Background story:
I have drifted more towards playing my shreddy guitars (I have two: my RG and LTD MH-1000) the last year.
I keep switching between my guitars because it inspires to play different things - basically gives me inspiration to practice more. But now I desperately need another shred guitar and I have been drooling at Music Mans for quite a while.
Another new preference of mine are guitars with a narrow neck width. It seems I play most relaxed with my LTD which has a 42 mm nut width. So when I found this guitar as B-stock, it just clicked!
I never tried any type of EVH guitar, and I was a bit worried about tremolo and pickups at this price point. But from what I have read they might be ok. Nut width is 41.3 mm and the neck has a compound radius. I am really excited to try it out.
http://www.evhgear.com/gear/guitars/wolfgang-standard/evh-wolfgang-wg-standard-quilt-maple-top-maple-fingerboard-transparent-purple-burst/
Here's the deal at Thomann (€509) : https://www.thomann.de/se/evh_wolfgang_standard_quil_b_stock.htm
As long as the guitar sounds good - I am all up for changing the bridge and leveling the frets if needed. I really like the idea of buying cheap / mid range guitars and then have a local luthier customize the last bits to my needs. Premises are good, I really like the following:
* quilted top
* basswood body (will be my first ever)
* oil neck - don't think i have tried that either
* I am sucker for nice looking maple necks
* loud pickups, I don't have any super loud pickups - so as long as its not too much, it should be a nice addition.
* jumbo frets
Exciting stuff!
Btw do you guys know anything else about these guitars, ie where are they produced? I hope build quality will be ok.
These models for some reason didn't hit the stores yet where I live (although I've seen S type body models). They're Fender based so I wouldn't expect anything terrible (maybe except the setup).
As far as I read, whats interesting is each model (and maybe production date) has a different neck shape, some reports the neck is baseball bat huge while others say its Charvel-like thin. I'm very qurious on your point of view about the neck.
For info incase you won't like the PU's, although EVH today sells PU's they're really expensive. For a better deal you can check dimarzio tonezone as it was one of the PU's designed for him.
very nice It will be interesting hear it and to see what mods, if any you get done to it.
Are you not playing your tele much anymore? I dont think Ive seen it for a while.
Lovely, can't wait to see that on the Sunday stream
seems pretty cool axe !!!
Laurent
I am not sure about this particular model but the price listed on it is probably half or less than half of the price for the Music Man guitars I have seen hanging in the shops (well , one shop anyway. Mammoth Music) here in AK. I would be interested in one myself at that price since I have been drooling over them for a while myself, not so much the EVH model but some other models I have seen look very nice but also very expensive. Some approaching $2K and some priced well above that.
Compared to this one, yours is a steal! I am very interested to see what your impression of this guitar is once it gets in your hands.
http://www.evhgear.com/gear/guitars/wolfgang-custom/evh-wolfgang-limited-tour-relic-replica-ebony-fingerboard-ivory/
I have been leaning towards this model with a natural flame finish and maple fingerboard.
http://www.music-man.com/instruments/guitars/axis-super-sport
I love the flamed maple top on that to be sure! Look killer. From the Music Man to the EVH, you may notice a bit of a difference in terms of the NECK compared to your Ibby. That prestige Ibby you have has the best neck I"ve ever played. It's the new version of the original Wizard neck but new and improved with better truss rod support so that it won't warp just because you string it with .10 gauge one day instead of .9
The Music Man/EVH type necks feel a lot more like traditional necks to me and are a bit thicker. More like a cross between an old Kramer or Les Paul IMHO. But that's ok, like you said, the different feel of the guitar is what makes you play different stuff, so switching to this one will send you in a new direction for sure. I"ve heard nothing but good things about your new axe to come, so I"m guessing you'll dig it
Todd
Ok guys - I have had it for a few days, and here are my impressions so far.
Pros:
* the sound is way above expectations. I don't think I will be replacing the stock EVH pups as they are obviously made with this guitar in mind. Sustain is up to par with my Gibson LPJ and so is the unamplified tone. It's worth mentioning I haven't gotten any good tones by lowering the guitars volume pot (so far) - so maybe that could be an indication of cheap construction.
* neck is like a modern C, but narrower than your typical strat which is just what I wanted. It feels different from my other guitars but still very playable. I obviously need more time getting used to the guitar.
* the "oil" neck finish is awesome - and feels like my fastest satin neck (is satin and oil finish perhaps the same? I don't have a clue about this!)
Cons:
* Although the guitar was def playable out of the box, with decent string action - I will need to PLEK it for optimal string height and performance. I think I have it set up as around 1,7mm distance to the fretwire on the 12th fret - and there is still slight buzz and some bending problems (nothing too serious). Neck relief seems ok as far as I can tell.
* The floyd rose style bridge feels a little cheap, especially noticeable when fine tuning. It does however work pretty well as it's not not set up as floating. The whammy bar tightening construction does not work, after just a few whammy hits it needs to be re-tightened.
It also came with 3 tremolo strings mounted, and pressing the bar was almost impossible - it required a lot of strength. I had two softer springs laying around from before - so I removed all three stock and and it's a bit better now.
All in all this is an extremely positive surprise. With a bit of PLEK this one has potential to become a dream axe.
I might also consider new bridge and pups, but not without first getting to know the guitar better.
I have done the a bunch of livestreams already with it - here you can check out the most recent one:
Arrived quick, glad you liked it and I'm listening it now from your vid.
Pickups from your explanation seems designed to be compressed, not a bad thing when distortion is in mind. My tonezone was also like that before I modded it, that PU is also designed for EVH.
If you'll still like them after a while, mod the guitar with a push-pull pot and set them to be parallel when pulled. It will still be noiseless, sound will open-up and will be less compressed so clean sound/volume drops will probably be more preferable for you when needed.
Violet/purple guitars do look great!
Right on, Kris. It sounds like with a few mods, that guitar has the potential to a really good axe. Man I hate a sloppy trem arm too. Sometimes a little plumbers tape on the threads can take out the slop and help keep the trem arm adjusted the way you like it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_seal_tape
You may eventually decide to go for a full on Floyd Rose replacement as many folks do, but like you say, gotta give it some time first I do wish more vendors would plek all their guitars at the factory. The only one I've ever gotten pre "Plekked" is that RICK HANES Guitar. It's a shame that it's reserved for such pricey gear as the high end Gibsons in many cases as a "stock" thing.
Todd
Cool tips about the sealing the whammy bar, thanks!
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