Back to navigation


Wolfgang Van Halen’s Semi-hollowbody Stunner





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





The EVH brand forges mammoth new territory with the Wolfgang Van Halen-designed EVH SA-126 Special! Merging all the most iconic elements of his father’s instruments with his respective 6-string tastes, Wolfgang’s SA-126 Special starts with a chambered semi-hollow mahogany body, basswood center block, and a gorgeous quilted maple top that replaces the traditional F-hole with an E-hole to honor the immortal Edward Van Halen. Taken as a whole, this tonewood concoction delivers the rich, warm, and expressive sound of a semi-hollow, along with exemplary feedback rejection. Next, this guitar’s Tim Shaw-designed SA-126 humbucking pickups provide sweeping sonic versatility, tackling everything from high-gain “Brown Sound” fireworks to pure, rich cleans without batting an eye. Although the SA-126 Special represents a deviation from the EVH norm, this guitar’s slim graphite-reinforced mahogany neck, compound-radius ebony fingerboard, and jumbo frets supply the high-performance playability that Sweetwater guitarists have come to expect from EVH instruments. Inspired by Eddie, designed by Wolfgang, and ready to fuel a lifetime’s worth of ripping rock tones, the EVH SA-126 Special marks a superb addition to EVH’s 6-string pantheon.





Related Videos: SA-126 Special Quilted Maple Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar - Trans Purple





NOW PLAYING:


Introducing the All-New EVH SA-126 | EVH Gear





Witness the Journey of the All-New SA-126 | EVH Gear


Singing semi-hollowbody construction





Wolfgang’s SA-126 Special was consciously designed to stand apart from his father’s litany of iconic axes. It features a chambered semi-hollow mahogany body that flaunts a beautiful quilted maple top and a basswood center block for superior sustain and feedback rejection. Far removed from King Edward’s Superstrats and other solidbody creations, the SA-126 Special stretches the EVH brand’s tonal horizons with a warmer, richer, and more resonant voice. Finally, the EVH SA-126 Special is topped off with an angular E-hole ? Wolfgang’s custom replacement for the traditional F-hole and a personal tribute to his father’s ubiquitous influence.





Slim, speedy mahogany neck





While the EVH Wolfgang’s SA-126 Special represents an entirely new direction for the brand, this guitar’s slim, high-performance neck is sure to feel familiar to any EVH disciple. It all starts off with a 2-piece bolt-on slab of mahogany carved in an EVH modified “C” profile, complete with graphite reinforcement inside the neck to keep it straight, stable, and true. Topside, you get an elegant compound-radius ebony fingerboard and jumbo frets for a sleek and speedy feel from the first fret all the way up to the 22nd. Finished off with high-class triple-block inlays, the SA-126 Special’s fast-playing neck is primed for 6-string virtuosity.





Remarkably versatile Tim Shaw-designed humbuckers





Voiced by Fender’s resident pickup guru Tim Shaw to Wolfgang’s fine tonal tastes, the EVH SA-126 Special’s custom humbuckers split the difference between fire-breathing overdrive fury and dense, glassy cleans. Old-school EVH adherents will have no trouble coaxing liquid leads and Eddie’s iconic “Brown Sound” out of this superlative semi-hollow ? it’s certainly a rocker if you want it to be! However, these SA-126 humbuckers are designed by Wolfgang and Tim to provide modern guitarists with the greatest degree of sonic versatility possible; there’s no pigeonholing these pickups to single style or genre, as they’re equally at home spitting out expressive blues leads, modern rock crunch, and straight-ahead clean warmth.





EVH SA-126 Special Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar Features:


Designed from the ground up by Wolfgang Van Halen, representing an entirely new generation of EVH tones


Chambered mahogany body with a basswood center block and quilted maple top delivers singing semi-hollowbody resonance with superb sustain and feedback resistance even when drenched with gain


24.75-inch scale length offers a slacker feel than your typical EVH, making massive multi-step bends a breeze


Incredibly stable graphite-reinforced bolt-on mahogany neck in an EVH modified “C” profile


Glassy 12-16-inch radius ebony fingerboard grants comfortable chording down low and effortless performance on the high frets


Tim Shaw-designed EVH SA-126 pickups split the difference between high-power humbucking firepower and sonic versatility, voiced by Wolfgang to excel in his band Mammoth WVH


Classic harmonica bridge with a stop tailpiece for robust setup reliability and superior sustain


Distinctive E-hole design on the top puts a signature EVH spin on old-school semi-hollowbody style