EVH Wolfgang Standard Review (2019)

EVH has been around for quite a long time, and their product line has steadily evolved over the years. This is largely due to the immense time and focus that Eddie Van Halen (the brand’s namesake) has invested in getting things just the way he wants them. With the EVH Wolfgang Standard, you’ll find an incredible guitar with many of the same features as the higher level guitars in the Wolfgang line, all at a very attractive price point of under $1000.

Body & Neck

By using a slab of basswood, the body on the EVH Wolfgang Standard follows in the same tradition of most Wolfgangs since the inception of the brand. It’s shaped in the same distinctive body style that Eddie personally designed, and we have found that it’s very comfortable to play, either sitting or standing.

Also taking a cue from its bigger brothers is the design and construction of the bolt-on neck. It is made from a solid piece of maple with two graphite reinforcing truss rods, with the added benefit of a ‘spoke wheel’ at the base of the neck, making adjustments quick and easy. Topping it off is a maple fretboard with 22 jumbo frets. Wolfgang guitars have a neck contour that was scanned right off of Eddie’s own personal axes, giving it that ‘worn-in’ feeling right off the rack.

Hardware

The hardware department is where the EVH Wolfgang Standard breaks away a bit, but not by all that much. It still has two EVH branded humbuckers that are screwed right into the body to help increase the transfer of vibrations, and it comes with smooth 500k volume and tone pots that feel as if they belong on guitars costing much more.

The EVH-branded Floyd Rose will give you rock-solid tuning under even the most extreme dive bomb action. One thing that we really would have liked to see is the inclusion of the EVH D-Tuna device (which lets you go into drop-D tuning with incredible ease). Not the end of the world as most all of the other guitars in the universe don’t have one, but they can be very handy if drop-D is part of your style.

The tuning machines are EVH-branded as well, offering smooth and precise tuning action. The price of admission doesn’t come with a case or a gig-bag, but for the street price of this guitar, you’ll have enough left over to pick one up with ease.

Sound

Eddie’s time-tested combination of his personally designed pickups mounted directly to the body give you a guitar with a lot of power, tone, and sustain. Single notes are well defined, and chords seem to just jump out. Pair this up with a good amp and getting the coveted ‘brown sound’ is a lot easier than you think.

The playing action is amazingly comfortable, letting you play chords with almost zero effort and soloing coming off smooth as silk. Our model came set up fairly well right out of the box, but if you take the time to do a little minor tweaking, you’ll be amazed at how well the Standard looks, feels, and sounds. We dare say it’s hard to tell that it is EVH’s entry-level model.

Conclusion

Don’t let the price tag fool you — the EVH Wolfgang Standard is most certainly not your ‘run of the mill’ budget guitar. Sure, it’s super tempting to channel your ‘inner Eddie’ when you first pick it up, but it won’t take long for you to realize what a versatile instrument it truly is.

For more info about the EVH Wolfgang Standard, click here.

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