# Guitarists: Les Paul and Eddie Van Halen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850 "2016-12-16T13:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/1 "2016-12-16T13:03:35Z")
I love this clip - I assume it’s some tribute to Les Paul from 1988 and Eddie comes out to play to honor Les: [- YouTube](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qx_LkeannBc) Highlights include: - Les starting off by showing how he invented Looping back in 1944, and how even by 1988, it wasn’t common. He uses his Les Paulverizer, an onboard multitrack box that we would all now recognize as his homemade Looper. - Eddie treating Les like his beloved grandpa. Seriously, I know Les and Jeff Beck deeply respected each other, but Eddie is gushing and kisses Les on the cheek out of respect and affection on three different occasions in this 10 minute clip. I get _verklempt_ watching it. - Full free-range Eddie, playing to show off in front of Grandpa Les. Just a random jam with Tony Levin on bass and Rick Marotta on drums; plays a few known song pieces but is just jamming too. Damn. Just…damn. And the sheer joy on his face - man, I miss that Eddie. - Balding guy on Keytar! The classic '80’s Jan Hammer guy, but not Jan himself. So of its time. Enjoy as a start to your weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/2 "2016-12-16T13:21:06Z")
Dude, when Les Paul says you’ve ‘changed things a lot’ you’re one for the ages. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/3 "2016-12-16T13:26:32Z")
Totally. The story goes that Les told Eddie “there’s me, Leo (Fender), and you.” I buy it. That is clearly speaking to their roles as rule breakers and innovators in music technology and tools. Les loved Jeff Beck as a _guitarist_ carrying on the mastery that went from Eddie Lang to Django to Les to Beck. A different area of Les’s brilliance. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/4 "2016-12-16T15:44:30Z")
Love his playing; the guy shreds like nobody else, even using harp harmonics in the mix. But I’ve never liked his singing for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/5 "2016-12-16T16:07:51Z")
Wasn’t that George Costanza on keyboard? Tony Levin is one of my favorite bass players. Odd to see him tearing it up like he did. He’s usually Mr. Tasteful. I’m gonna have to revisit the old VH albums now. I also have the jam album he did with Brian May somewhere. (Brian’s my fave, but Eddie’s high on the list.) ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/6 "2016-12-16T17:28:54Z")
Who is the keyboard player? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/7 "2016-12-16T18:00:50Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Who is the keyboard player? The Youtube header says Robbie Kondor. Great name to go with the look. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-les-paul-and-eddie-van-halen/774850/8 "2016-12-16T18:04:18Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > Wasn’t that George Costanza on keyboard? Heh. Good to see I wasn’t the only one with that thought. 🙂