Should I buy a EVH 5150 Striped Series Guitar even though it's made in Mexico?

B

BattleRabbits

Member
I have been thinking about buying the red/black/white striped series EVH with the matching hockey headstock for awhile...

From the videos I heard, it sounds nice.... BUT, it's made in Mexico.
And it's almost $1,400 plus additional $170 for a case....

I mean there are other options, I "could" get a Kramer 1984 USA reissue on Reverb (not the new crappy ones Gibson sells now) right now for about $1,600 with the case that's in very good condition.... Or I "could" get Mean Street Guitars build me one as well in the USA for about the same price.

However I don't like buying used guitars, and I have no knowledge of is a small one person builder going to produce a better quality instrument than the Fender/EVH plant, even though it IS located in Mexico.

So I don't know what I should do. Which one do you think is the better guitar?
I am still leaning towards the EVH Striped 5150 series, but very hesitant because it is made in Mexico and I hate the idea of possibly owning something that's going to be subpar to the rest of my guitars.

My other guitars that I currently own are as follows so you can see I buy quality stuff, all of these were purchased brand new in the last five months:

1. Suhr Custom 1 of a Kind Classic Strat, Custom Color, Gold Hardware, Roasted Maple neck and board, Roasted Alder body, SS Frets, Aldrich Humbucker/ML Standard Single coil in the neck.

2. Gibson Less Paul Classic Goldtop with Lollar Sean Costello P90s

3. Gibson Les Paul Traditional Tobaccoburst with Slash Alnico Humbuckers by Duncan

4. Charvel Custom Shop USA Jake E Lee Blueburst

5. Rainsong Parlor Carbon Fiber Acoustic Electric

6. Fender SRV Signature Series Strat

7. Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster Signature Series

8. Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Series

9. Ibanez 7V White Ibanez Jem the $3,000 one not the cheap one.

10 Ibanez RG550 Genesis (made in Japan) with upgraded Duncan pickups

11. GMW Randy Rhoads Polka Dot Flying V

12 BC Rich USA Custom Shop 1 of a Kind Warlock with Screamin Demon pickups

13. Fender Eric Johnson Signature Strat

So as you can see ALL my guitars are made in the USA, only 2 are made elsewhere which is Japan and many consider Japan a step above USA, and a few of mine are 1 of a kind custom shop as well...

So you can see then where it is worrying me about buying a guitar that says Made in Mexico on it....

I kinda want the guitar mainly for the purpose of playing EVH songs so, it fits the bill for what I want in it other than its Made in Mexico.

Thoughts?
 
Looks to me like you have a great collection. The mim will not be like your other guitars IMHO. While mim does not necessarily mean bad, it does not usually mean good.
 
I bought a Jackson pro series made in Indonesia last year and the fit and finish was/is great. It came setup almost perfectly too. I recently returned a Jackson USA because it had fret pops. It all boils down to the tech/luthier IMO. The Charvels MIM are nice. I don’t think where it’s made matters much anymore. I have a new Skervesen Raptor 7 and it is hands down the best fretwork and fit and finish of any of my guitars. Having said that, Skervesens did have some quality control issues for awhile. One thing you might consider is buying from Sweetwater and getting it plek’d. They will also swap out pickups if you want and give it a total setup based on your string choice.
 
MSS said:
I bought a Jackson pro series made in Indonesia last year and the fit and finish was/is great. It came setup almost perfectly too. I recently returned a Jackson USA because it had fret pops. It all boils down to the tech/luthier IMO. The Charvels MIM are nice. I don’t think where it’s made matters much anymore. I have a new Skervesen Raptor 7 and it is hands down the best fretwork and fit and finish of any of my guitars. Having said that, Skervesens did have some quality control issues for awhile. One thing you might consider is buying from Sweetwater and getting it plek’d. They will also swap out pickups if you want and give it a total setup based on your string choice.
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Agreed - I have a 2 PRS SE's - an acoustic and custom 24 - both made in Korea - both were under $800 - and both are great instruments that I would be happy to play professionally. I also have a Epiphone made in Indonesia - which also came in near perfect playing condition and I was really impressed with the fretwork on that one. I also do have other guitars from USA and Japan. I think the main difference in those is more in the quality of components and materials. Don't know much about the Mexico guitars. I have seen posts from others who have bought Charvels from Mexico and seem very happy with them.
 
Really what is the difference in a guitar made in mexico by Mexicans, when most Fender (evh) american guitars are made by Mexicans. I think I read a lot of the finishing work is done in mexico even on american guitars, due to the lax environmental restrictions.
 
When I got the Les Paul bug, I tried out hundreds of guitars. I ended up with a pair of Korean made LTD Alex Skolnick sig models that were nearly the equal of the best I played....including the really pricey ones. Total cash outlay was a little over a grand for both (used).

Don't know about other places, but Korea and Japan can make great guitars.
 
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It's a question how much you pay the people making guitars, not their citizenship. Companies frequently move production to Asia just to be able to create junk even cheaper. However, If you pay them good money good things will happen. Best example is the AX8.
 
I have a MIM Charvel Di-Martini. IIRC the EVH stuff is made by the same people under Fender umberella as Charvel pro-mod stuff.
Its a nice guitar. I've had one issue with it. The neck pocket is tight, and even with the screws cranked, it would still shift a tad if I pulled on it. I solved it with an Elmer's glue stik. yeah, the kind kids use to stick construction paper together...it gave the neck heel just enough tack to not slip again in over 2 years. I'm as dumbfounded as you must be, as to why.
 
I would get it. I have a few made in Mexico Charvel's. No issues. Had my guitar guy do setups on them and they are great playing guitars.
 
Shop around. I got mine for like $800 in a random tiny guitar shop somewhere in SoCal - in 2014 I think - that I can't even google maps anymore. As or MIM, no fks given. It's a fun guitar, period. One pickup, one knob, barely finished neck (nearly raw, really - you're supposed to fill in the pores with your own sweat). For EVH nerds it's a must-have. There's nothing sensible about buying a guitar that's so purely fanboy as this. The only issue I had was it was really unstable as far as tuning goes when I first got it but found out here that the string tension bar behind the nut was too high. Tightened that up and it's good to go.
 
BattleRabbits said:
I have been thinking about buying the red/black/white striped series EVH with the matching hockey headstock for awhile...

From the videos I heard, it sounds nice.... BUT, it's made in Mexico.
And it's almost $1,400 plus additional $170 for a case....

I mean there are other options, I "could" get a Kramer 1984 USA reissue on Reverb (not the new crappy ones Gibson sells now) right now for about $1,600 with the case that's in very good condition.... Or I "could" get Mean Street Guitars build me one as well in the USA for about the same price.

However I don't like buying used guitars, and I have no knowledge of is a small one person builder going to produce a better quality instrument than the Fender/EVH plant, even though it IS located in Mexico.

So I don't know what I should do. Which one do you think is the better guitar?
I am still leaning towards the EVH Striped 5150 series, but very hesitant because it is made in Mexico and I hate the idea of possibly owning something that's going to be subpar to the rest of my guitars.

My other guitars that I currently own are as follows so you can see I buy quality stuff, all of these were purchased brand new in the last five months:

1. Suhr Custom 1 of a Kind Classic Strat, Custom Color, Gold Hardware, Roasted Maple neck and board, Roasted Alder body, SS Frets, Aldrich Humbucker/ML Standard Single coil in the neck.

2. Gibson Less Paul Classic Goldtop with Lollar Sean Costello P90s

3. Gibson Les Paul Traditional Tobaccoburst with Slash Alnico Humbuckers by Duncan

4. Charvel Custom Shop USA Jake E Lee Blueburst

5. Rainsong Parlor Carbon Fiber Acoustic Electric

6. Fender SRV Signature Series Strat

7. Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster Signature Series

8. Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Series

9. Ibanez 7V White Ibanez Jem the $3,000 one not the cheap one.

10 Ibanez RG550 Genesis (made in Japan) with upgraded Duncan pickups

11. GMW Randy Rhoads Polka Dot Flying V

12 BC Rich USA Custom Shop 1 of a Kind Warlock with Screamin Demon pickups

13. Fender Eric Johnson Signature Strat

So as you can see ALL my guitars are made in the USA, only 2 are made elsewhere which is Japan and many consider Japan a step above USA, and a few of mine are 1 of a kind custom shop as well...

So you can see then where it is worrying me about buying a guitar that says Made in Mexico on it....

I kinda want the guitar mainly for the purpose of playing EVH songs so, it fits the bill for what I want in it other than its Made in Mexico.

Thoughts?
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Man.....cool collection, but I would never want that many guitars. I keep what I play. I have 5 electrics and will probably pair that down soon to 3.
 
I believe EVH is manufactured by Fender these days. As I've heard said at the Fender factory in Corona, "Would you like your guitar made by Mexican's in California or Mexican's in Mexico?"
IMHO, when comparing similar models, there's no difference in construction quality, materials or woods. The main difference is the cost of labor and a couple hundred miles.
 
Tremonti said:
Man.....cool collection, but I would never want that many guitars. I keep what I play. I have 5 electrics and will probably pair that down soon to 3.
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I play them all. The thought crossed my mind to sell them all and just keep the Suhr, because that is a ton of money, but that thought only lasted a split second and then I came back to my senses. The thing with me that I have found is this... if I sell a guitar that I like today, at some point I will end up wanting the guitar back so bad that I will buy another just like it. For example, This is the THIRD brand new SRV signature Strat I've bought! And I'm always a quick seller when I do sell so sometimes I may only sell something for 20 percent what I paid for it.

Here's another example, When the White Jem 7Vwh Jem came out in 1993 or whatever, I bought it new for about $1,500.... It's driven me insane though ever since I sold it years ago for only $250, that this year I bought another Jem 7Vwh, but I had to pay $3,000 for it. So not only did I lose $1,250 by selling the original, I spent double what it originally cost to buy it back. So doing the math I would have saved $3250 if I had never sold it to begin with.

This is also the 4th Gibson Les Paul Goldtop I've had to buy due to selling each previous one eventually. And probably the 8th regular Les Paul.

If I want something really bad, it will become my main focus and I can't stop obsessing over it until I get it, to the point that it severely interferes with every aspect of my life and I constantly feel as if I am being skinned alive, the only thing that soothes that torment is to buy the object I desire so that the desire will no longer be there.

So this year I made a new years resolution to buy EVERY guitar my heart desires this year, and after this year to never buy another guitar in my life. However I do have a limited amount of money and have been using credit to finance many of these, so it's extermely important that I only buy guitars that have have a strong desire or connection to, and guitars that feel a wide range of needs for me for different styles. I don't want to buy any guitar and then next year have to wish I wouldn't have "cheaped" out and gotten something better.

That's where the EVH 5150 has given me so much trouble... So far no one has told me anything bad about the guitar, I've not been able to find any complaints about it online so far, other than fret sprout, but that's caused by a dry climate, I keep my guitars in cases with humidipacks, plus If I did buy the EVH mexico guitar I would send it to GMW and have them refret it with SS frets anyway. So with that said I don't know what QC issues should I expect if I would have it refretted anyways?

But Eddie Van Halen was my idol when I was a little kid, and I used to fantasize about having a guitar that looked just like his in the music videos.

My mind keeps telling me to let that guitar go, but my heart still wants it, I just don't know which one will win.
I keep trying to tell myself to buy a different guitar and just put the EVH pickup in it, but I'm afraid if I did that then I'd have yet another guitar and still have the longing for this one. When really I need to make my next guitar purchase my last. 14 guitars should be enough for me.
 
iaresee said:
See a financial advisor? And stop buying guitars on credit?
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Maybe. But I guess there are worse addictions a person could have than guitars.
I should be OK as long as I keep working, I work two jobs and also do a lot of overtime.
But man if I got laid off this moment I'd be up crap creek without a paddle, and I don't know how to swim either lol
Financially I'd be ruined.
But sitting in this room, surrounded by these guitars, it's a good feeling.
It's really not so bad, I mean I'm not having to pay any interest on most of them (as long as I don't miss any payments)
Guitar Center/Musicians Friend/Sam Ash credit cards allowed me to stretch a few of the purchases out over the next 2, 3 or even 4 years with really small monthly payments and no interest.
 
First, I’d say you really need to watch your debt. Seems like you have a pretty nice collection and some killer axes. Make sure you’re making smart fiscal decisions.

To the question at hand. I am a big time USA Charvel and Jackson fan. They make perfect instruments for me. I also have a few of their MIM guitars and they are pretty damn fine. I’m also a luthier and do my own work... if you are going to send it to Lee and have SS frets and a setup... you won’t be disappointed. These guitars can have the feel of a USA made instrument with minimal work. The Charvel Mexico shop has some pretty high standards. I say go for it.

A8
 
AutomaticEight said:
First, I’d say you really need to watch your debt. Seems like you have a pretty nice collection and some killer axes. Make sure you’re making smart fiscal decisions.

To the question at hand. I am a big time USA Charvel and Jackson fan. They make perfect instruments for me. I also have a few of their MIM guitars and they are pretty damn fine. I’m also a luthier and do my own work... if you are going to send it to Lee and have SS frets and a setup... you won’t be disappointed. These guitars can have the feel of a USA made instrument with minimal work. The Charvel Mexico shop has some pretty high standards. I say go for it.

A8
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Thanks for your input... That actually makes me feel a little more confident in getting the EVH mexico 5150 guitar.

Yeah, I'm trying not to go too overboard in credit card debt and loans, it's hard though, I have a lot of depression and I often have thoughts hanging myself or something, but it's like buying guitars is a way of trying to fill this emptiness in me and a way of trying to distract my mind from darker thoughts, it's a way of self therapy/self medication I guess, it seems to be working somewhat, how long I don't know, but I spend more time right now obsessing on guitars than I do more negative things.

It's hard for me to have self control with spending money, but one positive thing is this is really helping me build my credit a lot more, as long as I don't miss any payments and get my debt all paid off, I should be in a good position to buy a house in another year or so.
 
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