U N DER T H E HOOD By Brian Berk Although 2020 saw a boost in guitar-playing interest and sales, it was a difficult year in many ways. This included the loss of perhaps the greatest guitarist of all time, Eddie Van Halen, whose singularly inventive style inspired multiple generations of
basswood body with deeper upper-body curve. The bolt-on quartersawn maple neck is carved and rolled to Eddie Van Halen’s specifications with a hand-rubbed satin urethane back finish and graphite reinforcement. The 12inch to 16-inch compound-radius
is wrapped in Aqua Burst or Black Burst. This model, available in April, also features chrome hardware and an ebony fingerboard with cream dot inlays. • The 5150 Series Standard Ebony, which boasts spotlightready style in Ice Blue Metallic or
EVH’S
Eddie Van Halen Collection players, which was a boon for MI retailers. EVH, a portfolio brand of Fender Musical Instruments Corp., is making sure Van Halen is never forgotten. The company announced a slate of new product offerings designed to honor and continue the legacy of the late Van Halen, including new models for the 5150 Series, Wolfgang Special and Wolfgang WG Standard. Engineered for speed, comfort and full-throttle attitude, the reimagined EVH 5150 Series models are a blast from the past that blend both throwback and modernized features, including the addition of a kill switch for high-velocity rock, stated the company. The 5150 Series models feature a modified Strat-style 38
fingerboard comes with 22 jumbo frets. The 5150 models also feature a heel-mount truss-rod adjustment spoke wheel, a hockey stick color-matched headstock with logo decal, EVH-branded Gotoh tuning machines, and a topmount EVH-branded Floyd Rose bridge with EVH D-Tuna and R3 locking nut. Electronics include direct-mount EVH Wolfgang bridge and neck humbucking pickups, a three-way toggle switch on the upper bout, a kill switch on the lower bout, 500K EVH Bourns Low Friction Pot volume control with treble bleed circuit, and 250K EVH Bourns High Friction Pot tone control. New EVH 5150 models include: • The 5150 Series Deluxe Poplar Burl, which features a unique poplar burl top that
Stealth Black finishes. This model also features black hardware and an ebony fingerboard with cream dot inlays. It is available now. • The 5150 Series Standard Maple, which offers a Neon Pink finish with chrome hardware. This model features a maple fingerboard with black dot inlays. It is also available now. Next up are the EVH Wolfgang Special models, designed to offer “giant sound and highspeed playability.” The Wolfgang Special models feature a basswood body and a bolt-on quartersawn maple neck carved and rolled to Eddie Van Halen’s specifications with hand-rubbed satin urethane back finish and graphite reinforcement. The 12-inch to 16-inch compoundradius fingerboard comes with
22 jumbo frets. Wolfgang Special models also feature a heel-mount truss-rod adjustment spoke wheel and a top-mount EVH-branded Floyd Rose bridge with EVH D-Tuna and R2 locking nut. Electronics include direct-mount EVH Wolfgang Alnico 2 bridge and neck humbucking pickups, a three-way toggle switch, 500K EVH Bourns Low Friction Pot volume control with treble bleed circuit, and 250K EVH Bourns High Friction Pot tone control. EVH Wolfgang Special models include: • The Wolfgang Special QM, which is spotlight-ready in Charcoal Burst or Chlorine Burst with cream body binding and chrome hardware. This model features a baked maple neck and fingerboard with black dot inlays. MD 445 It is available in March. • The Wolfgang Special, which is offered in an all-new Miami Blue finish with black body binding, a color-matched headstock and black hardware. This model also features a maple neck and ebony fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays. It is available this month. Also being released are the Wolfgang WG Standard models. These instruments feature a basswood body, baked maple neck with graphite reinforcement and hand-rubbed oil back finish, 12-inch to 16-inch compoundradius baked maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and black dot inlays, a heel-mount trussrod adjustment spoke wheel, EVH-branded Floyd Rose Special bridge and R2 locking nut. Electronics include direct-mount EVH Wolfgang bridge and neck humbucking pickups, a threeway toggle switch, single volume control with treble bleed circuit, and single tone control. The Wolfgang WG Standard models, all of which are available now, include: • The Wolfgang WG Standard Exotic Bocote, which comes in a Natural finish with black headstock and black chrome hardware. Features include a bocote top and masked-off natural body binding. • The Wolfgang WG Standard Exotic Koa, which comes in a Natural finish with black headstock (continued on page 40) FEBRUARY 2021
