Paul Unkert 1985 VH-Era Guitar — Documented, Signed, Ultra Rare

A fully documented and verified 1985 Paul Unkert build from the exact era he was creating instruments for Van Halen. Signed, dated, and authenticated by Unkert himself, this is an exceptionally rare, era-correct piece with direct provenance. One of the very few chances to acquire a real Unkert build without entering the six- or seven-figure Van Halen–era Unkert market.

Paul Unkert originally worked at Kramer and built several Kramer guitars for Van Halen (including the 5150, Hot for Teacher, Kramer Ad guitar, etc.), as well as non-Kramer guitars for Van Halen (including the yellow-and-black Unkert double-neck).

This guitar was built by Paul Unkert and is documented and verified by Unkert himself (photo included of Paul holding the guitar). It is signed and dated in the neck pocket: “Paul Unkert 6/18/85 – Toms River, NJ.” The body has the UNK stamp pressed into the wood, the neck heel is pencil-dated 8-11-82, it includes a Kramer neckplate (serial 001112), and comes with a Kramer hard-shell case.

Other Paul Unkert guitars from the same Van Halen era include:

— The Kramer Ad guitar (built by Unkert, assembled by Paul Reed Smith), circa 1982, serial B1297 — sold for $2,734,000 on October 24th, 2025
— The Hot for Teacher Kramer (built by Unkert), circa 1983, serial C0176 — sold for $3,932,000 on April 18th, 2025
— Another stripped Kramer built for Van Halen in 1984, serial B4129 — not for sale
— The Green Snake Kramer for Dave Sabo (built by Unkert on 5/28/1985) — completed just two weeks before the guitar offered here

This is a true, Van Halen–era-correct Paul Unkert build, fully documented and directly verified — an extremely rare opportunity for serious collectors to acquire an authentic piece of Unkert’s historical lineage.

PS: The guitar is light, easy to play, and sounds absolutely glorious. The humbucker appears to have been swapped for a Duncan EVH. Overall condition is very good. Please note: if you are looking for a perfect fit-and-finish instrument, this is not that guitar. These were built for rock musicians like Eddie Van Halen to be manhandled on stage, and are far from up-close cosmetic perfection — with rough finishes, hand tooling, and raw routing (very much like Eddie’s Frankenstein). They are full of real rock ’n’ roll mojo, historically important, extremely rare, and highly collectible.