The Van Halen News Desk has posted an update on the restoration of Eddie Van Halen's famed Steinberger 5150 striped GL2T. An excerpt is available below:

Alongside a photo of the guitar on his bench, luthier Jeff Babicz wrote, “Just another day at the office...NOT! Here I'm doing the final set-up on Eddie Van Halen's 5150 Steinberger guitar. I restored this guitar for Eddie, which included a re-fret, TransTrem rebuild, new pickups and more…”

Babicz first announced he was restoring the guitar on November 19th, 2015:

“So I get a call from Eddie Van Halen, who asked me if i’m interested in restoring some of his guitars (of course I said yes!). Here is one of the guitars he sent me: His iconic Steinberger 5150 striped GL2T, serial #3340. I built this guitar for him in November 1985…almost 30 years ago to the day!. When discussing the restoration approach with Eddie, he says “this guitar is as important to the music as the songs themselves…I want to play this guitar again, people want to see this guitar.” I will be doing a re-fret, installing vintage EMG pickups, and rebuilding the Steinberger TransTrem tremolo unit for him. Stay tuned.”

Click the link above for more photos courtesy of VHND.com.

In his 2015 Billboard cover story, Eddie Van Halen revealed he doesn’t listen to much of any new music. But some classic riffs have certainly shaped him.

For Billboard’s Greatest Of All-Time interview series, the Van Halen axe man shared his favourite guitar riffs, but not before asking if he could mention some of his. Black Sabbath and Cream made his personal list. To find out the rest, check out the video at Billboard.com.

In celebration of his new book, Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, author Greg Renoff is streaming a “mega-rare, newly unearthed recording, live at Pasadena High School on April 25, 1975” of the classic Queen song "Now I'm Here”, which can be found on their third album from 1974, Sheer Heart Attack.

Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal solely focuses on Van Halen's incredible rise during the '70s.

This book is absolutely loaded with wild and interesting details on Van Halen's beginnings that even the most knowledgeable fans have never heard. A vivid and energetic history of Van Halen's legendary early years. It's a must-have!

Six years in the making, this is the first book to reveal the debauched details of the band's beginnings, from gonzo backyard parties to neon nights of rock glory on the Sunset Strip.

Drawing on more than 230 original interviews - including with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and power players like Pete Angelus, Marshall Berle, Donn Landee, Ted Templeman, and Neil Zlozower - Van Halen Rising is the first book to tell the untold story of how these rock legends made the unlikely journey from Pasadena, California, to the worldwide stage.

As for photos, it contains over 30 never before published photos dating back to the days of Mammoth and Red Ball Jet. All from the mid to late '70s.

Van Halen Rising traces VH's transformation from a backyard party band to a stadium act that captivated the rock world in 1978.

After years of gigging everywhere from suburban backyards to dive bars, Van Halen - led by frontman extraordinaire David Lee Roth and guitar virtuoso Edward Van Halen - had the songs, the swagger, and the talent to turn the rock world on its ear. The quartet's classic 1978 debut, Van Halen, sold more than a million copies within months of release and rocketed the band to the stratosphere of rock success. On tour, Van Halen's high-energy show wowed audiences and prompted headlining acts like Black Sabbath to concede that they'd been blown off the stage. By the year's end, Van Halen had established themselves as superstars and reinvigorated heavy metal in the process.

If you've ever wondered what it was like to see Van Halen play a massive backyard party, host a rowdy wet-t-shirt contest, perform on the legendary Sunset Strip, and blow rock legends Black Sabbath off the stage, this is the book for you.

Author Greg Renoff is offering signed copies exclusively at Van Halen Store. Pre-order now and your choice of a signed or unsigned copy will be in your hands next month!