Peavey EVH Wolfgang

My Wolfgang was made on March 30, 1997 in Leaksville, MS. By now, everyone should know the features, but I will say mine has a fully quilted purple top, which they do not make anymore. It's the Floyd w/ D-tuna model. In case you don't know, the Wolfgang is Eddie Van Halen's most recent incarnation of a signature guitar. It has two humbucking pickups, custom wound to his specs. The body is basswood with a maple top, and the neck's a bolt on birdseye maple w/ 22 frets.

I have had this guitar since April of 1997, so that's almost 3 years of experience with it. I see a lot of guys are still on their "honeymoon" with their gear and sling out 10's all over the place. I also laugh at these guys who have to compare the Ernie Ball to it...Geez. Who cares? Anyway, the Wolfgang sounds like nothing else. Of course, I too play rock and dab in Jazz and Country. It is a bright sounding guitar, and the pickups are not muddy. The bridge pickup has good bass and midrange w/out the shrilly high end. The neck pickup has almost NO mids at all, but it's my favorite of the two. It's a great sound thru the right amp. I run it thru a Mesa Boogie Mark IV head and a Boogie 2x12 Caliber cab. I can get all sorts of tones just by turning the guitar volume down. We're talking dark jazz clean, blues, ALMOST that "strat" sound when you set it right, and my favorite, the liquid smooth lead sound with great sustain. I wish Eddie would've let Peavey put a coil tap in there, because I am not a big fan of the middle position "both pickups on" sound. I like more of a scooped clean, but a lot of that comes from the amp anyway. Overall, I wouldn't change out the pickups because nothing else gets that neck lead tone and I've not found a bridge pickup I like better. I'll give the sound an 8 because of the middle position on the 3-way selector. I just don't like it. Bridge and Neck separated are bitchin'.

This is touchy...because I am a big fan of Peavey (see below). My guitar, when delivered, was perfect in every way. But a few weeks into it, I couldn't get it out of my head that the High E string was higher than the B string. The bends felt weird, not like other Wolfs. So I decided to dismantle the tremolo system and learned a HUGE piece of info. The Floyd Rose bridge saddles are numbered on the bottom--in sequence from Low E to Hi E: 1a 2a 3a 3b 2a 1b. Well, my saddles were mixed, the hi e was 2a and the B was 1b. So I switched them and that was the problem. Other than that problem, my guitar was/is a 10. So with that deduction, I'll give it a 7, they should've caught that at the factory.

I have played live with this guitar. Greatest thing about the tremolo is that it is BLOCKED, so if you break a string, all the others will stay IN TUNE, not like floating bridges, where they will go sharp. Also, you can keep the same string on even if you break it, in emergency situations, provided it breaks at the bridge. I have had no problems at all with the finish or mechanics of this guitar other than me being clumsy and dropping pliars on it while changing strings. The neck has 2 graphite rods going parallel to the truss rod, so that neck doesn't move. This guitar is a tank like most of Peavey's stuff.

I sent it back to the factory for a fresh setup with ".10s" after I took the tremolo apart. Peavey, and Steve Smith the Guitar tech, have exceptional service. They say in the manual if you want to send it back for repair, they will make you pay shipping both ways. Well, I had a gig coming and 2-dayed it UPS to them. They paid the freight 2-day back, so I got my guitar back in less than a week. Peavey has always been helpful over the phone and stand behind their products.

Been playing 6 years. Own a Steinberger GM and a Koa Les Paul Custom Double Cutaway w/ Tom Anderson P/ups. I did a lot of research on the Wolfgang and besides the fact Eddie uses them, I like the blocked trem and the pickups. If it were stolen, it couldn't be replaced. It's a collector's item b/c of the quilt top. Plus I've broken it in for 3 years. I'd find the guy and give him a beatin'. Ernie Ball makes a fine guitar, and so does Peavey. If you want to rail on someone, rail on Gibson, they have gone straight down the toilet. But Peavey deserves some "props" because they build the Wolfgangs right and consistent. If I could change it in anyway, I'd have that middle selector position split the coils to get a cleaner "in-between" sound. Other than that, after almost 3 years, this is my main guitar. It gets played almost every day and sounds better than the day I bought it.

This guitar has all of the attention to fine detail that is found on even more expensive instruments. Some idiot in an earlier review stated that because it was a peavey and was massed produced it couldn't be taken seriously. One of the reasons Mr. Van Halen went to peavey is because they were a large enough company to be able to afford to make an instrument that only a few other company's could match in quality by charging $2500 or more. This guitar is every bit a Paul Reed Smith, "but less expensive", and probably a little better made than the other "mass produced" Gibson's and Fender's. The main reason I chose it is because the neck felt so much better than the fender strat's. The floyd rose stays in tune and doesn't compromise sutain. The birdseye maple neck with oil finish is not only beautiful to look at, but extreemly, and I meam "extreemly" easy to play. Two differntly wound humbucker pickups provide high output and low noise operation.

Has probably the best factory humbuckers I have ever heard! Very warm and rich with sustain. The maple top on the solid basswood body also gives it a crisp attack. It's been said a hundred times how this guitar sounds like the combination of a Les Paul and a Stat and their is a lot of truth to that. Warm and thick but still crisp and snappy. For me thats a winning combination. I play it through both a 5150 combo and a classic 50 4x10 combo, and I've found the guitar to be extreemly versital, but having two different amps doesn't hurt much either.

It came set up from the factory amazingly well. After a few weeks of playing however, I had to slightly adjust the neck. This may have been due in part to the 30 degree temperature change it went through. Mine has a trasparent emereld green finish that is probably the most attractive maple top guitar I have seen to date.

The design, feel, and sound of this guitar really sets it apart from most of the others. I've only owned mine for about four months and I gig without a back up. Just a Takimine accoustic and the green wolf!

haven't had the opportunity to deal with peavey.

I've been playing guitar for about 8 years. Started out as a drummer in a garage band.

Standard Wolfgang made in '98 or '99, constructed of basswood with a beautiful flame maple top and highly figured birdseye maple neck. One master volume and one master tone, 3 way toggle switch between neck and bridge Wolfgang model passive humbuckers. Stop tailpiece with tune-o-matic style bridge, nice German-made non-locking tuners. Gorgeous feeling, oval-shaped, unfinished maple neck. Decent case included.

This guitar excels at what it was designed for - heavy rock. I have been using it with a Rivera R55 combo (no effects) and on the lead channel with the gain up - it screams. Power chords are well defined and crisp, quick leads sound very focused on the bridge pickup and extra liquidy on the neck pickup. Combining the two pickups creates a sound similar to that of a Telecaster (so you could get away with doing a Stones tune) but make no mistake - this is a heavy rock guitar. While you can dial in some bluesy-type tones with this guitar, they really don't measure up to tones I've heard from (good) Strat, Tele or Les Paul type guitars. It does produce some usable tones for jazz and country, but cleaner settings tend to sound somewhat steril (It's not the amp - other guitars sound incredible through it and I tried the Wolfgang through a couple of Fenders). To be honest, the Wolfgang clean sound reminds me of an Ibanez. If a really bluesy tone is your thing, look elsewhere - but if you love to play heavy music through a distorted Marshall, Mesa or Peavey type amplifier, this guitar is definately worth checking out. I didn't want to say it, but I have to agree with some of the other reviewers, this guitar really is a one-trick-pony. Maybe one-and-a-half-trick.

Factory set-up was poor. If they all come out of the factory set-up to Edward Van Halen's specs, then he must like a shitty set-up. Bad intonation, plus the action was so low, bends were out of the question and there was tons of fret-buzz. The finish was stunning though, perfectly bookmatched maple top, clean routings and it generally felt solid. My rating would be higher if the set-up wasn't so bad.

Seems like a solid guitar. Have played a couple of gigs with it and it definately seems road-worthy. All the parts feel like they'll last a long time and withstand the abuse of live playing. I'm sure it would be very dependable for the gigging guitarist, but I wouldn't go to a gig without a back-up.

Never dealt with Peavey.

I have been playing for 15 years and also own a nice Fender Strat. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't bought this guitar. I was trying to find a beefed-up Telecaster and thought this would fit the bill. After playing it for a couple of months, I realized I should've just bought a Tele. I think the fact that this thing was so pretty and made by a guy who's (old) tone I love, clouded my judgement. I really like the neck and the way it's balanced and as I said, the distortion tones are very good (perhaps some of the best), but the sterile clean tones are really a turn-off for me. I'm trading it for a nice Tele instead. You're first instinct is usually right.

Lesse'... it's made in the USA, has 22 frets, basswood body with a flame maple cap (she's purple). She has one tone and one volume knob, two humbuckers of EVH's design (passive). The body style is pseudo-Strat-like. I'm sure you've seen this guitar. Mine has a Floyd Rose-licensed bridge, however I do like the models with stop tailpieces. She has non-locking tuners, but I'm not sure of the band. Included were a hardshell case and Wolfgang t-shirt.

This guitar suites one aspect of my style perfectly. It sounds very nice and clear when driven and has a better clean tone than either of my Strats (American Standard with stock pickups and Strat Plus Deluxe with red, silver and blue Lace Sensors). It has a mid of midrange bite that is missing in other guitars I have played and I love it. The sound is full and smooth, but crisp. I haven't had a lot of time to really experiment with it, but my equipment alone gives me lots of different tones (I play through an ADA MP1, a Hush 2CX, Alesis Quadraverb Plus and Peavey Classic 50/50 into a Marshall 2x12 cabinet). I don't have any dislikes at this time. Summing up it all, it has a clear, crisp sound with a bit of midrange bite.

The guitar wasn't set up terribly well. I won't blame Peavey, but I use 10's. That's not their fault. Even with the original strings, however, my intonation was only dead-on with one string. I have a picky ear and this bothers me. Nothing is worse to me than having a guitar in tune, yet have one note in a choird not chime quite properly. This was nothing setting the intonation couldn't cure. I did that once I put 10's on it, but left the action the same. The action is at 3, which suits me fine. It's low, but there's no buzz through the amp. There's actually very little buzz unplugged. There was also no relief in the neck, from the factory, but this was easily fixed.
One comment on the neck, though. This does *not* feel like a brand-new guitar. It feels very comfortable. The fretwork is very well done, much better than my Strats, which often knick my fingers they can be so bad.

This is a very sturdy, well built guitar. I have no concerns here. I'd use it for a gig, but I would have a backups in case something, God forbid, happened. Never put all your eggs in one basket... anything can happen.

I have yet to deal with Peavey for tech issues.

I have been playing almost 14 years and also have the two above-mentioned Strats in my electric guitar collection. My fourth electric guitar never gets played. It is a *old* Ibanez Roadstar in which I have EMG's. The thing has been refretted twice and had a new bridge and some bodywork. She has been retired... she served well and got me through High School and those bands.
I'm buying another Wolfgang, anyway. I already have another on layaway which is configured exactly the same, but with a Cherry Sunburst finish. It's stunning. My favorite feature is the pickups. It's a shame EVH won't sell them... I'd put them in everything. This is just a great instrument and even has a greater tonal palette than my Strats so far. Feel free to email me with questions, since I am still getting into this guitar.

The features have been talked about by everyone else, so I'll just give some specifics regarding my model. I bought it used, the original purchase was made about the summer of 98. It is an amber Wolf with a beautiful flame top. Most of the flames that I see with this model seem to be fairly flat looking, but this has a really cool 3-D look going. Floyd, two humbuckers, and one bad-ass neck round out this guitar. The D-tuner is great!

I play hard rock/metal, but I also occasionally play with a classic rock band, and this guitar suits my needs perfectly. Not a huge variety of tones, but they are all usable. The front pickup is amazing. The bridge pickup just sings when playing leads. The only complaint that I have regarding the tone is the tone knob. I would rather have two volume pots (if I had to have the second knob), than a tone pot. This guitar is as beautiful to listen to as it is to look at.

This was a used guitar, but there was exactly one flaw, a little nick in the scoop. There were no other scratches, not even hairline ones that come from normal wear. Like I stated earlier, the guitar is beautiful. I could spend hours looking at it if it wasn't so much fun to play.

I have used it several times live and it is solid. The only flaw I can see is the whammy bar. The little plastic washer that is between the bar and the bridge is wearing out and giving me too much wiggle. I changed the strap buttons out with some strap locks, the last thing I want to do is drop this thing.

N/A- I haven't tried to contact the company about the bar yet, but I am not sure if they will help me out or not, with me being the second owner of this guitar.

I have been playing for about thirteen years, usually playing crappy guitars. I wanted a nice instrument, something of high quality and this more than fit the bill. It looks great and plays effortlessly. Don't get caught up in the "Peavey" problem. This is NOT a T-60. This is easily the equal to the EBMM EVH, which a friend of mine owns and used to let me play. I find the Wolf to be at least on par with that machine and any others. I have had this guitar for a couple of months and wouldn't give it up for anything. If it were lost or stolen, after dispensing justice, I would get another one in a heartbeat. If you can find a nice one used (as I did, getting incredibly lucky), you can't beat the value.

I don't need to describe the feature but this has everything you could want for a rock guitar, my favorite is the blocked tremelo, you can break a string and not worry about going out of tune in the middle of the song. The neck is great too! It feels a little wider than the musicman axis and I like that. Love the feel of the unfinished neck.

For me the sound is perfect. It's not too bright and it has lots of punch at whatever volume you have it set at. The tone knob is nice on clean sounds. I think it is the nicest sounding guitar distorted that I have ever played. Real rich and warm sounding. Lots of overtones.

Two flaws on mine, I have the plain basswood model and you can see a crease down it where they glued the wood. and I bumped the back of it against my amp and it chipped the paint off down to the wood. Both are no biggies. everything else was perfect.

I give it an eight because of the paint chip, I've hit guitars against things hard enough to dent them and never had the paint come off, and the strap button screws strip easily. Tuners and trem adjusters are very precise and the wiring job on the inside is very good also. I don't break strings as often on this guitar as I do on my other ones either, that tells me that the bridge is good quality.

dealt with them twice on my tubefex, they were excellent very helpful and courteous. and they know theyre shit.

I could not live without this guitar, I absolutely love it! the sound, feel, the balance. It is so easy to do whatever you want and the type of tones I like I can make happen with this.

If I had a Whammy bar on mine I would be doing dive bomb noises all night long, so I chose the one with the stop tail piece. Amber Basswood body, Birds eye maple neck, etc...I also wanted to maintain serious sustain which was another reason for the stop tail piece but I read in a Guitar Player review that they all sound the same. Two humbuckers etc...

I basically play Blues but with Rock and Jazz influences. When I first plugged it in at home it sounded a bit too rock (duh!). I have a 5150 too but I use a Marshall TSL 122 on stage. But with some tone and volume control manipulation you can get some nice liquidy Blues and Jazz tones. With the pickup in the middle I can get some faux tele sounds too. This comes in handy. The review in Guitar Player magazine hit it right on the money. It's got the creamy-ness of a Les Paul or a PRS and the snap and bite of a Strat. But...it doesn't sound like either one all the way. It doesn't get too dark or muddy like a Paul can get and doesn't get too trebly like a Strat can. After playing Strats for a while I had to get use to it's thick tone. I missed that single coil vibe but I'll get over it though. For what I paid I'll get over it quick. I found that it does other things that are quite nice that Strats can't do. The neck pickup is peachy and warm and heats up quite nicely when you want it to and cleans up well. The bridge pickup cuts through the band without being annoying and piercing. Very yummy!

Everything is top notch. When you get it from the store, it's set up for guitar wankers and speed shred freaks. The action was real close so you're lead to believe that this is the miracle guitar and you wonder why this guitar is so easy to play? I raised the action so I could dig in deep like a blues man should. The only other thing is that when I raised the action it created this sharp angle between the stop tail piece and the bridge that causes me to break high E's more than usual. I'll have to take it in to my guitar tech to check this out. It's a great guitar and the last thing you want to happen is to have to put it aside because of a broken string in the middle of a set. Everything else was fine. Oh...the neck is bitchin'! Fat, thick, and a flat fret board. It's made to play on in a serious way. It's a performance vehicle for expression. Nothing gets in the way of you wanting to say what you gotta say on this axe. Eddie knows his necks!

If feels good. Real good! It's ergonomic! Fits your body better than a Strat. Shorter scale so you don't have to reach so far up. It's all right there. Simple to use, no out of phase stuff. Just a solid players guitar made by a player. No messin' round here. Just shut up and play. If I could afford it I'd buy another one.

Hasn't come up yet.

It's a paint brush. Real good one too. It's the missing link between a Les Paul and a Strat. Great axe. I feel like I'm playing a high performance piece of work. It's really all I need for now but that could change. I'm happy and I recommend this axe to others. Oh, and it looks cool too.

I think my Wolfgang is a 1997 model (5000's serial number). Features listed in all the other reviews applies here. Mine happens to be an amber-flamed top, and it is VERY nice. Peavey really knew what they were doing with this one. I bought it used at a great price from Elderly Instruments on the web, but I was ready to pay full price for one. Mine was a few years old, but I've played a new one right out of the box and these guitars are definitely consistent. My used one played identical to the new one. This guitar plays like a warm knife through butter, if you know what I mean.

Great hard rock sound. This guitar is not very versatile, but I'd compare it to a Les Paul with more features. I took mine to the local music shop to let their resident Wolfgang expert take a look at it, and put it through a 5150 head with a cheap Peavey cab and cranked everything up as loud as it would go. The guitar sang loud and clear, even under the fluorescent lighting in the store. Like I said, Peavey put this one together right.

Mine was purchased used, so I can't say if it was set up good from the factory. Elderly Instruments may have done some work on it, but the one I played straight out of the box new was nice. The guitar needs no adjustments, and even after mine sat out in the garage for two hours in 90+ degree heat (the stupid UPS guy left it out there without me knowing it) it did nothing to the set up. Mine has a few scratches on the back, but it was used. This guitar plays like a dream, and sounds good unplugged. It's when you really crank the amp that this guitar shows its true colors, and it's a beautiful thing when you do!

I've only had it a week, and since I'm a basement warrior right now and not in a band, I won't know how it gigs for some time. It seems to me that if Peavey and EVH put a guitar together, they probably intended for it to take some abuse. The guitar is rock-solid with high gloss on the top. Since Floyd Rose tremelos can be unpredictable sometimes, I would gig with a backup, but it probably wouldn't leave the stand.

I haven't had to call them yet, but I may give them a ring to get a manual for my 5150 head. The guy I took it to at the music store said one of his purple Wolfgangs had a flaw in the top, so he called them and they told him to send it back to them. He received four pictures a few days later from Peavey, and they let him hand pick from those pictures the new Wolfgang he wanted. He was floored by their understanding, and I hope I get the same treatment if I need them.

I bought this guitar after playing a Wolfgang Special a few months ago and deciding I had to have one. I've owned some stinkers in my 14+ years of playing the beautiful instrument known as the guitar, and I have recently started to build a good collection. I had a Les Paul and didn't care much for it, and recently sold it. I also have an American Strat, a Jackson Fusion, a Kramer Baretta, several Ovations, and a Takamine EF341-C, but the Wolfgang is the cream of this crop. Everything about the guitar is beautiful, and I'm thrilled to be the proud owner of one. I had played a 5150 half-stack in a band (it was the other guitarist's) and knew I would have one of those someday, but I never imagined I would fall in love with the Wolfgang.
I recently found a used 5150 head (I'm still searching for a cab for it) and the Wolfgang is obviously a great match for the amp. It sounds crappy through the Carvin cab I'm using, but I know how this guitar sounds with a 5150 head and cab. When the settings are right for the "brown sound", anyone could sound like EVH. This is not all this combination of equipment is good for, but it's what it does best.
I also have a Digitech RP-3, which I like to plug the Wolfgang into and try new patches. The guitar has great versatility with this unit, and I find myself losing track of time when I put the two together.
I never thought I would ever own any products from Peavey (I've always favored Crate amps and Jackson guitars), but if you take the time to try a Wolfgang I think you may be converted. This is a great guitar, and I may someday add another to my collection.

the wolfgang is a functions based guitar ,it is shaped kinda like a strat but has a slight angle to its neck offering a more lespaul feel while playing, although it is full scale it would appear to be shorter than most guitars because of the position of the trem and its small head stock. it was designed by edward vanhalen,its made in meridian mississippi..u.s.a.and has hard shell case and all its paperwork its mfg retail price is 1699.00 this one is black with white binding maple neck(birdseye)this one is about 4 years old.

tonaly this is a nonlimiting guitar the sound you want is up to you, i use the wolfgang with a substantial back line of multiple heads and cabs,if you want a guitar you can count on this is it. a d-tuner comes stock with this its not 0 maintenance but its deadly accurate when set correctly,(there is no maintenance free guitar!)i liken this guitar to a hammer to a carpenter,its a reliable ,comfortable and affordable tool nessesary for the touring guitarist.

the quality control on this guitar from the factory held it original shippment up for a year. there are no cracks in the top no problems with the truss,the only thing is dents in the back i am a touring guitarist so i dont baby my gear but i do know how to take care of it i have also worked in music retail for the last 10 years and i dont have to sell you on this. if you have ever played one then you know! if you are wandering why im selling it ? i have two wolfgangs.one was for back up but i never have to use it (reliable).

its a pro end user product see previos notes.durrabilty and function are not questions that need be asked about the wolfgang.

the wolfgang had a one year warranty non transferable.it is expired but dont let that scare you its never had any type of failure,if you need i can give you all the service centers in your area.lets face it nothing can go wrong unless you neglect this guitar.

like i said its the most comfortable,reliable,aggressive and sexy guitar ive ever had thats why i take mutiples of them on our tour and will continue to use them .(advice)dont let a name determine what you will buy thats fine if you play in your room but not if you need relable gear bottom line do the research!

This guitar was made in Nov 1998. It is a standard wolf with a Floyd Rose and translucent red flame top. I'm not going to list all the features because they have already done so in previous reviews. The guitar is simple, but great.

I am using it with a Peavey ultra tube 112 and I love the sound. You can get different with the pickup selector and they all sound great. I have played it near a TV and a computer and it didn't seem to interfear at all which surprised me a lot. Very easy to dial in the EVH sound, which is why I bought it. If you like that sound, this guitar is for you. Although you can get different sounds, they are all along the same tone. Perfectly fine with me.

Never had I played a guitar that was this well set up. Low action, no fret buzz. You can't knock it out of tune. Dive bomb all you want and it will return to pitch. The finish is a beautifull red flame. The neck is as you know, unfinished. Very cool feel to it. I can't see any flaws at all. It was in tune at the store

I would gig without a backup. Everything seems solid.

Never dealt with them. Don't think I will have to with this guitar.

I have been playing for 4 years. I have owned a mim strat, epiphone lp standard, and a wolf special. This guitar blows them all away, even the special. If it was stolen I would buy another. I can't find anything wrong with it. This guitar just seems to fit me. Real easy for me to play. I was comparing it to the axis and the neck on the wolfgang is what threw it over the top. If you are thinking of getting a special to save money, the standard is IMO a better guitar and worth the money. Now that they are more readily availible, at least in my area, You can probably find a good deal on one.