is right up my alley! All the attributes without all the flare! I LOVE this stripped down line of EVH's !!

If someone wants their own unique guitar, they should mod it themselves. My guitar has a lot of personal touch to it, just make it your own! The only thing I miss is a fixed bridge with D-Tuna, looks so much better than those crap pitch keys for tuners.

If I could afford having a striped EVH as well, I would buy it in a moment but since I do lots of covers etc on my channel I need a more "versatile" looking guitar. I think this one will fit my 80s guitar needs and also pull off the EVH style as well! So for me it's EVH but not too much so you only have to play VH on it 😂 My first option was a Charvel with 1 volume/3way switch and non recessed Floyd Rose. Since I can't get my hands on one at the moment other than some signatures...

I can definitely see a market for a stripe series without the stripes. As someone else already said, when you show up with a full blown replica everyone thinks you're going to crank out perfect VH all day. I think they should have pulled back just a little more though. Maybe put more of a normal top route configuration to the bridge pickup, left the partial pick guard out but keep the selector switch in the middle as a signature move. I just wish the relic wasn't identical in every one.

Got mine, love it!!!!

My first thought was "why?", but I guess if someone likes the make and sound but doesn't wanna look like they're trying to be EVH it could make sense. Besides guitarists, I don't think many people would recognize it without the signature paint.

1700.00 with a brown paper sandwich bag case? Or Frankie 1900.00 with case and better resale value? Thanks Steve 😊 if it was 1000.or under, maybe?

10:32/12:30, my opinion, I'm not a die hard EVH player, but I need that sound at times. This would be a good fit for me without building something myself. Excellent review, thank you.

I totally understand your points. However, I like this and think there's plenty of people who would want this over the stripped. A classic EVH design to springboard from. I think maybe this is also is for those who can't or don't have time to make/build their own version. I've "built" a few of these for around the same price. Although, they had Original Floyd"s and different body woods. All the top end materials. I've always preferred solid colors, too. Even though I loved it, I ended up selling my Frankie. It became more of an expensive wall piece. I'd rather have and play the solid color over the stripped, anyway. I agree, the bag is trash. I'd shop around for the guitar though, you can get one new for around +/- $1500. Which unfortunately, is the new cheap. Also, these prefab relics are just to get the relicing started for you. To each there own, though. Thanks for the vid! Keep rockn' dude!

Nice to see you Steve, on this day not usual day for you to uploads. You are always welcome on my pc!

The MIM EVH guitars sound great. I think they’re close to being worth how much they charge. Marty 5150 did a video comparing a MIM EVH to some new Kramers and the EVH blew them both away.

Sup Steve? I bought the guitar for the very reasons you outlined. I had the striped Frankie but was too embarrassed to ever take it on stage because inevitably there's someone out there thinking, "What does this guy think he's Eddie Van Halen? Or some moron shouting out, "Play Eruption!" I didn't want to deal with that but I wanted the tone and feel of the Frankie and I want to be left the Hell alone LOL

I think the relicing on these look 100x better than on the striped series. I bought the striped when they came out, sent it back because of the relicing job, it looked super cheap and fake to me. I ordered the black one.

Got the black one, love it. Reminds me of something I would find in my father’s machine shop. Got it on reverb for $1100 totally worth it.

Ok here we go, I own a frankie and I’m not super crazy on it. I think it plays great, sounds great but the relic on the Frankie looks so fake and stupid in my opinion. I also own a stripped evh and have played it once and it just sits. The neck isn’t close to the Frankie at all. I bought them both new but discounted. I love the relic evh as a great platform to do my own thing with and has a great look foundation, the neck feels and looks great and the pickup is great. I think it’s a great super strat and unique

I think the market is for those of us who want to play an EVH Frankie but don't want to hear "play Eruption" all night long. I do have a reliced Frankie and a B&W striped series. I agree they are amazing guitars to play. None came in bags, just wrapped in thin foam in the box. I guess that's part of the relicing process😆.

How do we use up these extra parts? Hmmmm.

Who is it for? Who is any guitar for? I have a a striped and am going to get the black one. I think the black relic is beautiful. As has been mentioned, maybe someone wants the Frankie specs without identifying too close with Eddie. Why are there two-hundred different guitars at Guitar Center. I’ve been trying to figure out who a Chapman is for or a Players Strat with one of the e-strings hanging off the neck. Or a Vintera with fret sprout worse than a Squier Bullet. I think this guitar is for a lot of us.

Yo Dude. Very cool.👍 It's definitely an odd guitar in the series but definitely interesting for those that don't want to get an exact replica of the Frankie. I like it👍

Hey Steve, to answer your question at 10 mins, at least for me: I played the frankie at NAMM and it was one of the best playing guitars I had found, but I was thinking 'I would only play this finish for VH covers' because it's so blatantly Eddie. Plus, as much as I love Eddie, I never cared for the frankie finish, the bumblebee I like the most. But I love it for Ed. So as I was playing I thought "I wish I could get this playability in a different finish" and this one is it ^. I would add a working neck pick up and maybe the kill switch from the other EVH guitars, because I like that option, like you have on a Les Paul (neck PU rolled off, toggle with switch). The 5150™ SERIES is the closest to what I like but I'm not a fan of the banana headstock unless it's on a destroyer, the shapes balance each other out. I don't know if my opinion translates to the general public. oh, and what the other guy says below: "I never got a Frankie because I would feel like such a poser" -THat's the short answer. : ) thanks for the review! good question. Now i can get this outta my head lol.

I’m the market!! I want that axe without the pin striping. I’m glad this is available

I got the black one, I’m that guy. I’ve had the replica, great guitar, same guitar only now I can play live with this guitar without everyone in the bar thinking we are a Van Halen cover band. One pickup, hard wired to a jack 👍 👌. This guitar is perfect in every way. I’ll make it my own.

question: is the stripe series Frankie also a bass wood body?

what tuning do you usually play at? I like to play in Eb because it just sounds cooler and bending the string is so much easier

What's cool about it is you can customize it anyway you want. New paint job, or just overload it with stickers or whatever where otherwise it's unlikely that someone would want to mess with an existing striped EVH paint job.

Great review as always. This is a very detailed and spot on analysis of the differences. Channel is Killer bro & wish I would have had the chance at the time to come on with you and David a while back. He is always missed. God Bless & Keep the content coming. VH for life. 🤟 The GUITAR is made for a player like me, Loves the EVH brand and the guitars, amps, pickups, pedals, but wants to use it in other projects without people saying my guitar looks like a Fan boy. I can play Journey, Bon Jovi & still keep my adoration for the man (stealthy) while playing this onstage. That said, I’m most likely buying a relic. LOL, I have had the original Red Charvel stripe Frankie, the Cirlces, 4 Wolfies (EVH), and currently. all I have kept is my EVH, Bumble Bee. Once again great review & great channel. 👍

Sounds great! What are you playing through?

i like it... another youtuber hooked up the neck pickup and put a full pickguard on it looked pretty sweet...

I got my frankie a few months back and it’s great. Overpriced, sure. You’re not getting anything different apart from the lower end Art series guitars. The only major difference is the paint job and custom relic. It’s about $500 too much in my opinion. I got mine and it has two issues. 1. The 10th fret is whacky and I have buzzing on 9th fret the low E and high e. The low E comes and goes but the high e is constantly buzzing. And it’s only in those two places. The bridge is already resting on the body but the action is too high for me. I hate having to press down a mile on strings before making contact with the fretboard. And so far nobody has been able to shed light on how to lower it when it’s already as far as it will go. Any ideas?

I live in Mass too did you find a place where you can try a new EVH Frankenstein Series Relic?

You could style it for your own! That could be an opportunity!

Anyone thinking about wiring up the neck pickup: buy ( don’t use the one in the guitar changes the look too much imo) a 3 way switch and hook Up the neck pickup (hot to switch and ground to vol Pot) and desolder the bridge hot from the vol pot and solder to the switch and one wire from the switch to the volume pot (where the bridge humbucker was connected to). Really quick and easy. And if you use a black switch tip you can barely see the change. I just did that to my Frankie and I love it. Neck single coil! (Oh and the neck pickup hot&ground are easily fed underneath the switch that’s in the middle pup cavity)

I fell in love with relic-ing with my Vintage (brand) V6 Strat copy not for looks but for feel. I have a Warmoth with an oiled neck and prefer the relic. Love the sound of EVH but IF I was gigging? I might not want the aesthetic? I am searching for reasons same as you but it kinda makes some sense?

I don’t know Steve… I mean the Frankie’s are great but I had one and they were cool to have for a collectible but to play out….I think a guy playing the iconic red white and black striped is just kind of waters you shouldn’t go on? THIS however, yea it’s still an EVH and we know where it originates from but it still looks enough like just a relic’d super Strat and it looks cool. I work for a huge guitar shop in Reno and we got them on order. I’m interested in seeing them. I’d play one and probably would buy one, plus I’d get a little discount since I work for an EVH dealer but I kind of like these. I just recently got a couple of those SBS guitars from Guitar Fetish and even though cheap they aren’t bad after a fretmill I think THIS would be like those only Mexican and better quality !!! The gig bag on these are horrendous though 😂😂😂

I’m not sure offsetting the pickup was an Eddie thing. My research shows that Kramer was the first to do that because the pickup was too long and the only way they could get the poles to line up with the strings.

The problem with the stripes is that for your average axeslinger murdering covers in a bar band, Eddie is a tough comparison to invite. Because no one ever saw someone playing a custom flame top at the corner shots and chasers joint and thought, "I wonder if he can play as well as Les?" With the striped Frankie's however one draws direct and immediate comparisons to Eddie, and one's chops had best be ready. In that light, the red one you are holding makes a lot of sense. It is more like a generic hot rodded superstrat and does not, for the average picker/grinner/lover/sinner at least, bring Eddie's memory to mind. I trust you have been well, and congratulations on your success.

I ended up purchasing the black one at 2.00 am. Lol Will be here Friday from Sweetwater. I could never pull the trigger on the Striped series. I would feel funny playing it in a live situation unless I was in a Van Halen tribute band so this ones perfect for me. Looking forward to it and Im not relic guitar fan but I sure do like the look on this guitar. I also bought the EVH case because the gig bag is kind of sorry looking 😂

I'm into that Ax

$1700? SS frets and a decent bag, maybe, but $899 would have been more in line with this setup.

This is exactly what I’ve wanted. All the tone and character without it screaming to the audience “EDDIE VAN HALEN”. I’ll scream that in my head :) Same reason I scrubbed the signature off my Jeff Beck strat.

Is that EVH branded Floyd as good as an OFR? I recognize that switch its a cheap plastic switch like i put in my frankie instead of an OG metal one and its never sat right with me

I found the Frankie striped locally in Canada, my 2023 Christmas. My wife and son picked it up last Saturday. No bag or case with the guitar, i will order the case later. To be honest, i’m not really good but i’m an 80’s music fan and every year, year and half i buy a nice guitar, that is it.

Wow I remember watching your videos over a decade ago and always enjoyed it, I’m so glad you’ve kept at it and are playing well as usual. Very nice to see you still going!

I only just found this. Really enjoyed this vid. Maybe the bag is cheap and the bare minimum because the guitar is already a relic aha. Who knows what's going on in the Fender heads?

I kind of like it , thought I had grown out of the relic phase , but maybe not , the Bag of Tears is a sad bag though , throw it into The River of Deceit , get something else ,but great demo Steve 👍

I like it as a potential modding platform. Like maybe get the red one and put a full black pickguard on it with a set of red Dimarzio pickups in it. Maybe a Mo Joe and two Satch tracks. For what I do with my band I can't do the one pickup thing and I don't want the candy stripes but I do like non-floating floyds and D-Tunas.

Adorama just put this guitar on sale for $799 on 6/7/24. Picked one up at this price despite the dust-cover soft case and machined relic look. This will be a project guitar for an updated finish and more versatile pickup layout.

Generally speaking: I would not even know where to start! From my point of view the EvH brand got it all right, and the technical specs are perfected and optimized. That leaves only shapes and colors left to explore. Now it is the Wolfgangs, the 5150s and the Frankies (some "sharkies" too, maybe more ...) Just realized it is a 5150 Striped Series _Circles_ out there! 🙂 For this particular guitar I would definitively buy this to combine [1] The proud memory of the G.O.A.T rock musician and guitarist, all together, [2} The specs of his "Baby", [3] The memory of the "Van Hagar" era and [4] all that without feeling the pressure of being able to deliver a flawless Eruption solo ;-) The bag: I would cut out the logo and put on my favorite jacket, and throw the rest of it. R.I.P Eddie, we all love ya! May your music and brand go on forever!

I recently got the 78' eruption striped series on sale for $1,140 and I'm blown away but how nice it really plays. But those new Frankies is something that I can get into but definitely not for $1700 with nickle frets.

Sad bag had me waking up the house laughing. As soon as you picked it up and it started folding I new 😂😂

I’m a old school vintage guitar fan and you hit the mail on the head not a huge metal guy but THESE APPEAL TO ME for sure!

I wouldn't play with a striped frankenstein live unless it'd be at a Van Halen tribute concert. Would really love to get one of these solid colors one, because it would (not too much) be an homage to Ed, while still being a really good playing and sounding guitar. I was really glad when I first heard about these but my opinion dont really matter cause I'll never be able to afford one, haha. Great video Steve!

I got the Frankiestine 3 years back I love it

The d-tuna is an absolute must-have

Honestly, my first thought was it might be a good starting point to build an Eddie replica - and I may actually go that direction but I hate Basswood although I have to admit it sounds pretty good on your video

I am about to buy the black one. I like that is has the essence of eddy without being identifiable and will still look rad on stage without looking like another crazed evh fan even though I am lol

This guitar is exactly marketed to me; I’m the guy who wants the EVH neck shape, the Wolfgang pickup, the dive only floyd, the relic job etc……BUT NOT THE STRIPES!!! Eddie looked cool with the stripes, but I dont, but I can rock thr hell out of red or black…..

I actually was gonna put together a Warmoth Strat in this vain as I I love “all out rock n roll machine” design but for me the strips is just “too far” and I wouldn’t be comfortable playing it out, as I don’t play any of Ed’s music. You get the up side of Ed’s bad ass design without being a “fan boy”. BTW have you reviewed the EVH satin black “hockey stick” Strat with the red kill switch ? - would love your thoughts.

are all pickups wired together?

You can put a pickguard on this?

I didn't even get a bag with my Frankie (the striped one). But I guess I got lucky because it was right after Eddie passed before the prices went up. I was extremely surprised with how well mine played and love it! You're right though, they might as well not even give a bag rather than that piece of junk. But for 1700 bucks, I'd say a rigid soft case or hardshell case should come included.

the black could be fun to gig at a small, darker venue, some may not notice the frankyness but at the same time the one playing it feels a lil more edgy than the burst strat or whatever guy you see at every gig. i converted an 85 pacer to a franky.....i don't get it? why not leave the neck pick up wired and leave the switch? my franky is really suitable for most anything and all i did was remove the middle pick up

I like my China frankie, $300, plays and sounds awesome, and I’m not afraid to bang it up a bit. I also have a licensed 5150 and they sound the same.

What did they drill the Pickguard holes?

Source the parts from Musikraft, get a 1984 Floyd Bridge, EVH pickup, misc. parts etc. and you're around $1200. Leaves enough for an Anvil case. The black-on-black version is cool looking.

The Frankie came without a bag. But is a great guitar. I have one myself. But if you wanna use it live, without that Van Halen thing going on this is just as great. It's the same guitar. EVH brand tries to get a great guitar out of a certain niche. But they're competing with a lot of great superstrats out there. IMHO I like this one. In the end: these are just good guitars after all.

It looks also nice and interessting! It looks like a players franky, with the stripes it looks like Eddie's Franky! As a Fan I would buy the real Franky, with the stripes!

I agree with all your points, they look sweet and only a huge EVH fan would buy one, but with the Frankie at $1999 and selling regularly for under $1600, this should have a street price of like $1299.

does that selector switch actually work?

I'm on the fence. When EVH passed, I immediately went to our local site to buy the Frankie they couldn't give away previously it was $3799 nzd. Someone bought it just before me. Then waiting the months for them to get another one in, the wave of emotion passed, and I passed, especially since they did an extra price gouge now $4300 nzd. These one colour are a bit more up my alley, but would probably wait for the MIJ Wolfie's to filter down to NZ and get the white one with block inlays, looks like an EVH version of an LP Custom. And that Bag O Tears is still lame..

I have the frankie..bought it a few years ago. Bought a hardshell for it of course. Absolutley a great guitar, the neck feels incredible..compound radius is awesome. Love the finish onnit but realize some people may not want the replica thing, but it sounds amazing and plays amazing. I have a jem7vwh from japan thats no slouch either and its just as comfortable to me. Ifni had to go solid color here id go with the white one...but c'mon ..Van Halen for christ sakes

I'm a pro player, I'm that guy that wants it. Because it doesn't have the stripes and the added inclination to be so on the nose with the stripes.. it's seems like a great choice to use at shows.

Love it!!!!