EVH Wolfgang Standard Trans Purple Burst Quilted Maple
Unbeatable price!, same day dispatch, good eMail communications, excellent packaging - double boxed, fully trackable, arrived on selected day
EVH Wolfgang:
Perfect condition out of the box, flawless finish. My particular example does not show a typical 'quilt' finish. It has a smaller grain pattern that looks more like 'mini-flames' IMO - still looks good though.
The neck of guitar is beautiful unfinished maple with some nice grain pattern showing. All fret ends were beautifully smooth. Back of guitar is black translucent stain/lacquer rather than solid black paint. Looks very nice!
Dark Chrome hardware really suits the guitar and a nice change from chrome or black.
One minor quality control issue on my guitar was the string retainer bar was not fitted absolutely horizontally. No big deal and you would have to look very closely to spot it.
Arm contour and tummy cutaway on body are very nicely done and all edges are beautifully rounded. Classy. I prefer this to the 'flat-sided' design of the USA Wolfies.
All body cavities housing electrics are copper foil shielded. Soldering is neat and cables tidied away properly with cable ties.
Control knobs are a bit cheap/sharp feeling. Easy/cheap to fix. I changed mine for Fender Jazz Bass knobs, as fitted to the USA Wolfgangs. Really good strap buttons but I changed to Dunlop strap locks out of habit.
Volume and tone pots are effective and have a nice smooth action.
Guitar arrived slightly out of tune with top locking nuts loose (for transit I assume) but was perfectly intonated. I lowered the bridge a little and adjusted the spring tension to suit my tastes and then guitar was good to go.
Pickups are described as 'hard mounted'. They are screwed direct to the body of the guitar but mounted on foam to allow some pickup height adjustment.
Great (and distinct) tones from the pickups - Bridge has noticeably more treble. Pickups are quite 'hot' but clean up perfectly by backing off the volume slightly. Hi-gain tones are as you would expect from an EVH guitar whilst retaining a nice clarity. Tone is a very personal thing. If in doubt watch a YouTube review of the EVH Wolfgang Standard and decide for yourself.
The Floyd rose special bridge may be the 'budget Floyd' but tuning stability has been superb so far. Hopefully long term durability of the Floyd will prove to be equally good.
Conclusion:
A fantastic guitar and an absolute bargain at Bax-shop initial price of £274. Delighted with my purchase. Happy to recommend Bax-shop too.
For most people (myself included) this is the ideal Wolfgang. 90% of the look, features and tone of the USA models for a fraction of the cost. Rock on!