'Francis' 

High End EVH tribute guitar  

Oct 6th, 2020,  a day that any child of the 70's or 80's will remember. No matter what style of music you like, Eddie touched your world whether you know it or not. As a guitar player his genius shaped the direction of guitars forever. Whether it's the wax potted pickup technique he invented in his kitchen, or the backstage inspiration he gave Floyd Rose (for free), the modern electric guitar was changed forever by his genius. His skill as a musician ? Well that shaped and inspired generations of artists.  When Ed passed on I really wanted to build a Frankie. But a replica isn't my style, and honestly Ed's affection for Frankie was partly due to the fact that he, himself was a bit suprised how shitty it was. A perfectionist musically, Eddie was no Luthier. I wanted to do something that Ed wouldn't have been able to afford, or accomplish at the time he built Frankie. Francis is that guitar.

Using super exotic lumbers like flame maple, Purpleheart, and solid African Ebony for inlay materials. RB crafted the stripes from solid wood and inlayed those in a solid Purpleheart Body blank. Francis is a bit on the heavy side. In fact if you jumped off a stack of Marshals during a solo, the strap would likely break your neck, but it looks sweet and plays even sweeter.   

There are legions of Fan replica builders who obsess over buying the right antique Schwinn bicycle paint, and the right brand of masking tape to get the stripes 100% accurate. While researching Frankie I actually came across a discussion about the exact brand of cigarettes to burn the headstock with. The Francis is a tribute to those guys too.