EVH revamps the 5150 and Wolfgang guitars for 2021, honouring Eddie Van Halen’s Legacy

EVH has introduced its product lineup for 2021, which includes a revamped line of 5150 guitars, as well as two new Wolfgang guitars: the Wolfgang Special and the Wolfgang WG Standard.

5150 Series

All of the guitars in this range feature a Stratocaster-style basswood body, but with a deeper upper body carve. The bolt-on neck is quatersawn maple, carved as specified by Eddie Van Halen. It also features a 22-fret 12-16-inch compound radius fretboard, a heel-mounted truss rod adjustment wheel, and a hockey stick-style headstock with a small EVH decal.

In terms of electronics, all 5150 guitars sport direct-mount EVH Wolfgang humbuckers in the bridge and neck, controlled by a three-way toggle switch, volume control, treble bleed and tone control. Hardware includes a top-mounted EVH-branded Floyd Rose, a locking nut and EVH-branded Gotoh tuning machines.

Variations on the model are as follows:

• The 5150 Series Deluxe Poplar Burl adds a poplar burl top to the model, finished in either Aqua Burst or Black Burst. It lists for $999.99 / £899 / €999, and is set to be available in April 2021.
• The 5150 Series Standard Ebony comes finished in either Ice Blue Metallic or Stealth Black and outfitted with black hardware. Its fingerboard is ebony, with cream dot inlays.
• The 5150 Series Standard Maple comes finished in Neon Pink and outfitted with chrome hardware. Its neck is Maple, with black dot inlays. Both the Ebony and Maple Standard 5150 models list for $899.99 / £899 / €999, and will be available in February 2021.

Wolfgang Special

The Wolfgang Special guitars all feature a similar feature set to the new 5150 range: a basswood body, a bolt-on quartersawn maple neck carved to the same specifications, a 22-fret compound 12-16 radius fretboard and a heel-mounted truss-rod adjustment wheel.

This time the direct-mount humbuckers are Wolfgang Alnico 2s, again controlled by a three-way toggle switch, volume control, treble bleed and tone control. Sticking to the formula, hardware includes a top-mounted EVH-branded Floyd Rose, a locking nut and EVH-branded Gotoh tuning machines.

The Wolfgang Special comes in the following variations:

• The Wolfgang Special QM, finished in either Charcoal Burst or Chlorine Burst, comes with cream body binding and chrome hardware. Its fretboard and neck are baked maple, with black dot inlays. This model lists for $1,099.99 / £1,259 / €1,399, and will be available March 2021.
• The Wolfgang Special comes finished in Miami Blue, with black body binding, a matching headstock and black hardware. Its neck is maple, with an ebony fretboard and pearloid dot inlays. This model lists for $999.99 / £1,259 / €1,399 and will be available February 2021.

Wolfgang WG Standard

The most affordable line of guitars announced by EVH for 2021, the Wolfgang WG Standard series guitars all feature a basswood body, a baked maple neck with graphite reinforcement and hand-rubbed oil back finish, a 12-16-inch compound radius baked maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and black dot inlays, and a  heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel.

Electronics-wise, the humbuckers are again a pair of EVH Wolfgang pickups, controlled by a three-way toggle switch, volume control, treble bleed and tone control. Hardware includes an EVH-branded Floyd Rose Special and R2 locking nut.

The Wolfgang WG Standard comes in the following variations:

• Wolfgang WG Standard Exotic Bocote, with a natural finish showing off a bocote top and natural binding. It lists for $699.99 / £599 / €659 and will be available February 2021.
• Wolfgang WG Standard Exotic Koa, with a natural finish showing off a koa top and natural binding. It lists for $699.99 / £599 / €659 and will be available February 2021.
• Wolfgang WG Standard QM, finished in Transparent Green and with a black headstock and black-chrome hardware. It comes with with a maple top, lists for $699.99 / £599 / €659 and will be available February 2021.
• Wolfgang WG Standard, finished in Silver Sparkle with a black headstock and black hardware. It lists for $649.99 / £599 / €659 and will be available February 2021.

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