EVH Wolfgang Standard Exotic Electric Guitar - Spalted Maple Reviews
The EVH Wolfgang Standard Exotic was designed for one thing: hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll. Built to Eddie Van Halen’s exacting standards, this axe exhibits the ferocious tone and effortless playability that players of his caliber demand. Beyond that, its eye-catching spalted maple top ensures that all eyes will be on you every time you step on stage. Enjoy a distinctive woody character and ample sustain, thanks to dual direct-mounted EVH Wolfgang humbuckers. Benefit from maximum stability and resistance to temperature and humidity, by virtue of a graphite-reinforced, bolt-on baked maple neck. An EVH-branded Floyd Rose Special tremolo and locking nut maintain intonation — even after extreme whammy bar abuse. The EVH Wolfgang Standard Exotic is the high-performance hard rock machine you’ve been waiting for.
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Highest Rated Reviews
Why did I wait so long?
I own 10 guitars and this one is at the top of the list the fret work is silky smooth Stays in tune great and the pickups are clear no muddy sound The guitar is small but I like that.
Amazing
This guitar is incredible. I've read a few reviews stating this guitar is not very versatile. I completely disagree. From my experience over the last few months, I've found it more than capable playing any genre I venture into. I'll admit that it definitely shines when playing heavier rock, and soloing. But, keep in mind who designed it.
I currently own well over 40 guitars, and this guitar has very quickly become my go to guitar for most gigs, or recording sessions. You really can't beat the value you get for the money.
The playability is effortless, and fast. If you want something to shred on, it's perfect. If you want something to riff on and add some extra flavor, it's perfect.
If you need to dial it back a bit and play something relaxing and chill, the neck pickup is your best friend.
Charvel Pro Mod DK24 vs EVH Wolfgang Standard
I made a change in my small stable of guitars, and wanted to share my thoughts in case this is helpful to anyone considering the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 and/or EVH Wolfgang guitars.
TL;DR
If you don't want to read the entire thing, here's the gist... The EVH Wolfgang Standard is perhaps the single best rock guitar I have ever played. See the attached photo and video of the guitar.
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A couple of months ago, I was in the market for a new high quality 6-strong guitar. I looked at all the usual brands I typically consider... Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez, Music Man, Fender, etc etc etc. The Charvel Pro Mod DK24 was the most compelling one to me.
It just so happened that a few weeks later, my eyes fell upon the updated-for-2020 EVH Wolfgang Standard line. I had always been a fan of the shape/look of the guitar, but for some reason had never really considered trying them out. I read and watched several reviews of the guitar, and the more I saw, the more interested I became.
So I went into a store to compare these 2 guitars...
I played the Charvel first. The guitar was super comfortable against my body and in my hands. And the versatility of sounds it can create is, frankly, unparalleled. With the HH version, there are 10 different pickup combinations. 10!! They all sound different, and are all usable. My primary use case is for saturated rock tones, and it does that really well. On the flip side, the Gotoh trem didn't hold tune as well as I wanted. I tried all 5 Gotoh equipped Charvels they had in stock, and all of them exhibited the same issue. I'm sure the tuning stability can be improved with some simple modifications, but nonetheless, it is worth calling out.
Then I tried the Wolfgang Standard. In hindsight, I think I decided to buy that guitar right when I played the first notes on it. It sounded HUGE. The sound simultaneously had more girth/fullness to it, along with more sizzle. It wasn't necessarily louder, but somehow filled your ear with more sound. Some of this may have to do with the pickups (it uses the same pickups as the more expensive Wolfgang Special). The other part may be that the Wolfgang guitars use my personal favorite combination of woods... Basswood and Maple.
This is worth calling out though... The EVH Wolfgang is a one trick pony. As I mentioned above, it is perhaps the best rock guitar I have ever played. It absolutely kills it for that genre. But it doesn't do much else. There are only 3 pickup positions (all humbucking), the guitar does not work well for bluesy or other more mellow sounds, the clean sounds are barely passable as clean (but are good if you like a clean sound that has a more rude edge to it). If you are looking for a more versatile guitar that can create a broad swath of sounds and do them well, the Charvel would be the one I'd recommend. I don't mean that lightly... it really does cover a lot of ground, and does so with confidence. I'd score it 90-95% across the board for rock, metal, blues, jazz, fusion, whatever.
But if you want a guitar to hit that 100% mark just for heavy rock... that's where the EVH wins. It may only do one thing well, but it does it SO WELL that you just don't care.
Disappointment
Bought this brand new. It arrived undamaged. The body surface around the volume, tone knobs, and trem were very rough and unsanded. The guitar was returned for a refund.
