The Secret Mini Les Paul That Inspired Eddie Van Halen

A Legendary Guitar Story That Every Musician Should Know

David Petschulat, a talented luthier from Nashville, created a series of miniature Les Paul–style guitars that were far more than simple replicas. These compact instruments featured a built-in amplifier and speaker system alongside a standard 1/4-inch output jack. The onboard amp could be activated using a push/pull function on the master volume knob.

Eddie Van Halen first met David on August 30, 1981, when Van Halen’s “WDFA” tour stopped in Nashville. Eddie was immediately fascinated by the tiny guitar and bought it on the spot. During the tour, he often played it on the bus between shows — and it was on this very instrument that he wrote the music for the song “Little Guitars.”

The track was recorded in early 1982 for the album Diver Down, and Eddie brought the mini Les Paul on the 1982 tour so he could perform the song live. Later, he commissioned David to build a second version with a thicker body and without the built-in amp, hoping to achieve a more refined stage tone. This second guitar — a wine-red mini Les Paul — was completed around 1983 and first appeared at the start of the 1984 tour. However, Eddie soon returned to using the original guitar for the rest of that tour.

The First Fine-Tuning Tremolo System

David is also believed to have built the very first fine-tuning tremolo system. The story behind it is legendary.

Here is the story in David’s own words — paraphrased:

“On August 30, 1981, in the green room of the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, I sold Eddie his first locking vibrato system with fine tuners. I had tracked him down downtown on a Sunday — everything was closed — and pitched him my mini Les Paul. He loved it immediately, and we went straight to the venue to finalize the deal.

That same day, he ordered a second guitar — the wine-red mini — and tested my lightning bolt guitar equipped with my vibrato system. He wasn’t a big fan of the lightning bolt design, but he loved the fine tuners.

Eddie told me that Floyd Rose had planned to build him a tremolo with fine tuners, but Floyd had been badly injured in a car accident and hadn’t been able to work for months. Eddie asked me to build one for him, and he gave me one of his older Floyd bridges so I could modify it faster and ensure it would fit his guitars perfectly.

Working on it was extremely difficult because Floyd bridges are incredibly hard metal. I finished the unit and sent it to Eddie in March 1982.

I later wrote a business proposal by hand on notebook paper and asked Eddie to back me so we could manufacture the design. I never received a reply. When I eventually called his office, his assistant told me the band had written a song inspired by my mini Les Paul guitars — and they even named it ‘Little Guitars.’ That was amazing. Still, I was disappointed that nothing came of the tremolo project.”

From Dream to Industry

David printed business cards and decided to take the project to NAMM in Atlanta. He approached Allparts, WD Pickups, and others — but no one showed interest. A friend suggested he visit Kramer Guitars.

When he arrived, he saw a huge poster of Eddie holding a Kramer guitar fitted with a tremolo system. Moments later, Eddie himself appeared and explained that Rockinger had already approached him with a finished product.

Looking back, David understands the decision. Floyd was recovering from his accident, David was a young inventor with a working prototype, and Rockinger had a commercial-ready product. Still, he takes pride in knowing he was among the very first pioneers of fine-tuning tremolo systems.

The Legendary Old Time Picking Parlor

In April 2021, David shared a powerful memory in his newsletter.

On Christmas morning, 2020, a bomb exploded in downtown Nashville. The location turned out to be on Second Avenue — right near where the legendary Old Time Picking Parlor once stood.

If you stood at the blast site and rolled a ball downhill, it would likely come to rest near the door of what was once considered the coolest guitar shop in the world: The Old Time Picking Parlor.

This iconic place wasn’t just a store. By day, it was a repair shop and instrument dealer. By night, it transformed into a nightclub where the greatest names in bluegrass, country, folk, rockabilly, and early rock performed. Musicians would gather during the day to repair, tweak, and play instruments together — turning the shop into a constant jam session.

Legends such as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Elvis Presley all passed through its doors. The shop even appeared in Robert Altman’s famous film Nashville.

A Young Guitar Builder Finds His Tribe

David arrived at The Picking Parlor at just 21 years old, looking for help installing frets on his first homemade guitar. Instead, he found a family of master luthiers who taught him everything.

He soon began building guitars that were purchased by Nancy Wilson (Heart), Dave Hlubek (Molly Hatchet), Jackson Browne, Mick Jones (Foreigner), Steve Morse, and others.

In the summer of 1981, David completed his 13th guitar — a tiny Les Paul with a birdseye maple top, his Flying “P” logo, and a built-in amplifier and speaker. After several failed attempts to sell it at concerts, he finally met Eddie Van Halen on a quiet Sunday afternoon in Nashville. Eddie instantly fell in love with it and bought it on the spot.

A Place That Shaped Legends

Though The Old Time Picking Parlor eventually closed, its influence lives on. Many of its alumni went on to shape modern music — from U2’s recording engineers to Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta, who later signed Taylor Swift.

David reflects on those years as some of the most important of his life.

“Great places create great things. If you love something and there’s a place where people are doing that thing — go there. Introduce yourself. Make yourself useful. Learn. Have fun. Chase your passion.”