The driving force behind Ratt’s metal anthems like “Round and Round” and “Lay It Down”, Warren DeMartini quickly solidified his status as a best-in-class lead guitarist and songwriter. Recognized for his inventive and technically gifted guitar work, his multi-platinum songs set the bar high for aspiring players as the band churned out hit after hit and dominated radio and TV in the 1980’s.

The Warren DeMartini RTM (“Rattus Tonius Maximus”) is a high-output bridge humbucker with an Alnico 2 magnet. It was designed to produce aggressive and balanced tones that complement the complex chord voicings and precision solos Warren is known for.

Sometime in ’78, Eddie Van Halen gave Seymour Duncan a P.A.F. to experiment with, along with instructions to rewind it with the intent to enhance the reproduction of artificial harmonics and “hot wind” a little for some extra “juice”.

The Little ’78 Strat is the single-coil version of that experiment. The magnet and output combination lends itself to a warm crunch with biting leads and overtone laden tapped runs. While this was not the final destination for Eddie, it offers players the opportunity to revisit a waypoint in the early days of his legendary pursuit of the ultimate tone.

If you’re a player who demands a high-performance tone the Little ’78 Strat just may be your ticket.