If we asked for the names of five guitarists who have been crucial to the history of music, Van Halen's name would surely come up in a great many answers. What can we say about him that hasn't already been said? Just in case, let's briefly go over his life and legend: Van Halen started becoming known in the early '80s thanks to songs like "Jump," "Eruption," "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love," etc., where he began to develop, technically, his well-known tapping.
He also had a certain knack for sounding completely swinging within a rock context. At the same time, two great singers passed through his band Van Halen: David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, each in his own style. On guitar, Van Halen has a lot of personality, and it isn't as if he uses a really complicated rig: guitar, a few pedals, and the head with a cabinet. Of course, beyond his fingers, ears and head, every component in his signal chain plays a crucial role. The EVH Wolfgang Special is a guitar firmly in the Van Halen sound, very rock and with very gratifying attack. We could say it's a guitar he uses in his later period. Let's go through our guitar hero's guitar piece by piece.
Technical description
The guitar looks unbeatable: it has a spectacular and very attractive finish. It's relatively large—that is, bigger than a Strat® but not as big as a Les Paul®—a perfectly manageable size that fits the body perfectly. Looking at the depth of the body, we can see it's quite thick, which will go a long way toward providing long sustain. Here it has a very attractive binding, common to all the finishes on offer: vintage white, black and tobacco sunburst. We're testing the latter finish. The wood used in the body is basswood with some maple, which tells us about the kind of sound it's going for. The neck attaches to the body with four screws, in a completely standard way, just like a Fender. In every case, the common denominator is the maple neck, which gives a lighter, more contrasting look whatever the guitar's finish.
22 frets cover the whole fingerboard, large enough to make it easy to play any bend, vibrato or simple note without trouble. The guitar comes fitted with two two-tone humbuckers: each humbucker is made up of two single coils, one white and the other black, which enhances the guitar's overall look. The pickups' model and manufacturer are the same as the guitar's, that is, EVH. Pickup switching is handled by a Gibson®-style toggle, placed on the upper bout as on a Les Paul®. The position of the pickup switch is quite a personal matter; everyone will be more comfortable with one position or another. Personally, I find the Les Paul® position quite comfortable, since it lines up with the path of my hand when I play, so it's perfect for switching at any moment during a performance. It's worth remembering the different basic switch positions: neck pickup, middle position (that is, one coil from the neck pickup and one from the bridge pickup), and bridge pickup. Two knobs let us control the guitar's master volume and its tone.
And finally, the floating bridge, a Floyd Rose with plenty of travel forward but very little backward, which helps it hold tuning since it isn't in balance. But the bridge has a surprise in store: you can drop the sixth string a whole step without touching any tuning peg, that is, from E to D, and use the guitar in drop D, in the purest Van Halen style. What's more, with a Floyd Rose bridge, lowering the tuning of one string could be a hassle, because since it's balanced, if you alter one string the others are affected. However, thanks to this bridge feature, you can drop the sixth string to D without having to retune the rest. The whammy bar itself is the perfect length and will adapt to your hand however you grip it, whether you use your whole hand or just your little finger.
We also have the locking nut to clamp the strings at the nut: three clamps that hold two strings each. With an Allen wrench, you can adjust the pressure as on any Floyd Rose bridge. The headstock has a rather attractive shape, with certain points that give it a more rock look. It splits the strings into two groups of three, Gibson-style, with the first three strings on the bottom and the last three on top. The tuners are Gotoh® and work perfectly. The guitar also comes with an SKB hard case made for it. The EVH comes strung with a 9-46 set, one of the best options for a Floyd Rose®.
Feel
Let's talk about the experience of playing the EVH and how we might feel when playing something on the guitar. I have to say it's a very comfortable, ergonomic guitar that seems to mold itself to your body. Since the neck is a bit smaller than usual, everything is much more compact and easier to handle. I find the feel of the neck spot-on, practically bare wood, letting your hand glide without any problem. At the same time, the frets are big enough for long bends and for playing our legato runs with no trouble. Placing the pickup switch Les Paul®-style strikes me as a great call, since it's quite comfortable for switching at any moment while you play. It also seems sturdy enough to withstand the abuse of constant pickup changes. The bar is designed mainly for dive-bombing (although you can pull it back, it's more common to go the other way). Tuning holds perfectly, whichever direction you move the bar.
Sound
Let's describe what the guitar sounds like. Knowing whose guitar it is, we can get an idea of the sound we'll find. In other words, if you're looking for a jazz guitar, although you can play jazz on this one, I don't think it's your best option. This guitar breathes rock through every grain, not only in its feel but in every note you play. One of the first things you notice when you play the first chords is how easily it produces harmonics. Without having to search for them much, you'll find them at your disposal, whatever string and fret you're on.
Another thing you'll notice right away is the guitar's attack; with cleaner or crunch tones, you'll see how you can get every note to have perfect punch and attack, from a completely funky sound to a heavily marked crunch tone. With more distorted tones, you can get a completely clear, clean timbre no matter how much distortion you apply. One of the guitar's most noteworthy features is how easily it cuts through the band mix. So, without needing much volume, you'll be heard more easily than in other situations, since it perfectly reproduces the guitar's characteristic frequencies.
I ran the tests with a DV Mark® Bad Boy, a thoroughly rock amp that, together with this guitar, made a perfect combination for any situation where attack and gain go hand in hand. The question that would occur to me is: and how about sustain? I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, because when you work to get great attack, it's hard to have long sustain. But on the EVH it's very well achieved, especially with a long distorted tone. And on the higher notes—that is, from the 12th fret up—you can sustain as long as you like.
Digging deeper into how the pickups sound, it's very important to note that, since they were built specifically for this guitar, they retain the essence and sound of Van Halen. The neck pickup is really rewarding in the lowest frequencies, yet it's defined enough to be used even on the lowest strings. Even though it's the pickup with the lowest frequency emphasis, it's rich in harmonics, which is very welcome, especially with a crunch tone. On a clean channel, the neck pickup sounds absolutely huge. The bridge pickup sounds razor-sharp, perfect for finding the guitar's harmonics. With a clean tone, it will be quite useful for funk or country. With a crunch tone, it lets you get a completely cutting rhythm sound. The bridge pickup delivers a really powerful saturated tone and helps legato runs and much more technically complicated passages sound brutal.
Conclusion
At this point, we can say that the guitar oozes rock above all and, more specifically, Van Halen. It has a thoroughly versatile sound, to the point that it can be a guitar well worth considering, even in a professional setting. Great harmonics, a completely comfortable neck and body, a bridge that holds its tuning and the ability to drop the sixth string to D. The price, moreover, puts the guitar squarely in line with the market. So if you come across an EVH along the way, don't hesitate to try it, especially if you like rock.