Evh MIJ Series EVH Wolfgang IY

After a lengthy wait to get my hands on this, I'm really impressed. I'd tried one of the USA-made Wolfgangs before and loved it. This surprised me as it had specs that I don't often favour (Fender nut-width, vintage frets, very hot pickups, and the price was above my usual sweet spot of around €1000). But when I found out that a MiJ model with a far more realistic price point was coming (and wanting a do-it-all guitar for demos and teaching), I put in for a pre-order.

It was worth the wait! A very lightweight, compact body that just gets out of your way, an almost raw-feeling maple neck, a thick slab of smooth ebony for the fretboard, cleanly-processed stainless steel frets, fantastic grit and harmonics from the rather spicy pickups, the low-friction volume control that I have come to prefer from playing my Charvels, a decent-quality hardshell case. It's all gravy.

I don't envisage using the kill switch a great deal, but this is the first guitar I've had with one. The D-Tuna is super handy for easily swapping to a drop tuning. The bridge was properly intonated out of the case, but you may need to adjust the tiny screw to balance between drop and standard when using it (I've seen people whine about them not working, but it takes all of 30 seconds to set up).

Downsides? The strap that came with it was nylon rather than the USA model's leather (and is too long for me even on the shortest setting, and I'm 180cm). It's not a huge issue as I put the same DiMarzio Clip-Loc cotton straps on all of my guitars. I'd also like a third spring in the back, but we'll see how it feels when I restring with my usual 8-42s. A trem spring isn't exactly a huge expense.

Overall, I'm super happy with it. I think Fender made a goof with the price point (considering you could get one of each colour for less than the price of one USA model), but I'm not going to complain. I wouldn't be surprised if these got revised to €2500 each, so get your order in now and try to stay calm while you wait.