Eddie Van Halen Talks About His New EVH Wolfgang Guitar

[Mark Wein]

I was just reading my new issue of Guitar World magazine and they have a great interview with Eddie Van Halen about the construction and R&D for his new guitar...the actual magazine article is full of really cool info if you haven't given too much though on how the little details affect the tone and playability of your guitar...the blurb below (from GW's website) is a little too brief...the magazine hits newsstands tomorrow if you don't have a subscription...

http://www.guitarworld.com/sites/future.p2technology.com/files/imce-images/news-wolfgang.jpg

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/eddie_van_halen_talks_about_his_new_evh_wolfgang_g uitar

In a new, exclusive interview with Eddie Van Halen, Guitar World magazine talks to the Van Halen legend about the making of his new EVH Wolfgang guitar from Fender (due in stores in early 2009). In the interview, appearing in the February issue of the magazine, the guitarist explains how the Wolfgang is “a culmination of my 35 years of experimenting with guitars. Everything that I’ve destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced in my journey to get to where we are now is in this guitar. And there is a lot more to come.

"A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I’m very brutal on my instruments, but not all the time. I’m not to the point where I’m like Pete Townshend and smashing the shit out of it after a gig. I wouldn’t do that to an instrument that is a part of me. I don’t need to do this for financial reasons. I could have just stayed at home and built this guitar for myself. I do this because a lot of people ask if they can get what I use. Well, yes you can and what you get is identical to what I use.”

Throughout the in-person interview with Guitar World writer Chris Gill, which took place in a workshop at the EVH/FMIC (Fender Musical Instrument Corporation) factory, Van Halen details the painstaking process of designing and constructing the EVH Wolfgang.

“The tolerance of things on this guitar is like NASA standards. It had to be tight, and it had to be quality. Le Mans is probably the most important race on the planet. It’s 24 hours—a grueling, brutal race. There’s a reason why an Audi R8 won that race three years in a row [2000–2002]. Those guys did what we did with this guitar. They paid attention to every damn detail. You can’t say, ‘Oh, that will do.’ No, it won’t do.”

Regarding the slim profile of the Wolfgang neck, Van Halen commented, “It was a matter of closing my eyes and feeling it. We went back to some of my earlier guitars, like the striped guitar I had back in 1984. That’s the way I like it to feel. It’s nice. It’s like a sexy woman.”

When asked if we could expect any new music from him soon, the guitarist had this to say:

“I’ll be making music ’til the day I die. I’ve done all kinds of stuff, and more is coming. I can’t tell you exactly when right now. Wolfgang is in the 12th grade and he needs to graduate first. Then I’m getting married in June. We’ll pick it up after that.”

The complete interview appears in the February issue of Guitar World, on sale December 16, 2008. An exclusive video documentary featuring Eddie Van Halen on the making of the EVH Wolfgang guitar will appear on the CD-ROM that accompanies each issue of the February issue. Collectors will be able to choose from four different Eddie Van Halen covers of the February issue.

[Denverdave]

So Fender is making his new sig guitar.

First Music Man, then Peavey, now Fender. I'm almost scared to think of what is will cost out of the chute - I'm guessing over 2K.

[Mark Wein]

The EVH stuff (His new amp, the Frankenstein guitar and now this) are all actually made by Fender for what I guess is "his" company.

The amp is completely useless for someone like me but I would love to try one...

[Prages]

Love him or hate him, the EVH sig stuff differs from a lot of the sig stuff on the market in that most of it isn't just an existing product with his signature on it. The guitars and amps are all pretty unique, and every one that I've played has been top notch.

You also have to commend him on the fact that he actually uses his signature stuff live. I mean, I've seen them 7 times since '95, and he's played his sig guitars for all but a handful of songs at every show.

I haven't had the opportunity to play the new guitar or the new amp, but having seen them in concert 3 times last year, I have to say that he got some great tone out of them.

I'm guessing the guitar is gonna be about $2300 for the super-fancy topped one...probably about $1200 for a stripped down model.

I paid about $1300 for each of my Wolfgangs brand new, but that was in '98 and '01.

[Help!I'maRock!]

Love him or hate him, the EVH sig stuff differs from a lot of the sig stuff on the market in that most of it isn't just an existing product with his signature on it. The guitars and amps are all pretty unique, and every one that I've played has been top notch.

You also have to commend him on the fact that he actually uses his signature stuff live. I mean, I've seen them 7 times since '95, and he's played his sig guitars for all but a handful of songs at every show.

I haven't had the opportunity to play the new guitar or the new amp, but having seen them in concert 3 times last year, I have to say that he got some great tone out of them.

I'm guessing the guitar is gonna be about $2300 for the super-fancy topped one...probably about $1200 for a stripped down model.

I paid about $1300 for each of my Wolfgangs brand new, but that was in '98 and '01.


what guitars does he play on the other songs?

[Prages]

I guess he was still technically playing sig guitars. He used the original Franky (or maybe it was one of the $25,000 clones) and some of the Charvel Art Series guitars for a few songs during the '04 and the '07/'08 tours.

Just because, here are some pics I took from the '07/'08 tour.

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Cleveland/DSC01843.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Cleveland/DSC01867.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Columbus/07.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Columbus/18.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Columbus/21.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Columbus/23.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/Columbus/24.jpg

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/VH/73144-R1-04-3_005.jpg

So, I guess they were all technically sig guitars.

[White Gold]

That bloody rawks! Dude00

[Prages]

I just got a newsletter from Van Halen.




(Los Angeles, CA) Eddie Van Halen launches the all-new EVH® Wolfgang® electric guitar, available worldwide beginning Jan. 2009. The EVH Wolfgang guitar represents Eddie's 35 years of experimenting with guitars, over two years of intense research and development, and a full year of brutal road testing during the top-grossing Van Halen 2007-2008 tour.



It was during the massive 2007-2008 Van Halen  tour that the all-new EVH Wolfgang guitar went through extensive live "road testing" performance trials. The tour kicked off in fall 2007, and Eddie punished early versions of the new Wolfgang each night; playing every updated prototype onstage under the full, unfiltered spotlight of his fans. The results are reflected in the EVH Wolfgang guitar; produced to Eddie's exact specifications and with features identical to the Wolfgang guitars he records and performs with.



"A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I could have just stayed at home and built this guitar for myself. I do this because a lot of people ask if they can get what I use. Well, yes you can and what you get is identical to what I use," commented Eddie. "From the basics of the guitar to painstaking aspects like the binding and everything else-we re-did everything on this guitar."



"Every aspect and component of this guitar has been examined and upgraded to the highest standards possible: stainless steel frets, double-potted custom-wound pickups, five-piece binding on the matching body and headstock, custom-made signature tuning machines and Floyd Rose® bridge, new low-friction pots, and the list keeps going … we left no stone unturned," said Eddie. "Everything that I've built, destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced is in this guitar."

When Eddie Van Halen made his debut into the rock music scene in 1978, he did so with a homemade guitar (later known as "Frankenstein™"). At a time when his monster technique and tone demanded a high-performance, indestructible guitar, he created his own to reach his own seemingly impossible standards. For over 35 years, he has continued to examine and improve every variable within the instrument, all culminating with the new EVH Wolfgang guitar.

In 2007, Eddie Van Halen and Fender® collaborated to launch the first EVH brand high-performance products, including the all-new EVH 5150III ™ amplifier, the limited run of Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein™ replica guitars and an array of high-quality EVH brand accessories.

Visit www.van-halen.com/news.html (http://www.van-halen.com/news.html) for photos  of the EVH Wolfgang.

For more information, exclusive photos, video and news updates, go to www.evhgear.com (http://www.evhgear.com).


And some pics of three different color options:

http://www.van-halen.com/tabasco_small.jpg

http://www.van-halen.com/black_small.jpg

http://www.van-halen.com/white_small.jpg

The main differences that are immediately apparent between this one and the Peaveys are the headstock is a little different and color matched, there is multi-ply binding on the body as opposed to the single ply binding on Peaveys, the knobs are different, and this looks like an OFR instead of a licensed Floyd.

[Mark Wein]

I would love to have the opportunity to try both the and the Frankenstein guitar through the new 5150 amp for about an hour...

[Prages]

I would love to have the opportunity to try both the and the Frankenstein guitar through the new 5150 amp for about an hour...


I'm sure it would Totally_jammin_out heavy-metal-044

[Prages]

I would love to have the opportunity to try both the and the Frankenstein guitar through the new 5150 amp for about an hour...


I'm not sure you'd like the Wolfgang. It's kind of a smallish guitar, so you'd probably look like you were playing a ukelele.

[Mark Wein]

I wonder if they sell that stuff at GC?

* evil grin *

[Mark Wein]

I would love to have the opportunity to try both the and the Frankenstein guitar through the new 5150 amp for about an hour...


I'm not sure you'd like the Wolfgang. It's kind of a smallish guitar, so you'd probably look like you were playing a ukelele.


Probably. I've played an Axis which I guess is modeled after the Music man and it was TINY!

[Prages]

I wonder if they sell that stuff at GC?

* evil grin *


Don't know. Since it's a Fender product, they probably will.

[Help!I'maRock!]

awesome.

i'll post it as a GPOTD once they make it to stores and some real pics are taken. i can't wait for the denizens of GJ to complain about the knobs.

[Mark Wein]

Whats wrong with the knobs?

In the article he talks about how he used a pot from an old MXR pedal for a volume knob because he liked how they felt for "Cathedral", so they tried that pot and it ended up making him happy...

[Help!I'maRock!]

Whats wrong with the knobs?

In the article he talks about how he used a pot from an old MXR pedal for a volume knob because he liked how they felt for "Cathedral", so they tried that pot and it ended up making him happy...


nothing. they just think of really dumb reasons to hate stuff. its what they do.

[Prages]

Well, then there's the headstock.

And the figured wood.

And who would pay that much for a bolt-on neck guitar.

And EVH is a washed up alcoholic who doesn't deserve his own signature equipment.

And signature guitars are for poseurs.

Etc., etc., etc.

[Help!I'maRock!]

Well, then there's the headstock.

And the figured wood.

And who would pay that much for a bolt-on neck guitar.

And EVH is a washed up alcoholic who doesn't deserve his own signature equipment.

And signature guitars are for poseurs.

Etc., etc., etc.


i always like telling them that Les Paul is a real guy, and its his signature on the headstock. they don't like that.

[Denverdave]

I liked the creme colored one.

I looks like one hot guitar!


Except for those knobs.....(wink, wink....nudge, nudge)

[Help!I'maRock!]

is it made of basswood? they hate basswood too.

[Prages]

Don't know if it's still basswood or not. I'm pretty sure at least the burst one he played live was not because it had a transparent finish on the back. I was close to the stage, but not close enough to identify what kind of wood it was.

[Mark Wein]

is it made of basswood? they hate basswood too.


I'm not too fond of Basswood myself. It never seems to sound like anything.

[Help!I'maRock!]

That's kinda the point. A blank slate for the pickups.

[Mark Wein]

I'd rather the pickups have less of an impact than the wood. What if your Ric was made of basswood? Wouldn't sound very "Ric-like"...

[Help!I'maRock!]

It doesn't take much to re-voice a pickup to accommodate for the wood. The Ric would have a different feel, but you could make it sound virtually identical.

[Mark Wein]

I might be wrong, but I don't think its that easy.

In any event I probably won't be owning a basswood guitar anytime soon since I really have never played one that I liked the sound of...

[Help!I'maRock!]

I might be wrong, but I don't think its that easy.

In any event I probably won't be owning a basswood guitar anytime soon since I really have never played one that I liked the sound of...


probably because basswood is usually paired with high output humbuckers, which you don't like either.

[Mark Wein]

Could be idn_smilie

[Help!I'maRock!]

Could be idn_smilie


the world may never know

[Mark Wein]

I'm not losing any sleep over it biggrin