Dream guitar (pt.8) - Peavey Wolfgang Custom Deluxe

I started this with an EVH guitar... and I'll finish it in the same fashion. When Eddie discovered that Ernie Ball wasn't able to produce more than 1800 guitars a year, he decided to take it to the next step... finding a bigger company who'd produce his guitars without compromising the quality.

And, in my humble opinion, he suceeded.

It's true, my #1 dream guitar is the Ernie Ball and if you're a "true" Van Halen fan, you probably know why. After too much striped guitars, modded amps and other stuff than only EVH knew how (and that's another thing why he's special), finally there was a guitar that you could plug into a Marshall and sound like the man (well, something like it...).

If you compare the guitars, you'll instantly hear the smoother Wolfgang sound (and also the "Volume" & "Tone" knob which really are what they say unlike the lonely "Tone" knob with the hidden meaning); both the feel of guitar with easier access to the higher frets the contoured and assymetric shape of the body provide extra comfort... this truly is an upgrade from the previous model. Even if the passion remains untouched... there's no love like the first one.

The "drop-D" unit's also a plus. It's easy to use and very handy on a Floyd Rose system. Personally, I don't find the tremolo system very reliable (when compared to a Wilkinson or Parker Fly system) and I can understand why he has his one recessed.

The Wolfgang can be a shredding machine and also very close to a Les Paul (sounding a bit like Slash's axe, not as round as a Standard model). Never like a Strat because thin is not what a Wolfgang is.

The Custom Shop options were unlimited: bodies in koa, mahogany, basswood, alder, swamp ash... fretboard in birdsye maple, hardrock maple, rosewood, ebony... neck in maple, koa... everything. Hardware color, matching headstock or not... flamed, quilted, solid or custom finished body tops. And pickup switching... whatever.

If I have had the money then, the option would have been: basswood body with AAAAA bookmatched quilt maple top in a dark grey/black finish; birdseye maple neck with ebony fretboard with pearloid inlays (I would have asked the Custom Shop to have the 3rd, 5th, 7th & 9th markers under the lower E-string, a custom drawing in the 12th and the rest under the high E-string); matching headstock, black chrome hardware (Floyd Rose tremolo, locking nut & tuners); pickups in a H-S-H configuration with two switches (1st switch: choice of neck humbucker, bridge humbucker or middle; 2nd switch: only working when the 1st is in the middle position would connect the middle pickup with the closest coil of each humbucker and would select the single coil alone in its middle position) with a coil-tap push/pull button in the "Tone" knob. This would have costed me a little over $3000. Dreaming is easier...

I can leave the specs and some pictures (of a Standard Deluxe)...

- Body: Basswood with maple top
- Finish: Quilt / Flame maple (or solid)
- Neck: Maple (or custom choice)
- Neck construction: bolt-on
- Fretboard: Birdseye maple (or rosewood)
- Inlay: Pearloid dots (black)
- Bridge: recessed Floyd Rose with d-tuna
- Hardware: Chrome
- Pickup configuration: H-H
- Pickups: DiMarzio EVH custom designed
- Controls: Volume, Tone, 3-way pickup switch


























Go check Rock'N Roll Weekend, the site of the biggest Wolfgang collector. You'll find some 1-of-a-kind Custom Shop models and all the info you want on any EVH guitar. A must.