Summer NAMM 2019 Video: EVH reveals Van Halen ‘Bumblebee’ tribute model

EVH has celebrated the anniversary of the seminal Van Halen II by releasing the ’79 Bumblebee tribute model, which pays tribute to the famous black and yellow hot-rodded S-type featured on the album’s cover, and used extensively by Edward Van Halen on the album’s world tour. 

The ’79 Bumblebee tribute matches the specs of the original model, including an ash body, bolt-on birdseye maple neck, 12-inch 22-fret maple fingerboard, and a single volume knob marked ‘tone’. 

The single pickup is an EVH ’79 Bumblebee humbucker, while the careful attention to detail can be seen by EVH matching the original Bumblebee’s six screw holes, which were hidden under the original prototype non-fine tuner locking tremolo bridge that EVH recreated just for this project, along with the original prototype locking nut.

The classic black and yellow striped finish has also been meticulously recreated, and reliced to reflect the heavy wear and tear that the guitar was subject to during the hard year of touring. 

“The ’79 Bumblebees that we’re making sound very much like how I always wanted the original to sound,” said Van Halen of the tribute guitar. “So it may have taken 40 years, but I now have everything I wanted back then — a bitchin’-looking guitar that plays and sounds great.”

Limited to just 50 guitars worldwide the EVH ’79 Bumblebee also comes with a custom-made Anvil hardshell case, 70s-era Fender Super Bullets strings, Van Halen 70s tortoiseshell picks, an exclusive Bumblebee collector’s booklet, a Van Halen Live Tour in Japan 1978 & 1979 book and several autographed items—a certificate of authenticity, 1979 concert photo of Eddie Van Halen and vinyl copy of Van Halen II.

For more information, visit www.evhgear.com. Keep up with the latest from Summer NAMM here.