When the first Van Halen record came out in 1978 the world was exposed to not just another philosophy on guitar playing— one rooted in dazzling, high-energy future blues from Mars—but a whole new take on equipment. The guy whose name was on the album, Edward Van Halen, was playing a guitar that looked at once familiar and never before seen. Today EVH - company that bears his name produces guitars, amplifiers and accessories of the highest quality.