What would you do? A brand new EVH Wolfgang Special or a used Peavey Wolfgang??

[butterguitar]

A member from a local jazz band (an old guy) is selling his 1997 mint condition Peavey Wolfgang for $1500. I talked him down to $1200, and he is willing to accept the deal. It is in fantastic shape, he says its only been played for 20 hours tops, and boy does it look like it. Black finish, all original.

 

My question is should I go for a 1997 Wolfgang or a brand new EVH wolfgang special (japan made)??

 

Nobody has the Wolfgang special out here (besides Ed Roman of course) that I can try out.

 

Hopefully this is going to solve my guitar GAS

[jhorne]

$1200 is pretty high for a black Peavey Wolfgang, regardless of condition.

 

For some reason a lot of Peavey owners seem to be under the impression that their Wolfgangs should sell for a premium just because they are no longer made. Not sure what makes them think that, but they're wrong. Peavey Wolfgangs were made in large numbers for a long time, and there is no reason to pay a premium for them right now, or any time in the near future.

[butterguitar]

Well I really like the guitar. It plays like a dream. Its better than any Kramer, Jackson, Fender guitar I own. And that says a lot lol. So what would be an average price for a used USA wolfgang? I am not interested in a special Wolfgang or an EXP.

[jhorne]

Every one I've played played like a dream. They were probably the most consistent guitars I've owned (I had over a dozen of them from the late 90s/early 00s).

 

I personally wouldn't pay more than $900 TOPS for a black USA Wolfgang (I'm assuming we're talking about the arch top with binding, floyd rose, etc., not the black USA Special).

 

If you want it bad enough to pay $1200, go for it. But I'm sure you could find one just as good for less if you're patient.

[kayd_mon]

I don't know a thing about Wolfgang guitars... but I'd go with the advice to wait. If you're patient, you'll probably find a better deal. This jhorne guy seems to know about the guitars, and if they do sell for $300 less than what this guy is asking..... then I'd wait for the next one to come along.

[ubernerd]

Flametop/Quilt top Wolfgangs average around $1200. $900-$1000 is about the going price for a non-figured top Wolfgang. For the original question, I'd get the Peavey (at a lower price) just because the (new) Wolfgang headstock looks like a can opener.

[butterguitar]

Ok looks like I will just wait for a better deal to come to me, now that I know what I stand at. Thanks guys.

 

 

Why not love for the EVH (fender) wolfgangs? Whats the beef?

[jhorne]

My main problem with the Fender version is price.

 

For close to $3k I can find a lot better ways to spend my money. Although I had an opportunity to pick up a new Special for $800 recently, but decided against it at the last minute. I'll probably get around to getting one at that price eventually just to check them out.

[craigny]

Being a former Peavey Wolfie owner i can vouch for the quality of these guitars, and i think you can snag a nice one in the $900-$1000 price range in like new condition, they are AWESOME guitars in every sense, i cant speak too much on the Fender Wolfies, but for close to $3k, i can pretty much guarantee that a Fender Wolfie is not 3x as better as a Peavey if at all! I'd say go for the Peavey!!!!

[IbanezJon]

Stainless steel frets and a tone knob are a big plus for me, not sure if that Peavey has a tone knob or not, but love that EVH/Fender has one. The low friction pot for volume swells is pretty decent as well. Only thing I'll be changing on the Wolfgang Special if I get one down the road, is to put in a coil split on the tone knob.

[IbanezJon]

You guys failed on the talk about the 3k price for the Fender.. the OP is talking about the Wolfgang Special which is $1200 or $1500 etc depending where you buy. Same specs as the 3k one except not maple top (just a veneer) and a different binding. The Floyd bridge/pups/neck/tuners/electronics are the same on both. It's not the same as the Peaveys where the lower models had cheaper parts.

[jhorne]

 

You guys failed on the talk about the 3k price for the Fender.. the OP is talking about the Wolfgang Special which is $1200 or $1500 etc depending where you buy. Same specs as the 3k one except not maple top (just a veneer) and a different binding. The Floyd bridge/pups/neck/tuners/electronics are the same on both. It's not the same as the Peaveys where the lower models had cheaper parts.

 

 

Not really. He asked why no love for the Fenders, and I mentioned both models. And no one should be paying anywhere near $1200-1500 for a Special either. 20% off of the $1200 price should be very easy to accomplish on a new one.

 

When you say Peavey's 'lower models' had cheaper parts, I assume you mean the EXP version because I had a few USA Specials and I don't remember cheaper parts on those guitars.

[craigny]

$1500 for a Japaneese Fender Special, $900 for a USA Peavey Wolfie...some prefer the USA made models if you hold alot of stock in that its still a vote for the Peavey

[IbanezJon]

I'm an Ibanez man, I feel like to mention that to be part of this discussion. I own Ibanez. I like Ibanez. Buy Ibanez.

 

I don't own any of these guitars in question.. I just know which specs jump out at me more. And the prices I need to pay for a guitar where I can get stainless steel frets or top line pickups that don't need changing (Peavey's are good too).

 

This is what I want from a Peavey/Musicman Axis/EVH Wolfgang..

 

Floyd Rose but with down tuning options.. D Tuna.. Dive only trem etc.

Stainless steel frets (I had a guitar redone 4 months ago and there's already some heavy wear in some parts of the neck)

Versatile medium/high gain passive pickups to cover lots of different genres

Tone knob (versatility in tones)

Push pull pots for single coil tone

 

Even a JS1000 doesn't have stainless steel frets and I'd also need a Tremol-no.

 

In my country a EVH Wolfgang special is $2500 in local stores.. so even shipping it from USA for $1200 is very appealling. Maybe that's something which makes it look more appealing to me than someone else. I don't know. Peavey isn't on my radar as it doesn't have the features I'm looking for but I wouldn't say no to one, for a decent price, as they are nice guitars.

 

I am lead to believe that all the guitars in question are high quality, just a matter of which features appeal to you more and which price you are happy with. For example, I can save a few hundred getting neck and body sent seperately and avoid customs tax. Since I would need my luthier to assemble it, getting a push pull pot added would be easy to do. Someone else might feel completely different and be happy with something else. Or might see a tone pot as a tone sucker and remove it.

 

Looking on ebay for the Peavey's I have no luck in terms of value and the features I want (lots of high priced EXP's), but others milage may vary. I thikn I'm limited in who is willing to ship to Australia. Even a EBMM Axis is out of my price range vs the Wolfgang Special (more money, no D-Tuna, no stainless steel frets). Maybe buying these second hand locally makes it a different ballgame.

 

My other option other then the Wolfgang is the Charvel Pro Mods, a bit cheaper but again no SS frets or D-Tuna. They seem to be lovely guitars though, and a friend said he loved the neck more then the made in US Charvel he has.

[MuyLoCo444]

Is the Peavey a Wolfgang Standard or Special? I personally wouldn't buy the Special, but if you can get a USA made Standard(in near mint) for under $1100 I'd say go for it. The EVH Wolfgang doesn't really impress me that much(the price is a buzzkill) and the EVH Standards are better quality than the Specials. I love my Peavey it has great playability, feel, and sound(stock pups). My only problem with it is the location of the toggle switch, which makes it inconvenient if you do crazy tapping drills.

[Superrust]

I have had my EVH Wolfgang Special (used but minty condition) for a couple weeks now and I really like it. Super easy to play and really has that Van Halen tone. The guitar is very well made. The neck (flamed with a birds eye fret board cap) is nice and snug in the pocket, the frets are well done (SS, vintage small) and it even has shielding in the electronic cavities (and covers). Who knows if it makes a difference but the cavities are not finished with anything to let it 'breath'.. again who knows. This is my first experience with a Floyd or a D-Tuna and they both work great. You can set the bridge to float but then the D-Tuna wont function as well (guitar tuning not as stable).

IMO the bridge pickup is the best of the 2. They are both articulate and picking up each string clearly (even driven) isn't an issue. I haven't found that I like the guitar clean, I think it was truly born to be overdriven . Sure the tone knob is there but I can't say that it's something I would use, then again I rarely use it on other guitars.

Over all I would get another one and for a used price it's really worth it. Good luck on your decision making and finding something down under..

[jhorne]

 

Is the Peavey a Wolfgang Standard or Special? I personally wouldn't buy the Special, but if you can get a USA made Standard(in near mint) for under $1100 I'd say go for it.

 

 

I'm pretty sure he was talking about the Standard, but it was a Black standard and those have always gone for a couple hundred or more less than the flame top models, so $900 is still the price he should be shooting for IMO. If he was talking about a black USA Special, he should be shooting for around $500-550.

 

$1100 would be somewhat reasonable for a flametop Standard in mint-ish condition though...

[The Jeff]

Having owned over a dozen or so Wolfgangs over the last 10 years, I'll chime in. I would pay a premium for a 1997 Standard with no top assuming it says "Pat Pending" on the rear of the headstock. Mine has the most comfortable neck out of all that I have owned. There's just something about it that feels familiar and effortless to play on. Another plus about the all-basswood models is that they sound thicker than their basswood/maple capped counterparts, which tend to sound slightly brighter and thinner. This is due to the cap, but of course tone is subjective.

 

As far as the new EVH models go, I think they are fantastic guitars. I tried the USA and Japanese Special back to back. I'll say this, there is far less of a difference between them than one might expect. Most differences are aesthetic (carved top vs flat top, single ply binding, etc). Believe it or not, they played pretty much identical. This speaks volumes for the kind of guitar they are producing in the Jackson factory overseas, as it feels like a custom instrument in it's own right. Perfect intonation down the neck, super slick SS frets, all the same hardware as the USA. It's up to the buyer to decide if it's worth an extra $2K for the USA. If money was no object I'd have both.

[IbanezJon]

Here's a post from a diff forum I just stumbled onto to (was trying to find out info on EBMM Axis + downtuning/metal playing). For the record there's no roasted maple axis, it was a photoshop.

 

 

I love the Axis... but keep in mind it only has a 10" radius along with the narrow board. Try the EVH Special ($1200)... it has a 12-16" compound radius board and SS frets. Or you can find old Peavey Wolfgangs on eBay for $600-2000 depending on the model/condition and they have 14". Either way, the d-tuna is awesome! Drop tuning instantly. And it comes on the EVH and Peavey or you can add to the Axis (or just about any blocked Floyd). And the stock EVH/Peavey pickups are great pickups... hot but articulate and work great when you roll back the volume through a hot amp. I have a collection of Eddie guitars and I like EVH>Peavey>EBMM... but thats just me... I'd love to try the new roasted maple neck Axis!

 

 

One thing I forgot to mention in all my ramblings earlier was that the new EVH Wolfgangs have "vintage" sized stainless steel frets.. which could be a problem for some. Most people who have those guitars say they have adjusted to it, but if you prefer jumbo it's a bit of a difference and that'd be a bitch to replace.

[DonK]

As others have noted $1,200 is a lot for a solid-color Wolfie Standard. That said, I'm on my second (well, technically my third, but that's a long story involving GC and it's rip-off practices) Standard, and would definitely recommend it over a Special. My first was a white stop-tail bought new in 1999. I kept it a couple years and then - for some inexplicable reason - decided to let it go. After multiple attempts at selling it on eBay circa 2002, I got $750 for it, mint condition. It wasn't gone six months before I knew I just had to replace it. I have a green flame-top now, also stop-tail, that I bought in like-new condition for $1,600. I'd prefer to have the white one back, but the stop-tails aren't as prevalent as the Floyds. If you're patient, you can do better than $1,200 for a black one, even in similar condition to the one you're looking at.

 

They're great guitars (and that's coming from a dyed-in-the-wool Fender guy).

[craigny]

+1 with DonK man, i loved my Stoptail Peavey Wolfie, dont know why i got rid of it, there will be another Peavey in my future.

[y2kgtp]

Few years back I paid 900 for my last one, and just for kicks, I listed it for 1500+ ship on eBay....it sold in 3 hours....

 

[Bbreaker]

Bought both of these new for $1800.00 total.

 

 

Did very well when I traded them.

[craigny]

Bought both of these new for $1800.00 total. Did very well when I traded them.

 

Steal and a half!

[Bbreaker]

Steal and a half!

 

 

Never liked the D tuna.

Neck p/u was great.

 

Helped get me the trem single cut plus some cash...........