EVH Wolfgang Special VS Standard - The Differences & Similarities!
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- Eddie Van Halen famously created his iconic 'Wolfgang' guitars to be the easiest guitars in the world to play - and he very much succeeded! You'll find an EVH Wolfgang guitar in the hands of shredding metal virtuosos, all the way through to jazz fusion players! In this video Dagan goes in depth with 2 of the most popular models in the lineup, the EVH Wolfgang Special & The EVH Wolfgang Standard!
What are the differences between these 2 models? Why are they priced the way they are? What Specs & Features really set them apart? Find out all this and more in todays video!
Shop All EVH Wolfgang Guitars at PMT online here - bit.ly/3RGstfA
Find the ones used in this video below:
EVH Wolfgang Special, Stealth - bit.ly/3PQ8AR5
EVH Wolfgang Special, Ltd Edition Purple Burst - bit.ly/3Pz7zwv
EVH Wolfgang Standard, Black - bit.ly/3EQLDrD
EVH Wolfgang Standard, Exotic Wood Ziricote Top - bit.ly/3t8FHI9
Watch our comparison of the EVH Frankenstrat & '78 Eruption at PMTVUK here - • The EVH Frankie VS '78...
0:00 Intro
0:46 Quick Wolfgang History & Why They're Awesome!
2:55 The Similarities
8:39 The Differences
#EVH #EddieVanHalen #EVHWolfgang #Wolfgang #VanHalen
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OK two things I love about Dagan. Well, actually three. Number one, he’s always standing up! Which he encourages us to do , by the way. Most RUclips guitarists are sitting down. Dagan is an exception. Number two -Dagan always always always dresses like a rockstar! And number three, of course he’s incredible guitar playing blows my mind every time-he could make $199 guitar and a $99 amp sound amazing.
Don't forget the lovely British accent.
Still weird not having Eddie around anymore..
I have both a Standard and a Special. Both are incredible guitars. I find myself playing the Standard more often as it is a lot more comfortable with the body cut at the forearm as opposed to the 90 degree cut on the Special
That’s great to hear. I’ve got a standard but have been looking to add a special also.
I need to just add a Dtuna to the standard. I already upgraded all the electronics except for the pickups. Really like the EVH pots a lot better. Definitely recommend
Ps.
The very minor difference in sound between the Standard and Special is only the electronics. The humbuckers are made to the exact same specs as the USA ones but only in Indonesia. The standard uses subpar pots, output jack and toggle switch. Especially the volume and tone pots will have larger tolerances than the EVH Low friction pot (made by Bourns I believe). I also upgraded the caps. Funnily enough my output jack even failed on the Wolfgang 4 months in.
I switched everything out for USA spec parts and it sounds better than ever.
In fact, I much prefer the Standard having that rear and front comfort cut. It's not going to affect tone or resonance so why wouldn't the more expensive ones have this is beyond me.
So I used:
EVH Low Friction 500K Volume Pot
EVH High Friction 250K Tone Pot
CORNELL DUBILIER - CD15FD151JO3F - CAP MICA, 150PF, 500V, 5%, RADIAL for treble bleed volume pot
MPF RDL .022uF 250V 10% 0024832049 for tone pot
Fender Switchcraft 1/4" Mono output jack.
Switchcraft 3 way switch (short frame)
I also took the tone pot out of the circuit, even at 100% it still bleeds some frequencies off. Sounds amazing now. I'm still not a fan of the neck pickup, it still sounds a bit dull. I'm going to try a Alnico 3 magnet and see if that brightens things up just a fraction.
For those who read this and if you don't know how to solder, watch a couple of RUclips instructional videos on it, it's not very hard to do this.
Thanks for this list!
I did all the upgrades, still have the stock pickups. And it was definitely worth it!
I’d still like to add a special Wolfgang.
Have you added on a Dtuna to the standard?
Ive just bought a D tuna for mine. Im getting it installed tomorrow so will let you know how it is @hollnagelc
@@ajscorner504mine will be in Sunday lol. Definitely let me know how it goes for you.
@hollnagelc ah nice one :) will do 👊
I have a couple Specials and Standards. Things I like about them both. The neck on the Standards are definitely more narrow. I have played them back to back during practice several times and I can certainly tell a difference……but like them both very much! EVH gear is awesome. Of course it is…….Eddie’s fingerprints are all over the gear. Legend!
Thank you for making this video. I bought a Standard and I think I made a Wonderful decision for me. I have a Les
Paul, a Strat, Ibanez RG570 - 1987 a Kramer Striker 600ST - 1987, BUT NOTHING PLAYS LIKE THE EVH!
Always a great video when you talk about EVH!
Dagan I love watching your videos! You are so excited about guitar and the gear! You are my go to guy for decision making. I have watched some of your videos 10 times on guitars I own lol. Like the Gibson Custom 1959 VOS Les Paul Standard - Iced Tea Burst - Review & Demo! Thanks for being the best and not a snot!
It's so weird that they didn't put a body contour on the back of the Special since it's like the higher end version and that's such a huge factor in playing comfort...I also really wish they would do a series of Standards with the stutter switch.
amazing! really GREAT review! many thanks i go for the special! greetings from Ecuador, South America
Best review I’ve seen on these. That purple one ❤ omg
I have a WG Special I bought new in 2012. It has all of the USA specs, except it has a flat top and is made in Japan . Birdseye maple board, Bourns pots, and came with the case. Shortly after I got mine, they started making the Stealth Special. Again, USA specs with ebony board. I'd like to see a MIJ Special included in this comparison as well. Great video as always !!
Official EVH Gear website says this regarding neck and wood:
Re. Neck:
Standard:
Neck Thickness
.790" at 3rd fret & .880" at 12th fret
Special:
Neck Thickness
.805" at 3rd & .890" at 12th Fret
So a difference, however not very large. In fact, like 0.015" or .3 of a milimeter. That's nothing.
Wood Used is slightly more confusing.
"Offering many of the blazing features as its more expensive brethren, this axe features a *basswood* body with special "comfort cut" forearm contour for maximum playing ease, along with attractive masked-off natural body binding and an elegant quilt maple top."
However if you scroll down under "Specs" it says "*Poplar*"
Goodness knows. Tonewood is a bit silly anyway, especially with the two having the same pickups.
I have 3 standards and 1 special. I also have the Frankie, the Shark and the 78 Eruption. My Standards are my favorites and most played. But the Special is close. All great guitars but the Wolfgangs rule! The neck is fantastic! My favorite neck of all time.
First time I've ever heard you play. I enjoyed your video very much and your EVH enthusiasm. 👍🏽
Great video Dagan, I bought the Wolfgang special stealth when it first came out. All I can say is it’s one of the best playing and sounding guitars I own for those of you who think the Mexican made EVH Wolfgang’s are not quality guitars I would strongly recommend disagree. It was one of the best playing guitars I’ve ever purchased right out of the Box, the only thing I wish is that they would include the hardshell case, but I bought the case when I purchased the guitar.
I’ve never seen a human better at their job than Dagan
These have the best neck in the business for my small hands but I wish they had 24 frets
I do belive they have some models with 24 frets, maybe in the 5150 series
I do wish they made a shorter scale. Like 25 or even 24.750
I bought my Special about 3 years ago, and it's by far my favorite guitar I own.
Great video. Thank you for this.
1st of all, great video bro!..the only other difference I can spot is that the standard has a top-mount locking nut instead of the countersunk through the back of the neck mount. I've found that as long as you fill the holes with wood glue it'll hold. I'm still going to have a new nut mounted from the back on my standard. other than that? I absolutely love it! oh, I put a better Floyd on mine too.
I have 2 of the wolfgang specials love the necks on these. The necks on the wolfgang standards are smaller sent mine back
If you guys ever get your hands on one, you should do a review of the original EVH Music Man guitar. It was such a beautiful, well-made guitar with massive tone.
The quarter sawn neck & carved top on the Special plus it’s clean tones makes it a fine guitar for conventional non tapping Van Halen stunt playing.
Great videos! I have a serious question...I've seen you review both...if you had to pick only one, which is better - The Ibanez Jem Jr or the EVH Wolfgang Standard?
I kind of prefer the tummy cut and forearm slope on the Standards. Comfier, to me, and I can live with the "downgrades" vs the Special.
I do really like the feel (and smell?) of the roasted maple neck on the Standard too.
A low friction volume pot could easily be swapped in if needed.
You are right about stability though - for a Floyd-equipped guitar it needs less tuning than any of my hard tail guitars that don't have CF reinforced necks.
Oh - and it's always a good day when Dagan gets let off the leash to shred some VH licks.
I have been lucky enough to have owned three Standards and three Specials. I ended up selling all the Standards and keeping two of the Specials; the Solarburst and the Purpleburst. They just sounded a bit better than my Standards did. I know people will say I am wrong, but there was definitely something different between the sound of the Mexican-made pickups verses the Indonesian-made pickups - the Mexican versions sounded a bit better (IMHO). At first I thought I just needed to swap the factor-installed vibrato block out to a "brass" block. So I did this to one of my Standards and it did help - but mostly just by increasing the sustain. The overall tone however, still did not sound as good as either of the Specials. The Mexican-made Specials also FELT better in my hands "quality-wise". Don't get me wrong... BOTH versions feel wonderful, and are some of the best playing guitars I've ever had the privilege of playing, and I would still take an EVH Standard over many more expensive super-strats out there. But, for me, the Special is the way to go. I should note - after selling the Standards, I purchased the 5150 in Slime Green, and it actually plays better than all the Wolfgangs I've owned! The neck is VERY good, and feels very similar to a Charvel San Dimas only, in my opinion, a little better! The tone is there too! I liked it so much that I also got the 5150 Stealth version with the ebony fretboard, and its tone was the best of all the EVH guitars I ever owned! However, the Slime green still "plays" best, due to the set up just working out so pristinely on it. So I sold the Stealth and kept the slime green one. For me, "playability" takes priority over "tone" by just a gnat's butt.
One thing i have found is the difference in quality control pre Eddie's passing and post Eddie's passing. Prior to Eddie's death the quality control was solid. It seems that each guitar left the evh factory fully tested and setup and minor flaws were spotted and corrected. Obviously when Eddie passed there is a definate decline in quality control. Understandable as the company must have been in turmoil and they have been slow to get that back. Nowadays the qc is is great, not as good as it was, but defo much better. Especially on the standard which for value for money this guitar cannot be beaten.
I had a dark blue sparkle standard and itcwas the best guitar i have ever played. It was the one that got away. I sold it all because i hated the headstock and not being experienced enough to know i had a one in a million. I now have a charvel socal and its a fantastic machine but i miss my standard. The pick ups alone make the wolfie a great buy.
It took Eddie a long time to nail down the tone for the neck pickup since he never had one in his previous guitars. He adjusted the placement 1 mm and discovered the tone he wanted.
Exactly right and the "original" Wolfgang.....was actually a Music Man that Eddie recorded and played for years during the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Live: Right Here, Right Now albums and tours. Then Eddie took his Music Man to Peavey and put his own custom head with a scoop cut in the top and his own pickups to make the Peavey Wolfgang. Most people will agree the Peavey Wolfgang (and original Peavey 5150 series heads - amps) had the best Van Halen tone. Eddie was forced to change the design and tone of both the Wolfgang and 5150 series amps to avoid copyright and lawsuits from Peavey when he started his own EVH brand. EVH Wolfgang's are really good, but are not even close to being the same as a Peavey Wolfgang.
@@smithn.wesson495 and now EVH is part of Fender. Which begs the question: With Fender owning EVH, Charvel, Jackson and Kramer, and Gibson destroying Dean in court, are the two guitar giants in violation of Antitrust law?
@@g_man2177 Good point...you bring up and excellent question. Also, how much longer can the independent "EVH" brand hang on now that Eddie has been dead for several years? I am a little bit shocked Eddie's son, Wolfgang, hasn't done more to evolve and change the entire line over to his design. Kind of the next generation of "Wolfgang" (no pun intended) There was a Wolfgang bass custom-made for Eddie's son while he played bass in Van Halen, but the rumors were Eddie refused to allow the sell of the Wolfgang bass or his famous red/white/black Frankstein stripped design Wolfgang guitar. Both of these models would have sold like crazy.
@@smithn.wesson495 actually Wolfgang is ready to release his semi-hollow body design, the 127 ( Eddie's birthday) which he has been road testing on his tour.
I still love my Peavey Wolfgang Special! US made 1999 and has never let me down in 25 years!
I do not like roasted Maple necks, unless you never need a re-fret done from what I’ve seen doing some research.
I don’t like Floyd’s without a D-tuna. I bought a N.O.S Ping licensed Floyd, and man….nuts how solid that guitar has been for me. It’s a black one, and so is the twin I got for cheap, and never let me down. Rock on! Hope you like hot pups! FIRE! !!!
Rock on peeps!
Interesting that EVH's favorite body wood was basswood.
Goes for Satch and Steve Vai too.
It's john suhr's favorite also
I ordered my wolfgang standard from American Musical Supply. these are the listed specs.
25.5” scale length
Basswood body with special “comfort cut” forearm contour and quilt maple top
Masked-off natural body binding
Graphite-reinforced bolt-on baked maple neck
Neck is carved and rolled to Eddie Van Halen’s specifications with an oiled finish on the back
12”-16” compound radius baked maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and black dot inlays
Heel-mount truss rod adjustment spoke wheel
Direct mount EVH® Wolfgang® bridge and neck humbucking pickups
Three-way toggle switch, single volume control with treble bleed circuit and single tone control
EVH-branded Floyd Rose® Special bridge and R2 locking nut
Available in Transparent Green with black headstock and black chrome hardware
This vid came at a pretty weird time. Last week I wanted to buy a new guitar. The best I could find in the store that fit my budget was a Wolfgang Standard QM. But in the end I went for a used Gibson LP by a local dealer.
"our Lord and savior Edward Van Halen" that is good stuff
Clicked on this knowing Dagan is just gonna shred Van Halen Riffs
Man I want the army green one. would love to try that detuner doodad though!
According to the specs on the EVH website the Standard has a thinner neck. .790" at 3rd fret-.880" at 12th fret vs the Special which is .805" at 3rd and .890" at 12th fret. .010"-.015" can feel like a big difference especially when you take the entire grip of the neck into account, how round, soft shouldered, flat etc... Just ordered a Special in Deep Metallic purple, cant wait. The neck was a concern for me as I like chunkier necks.
Anybody know why some EVHs have vintage sized frets and others jumbo? Confused from the UK
Cheers Dagan. I'm just delving into super-strat territory. I love the look of the Wolfgang (and that D-tune option with the FR is awesome), but the Charvel Pro-mod So Cal is on my radar too (particularly that 'Limo Green' HSS one). You can only dive on the Wolf's FR, while the Charvel is floating - and I hear that the Charvel compound necks are amazing. Any super strat fans here want to sway me either way? Or suggest something else at this price point?
I honestly can’t say you should go with one or the other, they are both excellent. I’ve had the Wolfgang Special for about 4 years and no complaints - magnificent guitar. It is my one Floyd Rose- shred machine guitar. I have a SuperStrat that I modified a Fender H-S-S Strat to get there. I recommend going with the one that will inspire you the most. For me it was Eddie’s evolution axe. It has a lot of great features that are just now starting to see their way to the marketplace more commonly; graphite reinforced - quarter sawn necks, d-tuna & direct mount pickups. I will say that my EVH is the smallest guitar I own, maybe not the lightest due to the Floyd Rose 1000, but not far off. It feels like you can get around the guitar very easily due to its streamlined size. Both are Fender owned companies so Im sure the build quality should be about the same. Go with the one that you think you’ll still want to play and own in 20 years. For me it was a connection to Eddie that made the Wolfgang Special a no brainer
I feel like down only trems are more stable and less finicky when tuning down a half or whole step. However, I have a Charvel So Cal with floating trem and absolutely adore it. It’s my main super strat and when I need to tune down I just use my digitech drop pedal so I don’t have to mess with the guitar itself.
@@rocktorrocks
Thats a great point, my SuperStrat (modified Fender) is floating, so half a step when I pull up. All my other Strats are decked, and of course EVH is dive-bombs only. That should be taken into consideration when picking a SuperStrat.
Both great guitars. Hard choice. Do you really need the ridge to pitch up? If yes, then the Charvel. If you can live without it, I would say Wolfgang Standard hands down. It's an AMAZING guitar. I have a 2019 with a Quilted Maple Top in Mango Burst. It's a gorgeous guitar. It's absolutely stunning. And in all honesty, it plays better than it looks! Ha! The pickups are great! Just the right amount of "hot" and great, great tone. I got it almost 3 years ago and have NEVER had to adjust the neck. One time out of the box during initial setup to my liking and it's been razor straight ever since. 😂
It's pretty lightweight too. I have a pretty crappy spinal condition. My favorite guitars are Explorer shapes and Extreme shapes. Sitting down, I can play just fine. I just this morning sold my Wylde Audio Blood Eagle because I can't have it around my shoulders weighing me down for too long. I don't have that issue with the Wolfgang. I can only stand with it for only so long anyways but it's not NEARLY as heavy as the Wylde Audio.
The Standard I own is damn near a perfect guitar. Dead serious. Awesome , amazing guitar. You won't be disappointed.
He is the worlds best salesman!! love it
Great video explanation with amazing guitar and playing. Amp feels kinda harsh though vs the bigger/fuller sound that Eddie got (e.g VH2). Blackstar is not equal to Plexi I guess. :)
I would love to see these played through the EVH 5150 tube amp, thats what i have.
Dagan you flipping legend! 🔥
My standard has the low friction pot as well. They must have changed it
Very little difference I lean towards the standard it feels great
Wonder If a one humbucker wolfgang comes soon...
That would be very nice, but keeping the D-tuner and the kill switch
Hi all I have had two different wg standards, please check them out in store before you buy them they have both had QC issues one with the gold sparkle paint having a chunk missing and noticable parts of the clear coat either missing or had gone white instead of clear and the other with a chunk of the fret board that looked like it was damaged and glued back in right near the 14th fret right in front of your eyes when you're playing. I'm sure there are a lot of good ones out there but I have had two Duds over the last two years. Not acceptable for a guitar worth over $1200 AUD
Trems are great!
How could he get the « feedback « notes
Yeah, Rock And Roll !!!
which one better evh w or esp demono...Ta!
anyone who is 6'1 and up that owns this guitar please some feedback on how it feels and looks on u? its holding me back on pulling the trigger tbh
Dagan here - I'm 6'3", it is a smaller guitar, but that's intentional. Eddie made the Wolfgangs to be super easy to get around, so the body is a little smaller. It doesn't feel small to play, at all. It just looks a little smaller and shorter than say, a Les Paul. But yeah, one of the easiest guitars to play on the planet, and that tone is just sublime!
Relic series?!?
Anybody got a Special they wanna swap for 2015 Les Paul CM?
Go, Team Frankenstrat!
I think as a luthier , the most easy guitar to play is a music man majesty john petrucci , that guitar also has everything
I haven't tried it yet, but I built a replica of a John Petrucci jp16 similar to the majesty, only it is bolt-on, with the same specifications of fingerboard radius, fret size, neck profile, total design, same pickups and directly screwed to the body, etc. and I assure you that it is my favorite guitar and it plays amazing. Before building it I thought it was going to be like my Ibanez guitar, which I already thought was the most comfortable and easy guitar to play, but this one surpassed the Ibanez by 20 times. As for comfort, ease of play, tuning stability and sound, so imagine the official music man of John Petrucci, that must be from another world
My replica guitar has a gotoh tuners , a floyd gotoh ge1996t, dimarzio crunch lab and liquifire
Only one finish of the Standards comes in Poplar ( Granite Crystal) all the rest are made of Basswood
The Wolfgang standard has a little bit narrower neck than the special so to me they do feel slightly different
Tone wood😂😂😂😂🤡🤡🤡. I have an old Peavey raptor in the EVH body style that's made out of plywood. It sounds amazing.
A taist of honey by herb Albert and the Tijuana brass ✨🪁
I don’t know, I would take a special any day over a standard. There’s a point where you are playing in the video and the standard is just out of tune The cheaper Floyd Rose tells all. Also, the pick ups in the special sound much different at least to my ears. Can’t wait for you to do the video on the new MIJ signatures. nothing beats those for the money. You get what you pay for
There both basswood
🤘😎🤘🌴☀️🔥🎸🔥🎸
I want the stop bar Wolfgangs to come back. I hate trems.
If these are short scale, they might be a fun PRS alternative
I want it to be known I fully agree, not trying to disagree or disregard what you’re saying at all, but from an outside view, asking for an EVH without a trem is pretty funny, haha
Lmao evh van that hates trems 😂. A temporary solution could just be unlock the nut and take the whammy bar out.
So so true!!! Or at least make terms like Ernie Ball Music Man guitars.
@@BumblebeeGage They made them in the past. Also would like to see his son's guitar come to market.
I do NOT like the body shape in the least bit. One of my friends has an earlier model (Peavey or Musicman version ?). It was hard for me not to tell him I thought it was ugly. I'd never be seen playing one of those.
had a Standard, thought thr floyd was awful. I didn't think it was a great guitar.
The only reason I watch this guy’s videos is I get to laugh my ass off!!! Hey dude maybe you didn’t hear? The 80’s are over!!!
I’m sure Dagan feels a deep need to look and play the way you approve of. Who are you?
Actually, I am looking at both these EVH WGs and I learned lots regarding comparing the 2. I don't know what the host eats for breakfast but he can clearly play. Thanks for explaining the differences and the similarities.
the 80s kicked the shit out of this lame woke scene that you seem to be so proud of
80's will never die!🤘🤘
Geez, I just read that the USA version is $4.6K. LOL WTF would pay that much for one of those ugly things?! I'd rather buy 2 Gibson les pauls for that price and have change left over.
The necks are not asymmetrical but more standard thin c - which is a shame as the peavey and EBMMs had the best neck profiles ever imo