This guitar was part of Peavey Manufacturing Inc.’s NAMM display and is an eye catcher. Finished in a beautiful transparent amber, her extremely grained flame maple top is magnificent. The back and sides are painted black with natural binding (the edges of the guitar face were masked during finishing) and then clear coated which gives a nice “natural” flame maple binding appearance. This has been a staple on many PRS and high end guitars and adds a nice touch.

Peavey has marketed several different Wolfgang models. The Special EXP is the only one made outside of the USA (made in Korea) and while it looks similar to the Wolfgang Special (USA made) it features cheaper hardware. This model was imported starting in 2003. Ironically, there has been much debate about its quality and many actually prefer this import, plus it has a list price some $300 – 400 cheaper than its USA made equivalent.

These guitars were made to EVH’s specifications and were actually used by EVH almost exclusively after he left Ernie Ball (Music Man). Like other EVH guitars, the Peavey Wolfgang, which is named after his son, is constructed from solid basswood with a maple top (high end models) or no top (low end models). The beauty of basswood is its weight, being light this guitar is a true pleasure to play for extended periods of time. The bridge is a Floyd Rose licensed double locking trem, with a patented D-tuner. Not only did I find this drop D mechanism handy, it holds tune at all times. This gadget enables one to change the pitch of the E string from E to D (or vice versa) by simply pulling/pushing the mechanism.

The body is made from basswood with a 1/4” flat (not arched/carved as found on the Wolfgang Standard models) maple top. The two pickups are custom designed to EVH's specifications, and the oil-finished hardrock maple neck (which is graphite reinforced) feels broken in from the first time you pick it up.The Peavey Wolfgang is a very versatile guitar and offers a wide range of sounds even without a tone control. The three-way toggle, while located in the same place as on a Gibson Les Paul, offers another twist.  The up position activates the bridge pickup, the middle activates both pickups and the down position activates the neck pickup which is the reverse to how the toggle is wired on Gibson guitars.

The only small complaint I have is the guitar’s size and the body is a little too small for my liking. I guess one could argue that I am too big for the guitar, but either way the guitar looks very small, almost toy-like when I play her. Other than this, I am very impressed and thrilled with this rock and roll machine. These guitars were introduced in 1998 and carried a list price of $1649. Great deals can be had by grabbing a used model from eBay. You won’t be disappointed if you pick one up.