THIS IS NOT A SOUND TEST, NOR IS IT A SPONSORED VIDEO - I have put this up to explain to you guys the main differences between these two fantastic hard rock guitars that are on the market at the moment from Charvel Guitars and EVH Gear. So many of you asked questions about how they compare although they are designed to do the exact same thing despite their differences. In short, I prefer the San Dimas overall but the EVH 5150 has a nicer neck although both work for me.
EVH 5150 Guitar
Engineered for speed, comfort and full-throttle attitude, the reimagined 5150® Series Standard is an iconic blast from the past that blends both throwback and modernized features.
Like its predecessor, the 5150 Standard features a modified Strat®-style basswood body with a deeper upper body curve. The graphite-reinforced bolt-on quartersawn maple neck features a comfortable modified “C” profile, hand-rubbed urethane back finish, heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel and matching “hockey stick” headstock with EVH® logo decal. Built for smooth and speedy playability, the 12”-16” compound radius maple fingerboard has 22 jumbo frets and black dot inlays.
While the famed striped original had a single humbucking bridge pickup only, the all-new 5150 is outfitted with an HH pickup configuration controlled by a quick access three-way toggle on the lower bout. The custom designed EVH® Wolfgang® Alnico 2 Humbucker bridge pickup delivers the perfect amount of punch and articulation with sweet sustain and thick chunky rhythms in a perfectly balanced EQ curve. The EVH Wolfgang humbucker neck pickup serves up no-nonsense, balls to the wall overdrive and endless sustain without skimping on articulate cleans when the volume is rolled down. A high-friction tone knob provides unmatched tonal performance, while the custom designed EVH-branded low-friction volume knob creates even-volume tapering for the smoothest volume swells.
Decked out with a “dive-bomb” certified EVH-branded top-mount Floyd Rose® bridge, each locking nut tailpiece features fine tuners and a patented EVH D-Tuna® for switching back and forth from drop-D to standard tuning in an instant.
A high-octane, high-performance axe, the 5150 Standard boasts battle-ready style in either a Matte Army Drab, Rocket Red or Satin Primer Gray finish with all-chrome hardware, including the EVH-branded Gotoh® tuning machines.
Charvel San Dimas
Its body is crafted from alder and is coupled with a bolt-on maple neck with a pair of graphite reinforcement rods to resist bending and warping under environmental stresses. The speed neck profile is designed for lightning fast playing and completely unhindered position shifts while the comfortably rolled fingerboard edges provide the broken-in feel of an instrument with plenty of playing miles on it, and plenty more to go. Its 12"-16" maple fingerboard hosts 22 jumbo frets and black dot inlays, and has a heel-mount truss rod adjustments for quick and convenient neck relief tweaks.
High-output Seymour Duncan® JB and Seymour Duncan '59™ humbucking pickups are directly mounted to the body, cranking out high octane rock ‘n’ roll tone with plenty of sweet overtones. The volume control conceals a push/pull coil split to have even more tonal variations on tap while the no-load tone control operates like a standard tone control from positions one through nine, removing itself from the circuit at position ten for transparent sound, letting the full natural voice of the guitar shine through. Dive to rumbling depths or add a well-placed rising harmonic without sacrificing your tuning with the Floyd Rose® 1000 Series double-locking tremolo bridge system.
Designed with style in mind, the San Dimas Style 1 HH FR M is available in a diverse mix of finishes. A Charvel neck plate, sealed die-cast tuners and standard strap buttons complete the package.