EVH Striped Series 5150 Review

The legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen has influenced generations of new guitarists with its playing style with different distinctive components, such as his two-handed tapping techniques, and his rhythmic sensibility. He also owns the EVH guitar brand that has produced an excellent range of guitars that suit every playing style.

The most iconic guitar in his range is the EVH Striped Series 5150, with a design that Halen has used for its Frankenstrat that has become one of the most iconic guitar designs in its entire history.

A lot of companies has tried to imitate that design, but only the EVH Striped Series 5150 has done it right, it is a very enhanced and expensive guitar with plenty of high-quality features, and I think that it is worth every penny.

When you first look at the EVH Striped Series 5150, you will notice that it is a true Frankenstrat, with its trademark red finish with white and black stripes on top of it. On top of all that it features the 5150 red hologram sticker to really give the feeling.

The general shape and design of this guitar really resemble the low-end Frankestrat, however, this time around there are some interesting upgrades. Such as the extremely comfortable double-cutaway body shape that sports basswood frame for extra weight reduction. It is then attached to a bolt-on maple neck with a C-shape, that is quartersawn and is very smooth to play on, and allows for fast transitions.

On top of the guitar, you will locate the maple fretboard with 22 jumbo frets that further enhances the playability at the higher notes and down low. The headstock of this guitar also features the same color language that is used in the body. It is worth stating that the EVH Striped Series 5150 is built and assembled in Mexico and I have come to realize that it has perfect craftmanship, with no mistakes or anything that looks out of place, absolute perfection.

You would assume that this Frankenstrat has some advanced electronics, but no. It uses just one pickup at the bridge position just like Eddie Van Hallen in his original guitar. It is an EVH Wolfgang Alnico 2 humbucker with just a volume knob. It also uses a Floyd Rose bridge that is also EVH branded. This system is specifically designed for whammy bar play and divebombs while keeping in tune all the time.

It was really surprising that the EVH Striped Series 5150 despite having just one humbucker it sounded really good. You will certainly get those heavy metal tones that you can expect from an Eddie Van Halen signature guitar. It provides plenty of power while staying exceptionally clean and natural, the distortion is punchy enough for my taste and it offers plenty of exploration in tone. I found that it worked pretty well while I was practicing classic rock tunes such as Achilles Last Stand, which requires a hard drive.

A piece of gem – one of the best electric guitars.