Peavey EVH Wolfgang

Well I've had this guitar for 2 years so felt it was time to send in my report.It's a Wolfgang standard ivory colour,with floyd rose,maple neck,22 freat guitar. I purchased it new and was in excellent condition. No complaints, a great guitar made very well.

I play new and classic rock.I own at this time a Marshall JCM 900 and 4x12 Marshall cabinet. The guitar is very quiet. The pickups sound great but I mostly use the bridge pickup generally,sometimes will flick to the front pickup ,it sounds good but I find the front pickup a little on the bassy side at times. I have thought about changing the pickups but why mess with a good thing-generally though I am happy with them. The pickups and the guitar are very warm sounding.The pickups are high output but not tons of distortion like other pickups.I really don't care for the tone knob Peavey should have left it off.It was a good idea to dip the pickups in wax to cut the noise etc..

The guitar was setup well when I bought it. The action and finish were also great.The d tuna works well once set up properly but I recently had to send it back to Peavey about one month ago ,I haven't heard anything yet. Also anyone who owns one of these guitars and uses the d tuna should invest in a hipshot trem setter to stabilize the tremolo. I noticed the guitar would shift tuning when the d tuna was out.I contacted Peavey rep and he said it will shift a little amount esp. if you use a tuner (really !) The trem setter fix this problem nicely. Great neck it took me a little while to get used to it but once I did I really love it, if you have small hands it seems to support your hand well.

My d tuna crapped out-sent it in to Peavey a month ago still do not have it back. That's my biggest bitch at this time. The guitar is solid though and I have played a ton a guitars selling for 3 times as much and they played like crap-that includes Fenders, Gibsons, etc.. I am always trying new guitars to see if I can find something better than my Wolf and I haven't found one yet. I do have another guitar I use when gigging and the one concern I have is with the floyd rose ,when you break a string you could make it through the tune but it is a major hassle to change a string with the wrenches etc.. If I had a tech like eddie it wouldn't be a problem-seriously -because of that fact I always bring another guitar-although I only broke 1 string on this guitar in over 2 years but If you play hard it may be a problem

I have dealt with Peavey only through the store where I bought the guitar.So far not overly impressed(see above)

Basically I do love playing this guitar- if it were stolen I would buy another one in a minute. I have read on this page about guys bitchin about the pickup selector(change it if you don't like it) or the pickups( change it if you don't like it)or wait buy another guitar or order a custom guitar from a company like carvin.Nothing is perfect but in my humble opinion, this is a great guitar even if it's made my Peavey ( hey ever played a bad Gibson or Fender ?)

A beautiful instrument, the coloring is what initially attracted my eye. The feel of the neck and the high quality sound is what kept my interest. The guitar has a sunburst coloring with beautiful flame grain to the wood.

The configuration of this gem is dual humbucker with a single volume and single tone control.

I currently have a Rivera Bonehead, which sounds GREAT with this guitar... just not as great as the Peavey 5150 I played it through in the store (my next purchase).

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I've given this guitar a "10" for action, fit and finish...I'll let that stand and encourage anyone else interested in a great guitar to check out one of these.

As I have only had this guitar a few days, I'll reserve judgment on reliability and durabulity for now. I can say though that I expect that this will also deserve a high score as two individuals I knowe have lived/loved Wolfgangs and they seem to have NO troubles.

Don't know and hope I never have to find out.

Best electric I have. Other guitar is a 15 year old Ibanez RG-440... which has seen its share of repair work (some required- new Floyd Rose and some by choice- new EMG pickups).

Hello, sorry it has taken so long for me to write this review, but I have been busy hanging out with the guys from Racer X. The features on the Wolfgang have already been noted, so I'm just gonna get right to the yappin. It is important to note that I purchased my Wolfgang over six monthes ago, so the honeymoon is definetly over. Too many people jump in the honeymoon stage and rate this axe 10's all over the place. This guitar (like most)deserves a barrage of 10's like Elvis deserved his blackbelt. Oh yeah, my Wolfgang is purple...

I play rock, metal, and I play them quite crappy. However, the Wolfgang makes me sound decent. Bridge pickup has great tone, and I like the fact that I can't adjust the height. (I would just mess it up anyway.) Neck pickup has an excellent jentsa and allows me to scream out sweeping arpeggios. In my opinion, this guitar doesn't make you sound like a VH album, which is good. I happen to like Brian Wilson and this guitar gives me my pet sounds guite well. It is more versatile that I imagined. One complaint though. What is the deal with the pickup selection switch being wired backwards? I know Eddie was trying to make a guitar a little different but hey, don't jack with the direction of the classic 3-way toggle. I immediated re-wired it the way it should be. (down for bridge, up for neck.) I know this may sound a little picky but when you play fumble fingers the way I do, I don't need to also fumble with my switch. For the stupidity of the Artsy-Fartsy switching mechanism, the sound category recieves an eight. (This switching thing really put a bug in my keester, can't ya tell?)

Ok, I sat and looked at my Wolfgang for a few hours and noticed how nice it looked. Then I got straight to work. First thing I did was take the D-Tuna off. I also made my tremolo float. (Hey what was I supposed to do, sit there and do dive-bombs all day? C'mon, I needed my trem to be more versatile.) However, by the looks of it, I don't believe the quality of the Peavey Tremelo is very sturdy. I will prob. wreck this wammy in about a month. The action, fit, and finish came virtually flawless from the factory. I was really impressed. Oh, and of course, You HAVE to remove the back spring cover and trash it. For any amatuers out there, any time you buy a new or used guitar, just rip that back cover off and trash it. You playing a guitar with a back cover on is like wearing black dress socks with sandals. (In fact, I don't even wear sandals PERIOD. Got my butt kicked at a bar named the Fortune Club for wearing sandals... Never again.) As far as the rating in this category, I give the Wolfgang a seven for putting too much unnecessary crap on, such as the D-Tuna, Back Spring Cover, and having the Tremelo set up non-floating.

Peavey... Hmmmm. Peavey... If you think about it, (and let's not white-wash this either), we ALL have had a Peavey something or another at some point in our zit-riddled-early-career. Now, Remember what you did with that Peavey gear? You trashed it, and treated it bad. Then what happened? It still worked! Peavey is like a brick my friends, hey, I wouldn't lie to you. It will last... However, I would highly recommend getting the new strap locks, re-wiring the switch mechanism, removing the D-Tuna, and floating the bridge. Oh yeah, don't forget that back cover. I can almost garantee that you will be a rock star if that cover is gone. It has done wonders for me. now I'm 38 years old with a mullet cut, changing brake pads for $9 bucks an hour. But like I said, I can scream out those sweeping arpeggios like a cheeta on Meth. Solid Reliable guitar...

Never had to deal with Peavey yet. By the looks of my review so far I believe that I'm quite capable of wrecking this guitar all by myself.

Everything standard on the original. It's all I need except for a single coil in the center and a 5 way switch.

Has an unbelievable "raw" sound. If you like rock, this is for you. I play some pure country gigs and I can get a semi-strat sound and a pretty good tele sound with some tweeking of the eq's. I have played it through a 5150 stack, and several other amps and it sounds great through everything.

Is by far the best playing guitar I have picked up in my 17 years of playing.

I've never had the pleasure of dealing with peavey because peavey's products rarely, rarely, rarely have problems.

It is by far my favorite guitar. Great for rock and mellow clean tones. Not bad for country if you eq it in. When peavey gets their custom shop up and running, I'll have another with a single coil for those twangy tele/strat sounds. This guitar is a dream!!!!

My Wolfagang has a carved maple top with a translucent amber finish which accentuates the moderate amount of flame nicely. I own a 1991 Fender Strat Ultra which has some flame, but not as much as the EVH. It has the standard features, two humbuckers, volume, tone, Floyd Rose with D-Tuna. I have been using drop D tuning since I first heard Unchained and this is one of those ideas that is so simple and ingenious that we should all be envious that we didn't think of it! I want to give this category a 10 based on the D-Tuna but it goes to a 9 based on the toggle switch selection configuration, which is the opposite of a Les Paul. Leave to Eddie to be different!.

I used to own an Ibanez RG560 but sold it because I thought that it sounded thin compared to my Les Paul. I wasn't going to buy another "Hot Rodded" guitar because I thought that it might have been the Floyd Rose making it sound thin. Then my friend was selling this Wolfgang and when I heard it I just had to buy it. I play a wide variety of music and after I played the EVH through my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier I was sold. I never had a decent guitar with a maple neck and now I realize how important this is to the EVH sound. I love the way that the neck and bridge pickup sound is balanced for use with the three way toggle (A complaint that I have about my Les Paul). By the way this guitar, like the Les Paul, does have its own sound. My personal favorite is the way the bridge pickup cleans up when the volume knob is backed off for a song like Bottoms Up. Exactly like the album. I am giving this category a 9 just because I thought the brodge pickup would be over the top sounding but it is just very good.

My Wolfgang's neck feels perfect. The action was great and to the best of my knowledge came from the factory that way. I hear some people calling this neck a "Louisville Slugger". They must be used to those Ibanez necks like I had on the RG560. I think that the satin finish is excellent. The frets and intonation are perfect. This neck is really screwing up my playing on my Les PAul and Strat. If I could give this category a number higher than 10, I would.

Does anybody else out there have a problem with the nut around the input jack always coming loose, or is it just me? This is driving me insane. I see this guitar lasting a long time. I've read other reviews from people complaining about the steel in the Floyd Rose. I might have to agree with them on this one. I think that this wear around the posts are typical of a Floyd Rose. I think that this guitar will last as long as any other comparable guitar. This catetgory gets a 9 based on the input jack.

Very good and very friendly, although I wasn't asking for much. I give it an 8.

If this was the only guitar I owned I would complain about the lack of versatility (no single coil pickup). This guitar has a very specific application - hot guitar. The typical variety of double coil sounds can easily be coaxed from this guitar.

When this guitar is used for Van Halen music it is absolutely perfect. When I play this guitar through my MXR Phase 90 and my Dual Rectifer I get a tone that is very similar to Eddie's. I also use it for other shredder-type music such as Steve Vai and Blues Saraceno.

Based on this I give it a 10.

This guitar was made sometime in 1999 or 2000. It is USA made, and that's the only thing I would play now. Its features contain a 22-fret, birdseye maple neck, laminated body, 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob, and a 3-way selector switch. The pickups are passive, custom wound with a very warm tone. So they sound much like DiMarzios. The body is a red flammed maple top with a basswood back. The body style somewhat resembles an offset strat/prs look. The Bridge is a locking (non-floating) tremolo system with a drop-D tuner.

Well, to be honest. I kinda stumbled on to this guitar by accident. I've seen them before but didn't know what they were all about until I owned one myself. What really surprised me about this guitar is that it had a really fat sustaining tone, which was what I'm looking for. My rig consists of a Line 6 POD direct signal processor/preamp, a Marshall 4x12 Slant Cab, and a Marshall JCM 2000 100-watt head. These combinations, I think, go together hand-in-hand and I've been complimented on my sound everytime I do a gig. For both, clean and distorted, the wolfgang's got you covered. Sometimes the output is too overwhelming and had to backdrop a little on my gain settings. You can't adjust the pickup height. It's "as is" and didn't know it until I bought it. No big deal, but the big deal is that the arch-top body and birdseye maple neck compensate for a crisp, clean-cutting tonality that's unmatched for the price of this guitar.

This guitar, from what I heard, is set up by the factory according to Eddie's specs. In fact a friend of mine that worked at the music store where I bought the guitar from told me that if Eddie happens to drop in and play one of the wolfgangs in stock, finds that it's setup wrong, he will immediately call Hartley Peavey and tear him a new one. I'm not a big fan of the so called "louisville slugger" necks, but the action seems to work well with my playing style which is hard/alternative/classic rock. The action feels the same up and down the neck with no flaws. It's a very rugged neck with the graphite rods built in. Needless to say, like any guitars, the action seems to go out of wack when you're playing outside in hot, dry, muggy weather. But the graphite rods puts the neck back in place after a while. Sort of like the rubber band effect. With others, you have to readjust the truss rod frustratingly. On the Wolfgang, you don't.

I usually play this guitar without a back up. It depends on how small the stage or gig area is. Sometimes, I'll bring a Gibson Les Paul as a backup, just in case or if i'm far from home and don't have spare strings or time to string up. The Wolfgang seems to hold well without having to retune between sets. But when I use the drop-D tuner, I would have to retune by ear quick and it's hard to drop to D on-the-fly. Sometimes it will stick. I have to make sure it's pinched back all the way and in tune before I start the next song.

Never had to call them, but i know they are very supportive and their turn around time is quick.

I've been playing guitar for over 18 years. I own 2 Gibson Les Paul 1960 Classic Models and a USA-made Ibanez USRG30 Custom. I prefer guitars with a flat fretboard radius and not rounded like a fender strat. My hands aren't very big so I have to play with a slimmer neck. I also much prefer the fatter, more open, full-bodied sound. I mainly bought the wolfgang for "tone". This is definitely a "tone built" guitar. Well-balanced, and rugged. I'm not too crazy about the hardware because it looks like "cheap" metal, the shaller tuners have a little play in them, but that's no big deal as long as they don't fall off. For as long as I owned this guitar, I only broke a string once within a year being that I didn't have time to change the strings before the gig. Other than all that, this guitar has never given me any problems. I would definitely recommend this guitar to anyone who can't afford a Gibson or a PRS. The Wolfgang's very Comparable. It's bulletproof!!!

My Wolfgang is a Vintage Sunburst model, made in 1997. I am not the original owner of the instrument, although it is in excellent condition. If you are already reading this you are aware of the features of the guitar, so I'm not going to re-list all of them. The finish isn't especially "flamed", but it does have a very nice wood grain and the coloration is very attractive. The neck is the wonderful, although the Ernie Ball Axis feels a bit better to me (but not by much). The neck is substantial. It is not some wafer-thin crappy thing that seems to be on more and more guitars. While I'm on the subject of new guitars; I've only heard two guitarists who could actually PLAY a 7-string guitar, and they are Steve Vai and John Petrucci. The rest just blast away on the low strings so why don't they just play a 2 or 3 string guitar? The top 4 or 5 probably never need to be changed! Anyway, the neck is very stable and solid. The lack of a finish makes the neck feel really fast, and the jumbo frets also add to the speed as well as the ability to make subtle adjustments in your vibrato. The Wolfgang was designed to ROCK, and is therefore not the most versitile guitar on the market. However, it does what it was designed to do extremely well. I've found no substantially better rock n' roll guitar out there, although I could argue that the Ernie Ball Axis is slightly better in some areas . . . It would be nice to have volume and tone controls for each pickup similar to a Les Paul.

A word about the D-tuner. This device is fantastic for dropping to a dropped-D tuning in an instant. It stays in tune perfectly too! This is one of the best inventions for the guitar in a long, long time.

I'm playing through a Marshall JCM 900 100 watt Dual Reverb head, a Marshall PB100 Powerbrake, and a Marshall 1936 speaker cabinet. I have all controls on 10 except the reverb of course. As an aside, you can really get some great sounds out of the JCM 900 head if you use the Powerbrake; it really kicks some ass! The pickups on the guitar are very quiet, with little notable hissing. Out of the bridge pickup the sound is very crunchy, with a heavy mid-range emphasis. The overall tone is very full and warm and it sustains forever. Out of the neck pickup, the sound is again quite crunchy for a neck pickup, and it again sustains for days. The neck tone is more "woody" sounding and is pretty smooth. Both pickups produce heavy, thick, harmonics, and both pick and tap harmonics are very easy to generate. In fact, pick harmonics are almost too easy as I seem to get them even when I'm not really trying to. I generally play 70's and 80's rock (a few 90's groups too) and as long as you are playing rock the guitar is perfect. This guitar is the closest thing to the perfect rock and roll guitar I have found. I'd hate to hear someone try twangy country music on it though; both because I don't like twangy country and because I'll bet it would sound even worse on this guitar.

I have no idea how it was set up when it was delivered. However, all fit and finish issues appear very acceptable. I've noticed no problems with poor frets or fretjob, and everything looks well done in terms of the routing of the pickups and tremelo. The finish is very attractive, and has no blemishes. I would like to see Peavey produce guitars at the same level as Ernie Ball. I believe that while the Wolfgang represents a big step forward for Peavey, they still have a way to go to catch Ernie Ball. I'm using Ernie Ball for comparison due to the striking similarities between the Wolfgang and the Axis (due to the person instrumental in their design). I would like to see better quality wood used in the body, and a neck-through design, or at least a set-neck design to further reduce the size of the heel where the neck joins the body. Otherwise, I have no complaints with any manufacturing/quality issues.

I don't play live, as I don't have the time. I believe that the Floyd Rose is not the top of the line 15 year model, but the step below. Another example of cost-cutting by big manufacturers. The finish has held up very well and the neck is just fantastic. Overall it appears very durable and reliable.

Haven't dealt with them so I have no opinion.

I've played for nearly 18 years. I also own a Les Paul, and have owned several other guitars including Ibanez and Hamers. Overall, I like the neck and feel of the Ernie Ball Axis slightly better. However, the fact that the Wolfgang has a tone control, and features a carved top similar to my Les Paul led me to choose the Wolfgang over the Axis. I found the lack of a tone control on the Axis to be a problem that I couldn't really get around. Also, the carved top on the Wolfgang means that it feels more like my Les Paul than the flat-top Axis did. Although I've pointed out some areas where I believe the Axis is better, I should also point out that in my opinion the Axis and the Wolfgang are the two best rock guitars out there, and both are exceptional guitars. I like both, but I bought the Wolfgang because of the tone control and carved top. I'd like to see seperate tone and volume for each pickup, but other than that there is nothing else I'd like to see added.

This is the standard archtop version with Floyd Rose tremolo w/ D-Tuna and custom wound pickups. 1 volume/1 tone/1 three way toggle switch. Included Peavey hardshell case-which is very cheap. The Floyd is the licensed version with the fine tuners angled away to the back. I never expected to own this version, but I do like it. So what if it's not case hardened steel-replace it in ten years as opposed to 15.

I run this guitar through a Marshall JCM 800 lead series 50 watt head into a 4/12 25 watt celestion cabinet. The only effect used is a Zoom
505 pedal. I also run this through a 5150 combo. The overall sound is very good, especially with the neck pickup. Complaint: I don't like the harmonic capabilities of this guitar. The tone control is somewhat pointless.

The guitar was never unpacked from the factory until I got mine and I have had to do nothing to it. That is a first for me. Everything was set-up to unpack and play.

This guitar has given me no problems. It seems very solid and built to play.

I've been playing for 18 years and own strats, L.P. I give this guitar a solid 7+. My only real complaint is the harmonic capabilities using the bridge pickup. I prefer the bridge pickup used in the Ernie Ball version. The guitar is somewhat uncomfortable to play in any way other than standing. It seems to be thrusting to the right. The neck is by far my favorite part of the guitar. I bought an Ernie Ball in 1992 and if I had to choose between the two I would take the Wolfgang on the neck alone.

MADE IN 1998, SERIAL #61006 MADE IN USA W/ MAPLE TOP. ONE VOLUME & ONE TONE CONTROL W/ FLOYD ROSE. 2 HUMBUCKERS VOICED TO ED'S SPECS AND HARDSHELL CASE/TOOLS. BIRDSEYE MAPLE NECK W/ SCALLER TUNERS. SMALL SCALE NECK LIKE THE ERNIE BALL. D-TUNER IS VERY NICE. FLOYD ROSE FEELS THIN AS IN THE FROM WHICH THE METAL IT WAS MADE OF.

I TRULY FEEL THAT YOU CAN PLAY ALL TYPES OF MUSIC W/ THIS GUITAR. YOU JUST HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO USE THE VOLUME & TONE KNOBS. THE FLOYD ROSE FEELS LIGHT BUT HOLDS UP RATHER WELL AND STAYS IN TUNE. STICK WITH 9 GAUGE STRINGS AND KEEP IT CLEAN.

ACTION IS LOW AND FAST. GOOD FOR LEADS AND RHYTHM WORK AS WELL. A VERY GOOD ALL-AROUND GUITAR. THE ONLY FLAWS ON THE GUITAR WAS ON THE NECK , ON THE SIDE AT THE 11TH FRET. JUST A LITTLE BLACK MARK NO BIGGER THAN A PIN HEAD. IT IS NOT NOTICEABLE & ACTUALLY GIVES IT A MARK TO KNOW THAT IT IS YOU GUITAR.

EVERYTHING IS GOOD EXCEPT THE FLOYD ROSE. UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS I THINK IT WOULD BE QUESTIONABLE. THE D-TUNER SEEMS TO WORK NICE AND STAY IN TUNE. I HAVE GIGGED W/ IT AND IT WAS GREAT. NO BACKUP NEEDED UNLESS YOUR EDDIE HIMSELF.

GREAT , VERY HELPFUL AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. I EXPECT THAT FROM AN AMERICAN MADE COMPANY. THE COST WAS VERY REASONABLE AS WELL. PAID $1200.00 FOR IT NEW.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 15 YEARS AND HAVE AN EVENTIDE HARMONIZER, GROOVE TUBES SE II, MARSHALL PLEXI & 5150 AMP (I SLAVE ONE AMP AND USE THE OTHER FOR A PREAMP) & HAVE A CARVIN POWER AMP FOR A FINAL AMP FOR WET CABS. I RUN A WET,DRY,WET SET UP W/ 3 MESA BOOGIE 1X12'S ALL 75 WATTS A PIECE. THE MIDDLE CAB(DRY) IS A 75 WATT SPEAKER FROM A 5150 CAB. THE OTHERS ARE 75 WATT CELESTIONS. AN AWESOME SET-UP I MIGHT ADD.

Made in 2000 ,dbl hums,floyd rose,ebony finish,chrome hdwr,nice case
t shirt, 3 sets strings ,1 doz thin picks,high end cord..very
impressive looking axe.

Rich full sound, very versatile,quite
amp is Peavey Transfex 212
style is whatever requested or as close as we can get.

Setup-na
pickup adjustment-na
no flaws
chrome hdwr had some imperfections visible under the plating
classy ebony finish

Its solid
added strap locks

there is nothing to break on this one,Peavey has a good reputation.

Play out 3-4 nights a week,also have a regular job,cost isnt a factor but value is,this is like my LP std but on steroids. Highly
desirable guitar,good appeal, good resale,my ist EVH(1998) sold the same day I listed it in the paper. I have this one spoken for also.