Eddie Van Halen gifts guitars to LA schools

Tricia Steel of the non-profit Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation says the Van Halen lead-guitarist dontated instruments this week.

Meant to inspire music in local children, the rocker asked that the educational axes be used in classrooms, and not sold. As a result, dozens of newly empassioned rock prodigies are realizing that in time their band will be most triumphant, but will never be a super group unless they have Eddie Van Halen. 

The guitars were gifted to seven schools serving mostly low-income students. Some will be distributed to replace broken instruments and others to build music enrollment efforts. 

Administrators, advised to keep the shiny 6-strings under tight lock and key, were not told where the guitars came from until they arrived.

Van Halen announced a tour for 2012, and details about their first studio album in 14 years. A Different Kind of Truth, due for release February 7, will be  Van Halen's first original studio album with singer David Lee Roth since the Los Angeles band’s multi-platinum album "1984". 

The first single "Tattoo" was released on Tuesday. The tour kicks off February 18.