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Offered Here: Zeke Clark Personally Used Peterson Model 450 Strobe Tuner With COA
Item Details: Acquire the ultimate crown jewel of rock and roll stagecraft with this Peterson Model 450 Strobe Tuner, personally used on the road by the legendary guitar tech Zeke Clark. This classic, mechanical-style analog strobe tuner is legendary for its extreme precision, making it arguably the most critical tool in a master tech's vault because nobody wants to hear an out-of-tune rock star. This machine lived on the front lines of music history, showing heavy road wear, age, and a beautiful patina earned from years of traveling in and out of road cases from venue to venue. The unit has been tested and happily powers on when plugged in, though it is offered completely as-is. If this tuner could talk it would spin some unbelievable backstage yarns, but the history is already written right on its chassis, with the top prominently marked "ZEKE CLARK VAN HALEN" alongside numerous other custom tuning notes peppered all over the unit. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, this highly collectible piece of gear is a breathtaking artifact from the golden era of arena rock.
Provenance/Authenticity: Randall "Zeke" Clark is a renowned luthier and legendary guitar/amp technician who got his start in the San Francisco music scene in the 70s, working with various A-list artists until moving to LA in the 80s, where he worked for Eddie Van Halen.
From 1985 to 1993, he served as Edward Van Halen’s lead guitar and amp tech, transitioning to the crew with Sammy Hagar to maintain the band's gear through the monumental 5150, OU812, and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge eras.
Beyond his historic tenure as the custodian of Eddie's tone, Clark's elite five-decade career includes building, repairing, and maintaining specialized gear for iconic artists such as Prince, Sammy Hagar, Journey, Heart, Poison, and others. This curated selection of items offers collectors a unique and direct connection to rock history through the hands of a master craftsman who shaped the sound of guitar royalty.
This item was personally handled, vetted, and released by Zeke Clark, ensuring its authenticity and rock-history provenance. Zeke Clark utilizes an Official Personal Signature Stamp to validate and inventory documents and artifacts released directly from his private estate. This item comes with his personal ink-imprinted signature stamp on the certificate of authenticity, which serves as his legally binding, authorized mark of verification and carries the full weight of a hand-signed signature.
Van Halen, formed in Pasadena, California, in the early 1970s, reshaped hard rock guitar after its 1978 debut, with Eddie Van Halen's two-handed tapping technique, showcased on "Eruption," influencing a generation of players. After Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth as lead singer, the band reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988) and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and the last of these earned a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Eddie Van Halen's constant experimentation with modified guitars, amplifiers and alternate tunings made precise maintenance of his gear central to the band's sound, and Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Condition: Well used and road worn. The unit powers up and is sold as-is with a patina that only comes from a rock star tuner.
SKU: RZC2135