Purchased from David Petschulat on August 20, 1981, Van Halen's Mini Les Paul was used to compose "Little Guitars", as relayed by Petschulat in his April 2021 Mini Les Paul newsletter (copied in this Van Halen Gear Timeline page) and in this June 14, 2021 VintageFloydRose.com page.

Vintage Les Paul Timeline, "Mini Les Paul"

Below is information from David’s April 2021 Newsletter.

[...] I finished that first guitar, which is a monstrosity, but the second one I sold to Nancy Wilson of Heart. Then I sold one to Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet. Then Jackson Browne. Then Mick Jones of Foreigner. Howard Leese, Steve Morse. It was exciting. In the summer of 1981 I finished little #13 – a small Les Paul with a bird’s eye maple top, my “Flying P” logo, and a doggone tiny little amp and speaker stuffed inside of it. I took that guitar to a couple concerts that summer and pitched it to artists who maybe yawned or were amused, but nobody bought it. I toted it home on a visit to see my folks (see picture below at bottom). Then at summer’s end on a sunny afternoon in downtown Nashville, I went looking for and found Edward Van Halen. Because it was Sunday, nobody was around – nobody but Ed, Alex, and a manager – sitting on some steps and waiting on a ride to the auditorium they were play at that night. I walked up, opening the case as I approached. Ed instantly loved it. He bought it with cash from a briefcase his manager carried, and he contracted another one in a different color, which I made soon after, back at The Picking Parlor.

VintageFloydRose.com, "David Petschulat Fine Tuning Prototype : Possibly First-ever Fine tuning tremolo (August, 1981)"

Here is the story in David's own words.

“I made Eddie’s first locking vibrato with fine tuners and sold it to him August 30, 1981 in the green room at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. I’d hunted him down in vacant downtown Nashville (it was Sunday everything closed) and pitched him my mini Less Paul guitar – he loved it on the spot and we went to the auditorium to follow through on the sales etc.

There in green room he contracted a second guitar – the wine red mini – and tried on and tested my wild lightening bolt guitar which had my vibrato on it. He didn’t so much like the lightening bolt but liked the fine tuners. He told me Floyd had been intending to make him one with fine tuners, but Floyd had been in a car wreck and badly hurt his back and had done nothing for months. Ed asked me to make one, and he gave me one of his own older Floyds at my suggestion so that I could make it faster and easier and we’d know it would fit on his guitars.

I took it and reworked it – which was REALLY difficult since Floyds are very hard on the rockwell scale – really hard. I sent it to him in March of 1982. I then wrote out a business plan and asked him to back me perfecting the design and the two of us getting it manufactured by a company. I did that all on notebook paper, hand written. It was very high-school kid looking. I got no reply. When I finally called his office to ask if he got the business plan, his staffer, Karen Valdez, asked me if I knew that the band had written a song using my mini Les Paul(s) – I said no – she said they even named the song Little Guitars. That was pretty cool. Yet I was flustered about him not following up on the vibrato potential.

I print up business cards and decide to pursue it myself – I go to the NAMM show in Atlanta since it’s 4 hour drive – I go to Allparts. No interest. WD Pickups and parts. No interest. A buddy tells me I better go to Kramer. I walked up and started to boil inside (and maybe a little outside). I look at a big poster of Ed holding a Kramer with some vibrato on it. Dennis Berardi walks up and starts to tell me with pride what they’ve done. I say something like “I find this all very interesting” no doubt with steam coming from ears. Ed walks up and says “aw, Dave, it’s not what you think.” He’d been approached by Rockinger, I presume through Kramer/Dennis.

With much hindsight it doesn’t bug me – I get it real well – Floyd’s recovering from accident, I’m a kid with a crude but working idea, Rockinger has a full-fledged product ready to sell – so that’s what they went with. Out of all of that, Floyd had the best design, hands down, but I like knowing I was a few months ahead of him in the early running. If patent law then was what it is now, I’d have gotten the document – but back then it was who invented first, not who applied first. And according to a napkin signed by a girlfriend, he edged me out of that possibility.”

Purchased from David Petschulat ca. 1981, as relayed by Petschulat in his April 2021 Mini Les Paul newsletter (copied in this Van Halen Gear Timeline page). It was listed on Wilson's Reverb.com shop in 2022, noting its appearance on the back cover of Heart's Greatest Hits / Live.

Van Halen Gear Timeline, "Mini Les Paul"

Below is information from David’s April 2021 Newsletter.

[...] I finished that first guitar, which is a monstrosity, but the second one I sold to Nancy Wilson of Heart. Then I sold one to Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet. Then Jackson Browne. Then Mick Jones of Foreigner. Howard Leese, Steve Morse. It was exciting. In the summer of 1981 I finished little #13 – a small Les Paul with a bird’s eye maple top, my “Flying P” logo, and a doggone tiny little amp and speaker stuffed inside of it.

Reverb.com, "Petschulat Custom Baby Les Paul Owned by Nancy Wilson of Heart"

This Petschulat Custom Baby Les Paul is Owned by Nancy Wilson of Heart

Only one of several made according to Wilson. “It’s very teeny tiny. It was on stage with me, and Howard Lee has had one too. It’s also the star of the cover of Heart’s album Greatest Hits Live.”

Very rare and tiny guitar! There is some finish checking on the top of the guitar as well as the headstock and neck. There are various other small dings and scratches on the back. The hardware is pretty tarnished with age as well. There are a handful of lacquer cracks on the binding of the neck as well as by the nut. Everything about this guitar, aside from it being mini, functions as any other guitar would. Comes with a small custom case.

Nut Width: 1 19/31"

Neck Thickness 1st Fret: .769"

Neck Thickness 12th Fret: .938"

Scale Length: 17"

Purchased from David Petschulat ca. 1981, as relayed by Petschulat in his April 2021 Mini Les Paul newsletter (copied in this Van Halen Gear Timeline page). When Heart bandmate Nancy Wilson listed her own Mini Les Paul on her Reverb.com shop in 2022, she mentioned Leese's and noted its appearance on the back cover of Hearts' Greatest Hits/Live.

Van Halen Gear Timeline, "Mini Les Paul"

Below is information from David’s April 2021 Newsletter.

[...] I finished that first guitar, which is a monstrosity, but the second one I sold to Nancy Wilson of Heart. Then I sold one to Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet. Then Jackson Browne. Then Mick Jones of Foreigner. Howard Leese, Steve Morse. It was exciting. In the summer of 1981 I finished little #13 – a small Les Paul with a bird’s eye maple top, my “Flying P” logo, and a doggone tiny little amp and speaker stuffed inside of it.

Reverb.com, "Petschulat Custom Baby Les Paul Owned by Nancy Wilson of Heart"

This Petschulat Custom Baby Les Paul is Owned by Nancy Wilson of Heart

Only one of several made according to Wilson. “It’s very teeny tiny. It was on stage with me, and Howard Lee has had one too. It’s also the star of the cover of Heart’s album Greatest Hits Live.”

Very rare and tiny guitar! There is some finish checking on the top of the guitar as well as the headstock and neck. There are various other small dings and scratches on the back. The hardware is pretty tarnished with age as well. There are a handful of lacquer cracks on the binding of the neck as well as by the nut. Everything about this guitar, aside from it being mini, functions as any other guitar would. Comes with a small custom case.

Nut Width: 1 19/31"

Neck Thickness 1st Fret: .769"

Neck Thickness 12th Fret: .938"

Scale Length: 17"