Eddie Van Halen acquired his 1958 Korina Gibson Flying V through St. Louis vintage guitar dealer and collector Dan Martin. According to a 2014 account published by VHND, the guitar had originally belonged to the grandfather of Jason Miller, who had bought it new from a music store in south St. Louis.
Around 1980, Martin persuaded the owner to part with the guitar, reportedly promising that he was only adding it to his collection and that the original owner would still be able to play it. Instead, Martin soon sold the Flying V to Eddie Van Halen for a reported $10,000. The story suggests that Eddie himself was likely unaware of the circumstances under which Martin had acquired the instrument.
Some sources claim that Eddie also used this guitar on “Hot for Teacher,” “Drop Dead Legs,” “Girl Gone Bad,” and “Top of the World,” but this is difficult to confirm. Because of that, these claims should be treated as possible rather than definitive.
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