EVH Wolfgang vs. Ernie Ball Music Man EVH vs. Suhr

Posted by in guitar, musical instruments

EVH Wolfgang and EBMM EVHWhenever I have the opportunity to play a new guitar, I opt to bring one of my own along to serve as a point of reference.  This held true earlier this week as I had the opportunity to play the new EVH Wolfgang and compare it to a few other guitars that, based on their specs, should  handle the “same chores.”

Ernie Ball Muisc Man EVH
– from the 1st run of the originals
– Has a brass block on the floyd

suhr-blue-jean-001Suhr Standard
– basswood body, maple top, one piece maple neck
– DSH – V60lp – DSV pickups, VG300 bridge

Suhr Modern
– basswood body, maple top, maple neck & fingerboard
– Suhr Aldrich pickups, Gotoh Floyd

FYI – the Suhr Standard is my guitar, while the other Suhr Modern and the 1st run Ernie Ball Music Man EVH model belonged to a friend. Everything was played through a 5150 III head & cab.

According to my ears….

The new EVH sounds bigger (more lows and highs) whereas the original EBMM EVH sounds thicker in the mids. The EVH Wolfgang is also punchier sounding and has more overall low-end. If you’ve caught any of the clips or heard any bootlegs of Eddie from the most recent tour, the new EVH Wolfgang (especially through ch 3 on the 5150 III) IS that sound.

The neck on the EVH Wolfgang is much slimmer and flatter than the EBMM. I would consider it more a Charvel type of neck as opposed to any Ibanez comparisons that some have mentioned (I just don’t see that). To that point, my favorite neck shape is an even C medium with a compound radius (10-14) and I was much more comfortable on the new EVH Wolfgang than on the old EBMM EVH.

As far a quality is concerned, the EVH Wolfgang felt like a really nice guitar. It felt like a very solid construction and played effortlessly. The action was insanely low and the stainless steel frets really add to the ease of playability. A real plus in my book.

As these guitars were not available for sale yet (at the time of this demo), we didn’t break into the case candy for the trem arm, so the Floyd wasn’t put to a full out test. We were also not able to verify if these guitar were sporting brass blocks or not. I would tend to think not.

Compared to the basswood Suhrs, I honestly say that the EVH Wolfgang is right up their in tone. The pickups are clearly high output, but retain a great amount of clarity….especially compared to the old EBMM. They are almost hi-fi by comparison. While the EBMM would certainly nail the Van Halen sound, the Wolfgang felt much more versatile…..it did the Van Halen thing for sure, but also did a lot more.

This all said, I was immediately more comfortable on the Suhrs than on either of the EVH guitars, but that’s because the Suhrs sported necks much more similar to what I normally favor (even C medium types).

In the end, I’d say the EVH Wolfgang is a great guitar for Van Halen music and more. Is it worth the money? Based on quality of construction, playability and tonality, yes it feels like a $3,000 guitar should. But as I mentioned earlier in this thread my tastes are suited to different neck styles and I’m not huge on putting down that kind of coin if I can’t pick out all the specs.

But don’t take my word for it, check one out for yourself.