It's 5150 time! (EVH 5150 Standard)

[toomanycats]

Anybody here get the reference to Sammy Hagar's words in Van Halen's Live Without a Net concert recored at New Haven Coliseum in Connecticut in 1986?

I love Eddie Van Halen, the 80s Kramer Baretta/Pacer body shape, a decked Floyd, and a hockey stick headstock on a superstrat. What I have a problem with is being perceived as a "fanboy," and with the lack of versatility of only a single bridge humbucker. These are the reasons why I never wanted a red with white stripe Frankenstrat or 5150 clone.

Enter the EVH 5150 Standard. It's like the EVH 5150 guitar, but understated in color, and with dual humbuckers for added versatility (and a tone knob so you can get your "Woman Tone" on).

A couple days ago I picked up this used but pristine two year old example in primer grey for about half the price of a new one. It came in a Ibanez hard case. It's an amazing guitar and has me all kinds of agitated. I feel like it's 1986 again and I'm a teenager.

Those humbuckers are the $170 a piece EVH Wolfgang models. They're hotter than the PAF spec'd pups I usually prefer, though they are nonetheless incredibly toneful. They clean up superbly when the low friction volume knob is rolled back. The closest thing I could compare them to in my experience is a JB2, though the Wolfgang pups are more articulate and lack the nasal quality of the Duncans.

The trem is an EVH branded Floyd Rose 1000. It has a D-Tuna.

The neck is super fast, with impeccably dressed, perfectly level frets.

I really do love the elegance of the matte grey, but this thing is practically begging for a custom paint job.

I would have gigged the guitar last night but the particular act I played with prefers me on the Les Paul. However, I will be rocking this thing onstage all weekend.

Sound demo.

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[toomanycats]

Last night on the soon to be sidelined Les Paul. It's sure to be merely a temporary thing. I can never stay away from the Lesters for long.

(EDIT 10/10/22: Note that The Stalker's wandering, groping hand is latched onto my body.)

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[UrenragK]

Happy NGD TMC! That looks sweet!

[toomanycats]

It's worth adding that the brand new 5150 Standard comes with a kill switch, something I neither need nor desire. If the guitar I bought had the kill switch, it may have prevented me from buying it. Apart from the fact that I don't need it from a purely functional point of view, I also feel that it ruins the clean lines of the guitar and breaks tradition with the utilitarian aesthetic of a superstrat.

[Rollin Hand]

Nice job. I like those a lot, but hard to justify YET ANOTHER EVH guitar.

And yes, those necks are the business.

I am not sure, but I believe they use the offshore Wolfgang pickups for these to keep costs down/profits up. Either way, they rock.

HNGD! Make sure to play a bit of "Best of Both Worlds" on it.

[glasshand]

lack of versatility of only a single bridge humbucker

I understand the individual words but not all of them put together like that.

[toomanycats]

I am not sure, but I believe they use the offshore Wolfgang pickups for these to keep costs down/profits up. Either way, they rock.

You may be correct, as the Wolfgang humbuckers for sale on Sweetwater are specd at 16 K. Mine are 13.5 K at the bridge and 15.9 K at the neck and are called "EVH Wolfgang Alnico II humbuckers."

[Rollin Hand]

Well the US-made wolf pickups are Alnico II as well. Like I said, either way they are great pickups. You did well with that one.

And yes, I started checking the local sites for one, because I am weak.

[toomanycats]

I finally got the D-Tuna set up properly. I'd never owned a guitar with one before, so it was a little confusing.

It helped in my understanding of it's operation to realize that it's not really a detuner at all, but rather an "uptuner" so to speak. While the name D-Tuna is clever as hell, it's really a misnomer. The default setting is drop D, and that's how you set it up initially. By engaging the shim the low E string (which is tuned to D) is uptuned a full step to standard pitch (which would be E). Confused yet? I suppose it's all into way you look at it, tuning up, tuning down. The path up the mountain is the same as the path down the mountain, or something clever like that.

It works like a charm now that I've grasped that concept, set the low E fine tuner to max height, and monkeyed with the adjustment screw on the side of the D-Tuna.

[redman]

Great looking guitar @toomanycats congrats.

[RiverDog]

That's hot

HNShredderD!

[Rollin Hand]

I finally got the D-Tuna set up properly. I'd never owned a guitar with one before, so it was a little confusing.

It helped in my understanding of it's operation to realize that it's not really a detuner at all, but rather an "uptuner" so to speak. While the name D-Tuna is clever as hell, it's really a misnomer. The default setting is drop D, and that's how you set it up initially. By engaging the shim the low E string (which is tuned to D) is uptuned a full step to standard pitch (which would be E). Confused yet? I suppose it's all into way you look at it, tuning up, tuning down. The path up the mountain is the same as the path down the mountain, or something clever like that.

It works like a charm now that I've grasped that concept, set the low E fine tuner to max height, and monkeyed with the adjustment screw on the side of the D-Tuna.

Now, plug in your flanger and tepeat after me:

CHANGE!
Nothin' stays the same.
UNCHAINED!
And ya hit the ground runnin'....

[toomanycats]

I finally got the D-Tuna set up properly. I'd never owned a guitar with one before, so it was a little confusing.

It helped in my understanding of it's operation to realize that it's not really a detuner at all, but rather an "uptuner" so to speak. While the name D-Tuna is clever as hell, it's really a misnomer. The default setting is drop D, and that's how you set it up initially. By engaging the shim the low E string (which is tuned to D) is uptuned a full step to standard pitch (which would be E). Confused yet? I suppose it's all into way you look at it, tuning up, tuning down. The path up the mountain is the same as the path down the mountain, or something clever like that.

It works like a charm now that I've grasped that concept, set the low E fine tuner to max height, and monkeyed with the adjustment screw on the side of the D-Tuna.

Now, plug in your flanger and tepeat after me:

CHANGE!
Nothin' stays the same.
UNCHAINED!
And ya hit the ground runnin'....

"C'mon Rollin Hand, give me a break."

[Rollin Hand]

One break, comin' uuuuuup...