After announcing it would be debuting three natural-finished models in 2022 earlier this year, EVH has unleashed its latest 5150 Deluxe electric guitar, which arrives with a limited edition Ash aesthetic.
Described as a carefully engineered blend of classic and contemporary specs, the latest addition to the 5150 lineup retains its predecessor’s modified Strat-style ash body, which has been allowed to show off its grain in all its glory.
In practice, the tweaked contours of the body are said to “hug your frame for increased performance comfort," while the ash itself promises to provide a snappier tone with a bright edge that exhibits more treble and enhanced sustain.
The streamlined aesthetics contrast with its fairly comprehensive and modernist spec sheet, though. Joining the slab body is a bolt-on, quartersawn maple neck – reinforced with graphite – which in turn is topped with a premium ebony fingerboard.
The fingerboard is adorned with 22 Jumbo frets, white dot inlays and a Floyd Rose R3 locking nut, and offers a compound 12”-16” radius. A compound neck thickness – Van Halen’s modified C profile – has also been utilized: the 5150 Deluxe measures .790” at the third fret and .810” at the 12th.
A hockey stick headstock also makes the cut, as does a four-bolt neck plate and a heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel.
In the pickup department, the newest 5150 Deluxe has been beefed up to include a pair of direct mount EVH Wolfgang humbuckers – in comparison to the one humbucker-equipped Striped Series 5150 axes.
Thanks to their Alnico 2 magnets, the pickups also promise to provide rich harmonics, cutting highs and “snarling mids."
There’s nothing too out of the ordinary in the control circuit, which is made up of a Low Friction Pot volume control with treble bleed, High Friction Pot tone knob and a three-way pickup switch that moves between neck only, both, and bridge only positions.
While the volume control is loaded with a low friction pot for smooth swells and consistent output tapering, the tone parameter has been equipped with a high friction alternative to avoid accidental knocks that may throw your tone out of whack.
An additional, newly appointed kill switch is located on the lower bout, which cuts off all pickups when depressed.
As for hardware, the Ash 5150 Deluxe is equipped with an EVH-branded Floyd Rose Bridge that boasts a D-Tuna system – a nifty addition that allows for seamless drop D tunings – as well as EVH-branded Gotoh tuners and black plastic control knobs.
The 5150 Deluxe Limited Edition Ash is available now for $1,599.
Head over to EVH to find out more.
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