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 One
of the first, and most important steps to building a replica
is to research and gather as much reference material as you
can possibly find. However, finding reference material for this
rare EVH hybrid would prove to be no easy task.
Edward Van Halen used his original “Star”
(FIG 1) guitar during the Van Halen, Women and Children
First tour, which only spanned from 3/19/80 to 11/15/80.
Because the guitar was only in service for a short period of
time, I was only able to obtain a handful of photos. Fortunately,
the photos I did have were good enough to help me recreate one
of the most complex EVH designs ever seen.
The foundation for this project would begin with
a Star shaped body and Danelectro neck. The fact that they were
taken from two totally different guitars presented a variety
of complications. For starters, the shape of the neck heel did
not match up with the shape of the neck pocket. FIG 2 shows
a tracing of the neck heel versus the shape of the neck pocket.
When building a hybrid, such as the EVH “Star”
guitar, it’s always a good idea to assemble the guitar
prior to doing any painting. Assembling the guitar offers the
opportunity to route, drill, fabricate, and/or modify any parts
needed without the risk of damaging the paint job. Considering
the complexity of the graphics on this EVH “Star”
guitar, taking any risks that may damage this paintjob was simply
not an option.
 As
I began taking measurements in order to calculate the proper
placement for the bridge, I found that the Danelectro neck was
taken from a 24-3/4” scale guitar, while the Star body
was 25-1/2” scale. For those who don’t know what
that means, it meant that if I were to simply attach this neck
to the “Star” body, the guitar would never play
in tune. To correct this, the neck pocket had to be routed further
down in order to bring the guitar to proper scale. I took this
opportunity to also reshape the neck pocket to allow a good
fit for the Danelectro neck (FIG 3).
 When
replacing a neck on a guitar, it’s important that the
neck is aligned with the bridge. If this isn’t done properly,
it could result in strings hanging off the fretboard. FIG 4
illustrates a common method used for proper string alignment.
Routing the neck pocket down brought the guitar
back to proper scale; however, it also resulted in a very long
and uncomfortable overhang from the backside. FIG 5 shows the
heel after removing the overhang. 
I also did some rough shaping at this time to
help match the contour of the neck. I would later go back and
remove all of the sharp edges and smooth out the shape to help
provide a more comfortable feel.
Moving on to the locking nut installation, it
was obvious that I would be faced with yet another modification.
The angle of the headstock left me no place to mount the nut
(FIG 6).
Fixing this would first require routing a flat,
and level, shelf.
 Once
this was done, I fabricated a wooden shim to help raise the
locking nut to its proper height (FIG 7) and installed the locking
nut.
With all of these modifications now complete,
I began to assemble the guitar (FIG 8).
I took this opportunity to check all of my measurements
and to inspect all the parts and hardware to ensure a proper
fit.
 Once
I was satisfied with the fit of all of the parts and hardware,
the guitar was disassembled and the body was then prepped for
paint. Using every bit of the reference material I had previously
gathered, I began painting the body and recreating the EVH graphics
(FIG 9).
After final assembly, the guitar was given a good
set-up, which included adjustments to the bridge, tremolo system,
truss rod, and bridge saddles for proper intonation.
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