On this episode of Talking Guitars & Music News, we kick things off with the latest buzz from the Metal Sticks Podcast / Modern Drummer, featuring Alex Van Halen talking about working with Steve Lukather on a brand-new album. We covered it on Exclusively Van Halen yesterday, and today we dive even deeper.

Then it’s guitar time 🎸 I break out my Squier Telecaster Deluxe, plug in, play a bit, and put it through its paces. After that, we head straight to the workbench to fix a real-world issue—replacing a bad input jack and getting this guitar back in action.

If you’re into guitars, rock music, Van Halen news, and hands-on repairs, hit subscribe, follow the channel, and drop a comment below.

Right here on Johnny Beane TV 🤘

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On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen, we dive into a newly released 2003 interview with Edward Van Halen, conducted by Steve Rosen 🤘

Edward opens up in a rare and heartfelt way, talking at length about his son Wolfgang Van Halen, his pride as a father, and his life beyond the stage. Moments like this are pure gold for Van Halen fans, and it’s always incredible to hear Eddie in his own words.

Huge thanks to Steve Rosen for preserving and sharing this amazing piece of Van Halen history. If you love Van Halen, be sure to subscribe to Steve’s channel and to Johnny Beane TV for more deep dives, stories, and rare moments from the Van Halen world 🎸🔥

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🔥 On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen, we dive into the season finale of Metal Sticks — and it delivers something truly special: a rare and in-depth conversation with Alex Van Halen himself.

🥁 In this exclusive finale, Alex sits down with Nicko McBrain and David Frangioni for a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred discussion that opens a unique window into his world. Alex talks about what he’s been up to, reflects on the legendary Van Halen albums, revisits his iconic drum setups through the years, and breaks down recording experiences and philosophies that helped shape one of the most influential bands in rock history.

💥 Insightful, candid, and deeply personal, this episode is essential viewing for drummers, musicians, and Van Halen fans everywhere.

🎥 Exclusively Van Halen is your ultimate destination for everything Van Halen — from deep dives into the band’s history and music to rare stories, insider trivia, and special moments. Whether you’ve been rocking since the Roth era or jumped on board during the Hagar years, this is where fans come together to celebrate the sound, spirit, and innovation of Van Halen.

🎸 We talk ALL things Van Halen right here on Exclusively Van Halen — only on Johnny Beane TV!

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Join us New Year’s Eve on Johnny Beane TV as we rock our way into the new year — live!

We’ll be hanging out with friends, talking music, guitars, gear, and whatever comes up as the clock counts down. No scripts, no rules — just good vibes, great tunes, and an awesome community all in one place.

Plug in, turn it up, and spend New Year’s Eve with people who live and breathe music. Let’s welcome the new year together 🤘🔥

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We’re kicking things off by announcing a LIVE New Year’s Eve hang right here on Johnny Beane TV — 11:30 PM Eastern / 8:30 PM Pacific! 🎉

Tune in, hang out with us, talk music, talk life, talk whatever… and ring in the New Year together.

From there, we jump into a wild story via Guitar Player about Ozzy Osbourne requesting a remote kill switch so he could shut off Randy Rhoads’ pedalboard from the next hotel room — because Randy’s nonstop practicing was driving him crazy 🤘😂

Next, it’s off to the workbench where I restring a Squier Stratocaster hardtail with Ernie Ball 10s, swap the pickguard to a slick mint green, and then plug in and play it for a while.

To wrap things up, I dig deep into the archives and uncover a 20-year-old video of me recording guitar solos for my song “Heavy Mellow,” which I eventually released on streaming services back in 2010. Super cool blast from the past.

👉 The link to that video will be pinned in the comments.

Don’t forget — join us LIVE on New Year’s Eve, 11:30 PM Eastern, right here on Johnny Beane TV. Let’s hang and start the year loud 🎸🔥

🎸 TALKING GUITARS: Music & Guitar News LIVE! 🤘

Join us LIVE for another epic Workbench LIVE Stream — we’re talking guitars, gear, tone & mods, plus the latest music and guitar news from around the world! 🎶

👇 Tune in LIVE, jump in the chat, and let’s talk guitars!

If you’re into guitars, gear, and music news, you’re in the right place — smash that LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hang with us because Talking Guitars is where the party’s at! 🎉

🔥 Every Week on Johnny Beane TV — Your Ultimate Guitar Hangout!

⚡ Epic Guitar & Gear Unboxings

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🎤 Live Q&As with Players Worldwide

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On this episode, we kick things off by diving into some killer Reverb listings, checking out seriously cool guitars — including some stunning, custom-style instruments from Arrow Guitars in Palm Desert, California 🤘

Then it’s straight to the workbench! 🔧

• Ron installs a pickup into one of his guitars

• I string up the Strat I’ve been working on

• And I show off my Ernie Ball Music Man EVH model, which is definitely due for a proper setup — coming up on a future live stream!

Great guitars, hands-on mods, gear talk, and a fun hang with the crew. Always a great time on Straturday Night! 😎

🎸🔥 Welcome to STRATURDAY NIGHT — Your Saturday Night Guitar Destination!

Riffs, mods, tone & mayhem every week — live guitar builds, screaming demos, wild stories, and nonstop laughs. Whether you’re a shredder, gearhead, or weekend warrior, THIS is your Saturday night hang.

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On this episode of Talking Guitars, we kick things off with rock talk and six-string legends 🤘

An archival interview with Ace Frehley has resurfaced, revealing that one of his most iconic Kiss guitar solos wasn’t actually written by him. Ace credits legendary producer Bob Ezrin with coming up with the melody for the solo on “Detroit Rock City.”

Ezrin, famously described by Alice Cooper as his band’s unofficial sixth member, brought a disciplined, hands-on approach to Kiss during the Destroyer sessions. Ace recalled that Ezrin added a cohesiveness and musical depth the band hadn’t had before, pushing them through long rehearsals until the songs became second nature.

“Bob’s the one that came up with the solo — I didn’t write that,” Frehley admitted. “He had great ideas, and we executed them the way he wanted.”

Paul Stanley later revealed the emotional inspiration behind “Detroit Rock City,” explaining that the song was influenced by a fan who died in a car accident while traveling to a Kiss show — turning the track into both a tribute to Detroit and a memorial.

From there, we roll into exclusive throwback footage from the Amigo Guitar Show, hanging with Bay Area Rich — and yes, we’re heading back again early next month, with a LIVE stream straight from the show 📺🔥

Next up, it’s hands-on at the workbench as I continue assembling a Stratocaster, walking you through the build step by step. We also take a moment to honor a true music icon 🖤🎶

Perry Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, has passed away at age 65. Known affectionately as “Teddy,” Bamonte joined The Cure as a roadie and guitar tech before becoming a full member in 1990. He played on classic albums including Wish, Wild Mood Swings, and Bloodflowers, performed over 400 shows, and contributed to songs like “Friday I’m in Love,” “High,” and “A Letter to Elise.”

Bamonte was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Cure in 2019 and rejoined the band in 2022 for another run of unforgettable shows, culminating in London’s Show of a Lost World in November 2024.

We wrap things up back at the bench — the guitar build is finished except for strings, which will go on Straturday Night this Saturday 🎸⚡

🎸 TALKING GUITARS: Music & Guitar News LIVE! 🤘

Join us LIVE for another epic Workbench LIVE Stream — we’re talking guitars, gear, tone & mods, plus the latest music and guitar news from around the world! 🎶

👇 Tune in LIVE, jump in the chat, and let’s talk guitars!

If you’re into guitars, gear, and music news, you’re in the right place — smash that LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hang with us because Talking Guitars is where the party’s at! 🎉

🔥 Every Week on Johnny Beane TV — Your Ultimate Guitar Hangout!

⚡ Epic Guitar & Gear Unboxings

🔧 Mod Tips, Pro Tricks & DIY Hacks

🎤 Live Q&As with Players Worldwide

🚨 Breaking Gear News, Leaks & First Looks

🎸 Guitar Stories, Artist Access & Backstage Vibes

🎁 Surprise Giveaways You Don’t Want to Miss

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🎄 A Van Halen Christmas Surprise! 🎄

On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen here on Johnny Beane TV, we dive deep into a newly uploaded and extremely rare recording from the Music Media Archives YouTube channel — an uncirculated Van Halen soundboard tape captured during a 1983 South American soundcheck.

Pulled from legendary sound engineer Roy’s personal collection, this tape was sadly left unlabeled, but clues throughout both sides strongly point to an early-1983 South American stop on the tour. The recording is paused and restarted multiple times, giving us a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall look at Van Halen in pure creative mode.

This isn’t just a casual listen — it’s a dense, detail-packed snapshot of the band working things out in real time. Dave is mostly absent early on, popping in occasionally to talk, joke, and later sing, while the bulk of the tape features Eddie, Alex, and Michael Anthony jamming, experimenting, and locking in grooves.

Among the many highlights:

Jam-based takes on Wild Thing, Since I’ve Been Loving You, and Crossroads

A funky jam that morphs into Eddie teasing Another One Bites The Dust

Mike kicking off In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida before a tune-up stops the fun

Nearly complete instrumental performances of Sinner’s Swing and Hear About It Later

An early, embryonic version of Panama, showing just how far along the song already was in early ’83

Eddie solo for nearly 10 minutes, noodling, experimenting, and even dipping into The Munsters theme and the main riff of Beat It — especially cool considering Eddie’s iconic solo on the final track

Dave returns later with classic Roth humor, bizarre commentary, and vocal warmups, before delivering the only full vocal performances on the tape:

🎤 You Can’t Do That (The Beatles)

🎤 A partial Little Dreamer, stopped mid-song with Dave admitting he’s been making up the words

The tape closes perfectly with Dave declaring, “Roy, we’re done,” and Roy replying, “OK.”

This is Van Halen raw, loose, funny, experimental, and brilliant — the kind of archival gem fans dream about.

🎧 Track Listing:

01 Jam I

02 Jam II / Wild Thing

03 Jam III / Funky

04 Panama

05 Since I’ve Been Loving You / Funky Queen

06 Blues Jam / Heartbreak Hotel

07 Jam IV / In A Gadda Da Vida

08 Take Your Whiskey Home

09 Sinner’s Swing!

10 Hear About It Later

11 Jam V / Romeo Delight

12 Crossroads

13 Jam VI (Side B)

14 Guitar Noodling / Munsters Theme / Beat It

15 Interlude

16 Jam VII / Girl Gone Bad / Drums

17 Runnin’ With The Devil / Vocal Warmup

18 You Can’t Do That

19 Little Dreamer

📼 Lineage:

Maxell UDXL-I C-90 → Nakamichi DR-1 → Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD → FLAC

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On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we kick things off by A/B-ing two nearly identical Squier Strat-style guitars — one loaded with a Seymour Duncan Fat Cat P90 in the bridge, and the other with a Seymour Duncan humbucker. Same guitars, different pickups… and WOW, they each bring their own unique vibe and tone.

We then continue the project from yesterday, diving deeper into the Squier Strat with the Seymour Duncan Fat Cat P90. All the wiring and installation were handled off-camera before the show, so we jump straight into playing, tone talk, and real-world impressions. I did notice the volume pot was a little touchy, so I worked around it using a volume pedal during the session.

Along the way, we swap between a few other guitars — including a couple more Squiers and the Kramer equipped with a Vega Trem and the killer Holoflash finish. Huge thanks once again to Ron for the incredible paint job — it looks absolutely amazing!

If you love pickup comparisons, guitar mods, real tone talk, and live gear switching, this episode is for you. Jump into the comments and let me know which pickup YOU prefer! 🤘

🔧 Squier Fender Strat Mod Time

• Pickguard swap

• Pickup changes

• More mods coming on Workbench Wednesday — don’t miss it!

👉 Like, subscribe, and jump into the live chat!

🎸 TALKING GUITARS: Music & Guitar News LIVE! 🤘

Join us LIVE for another epic Workbench LIVE Stream — we’re talking guitars, gear, tone & mods, plus the latest music and guitar news from around the world! 🎶

👇 Tune in LIVE, jump in the chat, and let’s talk guitars!

If you’re into guitars, gear, and music news, you’re in the right place — smash that LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hang with us because Talking Guitars is where the party’s at! 🎉

🔥 Every Week on Johnny Beane TV — Your Ultimate Guitar Hangout!

⚡ Epic Guitar & Gear Unboxings

🔧 Mod Tips, Pro Tricks & DIY Hacks

🎤 Live Q&As with Players Worldwide

🚨 Breaking Gear News, Leaks & First Looks

🎸 Guitar Stories, Artist Access & Backstage Vibes

🎁 Surprise Giveaways You Don’t Want to Miss

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This episode kicks off on a personal note as I pay tribute to Adam the Woo — sharing with Ron and the chat how his videos inspired my own journey into content creation and what his work still means to me today.

We dive into some powerful moments from Adam’s travels, including his visits to Randy Rhoads’ grave and the Randy Rhoads plane crash site — must-see spots for any rock fan.

From there, it’s music news, breaking down a story about KISS, Kiss may be finished with touring, but guitarist Tommy Thayer says the band’s story isn’t over yet. Following their recent appearances at the Kiss Kruise event in Las Vegas, Thayer told MusicRadar that the shows were a success and hinted at more to come.

“Fan events like this are great, and we’ll probably do more,” Thayer said, adding that it felt natural playing together again after nearly two years. While full tours are off the table, he teased that “there’s a lot in the works” behind the scenes.

Thayer also didn’t rule out new music, saying the band still has “a lot of great ideas and a desire to keep creating.” He pointed to Kiss’s avatar project as an example of how the band is embracing new technology and future possibilities.

Thayer joined Kiss full-time in 2002 after Ace Frehley’s departure and remained with the band through their final tour, which ended at Madison Square Garden in 2023. Although Frehley and drummer Peter Criss were originally expected to appear at the farewell show, those plans ultimately fell through.

Then straight to the workbench 🤘

🔧 Squier Fender Strat Mod Time

• Pickguard swap

• Pickup changes

• More mods coming on Workbench Wednesday — don’t miss it!

👉 Like, subscribe, and jump into the live chat!

🎸 TALKING GUITARS: Music & Guitar News LIVE! 🤘

Join us LIVE for another epic Workbench LIVE Stream — we’re talking guitars, gear, tone & mods, plus the latest music and guitar news from around the world! 🎶

👇 Tune in LIVE, jump in the chat, and let’s talk guitars!

If you’re into guitars, gear, and music news, you’re in the right place — smash that LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hang with us because Talking Guitars is where the party’s at! 🎉

🔥 Every Week on Johnny Beane TV — Your Ultimate Guitar Hangout!

⚡ Epic Guitar & Gear Unboxings

🔧 Mod Tips, Pro Tricks & DIY Hacks

🎤 Live Q&As with Players Worldwide

🚨 Breaking Gear News, Leaks & First Looks

🎸 Guitar Stories, Artist Access & Backstage Vibes

🎁 Surprise Giveaways You Don’t Want to Miss

👍 Smash that LIKE

🔔 Hit SUBSCRIBE

💬 Drop a comment — You’re part of the crew!

🎥 Want Your Stream to Look Pro?

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