Description
The EVH SA-126 Special QM in El Natural is Wolfgang Van Halen’s bold vision of what a modern guitar should be. Blending semi-hollow resonance with solidbody punch, it is built to cover everything from articulate cleans and crunchy classic rock through to saturated modern gain, all while feeling instantly familiar in your hands.
At its core, the SA-126 Special is a chambered mahogany design with a basswood centre block, topped with a stunning quilt maple cap and wrapped in elegant multi-ply binding. A fast, graphite-reinforced bolt-on mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard, jumbo frets and a compound radius delivers effortless playability for intricate rhythm work and high-speed lead lines alike. Paired with EVH SA-126 humbuckers voiced by Tim Shaw and the EVH team, this guitar is primed for serious performance on stage and in the studio.
Thoughtful details run throughout the instrument. The 24.75 inch scale length and EVH Modified C backshape give a comfortable, slightly vintage feel, while modern touches like the heel-mounted spoke wheel truss rod adjustment and direct-mount pickups keep it firmly rooted in the 21st century. A Harmonica bridge with stoptail piece and oversized strap buttons round out a workhorse spec that is ready for demanding players who need stability, tuning confidence and rock-solid intonation.
Hybrid Semi-Hollow Meets Solidbody Design
The chambered mahogany body with a basswood centre block delivers the airy resonance and bloom you would expect from a semi-hollow instrument, combined with the focus, sustain and feedback control of a solidbody. This hybrid construction lets you move seamlessly from open, chiming chords to tight, palm-muted riffs without losing clarity or control.
Fast, Comfortable EVH Neck
A graphite-reinforced, bolt-on mahogany neck with a natural satin finish and EVH Modified C backshape feels smooth and broken-in from the first play. The 12 inch to 16 inch compound radius ebony fingerboard and 22 jumbo frets make big bends, fast legato runs and precise vibrato feel effortless right across the neck.
EVH SA-126 Humbuckers
Designed by Tim Shaw and the EVH team, the SA-126 humbuckers are voiced for maximum versatility. From cascading, glassy cleans to thick, harmonically rich overdrive, they respond dynamically to your picking and volume controls, making it easy to dial in everything from subtle crunch to full-bore gain without sacrificing note definition.
Player-Focused Hardware and Controls
A Harmonica bridge with stoptail piece provides rock-solid tuning stability and accurate intonation, while oversized strap buttons keep the guitar secure on stage. The three-way toggle on the upper horn, combined with individual volume and tone controls for each pickup, gives you instant access to a wide palette of sounds directly from the guitar.
Key Features
- Chambered Mahogany Body with Basswood Centre Block – This construction blends semi-hollow resonance with solidbody focus, giving you a lively, responsive feel under the fingers while keeping feedback in check at higher volumes.
- Quilt Maple Top in El Natural – The quilt maple cap adds snap and definition to the tone, while the El Natural finish and 5-ply body binding showcase the figuring and give the guitar a premium, stage-ready aesthetic.
- EVH SA-126 Direct-Mount Humbuckers – Direct-mounted to the body for enhanced attack and sustain, these humbuckers offer a wide tonal range from clear cleans to aggressive drive, making the SA-126 Special a true all-rounder.
- Compound Radius Ebony Fingerboard with Jumbo Frets – A 12 inch to 16 inch compound radius keeps chords comfortable at the lower end of the neck while providing a flatter surface for fast, choke-free bends higher up, with jumbo frets adding control and authority to every note.
Specifications
Body
- Body Shape: SA-126
- Body Material: Chambered Mahogany with Basswood Centre Block
- Top Wood: Quilt Maple
- Body Finish: Gloss Urethane
- Body Binding: 5-Ply
- Colour: El Natural
Neck
- Neck Material: 2-Piece Mahogany
- Neck Construction: Bolt-On
- Neck Finish: Natural Satin
- Neck Shape: EVH Modified C Backshape
- Scale Length: 24.75 inch (629 mm)
- Fingerboard Material: Ebony
- Fingerboard Radius: 12 inch to 16 inch Compound Radius (304.8 mm to 406.4 mm)
- Number of Frets: 22
- Fret Size: Jumbo
- Position Inlays: Triple Block
- Side Dots: White
- Truss Rod: EVH Branded with Wheel
- Truss Rod Adjustment: Heel-Mount Spoke Wheel
- String Nut: Graph Tech TUSQ
- Nut Width: 1.75 inch (44.45 mm)
Hardware
- Bridge: EVH Harmonica
- Bridge Mounting: Secured
- Tailpiece: Stoptail Piece
- Tuning Machines: EVH Keystone Tuners
- Hardware Finish: Chrome
- Control Knobs: Skirted Black Plastic with Numbered Indicators
- Switch Tip: Black
- Strap Buttons: Oversized
- Strings: Nickel Plated Steel (.009 to .046 Gauges)
Electronics
- Pickup Configuration: HH
- Neck Pickup: EVH SA-126 Humbucking
- Bridge Pickup: EVH SA-126 Humbucking
- Controls: Volume 1 (Neck Pickup), Tone 1 (Neck Pickup), Volume 2 (Bridge Pickup), Tone 2 (Bridge Pickup)
- Switching: 3-Position Toggle
- Position 1: Bridge Pickup
- Position 2: Bridge and Neck Pickups
- Position 3: Neck Pickup
- Potentiometers: 500k (Volume), 250k (Tone)
