Peavey officially resurrects the beloved HP2 offset electric
The carved-top design was originally launched following the end of Eddie Van Halen’s collaboration on the Wolfgang signature model
We recently reported on Peavey’s resurrection of the HP2, a beautifully finished, shred-friendly solidbody electric guitar with upper harmonics that Guitar World’s Tech Editor, Paul Riario, described as "ridiculous."
Now, the company has officially announced that it has resumed production of the beloved offset model, with founder and CEO Hartley Peavey stating, “Peavey has entrusted some of the best luthiers in Europe to take over production of the HP2, and the first 400 builds will be New Old Stock made from wood that’s been aging since the 1990s.”
The new models feature a carved maple top and basswood back and sides with cream edge binding accents.
There’s also a 25.5-inch scale, bolt-on birdseye maple neck and fingerboard cut from a single piece of wood and a contoured neck heel.
Pickups are a pair of custom-wound Peavey humbuckers mounted directly to the body to reduce feedback and increase resonance, and controls are a Switchcraft three-way toggle and two push-pull knobs for volume and tone to allow individual coil splits.
Hardware, meanwhile, includes a Peavey/Floyd Rose licensed double-locking tremolo and Schaller tuners with pearloid buttons.
Perceptive guitar fans will no doubt recall the HP2’s stylistic connection to Peavey’s Wolfgang range of guitars. The company began producing that model, a collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, in 1996.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Van Halen launched his own EVH brand in 2007, and Peavey later introduced the HP2 at summer NAMM in 2017.
As we previously reported, the guitar proved to be quite popular – so popular, in fact, that Peavey struggled to keep up with demand.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year and temporarily stopped almost all manufacturing, Peavey took the opportunity to find a European partner who could keep up with the demand for the HP2, but also maintain the top quality of the instrument.
It appears the company has now done that with the new HP2, which is available in Black, Deep Ocean, Tiger Eye and Moonburst finishes for $2,499.99.
To preorder one now, head to Peavey.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
“John Mayer said I was one of his favorites on guitar”: One of John Mayer’s favorite contemporary guitarists has been named – and he’s lent his virtuosic skills to Beyoncé, Mac Miller, John Legend and Ariana Grande
“Dumble told me to bring it to him because he had a mod he could do. It’s the only Dumble Fuzz Face that I’m aware of”: Kenny Wayne Shepherd on unicorn stompboxes, the quest for feel and why budget guitars can make you a better player