The Wolfgang Saga: How 3 Brands Built Eddie Van Halen's Signature Guitar

[NDL]

I played a USA wolf at GC last year and was supremely disappointed. Maybe it’s a one off thing but I was not impressed.

I've played all three and the EBMM is the best product... hands down. The other two certainly are very good guitars, but there seems to be a better level of quality with the EBMM - maybe because they weren't mass produced?. I own one that was born in 1992.. and it's my "daily driver" for the last 15 years: rehearsing, recording, gigging, couch-lounging. I like the neck for the very reason Jedi doesn't.

I've had two Peavey Wolfgangs, & currently have a Music Man EVH. The EBMM all day long for me


I've played several EVH Wolfs & the majority are just ok, imho. That said, there's a sweet Candy Apple Red Special nearby....

1. EBMM—quality
2. Peavey USA Standard
3. Fender

I gotta tell you that I am extremely surprised to see Peavey ahead of Fender. Then again, I don't know what EVH's royalty fees are for each guitar sold, and it's gotta come outta somewhere.

Take the Indonesian made Wolfgang Standard for example. The Mexican made Strat is priced just above it, but I suspect that it's way ahead of the EVH guitar in terms of quality.

Here's a guitar that is simply beautiful....can't afford one, but I can dream :

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/...tric-Guitar.gc

***

So what kind of guitars do y'all play then? What is your main axe?

[EJC]

Take the Indonesian made Wolfgang Standard for example. The Mexican made Strat is priced just above it, but I suspect that it's way ahead of the EVH guitar in terms of quality.

Not really man. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the Indo Wolfs, or most Indo-made guitars for that matter.

I've had plenty of Indonesian guitars, and probably even more Mexican strats. If you are happy with the pickups, and know how to set your guitar up, it could be made in Tim-Buk-2. Guitar production Technology as well as quality control has come a very long way since the 80s. It's about economics. The labor is cheaper overseas.

~E

[NDL]

Not really man. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the Indo Wolfs, or most Indo-made guitars for that matter.

I've had plenty of Indonesian guitars, and probably even more Mexican strats. If you are happy with the pickups, and know how to set your guitar up, it could be made in Tim-Buk-2. Guitar production Technology as well as quality control has come a very long way since the 80s. It's about economics. The labor is cheaper overseas.

~E

Appreciate the education...thanks

[jin-jin]

Interesting article...I've always wondered who really came up with the d-tuna design.

My thoughts:

My main gigging guitar is the Peavey Wolfgang. I like the larger neck, the larger frets and the carved top. I did swap out the bridge pickup for something slightly less mid-rangy (DiMarzio Norton) I also modified the electronics with push pull pots for coil splitting.

That being said, I also love the EBMM, and have had two. I think the shape of it is cooler looking, and the quilted tops are great. I think the stock pickups are the best sounding of all of Ed's signature models... closer to the early sound. My only dislike are the smaller frets.

Never owned any of the Fender EVH stuff...can't do the small frets (however stainless steel frets are where it's at) and the pickups are too much like Ed's current tone for my taste.

I guess my ultimate Ed type guitar would be the Musicman shape, with the Peavey neck, the Musicman pickups and a carved maple top with large stainless frets.

Your mileage may vary...

[danielleesale]

Never owned any of the Fender EVH stuff...can't do the small frets (however stainless steel frets are where it's at) and the pickups are too much like Ed's current tone for my taste.

I think they got the pickups right when it comes to the Fenders. It’ll sound like current EVH if you play them through a 5150 III, but they also sound very good in other amps. That was one complaint with the Peaveys, that they were just meant for high gain sizzle. The Fenders are more well-rounded, I think.

[Jedi McFly]

I think they got the pickups right when it comes to the Fenders. It’ll sound like current EVH if you play them through a 5150 III, but they also sound very good in other amps. That was one complaint with the Peaveys, that they were just meant for high gain sizzle. The Fenders are more well-rounded, I think.

100% agree. Ed's modern tone isn't as much a result of the pickups as it is scooping the mids, high gain, and the mic being directly on the speaker grill. That causes the focused, nasally tone that he suffered from. The nasal focus seemed to get better in 2015, but it was still too much gain.

[KS 5150]

I gotta tell you that I am extremely surprised to see Peavey ahead of Fender. Then again, I don't know what EVH's royalty fees are for each guitar sold, and it's gotta come outta somewhere.

Take the Indonesian made Wolfgang Standard for example. The Mexican made Strat is priced just above it, but I suspect that it's way ahead of the EVH guitar in terms of quality.

Here's a guitar that is simply beautiful....can't afford one, but I can dream :

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/...tric-Guitar.gc

***

So what kind of guitars do y'all play then? What is your main axe?

Nice Strat! Buddy of mine just got an American Professional Stratocaster, & absolutely loves it

The one thing I noticed about the first two USA EVH Wolfgangs I tried out back in 2010, was how sharp the frets were. Other guitars in the store had a bit of fret sprout, but they were razor sharp lol

I've got a decent collection: 3 Gibson Les Pauls (R9, Custom, Traditional), Gibson SG, Gibson Explorer, 1993 Music Man EVH, Kramer 5150 aged replica built by a member here, Fender Telecaster & Stratocaster, Godin acoustic. My main axe is definitely my Les Paul '59 reissue, it is amazing! Pic below. I'm also curious as to the other collections that lurk here

IMG-0976.jpg

[evhintexas]

I have at least one of all three. To me, the Fenders are the most comfortable. They all kick ass but I prefer the 12 to 16 compound radius of the Fenders....

[NDL]

Nice Strat! Buddy of mine just got an American Professional Stratocaster, & absolutely loves it

The one thing I noticed about the first two USA EVH Wolfgangs I tried out back in 2010, was how sharp the frets were. Other guitars in the store had a bit of fret sprout, but they were razor sharp lol

I've got a decent collection: 3 Gibson Les Pauls (R9, Custom, Traditional), Gibson SG, Gibson Explorer, 1993 Music Man EVH, Kramer 5150 aged replica built by a member here, Fender Telecaster & Stratocaster, Godin acoustic. My main axe is definitely my Les Paul '59 reissue, it is amazing! Pic below. I'm also curious as to the other collections that lurk here

IMG-0976.jpg

That's an absolutely beautiful guitar!

Everyone in my social circle sees me as a Van Halen fan of fans, but every time I come onto this forum, I am outclassed by y'all

As for frets, you're not the first person to say that.

[Dave not David]

I've owned one of each. The only one I still have is the EVH USA, but even then I don't play it much because I have a bunch of EVH Wolf specials I use swap around as daily drivers. It's just a bonus that I'm trying to keep it in pretty good condition, as it's part of the first run of Stealths with the original finish/texture.

I like the pickups in the EBMM the most, but they're pretty close. I've swapped the pickups around a lot. They're all slightly different and they definitely complement the guitars they were designed around. I put a set of EVHs in a Peavey body once, and that was cool, and I have an EVH with Peavey pickups still.

I find the compound radius and vintage SS frets the most comfortable, and I find myself reaching for those guitars more often than otherwise.

I have Wolfgang's with OFRs, Korean Floyds, Schaller Peavey floyds, and GOTOH floyds. I like the GOTOH bridges the most, actually.

I like the original EBMM neck shape the most (that worn-in indent up by the nut is so comfortable), Peaveys the least, and Wolfgangs a close runner-up. I have over a dozen different EVH necks, at least one from every manufacturing location, those are mostly equal with the standards falling a bit behind.

In overall body/electronic feel, I like the EVH the most.

So I think the EVH wins it in my book.

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

As a non player, from a drummer's perspective, from a purely aesthetic point of view the EBMM was the ugliest body shape of Ed's guitars. Too round and bloated looking. Always liked the sleeker, sharper angled design of the Peavey and EVH better. Guitar players, feel free to sling your rocks at me now.

[Brett]

Quality-wise the EBMM smokes the other two, it’s not even close.

But I’ll be honest with you guys, I don’t find playing that guitar all that comfortable anymore. I’m just used to flatter, wider necks now, so I have a hard time even playing that guitar when I do pick it up. Mine is very beat up from years of gigging in my 20’s and also living through a terrible earthquake where everything in the world fell on it.

To me the Peavey is a much more comfortable guitar than the EBMM. And I have a Pat Pending Standard that I feel blows away any Fender version I’ve tried. I’m just not a fan of the craftsmanship on the Fender versions. I just think some of them feel like really cheap guitars. I know a lot of guys will totally disagree with me but it’s just how I’ve felt when I’ve tried them.

Also unlike most guys I don’t use my EBMM or Wolfgang very much anymore unless it’s in the house once in a while when I play stuff in standard tuning. Otherwise I’m not really playing them anymore. I just don’t like my guitars to feel differently which is probably why I tend to use the ones that I have built that have the exact same neck on them all the time.

[japeape]

As a non player, from a drummer's perspective, from a purely aesthetic point of view the EBMM was the ugliest body shape of Ed's guitars. Too round and bloated looking. Always liked the sleeker, sharper angled design of the Peavey and EVH better. Guitar players, feel free to sling your rocks at me now.

I think all those EBMM guitars are unattractive, but the VH model was a total WTF moment for me
at the time.

I was surprised he chose that body shape, especially after playing strat shaped guitars for so long.
It just looked too round & fat.

I'm sure the guitars are great players & high quality, yet i just never enjoyed the design.

[fudd]

Quality-wise the EBMM smokes the other two, it’s not even close.

But I’ll be honest with you guys, I don’t find playing that guitar all that comfortable anymore. I’m just used to flatter, wider necks now, so I have a hard time even playing that guitar when I do pick it up. Mine is very beat up from years of gigging in my 20’s and also living through a terrible earthquake where everything in the world fell on it.

To me the Peavey is a much more comfortable guitar than the EBMM. And I have a Pat Pending Standard that I feel blows away any Fender version I’ve tried. I’m just not a fan of the craftsmanship on the Fender versions. I just think some of them feel like really cheap guitars. I know a lot of guys will totally disagree with me but it’s just how I’ve felt when I’ve tried them.

Also unlike most guys I don’t use my EBMM or Wolfgang very much anymore unless it’s in the house once in a while when I play stuff in standard tuning. Otherwise I’m not really playing them anymore. I just don’t like my guitars to feel differently which is probably why I tend to use the ones that I have built that have the exact same neck on them all the time.

Show us a pic of your EBMM. I love it.


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[RRvh1]

As a non player, from a drummer's perspective, from a purely aesthetic point of view the EBMM was the ugliest body shape of Ed's guitars. Too round and bloated looking. Always liked the sleeker, sharper angled design of the Peavey and EVH better. Guitar players, feel free to sling your rocks at me now.

As.you said to me in a drum thread about AVH; Get the fuck outta here...