REVIEW: EVH Wolfgang

Jemsite member Anthony5150 has provided I Heart Guitar with the following review and photos of his brand new EVH Wolfgang. Take it away Anthony.

I’ll start with the fit and finish. The body is basically the same shape as the older version, if not exact. The neck still has a roundish feel like the older one, but scaled down. It’s not really chunky and I wouldn’t consider it really thin either. It falls right in the middle. To me, its a perfect balance. The more I play it, the more I like it. Kind of like an old glove. The stainless steel frets are much smaller the 6105's. They felt a little weird at first but they are growing one me, and I’m really starting to like them. The action was the best I’ve ever felt on any guitar. I have had professional level and setups and this one is right there on par, probably better. I can’t believe how close the strings are to the board, especially on the higher frets. There is a slight buzz in some areas, but no fretting out or loss of tone anywhere. I have never seen anything like it that was playable.

The knobs on this thing are on top of low friction pots, so they move really easily. This is something I could have done without, as the slightest brush of the volume knob with your pinky is gonna move it. I can see how they would come in handy but I have never played using the volume swell technique used in eddies "Cathedral". But maybe now is a good time to learn :) The trem springs were a little loose when I received it, as the bridge was lifting with big bends. A few cranks on the screws solved that problem. Other than that the actual finish of this thing is superb: I couldn’t find any flaws whatsoever.

The sound of this thing is just amazing. Compared to what I thought was perfect in the older version, the new one made me realize I really don’t know what perfect is. This thing is a different sound all together. It’s much brighter. I think this is what really puts the sound over the top. It has a nice full sound to it and the separation is unbelievable: every note stand out on its and comes through nice and clear. At first I was having problems getting tapped harmonics to ring loud and clear, but after a day or two I got used to it and that’s not an issue. I will definitely buy another one of these in the future when the price comes down a bit, and probably trade my older one in for it.

This thing is awesome. Eddie and fender really got it right.

Buy EVH products at Guitar Center:

EVH Wolfgang Electric Guitar Vintage White Maple Top for $2,999.99.

EVH Wolfgang Electric Guitar Tobacco Sunburst Quilted Maple Top for $3,149.99.

EVH Wolfgang Electric Guitar Black Maple Top for $2,999.99.

EVH Frankenstein Relic Humbucker LTD (Signed) Standard for $399.

EVH Frankenstein Humbucker Standard for $149.

NAMM 2009: EVH Wolfgangs available now from Musician's Friend

Musician's Friend has opened up preordering for the new EVH Wolfgang guitars.

CLICK HERE to buy EVH Wolfgang Guitars at MusiciansFriend.com

The guitars are made by Fender but released under the EVH brand name, as with Eddie's new 5150 III amps.

The blurb on the Musician's Friend site states: 

Since 1978, every hard rock guitarist has tried to be like Eddie Van Halen. Whether it’s emulating his two-hand tapping; stripped-down, single-pickup, single-knob axe; the renowned "brown sound;" wild whammy bar action; squealing artificial harmonics, or his just-go-for-it attitude.

Not merely artist-approved, the EVH Wolfgang is the result of Eddie’s total involvement and commitment. The Wolfgang is the outcome of two years of exhaustive research, testing and refining, revising, and tweaking by Eddie and his EVH crew. Wolfgang prototypes were given a grueling on-tour workout every night for over a year. As an example of EVH's relentless pursuit of perfection, more than 80 pickups were tried and rejected before the company developed in-house the pickups that produced the "hitting me in the gut" sound that Eddie demanded.

Reflecting on the work that went into the new Wolfgang, Eddie observed, "Every aspect and component of this guitar has been examined and upgraded to the highest standards possible. We redid everything on this guitar. The only similarity to the previous Wolfgang is the body shape, and even that’s changed. You name it—stainless steel frets, double-potted custom-wound pickups, five-piece binding on the matching body and headstock, custom-made signature tuning machines and Floyd Rose bridge, new low-friction pots, and the list keeps going... we left no stone unturned."

In addition to black and vintage white, the EVH Wolfgang comes in an opaque tobacco sunburst finish over a gorgeous quilted maple top. The EVH Wolfgang starts at $2,999.99.

Eddie has climbed the guitar summit and now shares his achievement with you. He’s done all the refining, road testing, and tweaking for you. Now it’s up to you.

NEWS: Buy custom EVH Wolfgang, get a free 56 Chevy

Hmm, maybe I got that the wrong way around, but it makes a good headline so I'll run with it anyway.

Eddie Van Halen is auctioning off two classic 1956 Chevys next week, and each of the cars comes with a one-of-a-kind custom EVH Wolfgang guitar pimped out to match the car. Not a bad combo, eh?

Here's the press release:

EDDIE VAN HALEN TO AUCTION A PAIR OF 1956 CHEVY CLASSICS AT BARRETT-JACKSON SCOTTSDALE

Custom, Theme-Matching Guitar to be Auctioned with Each Vehicle

(Los Angeles, CA - January 5, 2009) A pair of Chevrolet classics from the personal collection of rock ‘n’ roll icon Eddie Van Halen will be sold at No Reserve during the 38th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., Jan. 11-18, 2009. The 1956 Chevy 210 (Lot #1259) and 1956 Chevy Nomad (Lot #1259.1) will each be auctioned with matching, one-of-a-kind EVH Brand “Wolfgang” guitars and a pair of red, white, and black EVH striped sneakers. Hailed as “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™,” the Scottsdale auction and lifestyle event will feature a diverse mix of the world’s most desirable collector vehicles. SPEED will broadcast nearly 40 hours of live, high-definition coverage of all six auction days.
“Rock ‘n’ roll and collector cars go hand in hand,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “And Eddie’s cars, although from the same year, represent the diversity of the collector car hobby. The Nomad is restored to original specifications while the 210 is a custom built street rod with modern performance gear. I expect these cars to enter special collections that salute both rock ‘n’ roll and automobiles.”

The maroon 1956 Chevrolet 210 is a Pro Street hot rod built by customizer Jim Van Gordon. The car features a powerful 454 c.i.d. big block Chevy engine that pumps out more than 600 horsepower, making it suitable for the drag strip while still street legal. Additional highlights include a narrowed 9-inch Ford rear end with Detroit Locker, Mark Williams axles, 4.30 gears, 4-link coil-over suspension, disc brakes, and custom wheels and tires. Racing gauges and a dark grey color scheme underline the interior of the 210."

Van Halen’s 1956 Chevrolet Nomad station wagon sports a classic “Cashmere Blue” and white paint scheme and was once part of the famed “The Harrah Collection” in Reno, Nev. The car underwent a frame-off restoration and features a 265 c.i.d., 210 horsepower “Power Pack” V8 engine, power steering and power brakes. An upgrade to disc brakes was added for improved stopping and safer driving."

"Out of all the cars I have owned over the years, I hung onto the ‘56 Sedan and Nomad because I was closely involved in restoring and building them, so they are very special to me," explained Van Halen. "I almost hate to let them go, but I don’t have the time to drive them. It kills me to see them sit there when someone else could be driving them and have the pleasure and joy of owning these beautiful classic cars.”

"Since they are so dear to me, I thought I would make it even more special by having two custom made Wolfgang guitars built to match each car,” Van Halen added. “I hope the new owners enjoy these cars as much as I have and keep the guitars and cars in their families for a long time, because they are all one-of-a-kind.”

In 2007, Eddie, president of ELVH INC, partnered with Fender Musical Instrument Corporation to launch EVH Brand guitars, amps and musical products. A limited run of Van Halen FrankensteinTM replica guitars were introduced in addition to the EVH 5150III TM amplifier line and EVH guitar accessories. In January, Eddie will launch an all new Wolfgang guitar. More information on the EVH Brand is available at www.evhgear.com.

The Van Halen cars and guitars will be joined by the world’s most desirable collector vehicles and automobilia to be sold at the historic Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Lifestyle attractions will also return to Barrett-Jackson in January in the form of luxury vendors, galas and fashion shows. Barrett-Jackson’s trendy night-spot, “The Garage,” will be the site of exclusive gatherings throughout the event.

Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Barrett-Jackson specializes in providing products and services to classic and collector car owners, astute collectors and automotive enthusiasts around the world. The company produces the “World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™” in Scottsdale, Palm Beach, Fla. and Las Vegas. For more information about Barrett-Jackson, visit http://www.barrett-jackson.com/

CLICK HERE to buy the MXR EVH-117 Eddie Van Halen Flanger from Music123.

CLICK HERE to buy the EVH Premium Guitar Strap from Musician's Friend.

CLICK HERE to search eBay for EVH and Peavey Wolfgang guitars.

NAMM 2009: Van Halen officially launches EVH Wolfgang

This isn't exactly earth-shattering news, since details have been filtering out for a while now, but Eddie Van Halen has officially launched the new EVH Wolfgang guitar (and finally, FINALLY updating his evhgear.com website).

It seems the biggest differences between this and the Peavey version is that the new Fender-build, EVH-brand version has a much thinner neck and new pickups. Also, you can crack open a Heineken on the headstock.

By the way, if you go to the evhgear.com site, you'll see that soon you'll be able to buy Eddie's striped shoes...

Anyway, here's the press release:

Eddie Van Halen launches the all-new EVH Wolfgang electric guitar, available worldwide beginning January 2009. The EVH Wolfgang guitar represents Eddie's 35 years of experimenting with guitars, over two years of intense research and development, and a full year of brutal road testing during the top-grossing VAN HALEN 2007-2008 tour.

It was during the massive 2007-2008 VAN HALEN tour that the all-new EVH Wolfgang guitar went through extensive live "road-testing" performance trials. The tour kicked off in fall 2007, and Eddie punished early versions of the new Wolfgang each night; playing every updated prototype onstage under the full, unfiltered spotlight of his fans. The results are reflected in the EVH Wolfgang guitar; produced to Eddie's exact specifications and with features identical to the Wolfgang guitars he records and performs with.

"A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I could have just stayed at home and built this guitar for myself. I do this because a lot of people ask if they can get what I use. Well, yes you can and what you get is identical to what I use," commented Eddie. "From the basics of the guitar to painstaking aspects like the binding and everything else-we re-did everything on this guitar."

"Every aspect and component of this guitar has been examined and upgraded to the highest standards possible: stainless steel frets, double-potted custom-wound pickups, five-piece binding on the matching body and headstock, custom-made signature tuning machines and Floyd Rose bridge, new low-friction pots, and the list keeps going … we left no stone unturned," said Eddie. "Everything that I've built, destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced is in this guitar."

When Eddie Van Halen made his debut into the rock music scene in 1978, he did so with a homemade guitar (later known as "Frankenstein"). At a time when his monster technique and tone demanded a high-performance, indestructible guitar, he created his own to reach his own seemingly impossible standards. For over 35 years, he has continued to examine and improve every variable within the instrument, all culminating with the new EVH Wolfgang guitar.

In 2007, Eddie Van Halen and Fender collaborated to launch the first EVH brand high-performance products, including the all-new EVH 5150III amplifier, the limited run of Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein replica guitars and an array of high-quality EVH brand accessories.

For more information, go to http://www.evhgear.com/.

NEWS: New EVH Wolfgang in Guitar World

Eddie Van Halen and journalist Chris Gill discuss the new Fender-made EVH Wolfgang guitar on the CD-ROM included with the February issue of Guitar World.

In the interview, Eddie describes the Wolfgang as "a culmination of my 35 years of experimenting with guitars. Everything that I've destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced in my journey to get to where we are now is in this guitar. And there is a lot more to come."

He adds, "A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I'm very brutal on my instruments, but not all the time. I'm not to the point where I’m like Pete Townshend and smashing the shit out of it after a gig. I wouldn't do that to an instrument that is a part of me. I don't need to do this for financial reasons. I could have just stayed at home and built this guitar for myself. I do this because a lot of people ask if they can get what I use. Well, yes you can and what you get is identical to what I use."

The issue comes out on December 16, and there is a preview of the CD-ROM at Guitar World's YouTube channel.

The new incarnation of the Wolfgang (which was previously built by Peavey) isn't the only new gear Eddie's releasing at the moment. The new Dunlop EVH Wah has just hit the streets too, and if you're like me and you went nutso over Eddie's wah sound on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album, you'll dig this pedal. Aside from replicating the mods done to Eddie's own Crybaby, it has a specially designed pot which mimics the wear and tear of the one in his original pedal.