I just posted a transcription of a rare interview with Eddie from December 1979. This one is massive (9,000 words) and never made it into Guitar Player magazine, since 16 days later we did another interview that was the basis of his 1980 Guitar Player magazine cover story.
This one was done in December 1979, just after Van Halen finished its second world tour and laid down the basic tracks for Women and Children First. Eddie is very candid, going deep into how he builds his guitars, hand rewinds PAF’s and dips them in wax, sets his intonation, and other guitar-related issues, including his pedalboard and amps. He also vents his frustrations at the first VH clone guitars hitting the market and with other guitarists copping his style or snubbing him on the road. Near the end, he previews Women and Children First — at this point, he’s not even sure what some of the songs will be titled. It’s an interesting snapshot in time.
