“It must have been a big shock when little Peavey in Mississippi got the biggest guitar hero out there. But Ed just appreciated the quality of craftsmanship”: The story of Peavey and its era-defining Van Halen collaborations – and why they came to an end

Posed full length studio portrait of Eddie Van Halen with a Peavey guitar.

When we think of the earliest electric guitar amps, names like Rickenbacker, Gibson, Vox, Marshall and Fender will often be the first that come to mind. Peavey came into the picture not too long after, with the company dating way back to 1965.

Founder Hartley Peavey – the son of a music store owner in Meridian, Mississippi – was a guitar player who dreamed of becoming a rock star, but quickly found he was better suited to building the equipment being used by working musicians.