The Kiss co-founder, bassist and singer Gene Simmons had the chance to meet Eddie Van Halen in the late 70s and help the band to record their first demo. However, it was not enough for them to get a record deal but, obviously, some time later they finally signed to Warner Brothers and released their groundbreaking self-titled debut album. Not long after, they were already headliners and were selling millions of tickets. In an interview with Zak Kuhn Show (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), Gene Simmons recalled when he had the chance to play the legendary Eddie Van Halen guitar "Frankenstrat". According to him, only Eddie could play the instrument in tune. Gene Simmons recalls when he played Eddie Van Halen's guitar "They're headlining Nassau Coliseum for the first time. I'm backstage, and actually off in the (distance), it was Joey Ramone and some other people who wanted to check them out." "And Eddie's got the guitar around his neck, and they don't go on for another 15-20 minutes. So I said, 'Eddie, let me see that guitar.' Because Eddie put that guitar together, glued on the neck, the neck that he liked to a certain body. It was kind of like a Frankenstein monster put together." "And so, when I put it around my neck and tried playing a chord, it was completely out of tune. And I'm not exaggerating. I said, 'Hey, you better go and tune this up before you hit the stage.' And he goes, 'Oh no, no, man, don't worry.'" "He put the guitar on his shoulders and then played a chord and bent the neck in tune so that neck had some movement on it, and anybody else playing that instrument would sound horrible on it. And yet, when Eddie played on it, it sounded perfectly in tune," Gene Simmons said. Eddie Van Halen sadly passed away back in 2020 at the age of 65 after years battling cancer. He is considered by many, the most influential guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4sza2SNP_E&pp=ygUSdmFuIGhhbGVuIGVydXB0aW9uThe post Gene Simmons recalls when he played Eddie Van Halen’s guitar appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.