EVH Gear has dug deep into the archive of classic Eddie Van Halen electric guitar designs and unveiled a limited edition run inspired by his old Charvel Star.
The EVH Gear Limited Edition Star shares that guitar’s angular, offset solid body, and has a coke-bottle 3x3 headstock that pays homage to the original’s Danelectro hybrid build.
But there are some modern twists. The Floyd Rose vibrato is augmented with an EVH D-Tuna for throwing the guitar into drop D tuning on the fly, and there is a kill-switch on the lower cutaway for staccato noise effects. As EVH Gear notes, this is a “modern interpretation” of the guitar, not a replica.
We have four finish options to choose from, with Matte Army Drab, Primer Gray, and Stealth Black options with black hardware, and a classy looking Stealth Black model with gold hardware. The kill-switch is red because, well, it’s a button, and it’s an extreme measure.
Like Eddie Van Halen’s original mash-up, this is a single-pickup guitar, and is packing an EVH Wolfgang humbucker at the bridge position. That is hooked up to a low-friction 500K Volume Bourns pot, and a treble bleed circuit so you don’t lose any top-end as you roll that volume knob back – critical if you want to nail those Cathedral-style volume swells that were one of the many trademarks of Eddie’s playing.
Build-wise, these all have bodies of solid basswood, with bolt-on maple necks secured to the body via a four-bolt joint. The necks are quartersawn from one piece of maple, fashioned into an EVH Modified “C” Backshape, and given a satin urethane finish to make them extra tactile.
The fingerboard radius is as you would expect from a Fender-owned high-performance brand in the year 2023; we’re talking a 12” to 16” compound radius, and on this occasion we’ve got a 22-fret ebony ‘board. Cream dot markers count out the fret positions. The Star has a 25.5” scale length and measures 43mm across the locking nut.
The vibrato is a Floyd Rose 1000 Series, exactly what you would expect at that this gigging pro, serious amateur price point, and you’ll find EVH-branded Gotoh tuners on the headstock.
There are many differences between this model and the next-gen Frankenstein’d original model that Eddie used, but the apple has not fallen far from the tree. Practicality was ever part of the EVH design ethos and it is here, too. Those buttons are over-sized to help secure your guitar strap.
The Limited Edition Star is available now, and is priced £1,349 / $1,399. For more details, head over to EVH Gear. EVH also announced the release of the Frankenstein Relic series.
There are Red, Black and White options available, and they really nail the home-made vibe of the classic Frankenstein Superstrat.
There will also be an expansion on the Wolfgang Special series. Both of these updates will arrive in stores September. In October, the Wolfgang Standard will be refreshed with new finish options.
