“I opened the case and Glenn went, ‘Wow. What’d you pay for that?’ I went '$1,200...’ He said, ‘Cheap!’ in a very derogatory way –so I called my ’59 ‘the cheap Les Paul’”: Don Felder on medical emergencies, Eagles sessions and his million dollar ’Burst

Don Felder performs on stage with a Gibson Les Paul during the 'United We Rock Tour 2017' at White River Amphitheatre .

Don Felder is 77 and in February of 2025 he had a health scare, collapsing on stage due to dehydration. You’d think he’d be mulling the idea of slowing down, but when Felder talks about his career, there’s an urgency to his voice. “I’ve got to work and produce as much as I possibly can while I’m still in good health, and still happy and inspired by it.”

To that end, Felder is holding up his end of the bargain, releasing The Vault – Fifty Years Of Music earlier this year. The album is a collection of old, new and reworked material. “I walk into my studio with it being totally dark, [thinking], ‘I have no idea in the world what I’m going to do,’” Felder tells Guitarist.