Why I don't like Wolfgangs...

[Music-Guru]

Why the Wolfgang sucks...

Discuss.

 

[Music-Guru]

I'll go first. The shape is comical and a total ripoff. The selector switch is upside down and in the wrong place, wtf? It says Peavey on it. Archtops suck. The D-Tuner is a gimmick. It says Peavey on it. There are ones made in Korea. Ed plays EBMM in the studio. It says Peavey on it. Flamed maple is unattractive. The neck pickup is the same as the bridge. It says Peavey on it. They are cheaply made. They are better used as firewood. My friend had one and the neck warped and then cracked down the middle. The finish peels right off. AND it says Peavey on it.

Did I miss anything?

 

[lostrebel]

How do you know he still plays EBMM in the studio?

 

[Music-Guru]

Peavey = Extremely Low Quality

Wolfgangs wouldn't sell for $50 if Ed's name wasn't on it.

 

[Music-Guru]

How do you know he still plays EBMM in the studio?

My friend knows his tech.

 

[PurpleSport]

Hmmm....smells like a loaded question, considering where the question was asked, but I'll bite:

1) Blantantly derivative design

2) Mass produced, with much of the production being done offshore

3) Less refined and more generic sounding

4) A neck that's not even in the same league of the original

I'm not a Wolfgang owner, but have demo-ed several and haven't been impressed...they're okay, but never knocked my socks off like EBMMs do. Moderator Jimi seems to like the one he picked up on the cheap recently, though, so it's not impossible to find a "good" one, I suppose.

Not to knock Peavey who actually make some good stuff for the money, nor the Korean guitar industry who make some good cheapie guitars that I own and don't hesitate to recommend, but there's no comparison between the Wolfgang and the EVH/Axis to me - the latter wipes the floor with the Wolf every time.

I was rather surprised to see that EVH put out essentially the same guitar with a wider distribution network and the potential for less quality control, after denying it wasn't about the $$$. The whole thing about EVH's departure and the subsequent development of the Wolf line had a highly suspicious stank to it, and unfortunately had the effect of making me wonder about what Mr. Ed's motivations and life direction was shifting to, not just in the gear department. This in particular has been discussed ad nauseum in past posts, so hopefully we won't see a rehash here.

 

[Music-Guru]

I agree with everything you just said. Which is why I have the question: Why would anyone buy a Wolfgang when the Axis wipes the floor with it in every way possible? Is the Wolfgang a joke? I seriously have played the OLP copies and they are MUCH, MUCH better than and U.S. (that's laughable, all parts are Korean) Wolfgangs.

I have a joke-- Q: Why did the 40 year old burnout buy a Wolfgang? A: Because he's an idiot.

 

[hbucker]

Jimi,

A while back you wrote on the following thread that you don't see bad blood on this board towards Wolfgangs.

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2549&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

"You know, hbucker, I appreciate your posts about your Wolfs - both hear and on the Gear Page - I may not have bothered looking closely at this guitar if not for them, since I owned a Wolf Standard that I wasn't too thrilled about, but I feel the Special is quite different in a number of ways... As to the "bad blood" - you've mentioned this before but I honestly don't see it... most of the defensiveness I see when the Wolf vs. EVH topic rears it's ugly head comes from the Wolfgang camp, ime... I don't think most EVH owners care much either way about the Wolf crowd... my 2¢"

This thread is the attittude I was talking about. Ironically, it says more about the writers than it does about gear.

For what it's worth.

 

[KungFu Grip]

A buddy of mine owns a Wolfgang Special. Nice guitar. I was quite impressed.

Same league as the EBMM? No. Better than most Gibsons, Ibanezes, and all-but-upper-line Fenders? Probably about even, maybe a little better.

I would ask "why the hate", but I have pretty similar dislikes for today's Gibsons.

 

[koogie2k]

I can't really reply being that I never played a Wolf....but, I have seen them and they are similar in design and all that stuff, but so what? The JP that I love so much has a Fender Strat look. Not exactly the same, but similar. So what? What works for you might not work for others. Maybe some people couldn't afford an Axis or any other EBMM and had to get a Wolf to keep the dream alive. Does that mean they suck in their decision? I don't think so. I have an OLP that I use when I travel. Am I an idiot for that? No. It would be great if everyone had an EBMM, but some people just don't like 'em. Too bad for them. I don't think a particular guitar sucks if it mimicks a better brand. I am not trying to get in an arguement with you Music-Guru, but why the hostility towards that brand? Did you own one and it electrocute you or something?
I love the fact you are crazy about EBMM, just curious as to why you shot the wolf in the hind parts.....

hbucker.....no bad blood from the koogmeister!

 

[Jimi D]

Jimi,

A while back you wrote on the following thread that you don't see bad blood on this board towards Wolfgangs.

{ ...snip... }

This thread is the attittude I was talking about. Ironically, it says more about the writers than it does about gear.

For what it's worth.

What can I say hbucker - it's a public forum...

Personally, I agree with you - whether or not I agree with some of the points made (eg: that the Wolf is pretty derivitive of the EVH/Axis) I feel that posts with a virulently negative tone like this one, that are intended to do nothing but bash another manufacturer, are essentially petty, small-minded, and rather embarrassing. I too think they say more about the author than the subject. As you know, I have a Wolf I like. I also have five Axes. I doubt our new "Troll" here has either. Lets face it, statements like "Ed plays EBMM in the studio" and that OLPs are "MUCH MUCH better than U.S. Wolfgangs" are so demonstrably laughable and blatantly stupid that they pretty much invalidate anything else he has to say. And the "My friend knows his tech" bull? This guy will want to sell us swamp land in a minute...

FWIW, I'm currently considering the purchase of my SECOND Peavey guitar - not another Wolf but a new V-Type NTB in white. I saw it recently, picked it up just 'cause it's just so damned pretty with abalone binding around the body, neck and headstock and gold hardware, and found I couldn't put it down... It has a neck profile rather similar to the Axis, with an identical nut width but a 24½" scale... It also has something I've been missing from time-to-time lately - a floating Floyd trem. The pickups were so-so, but overall, the build quality and playability really blew me away for the price. But - of course - it's made in Korea, of all the places, and it's not cheap for a Korean guitar... I don't know how long it's been since I owned a Korean guitar, but it's been a long, long time... Still, it's been four days since I played it and I can't get this guitar out of my head. I may have to buy it just to relieve the obsession.

BTW, I changed the public title slightly - I wanted to try just to see if I could, and what do you know, I can!

 

[PurpleSport]

I like the V-model Peavey too Jimi, mainly because it's just a revival/update of the old Vandenburg line, which I always thought was a GREAT guitar, even with it's few quirks like the tilted PUs and Kahler trems - the combination of a thin neck and short scale length was just brilliant, and the offset violin cut sides certainly added an interesting visual flair.

I haven't tried the new abalone encrusted one - which looks great - but did try the basic MIK model recently and while it wasn't as nice feeling or sound as the earlier US models, it's still a pretty neat design even after all these years.

(Interesting side note about that abalone binding: it's very reminiscent of some of the Schecter stuff out now...I'd bet money the two are made in the same factory - although that's not saying much, since there's probably about a 1 in 3 chance that's the case anyway! Wonder how long it takes 'em to do an inlay like that over there, even with all those CNCs to do the basic cutting?)

Had EVH gone the extra mile and designed something nifty like that guitar, I'm sure the Wolf wouldn't be as maligned as an being the obvious EBMM trademark-avoider it is....

 

[Jimi D]

I haven't tried the new abalone encrusted one - which looks great - but did try the basic MIK model recently and while it wasn't as nice feeling or sound as the earlier US models, it's still a pretty neat design even after all these years.

The neck on the new one is very different from last year's bolt-ons, apparently... And believe me, they weren't building to the same price point when they knocked this one together.

(Interesting side note about that abalone binding: it's very reminiscent of some of the Schecter stuff out now...I'd bet money the two are made in the same factory - although that's not saying much, since there's probably about a 1 in 3 chance that's the case anyway! Wonder how long it takes 'em to do an inlay like that over there, even with all those CNCs to do the basic cutting?)

I would hazard that the Cort factory is probably responsible for the Peavey and ESP stuff (as well as the Korean Ibanez guitars)...

Had EVH gone the extra mile and designed something nifty like that guitar, I'm sure the Wolf wouldn't be as maligned as an being the obvious EBMM trademark-avoider it is....

I'm with you on the reasons behind Eddie's defection to Peavey - I don't believe he had any desire to substantially change the design of his guitar and did only what he had to to avoid infringing the EBMM copyrights and patents, and perhaps try to put a better public face on the whole mess...

 

[nobozos]

This thread is pointless and stupid.

Wolfgangs are just fine, and if you don't like them, who cares.

Why not discuss other guitars you don't like that are much more crappy than the Wolfgang? How about the new stuff from Jackson, B.C. Rich, Schecter and LTD. What about those Gawd aweful "USA" Fender Strats with the splatter paint jobs. In my opinion, the Wolfgang smokes all of them, in tone and quality.

Why not discuss also which guitar pics, strings, straps, and cords you think suck too.

Oh yeah, if you could provide a list of the amps that suck, that would be helpful.

This board is more about appreciation of musical instruments than it is about tearing them down. In fact, I'm not sure why you even chose to post this here. I think your comments would be more constructive on the Peavey forum.

 

[OrangeChannel]

Per the Splatter strat, it's a MIM.

 

[Jimi D]

Per the Splatter strat, it's a MIM.

Ya, but it's still Gawd awful (imho, of course)

 

[OrangeChannel]

I agree man. I agree....

 

[Music-Guru]

JimiD, are you just mad because you own a Peavey. I bet you're kicking yourself. Stick with what WORKS (literally)...the Axis.

Done.

 

[hbucker]

What can I say hbucker - it's a public forum...

Personally, I agree with you - whether or not I agree with some of the points made (eg: that the Wolf is pretty derivitive of the EVH/Axis) I feel that posts with a virulently negative tone like this one, that are intended to do nothing but bash another manufacturer, are essentially petty, small-minded, and rather embarrassing. I too think they say more about the author than the subject. As you know, I have a Wolf I like. I also have five Axes. I doubt our new "Troll" here has either. Lets face it, statements like "Ed plays EBMM in the studio" and that OLPs are "MUCH MUCH better than U.S. Wolfgangs" are so demonstrably laughable and blatantly stupid that they pretty much invalidate anything else he has to say. And the "My friend knows his tech" bull? This guy will want to sell us swamp land in a minute...

FWIW, I'm currently considering the purchase of my SECOND Peavey guitar - not another Wolf but a new V-Type NTB in white. I saw it recently, picked it up just 'cause it's just so damned pretty with abalone binding around the body, neck and headstock and gold hardware, and found I couldn't put it down... It has a neck profile rather similar to the Axis, with an identical nut width but a 241/2" scale... It also has something I've been missing from time-to-time lately - a floating Floyd trem. The pickups were so-so, but overall, the build quality and playability really blew me away for the price. But - of course - it's made in Korea, of all the places, and it's not cheap for a Korean guitar... I don't know how long it's been since I owned a Korean guitar, but it's been a long, long time... Still, it's been four days since I played it and I can't get this guitar out of my head. I may have to buy it just to relieve the obsession.

BTW, I changed the public title slightly - I wanted to try just to see if I could, and what do you know, I can!

Thanks Jimi. I was just bringing it to your attention.

And it's good to see the other rational people chime in too. I don't care what brands of gear people prefer. I just think it would be too bad for this place to turn into Harmony Central.

Over analyzing and discussing gear is what makes it so fun to be a gear head.

 

[SGMan88]

Calm down Guru. For what its worth I prefer the axis over the wolfgang.