EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar Black

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

I play guitar, have a few dozen at the moment, own and operate a studio and do all my own setup and electronic work. i don't gig these days, but I play a lot and have lots of experience with different guitars and amps.

This is a great guitar. Bought it new. Mine is Black Cherry Burst and the fit and finish is excellent. Love the neck profile and how comfy the whole thing is.
I was deciding between this and the USA one, but they feel very similar and the EVH sound is easy to get with either, but it is a very versatile guitar and sounds great clean too. I prefer flat top guitars over carved top, even though I have a few carved tops and although the carved tops look nicer, but they do nothing for my playing and feel, so why would I want to spend an extra $1K on that?
Mine is made in China and the quality is excellent - as good or better than any of the other 41 guitars I have, mostly made in USA. Think of the renowned Fender Classic Vibe Custom Tele, excellent quality, except the pickups, but that is indicative of the quality China is pumping out now.
There was one tiny factory error though, one of the bolts for the locking nut was too far into the neck and caused the string clamp to not propoerly clamp the strings. Fixed with 2 #8 washers, now the Floyd Rose is set up perfectly and it is incredibly stable.
I can not make this guitar go out of tune with huge aggressive bends and major dive bombs! It just stays in tune and sounds great.
I see people complain about various aspects of the guitar, but if you know how to set up a guitar with a Floyd, or get it set up by a pro, this thing is killer! The D-Tuna works perfectly and is in perfect tune as well. Great addition, I added one to my old Kramer EVH copy.
One thing I don't love about it is their low friction volume pot, especially where it is. I keep hitting it with my hand and have had to adopt a different hand position when playing this guitar to not touch the knob. Would like to have seen a volume bypass switch and a higher friction vol pot, which would allow you to never have to worry about it and it would make for a great way to switch between lower vol and full vol. They could have moved it a bit further away from the bridge, but I get it that some might want to do pinky volume swells. Not something I'd do often though and would prefer to have it at least not be so easy to turn down accidentally while playing.
All in all, if you play hard rock with dive bombs and big bends, this guitar will just make you happy and no matter what the carved top fanboys say, this one is the better value if you just want to play it. They win for wall hanging the guitar, but to spend ao much more for that is up to you.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

I can't be happier with the quality of this guitar especially for the price. And it plays great. There are two things to be aware of though:

1) I read a lot about how the Wolfgang Specials are made in Japan. Not true for mine. It was made in China. I was disappointed but I can't argue with the quality.

2) The tremolo was not setup to EVH specs. It was setup floating. I actually wanted the non-floating tremolo. I've spent a fair amount of time setting the tremolo, adjusting the action and intonating the guitar. Why are these leaving the factory not setup like the literature states?

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

I've played most guitars out there. Just in the last 5 years, I've owned a couple Gibson Les Pauls, a Fender American Stratocaster, an Ibanez RG1550M Prestige Model, a Schecter Jeff Loomis 7FR, among others. The EVH Wolfgang Special is by far THE MOST comfortable, best sounding guitar I've played. Mind you, I haven't had the chance to play an Ernie Ball MusicMan or a Peavey Wolfgang, so I can't comment on how this guitar compares. I hear a lot of talk about the fret ends being sharp and sticking out... Not the case on mine. I understand this is a common occurrence on unfinished necks, but the Wolfgang Special has a finish on the neck. While the back and sides of the headstock are unfinished, the neck has a very thin, soft satin finish. I've played a few at my local GC that had the sharp fret problem, but I attribute this to poor climate conditions for wooden instruments in their warehouses and stores. The guitar sounds and plays amazing; I've never felt a nicer neck (even on my Ibanez Prestige, which was a fantastic neck), this one just feels.... broken in and comfortable. The only issue I have with the EVH Wolfgang Special is the low friction potentiometers for volume (especially) and tone.... they are WAY too easy to turn and, even though I don't feel it happening while I'm playing, I'll look down occasionally and find that I have lowered the volume.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

I've had this guitar for about 18 months now, and it was a great buy. It's VERY light. The pickups are excellent, and amazingly clear for humbuckers; great for classic rock, jazz, blues, and hard rock, but will probably leave you disappointed if you're looking for a modern metal sound. This is a vintage-sounding guitar. If I was being picky I'd say that the neck pickup is a bit heavy on the bottom end for my liking, but the bridge is flawless.

The guitar is of course a bit tricky to restring and retune because of the Floyd and D-Tuna, but once you've got it, it's in tune for weeks. No issues here. The only thing that's a shame is that you can't pull up on the whammy, as the body of the guitar behind the Floyd isn't routed out. That's the price you pay for a reliable D-Tuna. Only dive bombs on here, folks. But ho-lee **** can you dive on this thing, and it goes perfectly back in tune every time.

The neck on the guitar is the best I've ever played, hands down. It's not as thin as an Ibanez neck, but still very thin, and silky smooth. Frets have held up to the hype, no sign of wear in 18 months of daily playing. Bending strings on this guitar is absolutely effortless. The guitar is just unbelievably easy to play, and that's what I like. I don't want to have to fight with my guitars.

The case that the guitar comes with is great. It's really great how you can leave the whammy attached while it's in the case, no more having to unscrew the thing every time.

And of course, the guitar is dead sexy. Get one. Cheers.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

Overall a great guitar. I like the look, feel and sound of this guitar. It's the easiest playing guitar I've ever had and that's what I like most about it. I would recomend this guitar to anyone who wants a versatile and quality electric guitar.
Bridge and neck pickups, pickup selector, tone knob, D-tuna, Floyd Rose bridge. This guitar has everything I would want or look for.
For the entry level of this guitar, i'm very impressed with the quality. I've read several posts complaining about the frets sticking out when they got the guitar. Mine came with the same issue. I guess the guitar was stored in a very dry environment. I've had mine for a month now and the frets are no longer sticking out. The wood quality on the neck is superb! I have other guitars with birdseye maple necks and this one looks the best. The TBS quilted maple top is beautiful. The pickups sound great. Sustains forever and harmonics are a snap. This is my favorite guitar now!
A great value. Don't let the made in Japan thing run you off. I'm actually thinking about buying one with a stop bridge. The price is very good for the quality and features you get.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

The guitar is great for the price. Take it from somebody who was about to send it back because the frets needed a little filing. Big deal I told myself. Listen, this thing was made in Japan, and it sat on a boat and in a improperly configured humidity level at that, I am sure, for about 2 months. Well of course the the neck is going to dry out and shrink. If I were the rookie guitar buyer I was 20 years ago I would have returned this guitar in a heartbeat. But now, I went from dissatisfied to fully satisfied in about one hour. I really like this guitar. I would also like to mention that I bought the Stealth for 2 reasons. One, I wanted the Ebony finger board. It sounds awesome with the Stainless Steel Frets. Harmonics, tapping, all good! That, and I am tired of worrying about the maple fret boards I have on my other guitars getting dirty, or their value depreciating due to fret wear or whatever. The second reason I bought the Stealth is I really like the dull satin finish. But also really because I think that fake Maple top on the Tobacco one is ridiculous. That is the one big thing everyone overlooks, especially when comparing the Special to other older models like the EBMM or Axis. The tops on those guitars actually were maple. The top on the Tobacco Special is Veneer. Which otherwise means.... not as good. in my opinion it is fake wood. Although I know some will argue. I just think if you are going to have a wood top, it should be made from a respectable piece of wood. Other than that, this guitar is great for the price. When, if they make new solid colors this year, other than black and vintage white, I will buy another if they are the same price.
I bought the Special Stealth HT version a few days ago. As a proud owner of at least 10 EBMM and Axis guitars as well as the EVH Art Series, I am so glad to see a Tone control knob again. A Tone knob that actual controls Tone that is.
OK so here is the thing. I liked the guitar right out of the case. Except, the frets. They were literally hanging off the edge of the neck to the point that is unplayable. I played it anyway, and I still have burns on the inside of my Index finger and thumb as I type this review. I played the guitar for an hour and I put it back in the box, re packaged it, and was totally prepared to send it back. I couldn't believe that thing left the factory that way. Then I played my favorite EBMM Purple Quilt for about 10 minutes. Hmmmm... I started thinking about the Special again. Not sure why, but even though the frets were tearing my hands apart, I really liked the way the guitar sounded, the weight of it, and how it felt in my hands. So, I took it back out of the box. Now, mind you I play through a new 5150iii head (Yes I am a big VH fan). Sounded great. Or at least as good as my EBMM or Axis. Long story short, I took the guitar to a local technician who filed the ruff fret edges down, and set the guitar up properly. Sooooo happy now I did not send it back. I have been playing nothing else for 2 days now.
This guitar is worth the money in my opinion. I don't know of any guitar that will come close to it for the price. Thats the truth. I also have to say that I was very leery about the whole made in Japan thing. That really bothered me as all of my other guitars are EVH American made. If the made in Japan thing bothers you, don't let it. Remember this guitar has all the same parts as the USA version except the top and the binding basically. Oh, and by the way. I have held at least 2 other of the new USA models too. Guess what, horrible fret jobs or at least the same quality of my Japan guitar. The new Wolfgang is just not that much more impressive than the Special. Just my opinion.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

I own the Ivory wolfgang. It sound the best out of my 8 guitars I own. Pickups are perfect. Very easy to play and the drop D stays in tune as well as the floyd. I love it.
Exceptional, pickups, original Floyd, and drop D tuna is why I bought, and could not be more satisfied.
Very good, my 3 way toggle starting getting a little flaky but after re-soldering the switch, I fixed it. I'm not as brutal as Yngwie Malmsteen on switching pickups between neck and bridge, but I do switch quite a bit.
Cheaper than a Les Paul so I give it a 10, and it sounds better.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

I recently purchased the EVH Wolfgang Special guitar and absolutely love it. The action is perfect and the neck is really fast. I can play this guitar for hours without my finger tips getting sore. It's got great sustain, and stays in tune with the locking nuts. The tremolo only allows for dive bombing and does not let you pull up, but that helps the sustain because the Floyd Rose rests on the body of the guitar. The tone is great, even a low volume. I chose the Tobacco Sunburst finish and it looks really sharp. The case is cool too. Overall a great guitar, can't find anything to complain about.

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

Well I've played lots of different guitars - mostly Gibson and Fender. The EVH Special plays very nice and I'm especially pleased with the fast action and neck. It's a shorter bodied guitar then I'm used to playing and pickups have a nice raw punch with very good sustain. Also, the birdseye quarter-sewn maple neck is very attractive. I opted for the Tobacco Burst but after playin it would settle for any color because it's just a nice playing guitar - the locking nut also keeps everything well in tune. I'm not sure why the low friction pots took so much grief - they work fine for me. Btw... the service at Musician's Friend was great!

Comments about EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar:

In my opinion, I cannot get the gain and compression that I like with this guitar. I cannt adjust the height of the pups to even see if I can get the characteristics that I like. This guitar has a very bright tone that is probably in line with what EVH likes. With the D-Tuner option, one would think that high gain and compression that modern music are calling for would be part of the design. I will not return it, as I have every guitar I have owned since 1983. I hope this helps those looking into buying this guitar.
Best feature is the D-Tune & compound radius fretboard. I dont get the value of the frictionless pots. I kind of like the friction to help keep the pot in place while I play. Flat top is very uncomfortable. Reminds me of playing a Les Paul with that sharp edge digging into you forearm. Machine heads; who cares with a locking nut? Reverse pickup switch, I can see the value if you play mostly with the bridge pickup, its out of the way in the up position. Frets are too small height wise. I would like a scalloped fretboard with these stainless steel frets. Direct mounted pickups, to far away from the strings and no way to get them closer as the the floyd rose tremlo is set up too close to the body without a bridge route to lower the strings closer to the pups. Even then, you got this fretboard in the way if you wanted to lower the bridge. Action is very good, again adjustin the bridge up is your only option if you need to adjust the action. This is no a very comfortable guitar. Sitting on your lap, the bridge is too far away from your pal muting hand. I will say that the pup setup is cool, and someone went to the trouble of adjusting the pole heights. As far as the woods are concerned for the body I neck, Ill just say fender strat & bright.
Quality is okay. I did have a couple of dings on the back of the neck. Mine was a TSB, which is cool. I wonder why the neck back is so soft. I can dent the back of the neck with my fingernail. Is that characteristick of goof maple? Not in my opinion. The components seem to be of good quality. Pots arent noisy and they have good taper, except for my dislike of frictionless. The pup selctor switch is tight. The floyd rose looks a bit grade "B" as it looks thin and cheap. The pups are high gain but bright in this configuration. Again the pups are too far away from the strings, nearly 3/8 to 1/4" and no way to get them closer.
I hate this part because I love every guitar and their character. This guitar is very bright and sounds much like a fender strat with the wood selection and setup. This is a japan guitar and its good. However, I have played many Korean guitars that are of the same quality. I absolutely love the korean guitars. you cannot beat the quality versus the price. Withe that said for the same amount that I paid for the EVH special, lets just say I could have done better elsewhere with a non US built guitar.