Which EVH guitar do you recommend I buy?

[NCASO]

I have a budget of around $1700.

I own Charvel, YJM Strat, Jackson GUS G PRO, and Japan E-II ESP Eclipse

From the Wolfgang, 5150 or striped series, which stand out as the best made, best playing, sounding...

I'm looking for something a bit different from what i already have...

any advice would be appreciated.

[Brett]

With $1700? A Peavey Wolfgang. . An earlier American one, not a Korean one.

[iplayguitaralot]

Honestly man it’s a terrible time to look. I know it sounds lame but I would wait a year until the hysteria dies down a bit, and save up for an Ernie ball music man axis. The peavey Wolfgangs are cool but I’ve been seeing those go for 3 to 5 grand as well, at least for the maple topped USA models.

[MF5150]

Honestly man it’s a terrible time to look. I know it sounds lame but I would wait a year until the hysteria dies down a bit, and save up for an Ernie ball music man axis. The peavey Wolfgangs are cool but I’ve been seeing those go for 3 to 5 grand as well, at least for the maple topped USA models.

This.

When Peavey Wolfgang EXP's are going for over $1000 USD on Reverb, it's safe to say the hype isn't over. Korean (and Mexican/Indonesian) guitars are generally really well made but those Wolfgang EXP's for whatever reason, weren't that great.

I have seen some US Standards going for $1400 - 1500 USD though. Many are up there for $2000+.

Probably best to wait a bit before jumping for a used EVH model guitar. EB or Peavey or FMIC.

[Brett]

Totally agree I would wait until the market comes down with all the people taking advantage of Eddie’s death. The prices are ridiculous right now. They will come back to Earth eventually.

[joezlo]

I have a budget of around $1700.

I own Charvel, YJM Strat, Jackson GUS G PRO, and Japan E-II ESP Eclipse

From the Wolfgang, 5150 or striped series, which stand out as the best made, best playing, sounding...

I'm looking for something a bit different from what i already have...

any advice would be appreciated.

Based on the guitars you already own:

A EVH Standard & mod it because you'll be comfortable with the neck.

Or a 5150 series.

Your budget is in the ball park for both.


I do not recommend a peavey or ernie ball as their value is temporarily sky rocketing because of Ed's passing & if you intend to actually play the guitar & not case it - those would be a wasted investment.

EVH wolfgang specials, striped series & USA wolfs are a pretty penny & I wouldn't buy one off a website because I would want to physically play it before investing - their cost limits mods & the mods lower value.

Standards are a wolfgang to be modded due to price point and accessibility. Which not only continue the spirit of what Ed did, but also gets you to a lot of the finer points of a guitar without having to do much yourself.

Just for context,

My wife and I have 3 peavey wolf specials (solid basswood no tops - tobbaco burst, gold & a purple) all stock. - The purple & gold are mint. The tobacco has been played to hell & was my #1 for years (its the guitar on all the recordings in my links below) - I played it so much my sweat began dissolving the bridge saddles & base plate - I got an NOS peavey bridge & haven't really much touched it since.

A Korean wolf special (maroon veneer) - EVH duncan in bridge, a ping floyd rose trem w/D-Tuna (not the junk it came with) & an usa peavey neck on it.

A homemade solid body wolf with and extra 1/2 inch of body thickness, mean streets intruder neck, virtual hot dimarzio pup in bridge, some dimarizio paf clone in the neck, a toggle kill switch & a ping floyd rose w/D Tuna. (Its orange with a blue stripe running through the bridge & pups - the head stock is blue to match & it has a picture of Stripe from Gremlins under the bridge taped to it)

However, my current No 1 is my grey maple veneer wolfgang standard.

I said many times on here how much I love this guitar.

Mods -
switch craft 3 way toggle
tone pot replace with 2nd volume pot (now toggle acts as a kill switch)
titanium saddle inserts
standard sized floyd brass block from the destroyed peavey locking trem
Black D-tuna

My only small negative caveat is the smoked chrome hardware - it looks super cool, but if you're a player; soon you'll have regular chrome hardware - or some crazy ombre effect. (Which does give the guitar character if I'm playing devil's advocate!)

[Dave not David]

I think the striped series are most similar to what you already have. I would personally recommend a Wolfgang Special in your preferred finish, but I wouldn't spend more than $1000 on one, especially now. Find an earlier MIJ/MIC special for a guitar that's both more similar to the USA and flat top quilt (or solid) like the MM EVH.

Peavey Wolfgangs are great too but you'll spend more on that.

[NCASO]

I think the striped series are most similar to what you already have. I would personally recommend a Wolfgang Special in your preferred finish, but I wouldn't spend more than $1000 on one, especially now. Find an earlier MIJ/MIC special for a guitar that's both more similar to the USA and flat top quilt (or solid) like the MM EVH.

Peavey Wolfgangs are great too but you'll spend more on that.

Thanks, I have wanted a Wolfgang Special for a while... some of the 2021 finishes are really nice even some of the new 5150 with the killswitches look great as well.

i'm sure the wolfgang pups sound great, but im concerned they'll be a little underpowered at 14k...

Can you swap out pups on a wolfgang without conducting any "surgery"?

thx

[MF5150]

but im concerned they'll be a little underpowered at 14k...

Can you swap out pups on a wolfgang without conducting any "surgery"?

You can swap them out without any "surgery", but you think 14k is underpowered? What sort of output are you looking for?

Any hotter than that and you might as well go the EMG route.

[Brett]

14K is pretty hot.

[joezlo]

Thanks, I have wanted a Wolfgang Special for a while... some of the 2021 finishes are really nice even some of the new 5150 with the killswitches look great as well.

i'm sure the wolfgang pups sound great, but im concerned they'll be a little underpowered at 14k...

Can you swap out pups on a wolfgang without conducting any "surgery"?

thx

None of the pups are underpowered. I'd leave it stock & play in your rig before considering making a pup change, regardless of what model you invest in.

[nobozos]

NCASO, I'm going to try and help, but I may come off sounding like kind of a dick, so let me preface this by saying that is not my intention.

You are going to get a lot of different opinions about that here, and I'm afraid you will leave more confused that when you first asked the question. In order to best answer your question, I will have to ask you a couple.

First, why do you want to buy an EVH guitar? I mean, is it just to have something EVH? Is it for the image, collectability, or just to say you have an EVH guitar in the stable? I'm just confused by the question. If I were looking for a guitar, there would be something about it that drew me to it. The tone, the shape, the construction, the paintjob? It just seems weird to me not to have any idea of, "Do I want a Strat shape or a Wolfgang shape?", "Do I want a Carved Top or a Flat top Wolfgang shape?" or "Do I want a transparent top, a solid color, or Striped Series?". So, there isn't much to go on to recommend for you based on the type of guitar. If you are already talking about swapping out a pickup on a guitar you haven't played, I'm assuming you aren't after an EVH for the sound of the instrument, so what is it about an EVH that is making you want to buy one? Are you looking for something different from the guitars you already have, or do you want something familiar to the guitars you currently have? Knowing these things will help people make a better recommendation.

Second, what type of music do you play, and what amp are you running? Do you have a particular sound from Van Halen that you are aiming to achieve?

Do you like vintage frets or jumbo frets?

Again, I know it may seem like I'm beating up on you a bit, but I'm really trying to understand your motivation so that I can recommend a guitar to you that you will love, and hopefully not drop $1700 on a guitar that you feel like you have to modify.

[MF5150]

NCASO, I'm going to try and help, but I may come off sounding like kind of a dick, so let me preface this by saying that is not my intention.

You are going to get a lot of different opinions about that here, and I'm afraid you will leave more confused that when you first asked the question. In order to best answer your question, I will have to ask you a couple.

First, why do you want to buy an EVH guitar? I mean, is it just to have something EVH? Is it for the image, collectability, or just to say you have an EVH guitar in the stable? I'm just confused by the question. If I were looking for a guitar, there would be something about it that drew me to it. The tone, the shape, the construction, the paintjob? It just seems weird to me not to have any idea of, "Do I want a Strat shape or a Wolfgang shape?", "Do I want a Carved Top or a Flat top Wolfgang shape?" or "Do I want a transparent top, a solid color, or Striped Series?". So, there isn't much to go on to recommend for you based on the type of guitar. If you are already talking about swapping out a pickup on a guitar you haven't played, I'm assuming you aren't after an EVH for the sound of the instrument, so what is it about an EVH that is making you want to buy one? Are you looking for something different from the guitars you already have, or do you want something familiar to the guitars you currently have? Knowing these things will help people make a better recommendation.

Second, what type of music do you play, and what amp are you running? Do you have a particular sound from Van Halen that you are aiming to achieve?

Do you like vintage frets or jumbo frets?

Again, I know it may seem like I'm beating up on you a bit, but I'm really trying to understand your motivation so that I can recommend a guitar to you that you will love, and hopefully not drop $1700 on a guitar that you feel like you have to modify.

There is absolutely nothing dickish about this post. Those are exactly the kind of questions somebody who is buying a new guitar needs to ask themselves.

[NCASO]

NCASO, I'm going to try and help, but I may come off sounding like kind of a dick, so let me preface this by saying that is not my intention.

You are going to get a lot of different opinions about that here, and I'm afraid you will leave more confused that when you first asked the question. In order to best answer your question, I will have to ask you a couple.

First, why do you want to buy an EVH guitar? I mean, is it just to have something EVH? Is it for the image, collectability, or just to say you have an EVH guitar in the stable? I'm just confused by the question. If I were looking for a guitar, there would be something about it that drew me to it. The tone, the shape, the construction, the paintjob? It just seems weird to me not to have any idea of, "Do I want a Strat shape or a Wolfgang shape?", "Do I want a Carved Top or a Flat top Wolfgang shape?" or "Do I want a transparent top, a solid color, or Striped Series?". So, there isn't much to go on to recommend for you based on the type of guitar. If you are already talking about swapping out a pickup on a guitar you haven't played, I'm assuming you aren't after an EVH for the sound of the instrument, so what is it about an EVH that is making you want to buy one? Are you looking for something different from the guitars you already have, or do you want something familiar to the guitars you currently have? Knowing these things will help people make a better recommendation.

Second, what type of music do you play, and what amp are you running? Do you have a particular sound from Van Halen that you are aiming to achieve?

Do you like vintage frets or jumbo frets?

Again, I know it may seem like I'm beating up on you a bit, but I'm really trying to understand your motivation so that I can recommend a guitar to you that you will love, and hopefully not drop $1700 on a guitar that you feel like you have to modify.

If you read my post I stated:

"I own Charvel, YJM Strat, Jackson GUS G PRO, and Japan E-II ESP Eclipse

You would get an idea of what kind of music I like to play based upon the guitars i already own

From the Wolfgang, 5150 or striped series, which stand out as the best made, best playing, sounding...


I'm asking which guitars "stand out" here and i give 3 criteria: best made, playing and sounding


I'm looking for something a bit different from what i already have...

This is probably the most open ended question i posed... something different is vague, but the something different is an EVH GUITAR!

Since quality control is all over the place with MIM, MIC guitars, I wanted to know which guitars stand out.

my questions weren't as obtuse as you're making them out to be...

[NCASO]

There is absolutely nothing dickish about this post. Those are exactly the kind of questions somebody who is buying a new guitar needs to ask themselves.

no, it's just written to the wrong person...