As we´ve just taken delivery of a brand spanking new EVH Wolfgang all ready for a big review, video and feature next issue, we thought we´d go back through time and revisit some of Ed´s guitar highlights.
Not too many words, just a few pictures to take us back to when Eddie was a true hero, not someone who´s...well...a little more eccentric in his tastes these days.
Here´s where it all started. A guitar built on the floor of Wayne Charvel´s repair shop in 1974 comprising Charvel and Boogie Body bits plus the humbucker from an old Gibson semi. Stripes artist´s own work...
Although Ed never had a formal Kramer endorsement deal, he used several Kramer necks with the original Frankenstein, plus guitars specially built from scratch at the Kramer factory. He sometimes featured in the company´s ads...as above.
With David Lee Roth one foot out the door, Ed chose Ernie Ball to produce his very first signature model, the Ernie Ball/Music Man EVH
What seemed mere minutes later, Ed jumped ship to Peavey and produced the first of a number of incarnations of the Wolfgang, named after his son who is, of course, VH bassist.
Whispers of a jump to Fender got louder and louder, hardly dampened by the release of the limited - and rather nice - Charvel EVH Art Series, available in black/white, yellow/black and red/white/black.
In what proved to be a great move, Fender´s Custom Shop announced details of the Frankenstein Replica, built by master luthier Chip Ellis. Based on Ed´s original Bitsa, it´s a true work of art and, if you can still find one for sale, you´ll need a big old wallet.
Here´s Guitarist with one of just 300 Frankensteins produced. We still mourn its return with a heavy heart and soggy hankie...
And finally, coming right up to date, the brand new EVH Wolfgang, premiered at Winter NAMM 2009.
“Everything that I´ve built, destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced is in this guitar.” Says Ed on EVHGear.com and it shows...
Don´t miss the review and video in the September issue of Guitarist...
Further reading...
Vinatge Kramer
Wolfgang Registry
EVH Guitars
Van Halen
“A unique octave bass fuzz with a built-in, 2-voice ring modulator”: The Maestro BB-1 Brassmaster is a super-rare bass octave fuzz from the ‘70s that sounds great on guitar, sells for $2,000+, and Behringer just made a $69 clone of it
“Maintain a consistently optimal neck setup, playability, and string action, regardless of changing environmental conditions”: Has Furch just made acoustic guitar setups a thing of the past with its new CNR System Active neck?
