“It was all automatic Eddie Van Halen comparisons. I wanted something different”: Vito Bratta explains why he switched from Stratocasters to his iconic Steinberger

Vito Bratta, of the group White Lion, performs onstage at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin, May 29, 1989.

Armed with his now-iconic white Steinberger electric guitar, Vito Bratta helped launch White Lion, and contributed his chops to what would become one of the most influential glam metal bands of the ‘80s.

As one of the definitive shredders of the decade, Bratta would often find himself compared to his contemporary Eddie Van Halen – and it turns out such comparisons had a formative influence on the guitarist’s gear choices.