Head to head
Which guitar picks up the golden globe?
Let’s start with the EVH 5150, a guitar of such luminous shred appeal it could be seen from space. Its Evh-branded Floyd Rose locking vibrato will divebomb only, as per Eddie’s setup, but it helped execute a minor tuning miracle as the 5150 came out of the box in tune. Locking vibratos are a faff to down-tune so slipping this in and out of drop-d with the D-tuna comes in handy. Wound for classic rock and 80s metal tone, the 5150’s Wolfgang Alnico II humbucker is an absolute belter, delivering livewire crunch that’s harmonically resonant and begging to be partnered with an MXR phaser and a Hawaiian shirt.
For gain saturation, please refer to the LTD Black Metal. Its mahogany neck and body construction brings out a warmth that belies its being marketed as an Arctic misanthrope. We love the playability on both. Sure, the 5150’s clunky heel obstructs access up past the 15-fret but that never slowed Eddie down. The Black
the evh 5150 is begging to be partnered with an mxr phaser
Metal, meanwhile, has a contemporary feel, a neck that has just enough fat on it to be comfortable. We could say similar about the Godin; the satin neck, its profile none too clubby, feels of a piece with a modern instrument. Built in Canada from Laurentian basswood, which comes in a little heavier than the basswood used on the 5150, the Summit Classic is well balanced, with plenty of trebly shimmer, perfect for blues squeals or biting rock licks. Rolling the tone back smooths off that sharpness, making it a viable option for jazz. The Gordon Smith GS-1 performs a similar trick. There is a lot of play in that tone control and players looking for that nasal bass response of their bridge pickup won’t miss it. The GS-1’S natural voice is bright and punchy. Through a Vox AC30 it could cut through brick. But there’s an authority and liveliness to the GS-1’S midrange. Leslie West would surely dig it. We certainly do.