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102-567: After joining Fender in 2005, Eddie Van Halen set out to rebuild the Peavey EVH Wolfgang from the ground up. He teamed up with Fender Master Builder Chip Ellis in May 2006. Van Halen stated that this was his "last attempt" to design a guitar. New features included stainless steel frets, a 12" – 16" compound radius, and custom Bourns potentiometers (low friction 500   kΩ for volume and high friction 250   kΩ for tone). The bridge

204-466: A monaural signal. Many guitars with active electronics use a jack with an extra contact normally used for stereo . These guitars use the extra contact to break the ground connection to the on-board battery to preserve battery life when the guitar is unplugged. These guitars require a mono plug to close the internal switch and connect the battery to ground. Standard guitar cables use a high-impedance 1 ⁄ 4 inch (6.35 mm) mono plug. These have

306-400: A vibrato embellishment. A plastic pickguard on some guitars protects the body from scratches or covers the control cavity, which holds most of the wiring. The degree to which the choice of woods and other materials in the solid-guitar body (3) affects the sonic character of the amplified signal is disputed. Many believe it is highly significant, while others think the difference between woods

408-576: A 1/8" figured maple cap, which is itself less likely to change the overall effect of the tonewood. Peavey Wolfgangs had maple caps ranging from 1/4" to 5/8". The guitar had a Floyd Rose vibrato system , built by Ping, which lowers pitch only as the device plate sits on the body top (similarly to the Ernie Ball Music Man EVH model) but added a d-Tuna device on the low E-string, which allowed that string to be instantly tuned to and from D (a former design of this device, named "The Willie"

510-471: A Floyd Rose Special bridge with zinc saddles instead of steel and a zinc sustain block instead of brass. Quilted Maple veneer tops with various bursts and fades are available as well as single matte color models. In 2020, the baked maple fingerboard was introduced to the Standard line. Wolfgang USA bridge and neck pickups are available to buy, separate from the guitar. On previous Van Halen signature guitars,

612-525: A United States patent for an Electrical Stringed Musical Instrument and the patent was later issued in 1937. By the time it was patented, other manufacturers were already making their own electric guitar designs. Early electric guitar manufacturers include Rickenbacker in 1932; Dobro in 1933; National, AudioVox and Volu-tone in 1934; Vega , Epiphone (Electrophone and Electar), and Gibson in 1935 and many others by 1936. By early-mid 1935, Electro String Instrument Corporation had achieved success with

714-590: A built-in system to electrically amplify their output without altering their tone as an alternative to using a separate microphone. The system may consist of piezoelectric pickups mounted under the bridge, or a low-mass microphone (usually a condenser mic) inside the body of the guitar that converts the vibrations in the body into electronic signals. Combinations of these types of pickups may be used, with an integral mixer/preamp/graphic equalizer. Such instruments are called electric acoustic guitars . They are regarded as acoustic guitars rather than electric guitars because

816-573: A certain colour, experiments that Peavey made while in production. One of the examples of this is a dark gloss oxblood finish with a black binding, now owned by an Austin guitar dealer (bearing the patent number but no serial). Some of these had black or gold hardware. USA-built Peavey Wolfgangs typically had serial numbers that started with "91" followed by six more digits. Late-run USA Wolfgangs had serial numbers that started with "51". A very few prototype models had serial numbers that started with "1". Though Peavey Wolfgang owners have often sought to find

918-431: A corroboration in the serial numbers of their guitars and the year in which each was built (similar to the system Gibson uses), there was no such information contained in the serial numbers. There was also no code specific to Custom Shop models. Peavey Wolfgang serial numbers were stamped on the back of the headstock between the tuners. Eddie Van Halen's signature and the headstock patent number were both branded just below

1020-704: A custom graphic option. Offered from 2002 to 2004, the Peavey EVH Wolfgang Special EXP was a Korean-made version of the Wolfgang. It contained no markings to differentiate it from USA models, but there were several deviations. The most obvious difference between the Korean and USA Special models are quilt only tops (Korean) vs. flame only tops (USA). The Wolfgang Special EXP had a 1/20" quilt only maple veneer top and came in four transparent colors: amber, maroon, blue, and sunburst. The body

1122-500: A custom-assembled strat -like guitar, built from Boogie Bodies leftover parts he bought from Lynn Ellsworth, along with a PAF humbucker (taken from a Gibson ES-335 ) mounted directly to the guitar's body. Van Halen's infamous Frankenstein (a.k.a. the "Frankenstrat") guitar laid the groundwork for most of the custom guitars he played throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to working with Peavey, Van Halen had worked with and endorsed Charvel , Kramer and Music Man . Production of

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1224-453: A different shade of gold than most others as the paint vendor changed. Maybe the first 50 or so. The finishing department blamed a mistake on the paint vendor who supplied the gold and consequently changed the supplier after about 50 or so guitars. The original gold had a warmer, more Gibson bronze cast compared to the following production gold guitars. " There are a few prototype colours on serial production guitars, with as low as 1 guitar with

1326-576: A folding neck called the "Foldaxe" was designed and built for Chet Atkins by Roger C. Field . Steinberger guitars developed a line of exotic, carbon fiber instruments without headstocks, with tuning done on the bridge instead. Fingerboards vary as much as necks. The fingerboard surface usually has a cross-sectional radius that is optimized to accommodate finger movement for different playing techniques. Fingerboard radius typically ranges from nearly flat (a very large radius) to radically arched (a small radius). The vintage Fender Telecaster , for example, has

1428-428: A guitar amplifier and speaker. When an electric guitar is played, string movement produces a signal by generating (i.e., inducing ) a small electric current in the magnetic pickups, which are magnets wound with coils of very fine wire. The signal passes through the tone and volume circuits to the output jack, and through a cable to an amplifier . The current induced is proportional to such factors as string density and

1530-579: A guitar that encompassed many of the characteristics of the Wolfgang (basswood body with optional contoured maple top, bolt-on maple neck with maple fingerboard, etc.), but was somewhat of a departure from the collaboration with the guitarist - an H-S-H pickup configuration option, a 5-bolt neck joint, and the headstock shape change, even if the Wolfgang headstock patent remained with Peavey. In his last times with Peavey, Eddie Van Halen began working with Charvel to produce replicas of three of his striped guitar models, in black and white, yellow and black, and also

1632-519: A hard, polymerized finish. Strings vibrating in the magnetic field of the pickups (3.1, 3.2) produce an electric current in the pickup winding that passes through the tone and volume controls (3.8) to the output jack. Some guitars have piezo pickups, in addition to or instead of magnetic pickups. Some guitars have a fixed bridge (3.4). Others have a spring-loaded hinged bridge called a vibrato bar , tremolo bar , or whammy bar , which lets players bend notes or chords up or down in pitch or perform

1734-598: A little before I realized they were trying to lure EVH away. I already discussed what I did with the pickups casually to coworkers. After the guitar was released, I got copies of the pickup specs and blueprints. They are the same specs. ". An amplifier series - the EVH 5150 III - and several instrument accessories and merchandise soon followed, all under the EVH brand. In July 2017, during the Summer in Nashville, Peavey announced

1836-492: A maple fingerboard and the only color options were Vintage White, Black, and Tobacco Burst. Ebony fingerboards were soon introduced, but by 2015, ebony became the only option available. However, as of 2020, maple fingerboards are still available on the lefty version on the Vintage White model. A Wolfgang USA Edward Van Halen Signature model was released in 2017, with a new Alnico 3 Wolfgang neck pickup. A flat top version,

1938-637: A massive demand upon their arrival to the market. After the 2007-08 Tour , and once again under the supervision of Chip Ellis, the evolution of the Wolfgang within the Fender group became available to the public, with the EVH Wolfgang® USA Edward Van Halen Signature (in 2008) and the EVH Wolfgang® Special (in 2010), both sporting the "bottle opener" shape, which is owned by Eddie Van Halen, unlike

2040-658: A neck-through design is difficult or even impossible to repair, depending on the damage. Historically, the bolt-on style has been more popular for ease of installation and adjustment. Since bolt-on necks can be easily removed, there is an after-market in replacement bolt-on necks from companies such as Warmoth and Mighty Mite. Some instruments—notably most Gibson models—continue to use set-in glued necks. Neck-through bodies are somewhat more common in bass guitars. Materials for necks are selected for dimensional stability and rigidity, and some allege that they influence tone. Hardwoods are preferred, with maple , mahogany , and ash topping

2142-427: A number 4 stenciled on the front were used in 2007. A Vintage White Wolfgang was used in 2008. Van Halen used an EVH Wolfgang Stealth with an ebony fingerboard for the majority of Van Halen's 2012 album A Different Kind of Truth . "As Is" features a Wolfgang with a D2H (Drop 2 Hell) tailpiece. The D2H is made from solid brass and can drop the low E string down two and a half steps or more. It has never made it on to

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2244-530: A production model. The end of "As Is" features a Wolfgang with a Sustainer, as well as on the song "Honeybabysweetiedoll." The Wolfgang Stealth was also used for the majority of the A Different Kind of Truth Tour . It has a kill switch and a titanium D-Tuna. Van Halen used a Wolfgang with an ebony fingerboard and a black and white stripe job on June 21, 2013, in Tokyo , the night that Tokyo Dome Live in Concert

2346-604: A rejected maple top was painted either gloss black or gloss ivory. Peavey and Eddie Van Halen's attempt to make a "budget" version of the Wolfgang that didn't compromise quality in parts or craftsmanship. Made in the USA in 1998. It featured a flat top, one knob (volume), three-way pickup toggle switch, two Peavey/EVH-designed humbucker pickups, licensed Floyd Rose tremolo with d-Tuna, oil-finished hard rock maple neck and fingerboard with dual graphite reinforcement rods, straight headstock, and chrome tuners. Two base versions were offered:

2448-545: A rejected maple top was painted gloss black. The Peavey EVH Wolfgang Custom Shop operated from January 2002 to December 2004. It was run by four highly talented craftsman, each with a different area of specialty. The Custom Shop launched with a contest held via Van Halen's. Twelve unique Wolfgangs were given away throughout 2002—one every month. Approximately 285 Custom Shop guitars were produced in Leakesville, of which 92 of these were made to fill specific orders while

2550-434: A rhythm guitarist and a lead guitarist. Many experiments with electrically amplifying the vibrations of a string instrument were made dating back to the early part of the 20th century. Patents from the 1910s show telephone transmitters were adapted and placed inside violins and banjos to amplify the sound. Hobbyists in the 1920s used carbon button microphones attached to the bridge ; however, these detected vibrations from

2652-423: A semi-acoustic tone (see below) or both. Semi-acoustic guitars have a hollow body similar to an acoustic guitar and electromagnetic pickups mounted directly into the body. They work in a similar way to solid-body electric guitars except that because the hollow body also vibrates, the pickups convert a combination of string and body vibration into an electrical signal. Many models, known as semi-hollow bodies, have

2754-418: A single block of wood, semi-acoustic guitar bodies are made from multiple pieces of wood in an archtop form, a method of construction different from the typical steel string acoustic guitar . The top is formed from a moderately thick piece of wood which is then carved into a thin outward-curving shape, whereas conventional acoustic guitars have a thin, flat top. Some steel-string acoustic guitars include

2856-556: A solid basswood body model and a solid basswood body with a maple top model (the maple cap was 5/8" before carving). Each version could come with either a licensed Floyd Rose tremolo with d-Tuna or a tune-o-matic bridge and hard tailpiece. Solid basswood Wolfgangs were offered in gloss ivory and gloss black; solid basswood/maple cap Wolfgangs were offered in various transparent figured flame only maple finishes (sunburst, amber, red, purple, blue, green, cherryburst, and black cherryburst) as well as vintage gold and seafoam green. Very occasionally

2958-512: A solid basswood model and a solid basswood/maple cap model (the maple cap was 1/4"). Each version could come with either a licensed Floyd Rose tremolo with d-Tuna or a tune-o-matic bridge and hard tailpiece. Solid basswood Wolfgang Specials were offered in gloss ivory, gloss black, vintage gold, gloss purple, and sunburst; solid basswood/maple cap Wolfgangs were offered in various transparent figured flame only maple finishes (amber, red, purple, green, sunburst, and black cherryburst). Very occasionally

3060-570: A solid block running through the middle of the soundbox designed to reduce acoustic feedback. They do not provide enough acoustic volume for live performance, but they can be used unplugged for quiet practice. Semi-acoustic guitars are noted for being able to provide a sweet, plaintive, or funky tone. They are used in many genres, including jazz, blues, funk , sixties pop, and indie rock . They generally have cello-style F-shaped sound holes , which can be blocked off to further reduce feedback. Whereas chambered guitars are made, like solid-body guitars, from

3162-399: A tip and sleeve configuration referred to as a TS phone connector . The voltage is usually around 1 to 9 millivolts . A few guitars, such as Rickenbacker guitars equipped with Rick-O-Sound , feature stereo output. There are a variety of ways the "stereo" effect may be implemented. Commonly, but not exclusively, stereo guitars route the neck and bridge pickups to separate output buses on

EVH Wolfgang - Misplaced Pages Continue

3264-405: A top so heavily reinforced that it essentially functioned as a solid-body instrument. Unlike acoustic guitars, solid-body electric guitars have no vibrating soundboard to amplify string vibration. Instead, solid-body instruments depend on electric pickups, and an amplifier ("amp") and speaker . The solid body ensures that the amplified sound reproduces the string vibration alone, thus avoiding

3366-687: A triple single-coil guitar. The history of electric guitars has been summarized by Guitar World magazine, and the earliest electric guitar on their top 10 list is the Ro-Pat-In Electro A-25 "Frying Pan" (1932) described as "The first-fully functioning solid-body electric guitar to be manufactured and sold". It was the first electric guitar used in a publicly promoted performance, performed by Gage Brewer in Wichita, Kansas in October 1932. The most recent electric guitar on this list

3468-590: A typical small radius of approximately 7.25 inches (18.4 cm). Some manufacturers have experimented with fret profile and material, fret layout, number of frets, and modifications of the fingerboard surface for various reasons. Some innovations were intended to improve playability by ergonomic means, such as Warmoth Guitars' compound radius fingerboard. Scalloped fingerboards added enhanced microtonality during fast legato runs. Fanned frets intend to provide each string with an optimal playing tension and enhanced musicality. Some guitars have no frets , while others, like

3570-409: A way to reduce or counter the sound, as they are designed to "buck" (in the verb sense of oppose or resist ) the hum, hence their name. The high combined inductance of the two coils also leads to the richer, "fatter" tone associated with humbucking pickups. Electric guitar necks vary in composition and shape. The primary metric of guitar necks is the scale length , which is the vibrating length of

3672-409: A wood post with a neck attached and two hollow-body halves attached to the sides for appearance only — shares nothing in common for design or hardware with the solid-body Gibson Les Paul , designed by Ted McCarty and introduced in 1952. The feedback associated with amplified hollow-bodied electric guitars was understood long before Paul's "log" was created in 1940; Gage Brewer's Ro-Pat-In of 1932 had

3774-518: Is a collaboration between guitarist Eddie Van Halen and Hartley Peavey 's company, Peavey Electronics (cap.12 from book "Peavey Guitars: The Authorized American History" ). The EVH stands for "Eddie Van Halen" while Wolfgang is the name of Eddie Van Halen's son . Since the late 1970s, when Van Halen regularly performed on the Pasadena club scene, and with the release of Van Halen's self-titled debut album, Eddie Van Halen's guitar tone—nicknamed

3876-508: Is a signature model Floyd Rose designed by EVH and is exclusive to the Wolfgang. The bridge is made in South Korea with bent steel baseplates and no gaps between saddles. The Wolfgang pickups are made in-house at Fender; they were chosen after trying out 80 prototypes made by Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio . They have Alnico 2 magnets and are direct mounted to the body with two screws on each leg, with foam rubber underneath, which allows

3978-558: Is made of solid wood, without functionally resonating air spaces. The first solid-body Spanish standard guitar was offered by Vivi-Tone no later than 1934. This model featured a guitar-shaped body of a single sheet of plywood affixed to a wood frame. Another early, substantially solid Spanish electric guitar, called the Electro Spanish, was marketed by the Rickenbacker guitar company in 1935 and made of Bakelite . By 1936,

4080-406: Is often used in two roles: as a rhythm guitar , which plays the chord sequences or progressions , and riffs , and sets the beat (as part of a rhythm section ); and as a lead guitar , which provides instrumental melody lines, melodic instrumental fill passages, and solos . In a small group, such as a power trio , one guitarist may switch between both roles; in larger groups there is often

4182-418: Is subtle. In acoustic and archtop guitars, wood choices more clearly affect tone. Woods typically used in solid-body electric guitars include alder (brighter, but well rounded), swamp ash (similar to alder, but with more pronounced highs and lows), mahogany (dark, bassy, warm), poplar (similar to alder), and basswood (very neutral). Maple , a very bright tonewood , is also a popular body wood but

EVH Wolfgang - Misplaced Pages Continue

4284-450: Is very heavy. For this reason, it is often placed as a "cap" on a guitar made primarily of another wood. Cheaper guitars are often made of cheaper woods, such as plywood , pine , or agathis —not true hardwoods—which can affect durability and tone. Though most guitars are made of wood, any material may be used. Materials such as plastic, metal, and even cardboard have been used in some instruments. The guitar output jack typically provides

4386-754: The Gibson SG used by Angus Young from the group AC/DC . Some otherwise solid-bodied guitars, such as the Gibson Les Paul Supreme, the PRS Singlecut, and the Fender Telecaster Thinline , are built with hollow chambers in the body. These chambers are designed to not interfere with the critical bridge and string anchor point on the solid body. In the case of Gibson and PRS, these are called chambered bodies . The motivation for this may be to reduce weight, to achieve

4488-673: The Slingerland company introduced a wooden solid-body electric model, the Slingerland Songster 401 (and a lap steel counterpart, the Songster 400). Gibson's first production electric guitar, marketed in 1936, was the ES-150 model ("ES" for "Electric Spanish", and "150" reflecting the $ 150 price of the instrument, along with matching amplifier). The ES-150 guitar featured a single-coil, hexagonally shaped "bar" pickup, which

4590-420: The semi-acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars. Invented in 1932 by Johannes Isaac, the electric guitar was adopted by jazz guitar players, who wanted to play single-note guitar solos in large big band ensembles. Early proponents of the electric guitar on record include Les Paul , Eddie Durham , George Barnes , Lonnie Johnson , Sister Rosetta Tharpe , T-Bone Walker , and Charlie Christian . During

4692-409: The six-string guitar (the most common type), which is usually tuned E, A, D, G, B, E, from lowest to highest strings; the seven-string guitar , which typically adds a low B string below the low E; the eight-string guitar , which typically adds a low E or F# string below the low B; and the twelve-string guitar , which has six two-string courses similar to a mandolin . In rock, the electric guitar

4794-418: The wolf tones and unwanted feedback associated with amplified acoustic guitars. These guitars are generally made of hardwood covered with a hard polymer finish, often polyester or lacquer. In large production facilities, the wood is stored for three to six months in a wood-drying kiln before being cut to shape. Premium custom-built guitars are frequently made with much older , hand-selected wood. One of

4896-405: The "Brown Sound" for being full yet distinctively aggressive and articulate—had been widely acclaimed. It immediately set a standard for guitarists all over the world. To achieve the legendary "Brown Sound", Eddie Van Halen employed a variac to limit the voltage (down to 89v, from the 110v standard) of his Marshall guitar amplifier while still allowing the volume to be at its maximum. He also used

4998-589: The "Frying Pan", and set out to capture a new audience through its release of the Electro-Spanish Model B and the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts , which was the first full 25-inch scale electric guitar ever produced. The Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts was revolutionary for its time, providing players a full 25-inch scale, with easy access to 17 frets free of the body. Unlike other lap-steel electrified instruments produced during

5100-488: The 1950s and 1960s, the electric guitar became the most important instrument in popular music . It has evolved into an instrument that is capable of a multitude of sounds and styles in genres ranging from pop and rock to folk to country music , blues and jazz . It served as a major component in the development of electric blues , rock and roll , rock music , heavy metal music and many other genres of music. Electric guitar design and construction varies greatly in

5202-610: The Broadcaster. Another notable solid-body design is the Fender Stratocaster , which was introduced in 1954 and became extremely popular among musicians in the 1960s and 1970s for its wide tonal capabilities and more comfortable ergonomics than other models. Different styles of guitar have different pick-up styles, the main being 2 or 3 " single-coil " pick-ups or a double humbucker , with the Stratocaster being

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5304-597: The EVH signature printed on the back of the headstock, because the relevant equipment arrived after production had started. The pickups on the US-made guitars were manufactured by Peavey and, due to the fact that they used different enamel wire types, the neck pickup actually had a higher impedance than the bridge one (approximately 16.22 kΩ on the neck and 13.87 kΩ on the bridge one), which is uncommon. The EXP models (made in Korea) had pickups made to these specs, but not made in

5406-588: The Leakesville, Mississippi, plant developed specifically to produce the Wolfgang, then moved production; the 51 serials were built in the main facility in Meridian, also in Mississippi. Shortly after the split with Eddie Van Halen, Peavey released the HP Special model (HP stands for Hartley Peavey, although the model was initially supposed to be named Carina) in 2005, with both American and Asian versions,

5508-586: The Music Man EVH (now called the Axis) and the Peavey Wolfgang , the custom pickups made for that guitar could not be bought separately. The Wolfgang's custom EVH Bourns pots are also available, as well as EVH strings, picks, and cable. Prototypes of the Wolfgang were road tested by Van Halen on Van Halen 's Van Halen 2007–2008 North American Tour . A Tobacco Burst Wolfgang and a black Wolfgang with

5610-579: The Peavey EVH Wolfgang began in late 1996 (after a year-long development process) and lasted until 2004, when Eddie Van Halen and Peavey parted amicably. Production of the Wolfgang guitar (along with other Peavey models) occurred in a dedicated Leakesville, MS plant, today abandoned and disused, in the demolition but was moved to Meridian, MS in early 2003. Van Halen had also developed three amplifiers with Peavey's engineer James Brown, starting in 1991. In 2009, Eddie Van Halen announced

5712-458: The US. The 3-way switch works in an unconventional way, to the preference of Eddie Van Halen (similar to rotating a Les Paul switch 180 degrees), who mentioned needing to faster switch to the bridge position for soloing. Hence, the "up" position enables the bridge pickup whereas the "down" position enables the neck pickup; the middle position enables both pickups connected in parallel. The vibrato unit

5814-561: The Wolfgang Special EXP were different to its USA counterparts: the neck had no graphite reinforcement rods and was finished with a satin polyester layer. A hard tail version was not offered. Another detail, aesthetically, of the Korean version was the position of the "Special" decal on the headstock. Same position as the American special, but slightly shifted inward in the Korean version. The first Korean guitars do not have

5916-765: The Wolfgang Special, was introduced in 2010. It was made in Japan and had the same pickups as the USA model. The factory, Chushin Gakki in Matsumoto, Nagano , closed in late 2011. A re-imagined Wolfgang Special, made in Ensenada, Baja California , was introduced in 2014 with an arched top. The Wolfgang WG Standard series was introduced in 2014. It is made in Indonesia , and is the lowest priced Wolfgang model. It has

6018-566: The Wolfgang headstock shape, but rather a Peavey classic one). On the second prototype, DeCola then developed the final body and headstock designs. The Peavey logo design on the headstock was developed in collaboration with the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, with two wood samples of the headstock and confirmation from Eddie. Another innovative feature DeCola designed was the recessed truss rod adjustment wheel. Recessing

6120-507: The adjustment wheel into the neck provided a stronger neck joint as well as ease of adjustment like his previous model. This design has since been adopted by Fender, Jackson, Charvel, ESP, Schecter, and many other brands. The body was made of basswood and often had (like its predecessor) a maple cap. This combination is considered by some, such as renowned luthier John Suhr , "the Holy Grail of tone." The Ernie Ball model, however, used

6222-449: The amount of movement over the pickups. Because of their natural qualities, magnetic pickups tend to pick up ambient, usually unwanted electromagnetic interference or EMI. This mains hum results in a tone of 50 or 60 cycles per second depending on the powerline frequency of the local alternating current supply. The resulting hum is particularly strong with single-coil pickups. Double-coil or " humbucker " pickups were invented as

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6324-633: The back of the guitar by metal ferrules . Many believe this design improves a guitar's sustain and timbre . A few examples of string-through body guitars are the Fender Telecaster Thinline , the Fender Telecaster Deluxe , the B.C. Rich IT Warlock and Mockingbird, and the Schecter Omen 6 and 7 series. Compared to an acoustic guitar, which has a hollow body, electric guitars make much less audible sound when their strings are plucked, so electric guitars are normally plugged into

6426-453: The birdseye (not hard rock) maple neck, which was an upgrade from a production special. For the fretboard, one could select Birdseye Maple (standard), Rosewood or Ebony. For the inlays they had pearl or black dots (standard), EVH Blocks, Tribal Flames, Skulls or no inlays at all. For the top you could select flame maple (standard), quilted maple, koa or none (solid body construction). There were about 30 colors to choose from including graphics and

6528-418: The body at the base of the guitar. These appear on Rickenbackers , Gretsches , Epiphones , a wide variety of archtop guitars , particularly jazz guitars , and the 1952 Gibson Les Paul. Pictured is a tremolo arm or vibrato tailpiece - style bridge and tailpiece system, often called a whammy bar or trem . It uses a lever ("vibrato arm") attached to the bridge that can temporarily slacken or tighten

6630-414: The body wood: top wood; fretboard wood; fretboard inlays; bridge type; hardware color; top color or graphic and matching/standard headstock. The body wood options were basswood (standard), alder , ash , mahogany , and even koa or korina which weren't standard options. Bridge options were a stop tail bridge or a Floyd Rose Tremolo system in chrome (standard), gold or black. The Special models came with

6732-430: The body. Set-in necks are glued to the body at the factory. This is the traditional type of joint. Leo Fender pioneered bolt-on necks on electric guitars to facilitate easy adjustment and replacement. Neck-through instruments extend the neck to the length of the instrument so that it forms the center of the body. While a set-in neck can be carefully unglued by a skilled luthier , and a bolt-on neck can simply be unscrewed,

6834-555: The bridge on top of the instrument, resulting in a weak signal. Electric guitars were originally designed by acoustic guitar makers and instrument manufacturers. The demand for amplified guitars began during the big band era; as orchestras increased in size, guitar players soon realized the necessity in guitar amplification and electrification. The first electric guitars used in jazz were hollow archtop acoustic guitar bodies with electromagnetic transducers . The first electrically amplified stringed instrument to be marketed commercially

6936-546: The closer the fret spacing. Opinions vary regarding the effect of scale length on tone and feel. Popular opinion holds that longer scale length contributes to greater amplitude . Reports of playing feel are greatly complicated by the many factors involved in this perception. String gauge and design, neck construction and relief, guitar setup, playing style, and other factors contribute to the subjective impression of playability or feel. Necks are described as bolt-on , set-in , or neck-through , depending on how they attach to

7038-506: The dates on the build sheets of the original year guitars and compared them to the serial numbers. They are close, but not necessarily in order. I think that is because the serial numbers are pulled during production and the delivery date entered when the guitar is completed. A guitar that needed something reworked or was set to the side for some reason would have a later delivery date even though it had an earlier serial number." By observation, we have, approximately: The 91s were produced in

7140-399: The different parts of an electric guitar. The headstock (1) contains the metal machine heads (1.1), which use a worm gear for tuning. The nut (1.4)—a thin fret-like strip of metal, plastic, graphite, or bone—supports the strings at the headstock end of the instrument. The frets (2.3) are thin metal strips that stop the string at the correct pitch when the player pushes a string against

7242-538: The effects of different woods or materials on the electric guitar sound. Several neck shapes appear on guitars, including shapes known as C necks, U necks, and V necks. These refer to the cross-sectional shape of the neck (especially near the nut). Several sizes of fret wire are available, with traditional players often preferring thin frets, and metal shredders liking thick frets. Thin frets are considered better for playing chords, while thick frets allow lead guitarists to bend notes with less effort. An electric guitar with

7344-420: The fingerboard. The truss rod (1.2) is a metal rod (usually adjustable) that counters the tension of the strings to keep the neck straight. Position markers (2.2) provide the player with a reference to the playing position on the fingerboard. The neck and fretboard (2.1) extend from the body. At the neck joint (2.4), the neck is either glued or bolted to the body. The body (3) is typically made of wood with

7446-432: The first improvements on the vibrato system in many years when, in the late 1970s, he experimented with "locking" nuts and bridges that prevent the guitar from losing tuning, even under heavy vibrato bar use. The fourth type of system employs string-through body anchoring. The strings pass over the bridge saddles, then through holes through the top of the guitar body to the back. The strings are typically anchored in place at

7548-432: The first solid-body guitars was invented by Les Paul . Gibson did not present their Gibson Les Paul guitar prototypes to the public, as they did not believe the solid-body style would catch on. Another early solid-body Spanish style guitar, resembling what would become Gibson's Les Paul guitar a decade later, was developed in 1941 by O.W. Appleton, of Nogales, Arizona. Appleton made contact with both Gibson and Fender but

7650-926: The guitar. A stereo cable then routes each pickup to its signal chain or amplifier. For these applications, the most popular connector is a high-impedance 1 ⁄ 4 inch (6.35 mm) plug with a tip, ring, and sleeve configuration, also known as a TRS phone connector . Some studio instruments, notably certain Gibson Les Paul models, incorporate a low- impedance three-pin XLR connector for balanced audio . Many exotic arrangements and connectors exist that support features such as midi and hexaphonic pickups. The bridge and tailpiece , while serving separate purposes, work closely together to affect playing style and tone. There are four basic types of bridge and tailpiece systems on electric guitars. Within these four types are many variants. A hard-tail guitar bridge anchors

7752-649: The list. The neck and fingerboard can be made from different materials; for example, a guitar may have a maple neck with a rosewood or ebony fingerboard. Today there are expensive and budget guitars exploring other options for fretboard wood for instance Pau-Ferro , both for availability and cheap price while still maintaining quality. In the 1970s, designers began to use exotic human-made materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum , carbon fiber , and ebonol . Makers known for these unusual materials include John Veleno , Travis Bean , Geoff Gould , and Alembic . Aside from possible engineering advantages, some feel that with

7854-604: The most common red, white, and black color scheme. During the Van Halen 2004 Tour , the guitarist played a different custom striped Charvel Art Series in a few songs of each concert, later autographing and auctioning them on eBay . In 2007, under the supervision of master-builder Chip Ellis, a single run of 300 of his original Frankenstein guitar were made available by Fender under the EVH brand , in strict collaboration with Eddie Van Halen. The guitars were priced at $ 25,000, having

7956-455: The old Peavey headstock. This was also designed by Jim DeCola who added Eddie and Hartley Peavey's names to the patent and then assigned it to Eddie so he could have ownership. The guitar inherits many of the Peavey characteristics, namely the woods, overall design, and pickups. Regarding these, Jim DeCola added: " I worked at Fender (Nashville) for 11 years after Peavey (...). They picked my brain

8058-528: The only way they could produce them like this was to call them Custom Shop guitars. Thus, approximately 500 Custom Shop guitars were built from 2002 through 2004, some 220 of them being specific customer orders (Approximately 50 of those were ordered and/or purchased by guitar collector Geoff Knapp. These and many more are pictured at his website, Rock'N Roll Weekend ). Peavey had an area at their website for people to "build" (and order) their own Custom Shop guitars. The basic options that anyone could select were;

8160-423: The pickups do not produce a signal directly from the vibration of the strings, but rather from the vibration of the guitar top or body, and the amplification of the sound merely increases volume, not alters tone. Electric guitar design and construction vary greatly in the shape of the body and the configuration of the neck, bridge, and pickups. However, some features are present on most guitars. The photo below shows

8262-530: The present, Wolfgangs are made in the Czech Republic and the first 800 or so guitars have NOS lettering behind the headstock, indicating the use of advanced materials in older American production. [4] [5] Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar . It uses one or more pickups to convert

8364-443: The release of a new Wolfgang guitar built by Fender but only carrying his own "EVH" brand label. The newer Wolfgang retains many of exactly the same attributes as its Peavey-built predecessor. In some sense, the Peavey EVH Wolfgang guitar picked up where the Ernie Ball Music Man EVH model left off with the prototype design being made by Peavey Design Engineer/Luthier Jim DeCola (an amber quilted top model which still didn't have

8466-565: The release of the HP2 model, an instrument which has exactly the same appearance and specifications as the discontinued Wolfgang, with minor differences such as: different licensed Floyd Rose, corean made pickups with push/pull switch in the tone and volume knobs (for split-coil mode), the removal of the EVH Wolfgang inscription as well as the D-Tuna device, a different guitar case. From 2020 to

8568-445: The rest were built for the "Wolfgang Vault". Another 130 specific customer orders were produced in Meridian after mid-2003 as well as another 70 guitars, many of which are not really true Customs as they were using up remaining materials inventory. Some guitars where the only upgrade is a rosewood fretboard is technically called a Custom Shop, but most really are not. Eddie didn't want the production guitars to have rosewood fretboards so

8670-592: The rising cost of rare tonewoods , human-made materials may be economically preferable and more ecologically sensitive. However, wood remains popular in production instruments, though sometimes in conjunction with new materials. Vigier guitars , for example, use a wooden neck reinforced by embedding a light, carbon fiber rod in place of the usual heavier steel bar or adjustable steel truss rod. After-market necks made entirely from carbon fiber fit existing bolt-on instruments. Few, if any, extensive formal investigations have been widely published that confirm or refute claims over

8772-515: The serial number. Early Wolfgang models (1996–1998) contained the term "Pat. Pend." in place of the patent number. South Korean made Wolfgang Special QT models had serial numbers printed in black on the back of the headstock. Sorting the serial numbers and their dates on the guitar's accompanying certificates, can state: Peavey Wolfgang's serials (made in USA, standard and special, with no difference) are not perfectly progressive. Geoff of rocknrollweekend.com comments: Serial Numbers - I have looked at

8874-602: The shape of the body and the configuration of the neck, bridge, and pickups. Guitars may have a fixed bridge or a spring-loaded hinged bridge , which lets players "bend" the pitch of notes or chords up or down, or perform vibrato effects. The sound of an electric guitar can be modified by new playing techniques such as string bending , tapping , and hammering-on , using audio feedback , or slide guitar playing. There are several types of electric guitar. Early forms were hollow-body semi-acoustic guitars , while solid body guitars developed later. String configurations include

8976-538: The strings at or directly behind the bridge and is fastened securely to the top of the instrument. These are common on carved-top guitars, such as the Gibson Les Paul and the Paul Reed Smith models , and on slab-body guitars, such as the Music Man Albert Lee and Fender guitars that are not equipped with a vibrato arm. A floating or trapeze tailpiece (similar to a violin 's) fastens to

9078-461: The strings from nut to bridge. A typical Fender guitar uses a 25.5-inch (65 cm) scale length, while Gibson uses a 24.75-inch (62.9 cm) scale length in their Les Paul . While the scale length of the Les Paul is often described as 24.75 inches, it has varied through the years by as much as a half inch. Frets are positioned proportionally to scale length—the shorter the scale length,

9180-615: The strings to alter the pitch . A player can use this to create a vibrato or a portamento effect. Early vibrato systems were often unreliable and made the guitar go out of tune easily. They also had a limited pitch range. Later Fender designs were better, but Fender held the patent on these, so other companies used older designs for many years. With the expiration of the Fender patent on the Stratocaster -style vibrato, various improvements on this type of internal, multi-spring vibrato system are now available. Floyd Rose introduced one of

9282-592: The time, the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts was designed to play while standing upright with the guitar on a strap, as with acoustic guitars. The Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts was also the first instrument to feature a hand-operated vibrato as a standard arrangement, a device called the "Vibrola", invented by Doc Kauffman . It is estimated that fewer than 50 Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts were constructed between 1933 and 1937; fewer than 10 are known to survive today. The solid-body electric guitar

9384-565: The top of the pickup to be adjusted parallel to the strings. The cavities inside the guitar are left unpainted to let the instrument breathe and age "like a Stradivarius ". The fine tuners on the Floyd Rose bridge was Van Halen's idea during its development in the late 1970s and early 1980s, inspired by the fine tuners on violins and cellos . The Wolfgang USA is the flagship model, manufactured in Corona, California . Released in 2009, it had

9486-570: The vibration of its strings into electrical signals , which ultimately are reproduced as sound by loudspeakers . The sound is sometimes shaped or electronically altered to achieve different timbres or tonal qualities via amplifier settings or knobs on the guitar. Often, this is done through the use of effects such as reverb , distortion and "overdrive" ; the latter is considered to be a key element of electric blues guitar music and jazz , rock and heavy metal guitar playing. Designs also exist combining attributes of electric and acoustic guitars:

9588-693: The vibrations of the guitar strings into electrical signals, which could then be amplified. Commercial production began in late summer of 1932 by the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (Elect ro - Pat ent- In strument Company), in Los Angeles, a partnership of Beauchamp, Adolph Rickenbacker (originally Rickenbacher), and Paul Barth. In 1934, the company was renamed the Rickenbacker Electro Stringed Instrument Company. In that year Beauchamp applied for

9690-505: Was a cast aluminium lap steel guitar nicknamed the "Frying Pan" designed in 1931 by George Beauchamp , the general manager of the National Stringed Instrument Corporation , with Paul Barth, who was vice president. George Beauchamp, along with Adolph Rickenbacker , invented the electromagnetic pickups. Coils that were wrapped around a magnet would create an electromagnetic field that converted

9792-479: Was designed by Walt Fuller. It became known as the " Charlie Christian " pickup (named for the jazz guitarist who was among the first to perform with the ES-150 guitar). The ES-150 achieved some popularity but suffered from unequal loudness across the six strings. A functioning solid-body electric guitar was designed and built in 1940 by Les Paul from an Epiphone acoustic archtop as an experiment. His " log guitar " —

9894-521: Was filed for patent by Eddie in 1997, but later abandoned in 1998). The original and top-of-the-line model, made in the USA, the guitar featured an arched (carved) top, body binding, two knobs (volume and tone), three-way pickup toggle switch, two Peavey/EVH-designed humbucker pickups, oil-finished bird's eye maple neck and fingerboard with dual graphite reinforcement rods, ten-degree tilt headstock , and Schaller mini M6 tuners (with either pearloid or ivory colored buttons). Two base versions were offered:

9996-628: Was made by Ping to the specifications given by Peavey (string spacing: 10.8mm, string spread: 54mm or 2 7/8", stud spacing: 74mm or 2 15/16", post insert size: 8mm, radius 355mm or 14", brass block depth: 33mm). On the EXP models, a low-budget version built in Korea was installed, more similar to a Schaller unit. Two solid finishes which had maple tops (seafoam green and solid gold) on the Standard models gained some preference due to their exquisite looks. In Jim DeCola's words: " The first batch of gold guitars had

10098-482: Was made of solid basswood and had a masked "faux" binding. Like the USA Wolfgang Special it featured a flat top, one knob (volume), three-way pickup toggle switch, Peavey/EVH-designed humbucker pickups like USA models, licensed Floyd Rose tremolo with D-Tuna (d-tuner device), hard rock maple neck and fingerboard, straight headstock, and Grover mini tuners (a feature unique to this model). Some aspects of

10200-583: Was recorded. Van Halen used a black Wolfgang with a relic'd Ivory top coat for the majority of the Van Halen 2015 North American Tour . Built by Chip Ellis, it has a fatter neck than the Stealth. Van Halen sanded down the back of the neck himself. A replica version was released afterwards, limited to 20 pieces. On the song " I'll Wait ", Van Halen would sometimes play a Wolfgang WG Standard. Peavey EVH Wolfgang The Peavey EVH Wolfgang guitar series

10302-743: Was the Ibanez Jem (1987) which featured "24 frets", an impossibly thin neck" and was "designed to be the ultimate shredder machine". Numerous other important electric guitars are on the list, including Gibson ES-150 (1936), Fender Telecaster (1951), Gibson Les Paul (1952), Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet (1953), Fender Stratocaster (1954), Rickenbacker 360/12 (1964), Van Halen Frankenstrat (1975), Paul Reed Smith Custom (1985) many of these guitars were "successors" to earlier designs. Electric guitar designs eventually became culturally important and visually iconic, with various model companies selling miniature model versions of particularly famous electric guitars, for example,

10404-553: Was unable to sell the idea behind his "App" guitar to either company. In 1946, Merle Travis commissioned steel guitar builder Paul Bigsby to build him a solid-body Spanish-style electric. Bigsby delivered the guitar in 1948. The first mass-produced solid-body guitar was Fender Esquire and Fender Broadcaster (later to become the Fender Telecaster ), first made in 1950, five years after Les Paul made his prototype . The Gibson Les Paul appeared soon after to compete with

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