wolfgang vs striped series

[nigelpkay]

Wolfegang for sure, I found the fretwork much better. The striped series is OK, but it's basically a Mexican Charvel with EVH colors.

 

[MrDowntown]

Yea....crap I really thought I was alone as well in my love of the PvWG....
Feel like I need to go snatch one up as well


Say....anyone want a Dlx Strat QMT I'm Trying to unload? Sure would help me fund a dose of GAS-X

 

[the rossness]

Get the wolfgang

 

[TrueTone500]

If you're an 'shredder' personality, you're better off with a Peavey Wolfgang. The EBMM EVH requires higher action to keep from getting fret buzz, but in the hands of a skilled player, there's really no better neck out there. The fit and finish of the Peavey is hit and miss, typical of Peavey. As you develop your skills as a player, you'll find that the higher your stings are off of the fretboard, the better your notes will sound! The strings experience a sort-of choking effect when positioned too close to the fretboard. Raising the strings increases sustain, and gives you a 'rounder' sounding note.

Here's a quote from a guy who has experience with both...

"I've owned two Peavey Wolfgangs and a Wolfgang Special (USA) while owning several EBMM Axis's, and I've played a couple of EBMM EVH guitars at length... My opinion having lived and worked with all these guitars for protracted periods is that the Ernie Ball Music Man guitars are significantly better than the Peavey Wolf's, with better over-all fit and finish, much nicer finished necks, better-voiced pickups and obviously superior trem quality. The fact that an Axis sells for less than a Wolfgang has nothing to do with the quality of the guitar and everything to do with the EVH sig on the Wolfgang headstock... The only difference between an Axis and an EBMM EVH is the placement of the toggle switch, the "belly cut" contour on the back of the Axis, and 1/32" width at the body end of the neck (that translates to less than 1/64" difference at the twelfth fret, and zero difference at the nut... the back carve is identical) - I've read posts from people on internet forums that claim to be able to "feel" this difference; all I can say is that I think they're full of shit - human hands aren't that sensitive. If you're in it to get the best possible guitar for your money, I'd buy an Axis if I were you. If you want an EVH sig., you'll need to poney out for a Wolf of one stripe or another, or track down an EBMM EVH..."

IMO, there is a slight difference in feel between the EBMM EVH and the EBMM Axis. The frets on the Axis feel taller to me, and the neck is ever so slightly fatter on the bass side. At least it feels that way to me.

 

[aftec]

My go-to guitar is an Axis from 2004 and have a Japan made Wolfgang. The Axis is a better crafted instrument with superior quality materials for sure.
Tried the striped series, but it felt just..... cheap. Peavy was not my cup of tea either,they had way too much bass for me. Tried a couple of new Axises and they were quite crap too. For the price/value the Japanese made Wolfgangs are good. New ones are made in China.

 

[the rossness]

I've got an axis and an EVH wolfgang special. They feel like different guitars. The EBMM has more of a C shaped neck and much better quality. The wolf has a flatter neck, which helps a little with speed and smaller frets. The floyd isn't as good. That said, the wolf is a fantastic piece of wood and while similar, they're different animals.

 

[TrueTone500]

My go-to guitar is an Axis from 2004 and have a Japan made Wolfgang. The Axis is a better crafted instrument with superior quality materials for sure.
Tried the striped series, but it felt just..... cheap. Peavy was not my cup of tea either,they had way too much bass for me. Tried a couple of new Axises and they were quite crap too. For the price/value the Japanese made Wolfgangs are good. New ones are made in China.

I agree... The PV Wolf was a bit extreme the bottom-end, and the tremolo wasn't the greatest. Not at all a fan of the 14" radius fretboard either. My EBMM Axis is a 2009 model, and feels nearly identical to my '93 EBMM EVH. When you say new Axises, do you mean the new tribute models? What did you find different about them?

 

[lessthan12]

It's funny that a lot of people say the Peavey trem wasn't as good. I had more problems with the got oh than the Peavey trem. Never had a Peavey trem corrode on me as much as the gotoh.

 

[gbsmusic]

The stripped series I had was...crap. Got it cheap and flipped it days later. I would go for the wolfgang, make sure its the jap version

 

[aftec]

My go-to guitar is an Axis from 2004 and have a Japan made Wolfgang. The Axis is a better crafted instrument with superior quality materials for sure.
Tried the striped series, but it felt just..... cheap. Peavy was not my cup of tea either,they had way too much bass for me. Tried a couple of new Axises and they were quite crap too. For the price/value the Japanese made Wolfgangs are good. New ones are made in China.

I agree... The PV Wolf was a bit extreme the bottom-end, and the tremolo wasn't the greatest. Not at all a fan of the 14" radius fretboard either. My EBMM Axis is a 2009 model, and feels nearly identical to my '93 EBMM EVH. When you say new Axises, do you mean the new tribute models? What did you find different about them?

No, I have not tried the Tribute model yet.
A friend of mine fell in love with mine and wanted to buy one. We went out to the shop tried a couple next to mine and they were just not in the same league. I know a new instrument should not be directly compared to a broken in old one, but the difference in tonality and sustain was frightening. They were standard Axises.
I'm not aware what happened, but the overall quality of the instrument seemed lower. Materials, finish etc. too. It was quite a shock and we immediately went to an other friend of mine who has a 2007 Axis and there was almost no difference compared to mine.

 

[TrueTone500]

My go-to guitar is an Axis from 2004 and have a Japan made Wolfgang. The Axis is a better crafted instrument with superior quality materials for sure.
Tried the striped series, but it felt just..... cheap. Peavy was not my cup of tea either,they had way too much bass for me. Tried a couple of new Axises and they were quite crap too. For the price/value the Japanese made Wolfgangs are good. New ones are made in China.

I agree... The PV Wolf was a bit extreme the bottom-end, and the tremolo wasn't the greatest. Not at all a fan of the 14" radius fretboard either. My EBMM Axis is a 2009 model, and feels nearly identical to my '93 EBMM EVH. When you say new Axises, do you mean the new tribute models? What did you find different about them?

No, I have not tried the Tribute model yet.
A friend of mine fell in love with mine and wanted to buy one. We went out to the shop tried a couple next to mine and they were just not in the same league. I know a new instrument should not be directly compared to a broken in old one, but the difference in tonality and sustain was frightening. They were standard Axises.
I'm not aware what happened, but the overall quality of the instrument seemed lower. Materials, finish etc. too. It was quite a shock and we immediately went to an other friend of mine who has a 2007 Axis and there was almost no difference compared to mine.

Why the "Tribute" designation? EVH color choices? The new tremolos don't look as good to me. The tension adjustment nut mechanism is missing on the newer models, which is one of my favorite features of the EVH and earlier Axis models. EBMM told me they changed the tremolo, but I didn't get any detailed info on it. I called them to see if they could build me an Axis with a Strat pickup configuration, and a double neck model.

 

[Racerxrated]

I have a Charvel Custom Shop that is the best guitar I've owned. I also have an EVH striped bumblebee and I think it's a very nice playing guitar..very similar to the MIJ San Dimas I had 2 years ago. I think its a good guitar for the price. The Wolfgangs I've played were at GC, and they were nice as well but the shape/neck is just not for me..I'm obviously a strat guy at heart. I have friends that swear by the MM series though..but my experience with the EVH striped has been good.

 

[TrueTone500]

I have a Charvel Custom Shop that is the best guitar I've owned. I also have an EVH striped bumblebee and I think it's a very nice playing guitar..very similar to the MIJ San Dimas I had 2 years ago. I think its a good guitar for the price. The Wolfgangs I've played were at GC, and they were nice as well but the shape/neck is just not for me..I'm obviously a strat guy at heart. I have friends that swear by the MM series though..but my experience with the EVH striped has been good.

Charvel's have been my favorite since 1985 when I purchased my first San Dimas pointy. The thinner neck began to bother my hand a year or so ago, so I went back to playing a LP with a 50's neck. After getting use to the Charvel's, I didn't care for the finished neck on the LP.

Getting an EBMM EVH was totally unplanned. I met a guy at GC who was trying to sell two guitars, one being a '93 EBMM EVH. I got it home, plugged it in... The asymmetrical neck contour, the sound, the weight, the balance, the size... Awesome! The next day I placed my '86 Charvel San Dimas up for sale, and then purchased a 2009 EBMM Axis for 440 A play. I still have my LP, because it's a LP...