EVH 5150 Series Deluxe review

Eddie finally offers SuperStrat aficionados the axe they’ve been waiting for

(Image: © EVH)

Guitar World Verdict

With a street price just under $1,000, the EVH 5150 Series Deluxe delivers unbeatable value for players seeking Eddie Van Halen’s custom touches in a sweet SuperStrat package ideal for any style of music or gig.

Pros

  • +

    Refined tones with an ideal balance of bass, midrange and treble with exceptional expressiveness.

  • +

    The low-friction master volume pot makes it easy to perform smooth, fast volume swells.

Cons

  • -

    No coil-splits.

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Eddie Van Halen may have invented the Super Strat way back in the mid '70s, but for the last three decades he’s focused more upon his own original signature models while letting other companies profit (quite handsomely) from his initial revelatory design. 

While Ed’s own company EVH appeased many classic Super Strat fans with its Striped Series guitars, the instruments’ single pickup and master volume-only design along with Ed’s iconic striped finish made those guitars more ideal for Van Halen fanatics than players with everyday gigs looking for something more incognito. 

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Chris Gill

Chris is the co-author of Eruption - Conversations with Eddie Van Halen. He is a 40-year music industry veteran who started at Boardwalk Entertainment (Joan Jett, Night Ranger) and Roland US before becoming a guitar journalist in 1991. He has interviewed more than 600 artists, written more than 1,400 product reviews and contributed to Jeff Beck’s Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock & Roll and Eric Clapton’s Six String Stories.