This is only a preview. The auction will open on: 10/28/2026 1:00:00 PM
Offered Here: Mark Stone 1980s-2000s Unfinished Bass Guitar With White Pickguard With Original Template With COA
Item Details: Up for auction is a unique, handcrafted bass guitar project consisting of an unfinished, unpainted wooden body with a bolt-on neck, sourced directly from the personal collection of original Van Halen bassist and accomplished luthier Mark Stone. The instrument features an attached white pickguard and a single pickup cutout, but it lacks tuners on the headstock and includes incomplete, missing hardware parts. A highlight of this lot is the inclusion of the original design template used by Stone to craft the body. Sold strictly as-is and as a collectible artifact with absolutely no guarantees of playability, this lot offers a remarkable, behind-the-scenes look at Stone's custom luthiery process.
Provenance / Authenticity: This lot originates directly from the personal collection of Mark Stone, a multi-talented artist who was the original bass player and backing vocalist for Mammoth and Van Halen from 1972 to 1974 and an accomplished luthier. As a foundational figure in the band's legendary early history, Stone performed on their seminal studio demos and extended his creative contributions by designing the iconic original band logo utilized by Mammoth and early Van Halen. Offered directly from his estate, these historic items will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by an authorized representative of the Stone estate.
Mark Stone played bass in Mammoth, the Pasadena band led by brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen in the early 1970s, which became Van Halen after singer David Lee Roth joined and before Michael Anthony took over on bass in 1974. Van Halen went on to release their self-titled debut on Warner Bros. in 1978, and Eddie Van Halen's guitar technique, including his two-handed tapping, influenced a generation of rock guitarists. The band's early members also helped shape a do-it-yourself approach to instruments, most famously in Eddie Van Halen's assembly of his own guitars from parts, a hands-on tradition that Stone carried forward in his later work as a luthier.
Condition: Good, sold as-is with no guarantees of playability, no electronics, and only includes whatever hardware is bolted to the guitar.
SKU: DST1031