EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard vs PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
Reasons to Get
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard over PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
Reasons to Get
PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin over EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard
Other Key Differences
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard vs PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
Shared Features
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard vs PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.
Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin's 73 score, although not by a lot.
The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard wins when it comes to sound, value for the money. On the other hand, the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin has the upper hand when it comes to playability, build quality.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin is the better choice.
The PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard Overview
- From EVH's 2021 Wolfgang Special series
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Quilt Maple top
- Basswood body
- Quartersawn Baked Maple neck
- Baked Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Direct Mount EVH Wolfgang Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Direct Mount EVH Wolfgang Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- EVH-Branded Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo with EVH D-Tuna bridge
- Wolfgang Backshape Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- EVH-Branded Gotoh tuners
- Compare Specs >
PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin Overview
- From PRS's 2020 S2 series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25"'' scale
- 10" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- PRS Patented Tremolo, Molded bridge
- Pattern Regular Set neck
- 24 Medium Jumbo frets
- PRS Low Mass Locking tuners
- Weight between 6.65lbs (3kgs) and 7.35lbs (3.3kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard
Roasted Maple is just maple without a finish. It's technically cheaper than regular maple, but it doesn't have any extra disadvantages because of this. The color is darker, and it's lighter weight and very stable even when there's a lot of humidity.
Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.
Woods Used in the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Winner: PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Only the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard compares to the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard is built in Mexico while the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin is made in United States.
Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard has a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
On the other hand, the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin comes with a PRS Propietary nut. It's similar to TUSQ nuts, but they're not as hard, and the tone is not as bright. However, the material is self-lubricating, and it's usually well cut, so they have good tuning stability.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard's brige is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
On the other hand, the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard.
Tuners
The PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Nevertheless, the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard has a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
On the other hand, the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Mexico
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- PRS Propietary Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin has the wider nut with 42.1mm (1.656'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 0.8mm (0.031'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard has the longest scale: 25.5". The PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin is only 25" long. This is a 0.5'' (12.7mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard and the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin favors large hands more than the EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard:
PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin:
Fret Size
The EVH Wolfgang Special QM Baked Maple Fingerboard has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin's Medium Jumbo frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
