A YouTuber who’s made a series of videos that show him performing classic-rock songs on Stylophones released his version of Eddie Van Halen’s signature solo track “Eruption.”

But MaroMaro1337 denied it was a joke, admitting it was “one of the weirdest tributes” to the late guitarist, who died on Oct. 6 after a cancer battle.

"I know that some of you may think that I'm doing a lame parody of this song or poking fun at Eddie,” he wrote on YouTube. “But no, actually I'm heartbroken because one of my guitar idols is dead. I did this because nobody else would do it on this instrument, and I think that it's somewhat a breakthrough to play this piece on the Stylophone.”

He noted that "the last parts are a bit sloppy, but seriously, it couldn't be done better. ... So, sorry for some mistakes here and there, have fun watching my tribute to one of the greatest guitar players on the planet. … I know that it's probably one of the weirdest tributes to a guitar master, but what can I do?”

The video was cut together from three takes, MaroMaro1337 explained, because he had to “tune the Stylophones differently for every part of this solo.” In a comment, he added: “Thank you for taking guitar music to a whole new level, Eddie. RIP.”

The video has attracted more than 12,000 thumbs-up and only 119 thumbs-down reviews. One fan called it an “incredibly inventive way to pay respect.” You can check out the Stylophone cover of "Eruption" below, followed by Van Halen's original version from the band's 1978 self-titled debut album.

 

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