EVH Custom Shop Wolfgang HS Ferrari Red With Case
Since its launch in 2007, EVH has had one mission—to take the tools Eddie Van Halen used to create his groundbreaking guitar work and place them in your hands. Over 35 years of innovation and experience were injected into the creation of the original Wolfgang USA, which continues to unleash pure unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll power, titanic sound, speedy playability and stunning spotlight-ready style.
Now, for the first time, the EVH Custom Shop has been unleashed. This is the very beginning of another chapter in the brand's evolution, and we are proud to be at the forefront of it.
The original guitar that launched the line, the Wolfgang, is the platform for customization. Here we have one of the first EVH Custom Shop Wolfgang guitars built, in the incredibly cool color of Ferrari Red.
The guitar features a body made of Cooked Ash, with a Soft Leaf Maple top. It has the iconic Wolfgang shape and soft arch top. The guitar is rather lightweight, coming in a just 7.4 lbs. The Carmelized Flame Maple neck is stunning and feels great with an oiled finish. With a slim profile (.805 - .890"), 22 stainless steel frets and a 12 - 16" compound radius, the guitar is super comfortable and suitable for a variety of styles, but especially for playing fast.
We went for the version with an HS pickup configuration, featuring Bare Knuckle pickups. This is a departure for EVH, and we love the outcome.
In the bridge position, you'll find the Black Hawk humbucker. This gives you the power and clarity of an active with all the tone and dynamics of a passive. According to Bare Knuckle, the Black Hawk humbuckers were designed in response to players' demands for a pickup that embodied the transparency and output of an active, with the character and wide dynamic control of a passive, all without the hassle of batteries. Each coil has a pair of specially annealed nickel plated steel blades which transfer the magnetism to the strings evenly across the width of the coil for perfect string to string balance. The combination of coil size and winding technique ensure the Black Hawk humbuckers remain extremely reactive to pick attack and changes to the volume pot.
In the neck position, you get the Cobra Coil, which is the way to get high gain, single coil tone without compromising dynamics or frequency response. Bare Knuckle states that it's designed to play well with the output of a humbucker. Each pair of uniquely annealed, nickel plated steel blades are powered by a pair of custom size ceramic magnets ensuring an even string-to-string balance of magnetism for optimum driving of the coil windings. The frequency response is surprisingly balanced for a high output coil set; the bass notes track precisely with plenty of snap and mids are smooth while retaining a lot of punch. High end response is extremely articulate and remains clear as you roll off the volume pot for exceptional clean tones.
Other features include a Tonepros Tunomatic bridge, graphite nut, low friction EVH pots and a graphite truss rod adjustment wheel. Everything is built to the highest standard at the EVH Custom Shop, located in California.
We chose Ferrari Red as the color for this one for a simple reason: it looks awesome, especially with the matching headstock. We knew it would be cool but were blown away when it landed.
“Everything that I’ve built, destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced is in this,” Eddie Van Halen said of the launch of the EVH Wolfgang. “Every aspect and component of this guitar has been examined and upgraded to the highest standards possible. We left no stone unturned.” Now, nearly 20 years later, a Custom Shop version is available - this is the first received here.
Part # 5101026012
Serial # WG17319A
Weight: 7.4 lbs