MusicRadar Verdict
Traditionalists might well prefer more ‘air’, while players at the gainier-end of the spectrum will be glad that this guitar performs well across the board. Classic and hard rock is its wheelhouse, but it’s well equipped to deliver, from vintage to modern.
Pros
- +
Very playable, smooth-feeling neck.
- +
Dynamic pickups for clean and gain.
- +
Good finish options.
Cons
- -
It's quite expensive.
- -
Some QC issues with the review model.
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What is it?
The first new design to come from the EVH stable since the passing of the great Eddie Van Halen, the SA-126 Special –– in keeping with the Van Halen problem-solving nous –– was born out of Wolfgang Van Halen’s quest for his own sound.
Having been drawn towards Gibson ES-335s for his band, Mammoth WVH, Wolfgang’s brief led him to refine the sonics of a semi-hollow guitar for heavier styles, while maintaining the modern playability that EVH is known for.
The result is an eclectic convergence of design points, taking its name from Eddie’s birth date: a chambered body featuring a mahogany back, basswood centreblock and maple top; met by a bolt-on mahogany neck, complete with 24.75” scale length, ebony fingerboard, plus all-new SA-126 humbuckers, designed in collaboration with Fender magnet maestro, Tim Shaw.
Specs
- Launch price: $1,799.99/£1,449/€1,649
- Made: Mexico
- Type: Six-string chambered semi-acoustic electric guitar
- Body: Mahogany back/sides, maple top, basswood centreblock
- Neck: Mahogany, modified C-shape
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Scale length: 24.75"/628mm
- Nut/width: GraphTech TUSQ 44.45mm
- Frets: 22
- Hardware: EVH-branded tuners with Keystone buttons, EVH Harmonica bridge
- String spacing at bridge: 52mm
- Electronics: 2x EVH SA-126 humbuckers, 2x volume, 2x tone, three-way switch
- Weight: 8lb/3.62kg
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: Quilt tops: Tobacco Sunburst w/ Gold hardware, Transparent Purple w/ Chrome hardware. maple tops: Matte Army Drab, Stealth Black w/ Black hardware
- Cases: EVH Ivory hard case with crushed velvet interior
- Contact: EVH
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★☆
As is often the case with EVH guitars, there are a lot of talking points to the SA-126. Talking of cases, that’s where my introduction begins - an Ivory, vinyl-covered hardcase befitting of a guitar at this price.
It’s well-made and sturdy, with a tasteful crushed blue velvet interior that really looks the business. Whether that pristine outer will last the trips on less-than-sanitary public transport and your drummer’s filth-infested van is another matter, and I didn’t think it wise to risk a ‘grub test’ to find out.
The SA-126 Special is available in four finishes - two solid satin colours with maple tops (Matte Army Drab, Stealth Black) and a pair of more ‘designer’ transparent finishes over a quilted maple top, available in Tobacco Sunburst (with Gold Hardware) or, as per the guitar Fender sent, Transparent Purple with chrome hardware.
First up is that finish, which would make a Prince fan blush by shade alone, but coupled with the quilted grain immediately grabs the eyes. The top coat is polyurethane, which gives it an even and glassy look all round, and, this extends to the back where the grain of the mahogany pops through, albeit with more subtlety.
The headstock is painted black, with a faux truss rod cover serving as a logo plate thanks to the much more convenient spoke adjustment at the body end. To the rear, it features a ‘stinger’, with a gloss clear coat that stops at the first fret. There’s a noticeable seam between the gloss and the satin finish of the neck, but this appears to be intentional rather than ‘forgotten’ - which it certainly will be once you feel the neck itself.
The neck moves away from semi-hollow tradition of a chunky, bat-like palm-filler towards what we’d expect from an EVH
Its carve is a ‘Modified C’ shape, which, along with the bolt-on construction, moves away from semi-hollow tradition of a chunky, bat-like palm-filler towards what we’d expect from an EVH. It’s not as thin-feeling as a Frankenstein, but it’s definitely built for speed. As mentioned, it’s a satin finish to provide an especially smooth feel. It’s joined by another luxury in the ebony fingerboard, which settles on a 24.75” scale length combined with a 12”-16” compound radius.
Hardware-wise, there’s a set of three-a-side, EVH tuners with ‘Keystone’-shaped buttons, along with the Harmonica bridge - as seen previously on the EVH Shark, and a bridge design intended to offer greater travel for the intonation screws in order to accommodate different string gauges. Elsewhere, there’s an additional strap button located at the contoured heel, giving you a choice of anchoring, and also combatting neck dive.
The body is chambered, with a centreblock running down the middle, and a single ‘E’-hole serving as a nod to Eddie. The binding is neat and tidy, and, the only real niggle I could find with the review model was some slightly untidy rough splintering from some of the wood inside the soundhole - even then I had to angle the guitar to see it.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★½
If you know one thing about the EVH design ethos, you’ll know that everything is thought-out, with extensive “crash testing” to every product. So, whenever I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing an EVH guitar (and I’ve looked at many), it’s a reminder that there are very few points that are overlooked.
That’s certainly the case here, with a setup out of the case that’s comfortable to play and nicely intonated. The fingerboard and neck merge flawlessly, with the rolled edges adding comfort up and down the neck. The jumbo fret size might not be for everyone, and while you might expect stainless steel at this price, they’re nicely polished and offer good glide for string bends, although the fingerboard does feel a tad on the dry side.
As is standard on EVH models, the compound radius of the fingerboard makes for a comfortable transition between chords at the money-making end and lead playing up top. It’s joined by a contoured heel which makes things even easier, and, despite the additional strap button’s positioning, you wouldn’t know that it’s there from your fretting hand.
It’s a very accommodating guitar across the board
The harmonica bridge feels very low-profile, which makes palm-muting jab-free, while still having something to press your hand against. It’s a very accommodating guitar across the board, which seems to have ticked boxes for both comfort and speed.
With that said, this does come from the Fender stable, and my only curiosity while playing it was ‘I wonder what a 25.5-inch scale length would be like”. Mainly because this guitar is made in the gaze of Wolfgang, whose stylistic approach covers classic and heavy rock into metal territory. As a heavy-handed picker, taking it down to Drop-D caused me to flub the tuning on the bass strings a bit, which, admittedly, is no fault of the guitar, and nothing a set of heavier strings wouldn’t rectify.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
The big news here is that the pickup that bears Wolfgang’s name isn’t present, instead, it’s replaced by a pair of all-new humbuckers - designed by Fender’s Tim Shaw in collaboration with the EVH team.
Acoustically, the guitar resonates at a point somewhere between a solid-body and a more traditional semi-hollow
They're mounted into the centreblock, making the pickup surrounds (much like the truss rod cover) purely cosmetic, then wired in the classic two volume/two tone and three-way switch layout.
Acoustically, the guitar resonates at a point somewhere between a solid-body and a more traditional semi-hollow, and this is transferred when plugged in. Particularly on the neck pickup which is round and warm when played clean, and certainly does a great job for bluesy tones. Under a bit of grit, it exhibits some classic throatiness when you start digging in with the pick. Played lighter, there’s a piano-like pluck and sustain to the notes that work really nicely with some delay and ambience added.
Flicking the switch to the bridge position for the first time yielded a surprise: a rather strangled tone that, while still passing signal, felt a little bit like someone was restricting the strings with the bass rolled off. In addition to this, the volume control was sweeping to the top of its output at around ‘8’ before ‘sucking’ the volume back down to zero for the rest of its travel. What's going on?
A quick, but ginger manipulation of the component later and the SA-126 was up and running as intended
With my fingers crossed on one hand, I reached for a screwdriver to remove the control cavity cover, where, on inspection, it appeared that the bridge volume pot’s capacitor had nestled itself up against the pot casing, which, as we know, is part of any guitar’s grounding. A quick, but ginger manipulation of the component later and the SA-126 was up and running as intended, pot response included.
All I can say is, it was worth it, because I’ve long been a fan of EVH guitars in the bridge position. Whatever magic is in the Van Halen ear canals has been imparted here too - all harmonically rich, mid-forward punch that begs for some equally thick overdrive and distortion. It’s a plug-and-play solution for, ahem, mammoth-sounding rock tones, but just as with the neck pickup, performs equally well in cleaner situations too.
In the middle position, the SA-126 continues to impress, offering some nice combined sounds, particularly with the tone rolled back on the neck pickup and blended with the full bite of the bridge. Experimenting with the volume controls here (as well as in each pickup’s dedicated positions) is a reminder of just how much ground can be covered from a meat and potatoes dual-humbucker configuration.
Verdict
The SA-126 carries some heavy responsibility. Not only is it the debut design since Eddie's passing, but it’s released under the microscope of fans and detractors alike wondering, ‘What direction will Wolfgang take EVH in?’.
From the name, to the E-shaped soundhole, there are some nice tributes to the bedrock of the company. The fact that Eddie’s first iconic instrument was fuelled by a pickup taken from his ES-335 lends a feeling that things have gone full-circle with the passing of the torch.
But, away from the sentimental, it’s interesting that at no point during this review did I feel the need to play Van Halen riffs on the SA-126, something that only occurred to me when I put the guitar back in its case.
This guitar, while not a traditional semi-acoustic, joins models such as the Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 and Fender Tom DeLonge Starcaster in proving that the semi-acoustic format can go way beyond blues and indie
Semi-acoustics were there for the birth of rock 'n' roll, yet to some players they remain confined to the styles and sub-genres of the '50s and '60s, and those that take influence from them. This guitar, while not a traditional semi-acoustic, joins models such as the Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 and Fender Tom DeLonge Starcaster in proving that the semi-acoustic format can go way beyond blues and indie.
If you’re wondering ‘Where now?’ for EVH, the SA-126 should be taken as some solid reassurance that the brand is in the safest of hands.
MusicRadar verdict: Traditionalists might well prefer more ‘air’, while players at the gainier-end of the spectrum will be glad that this guitar performs well across the board. Classic and hard rock is its wheelhouse, but it’s well equipped to deliver, from vintage to modern.
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build quality | Overall, it's very good, but some untidy wood and an incapacitated pickup on arrival brings its score down slightly | ★★★★☆ |
Playability | As always with EVH, the neck feels fantastic, and the compound radius makes it comfortable across the board. | ★★★★½ |
Sounds | The SA-126 humbuckers are very dynamic, from clean to saturated - they sound excellent. | ★★★★½ |
Overall | The SA-126 Special is a modern take on the semi-acoustic format that is much more versatile than you might expect. | ★★★★½ |
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