On 'Van Halen,' I was a young punk, and everything revolved around the fastest kid in town, gunslinger attitude. But I'd say that at the time of 'Fair Warning,' I started concentrating more on songwriting. But I guess in most people's minds I'm just a gunslinger.

However Cherone soon had an amicable departure and without a lead singer Van Halen went on hiatus. He has been seen with three new Wolfgang guitars first a sunburst one then a black one which he stated he liked less than the sunburst one and now he uses a white one the best sounding one out of the three prototypes according to Ed. a pre-CBS Fender tremolo bridge (later to be a Floyd Rose bridge) and a single volume control with a knob labeled "tone".

Allan Holdsworth has described him as "Second only to Jimi Hendrix undoubtedly the most influential original and talented rock guitarist of the 20th century. He is best known as the lead guitarist keyboardist and co-founder of the eponymous hard rock band Van Halen. In 2012 Guitar World's poll named him as the greatest guitarist of all-time.