Meticulously inspected and set up by our luthier workshop, this guitar is a 2020 pre-owned model in near-mint condition.

New strings (Ernie Ball Slinky 9-42)

Peavey Tweed case, keys & certificate of authenticity included.

• Overall condition: 9.5/10
• Frets: 9.5/10
• Truss rod: OK
• Electronics: OK
• 100% original, no modifications.

PEAVEY HP 2 NOS Deep Ocean

• Series: NOS (the first 400 models were made using American New Old Stock woods dating from the 1990s)
• Made in Europe, Czech Republic (NBE Custom Shop)
• Year: 2020
• Serial: OARCBD 1900337
• Solid-body electric guitar, EVH Wolfgang-style
• Construction: bolt-on neck
• Body: Basswood
• Top: carved figured maple
• Neck: one-piece Birdseye maple
• Fingerboard: Birdseye maple, extending from the neck
• Radius: 15"
• Scale length: 25.5" / 648 mm
• Frets: 22 Jumbo
• Nut width: 1 5/8" / approx. 41.3 mm
• Truss rod access: adjustment wheel above the 22nd fret
• Neck finish: oiled
• Tuners: Schaller, pearloid buttons
• Bridge: Peavey / Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo
• Pickups: 2 Peavey Custom humbuckers
• Selector: 3-way
• Controls: volume + tone
• Push-pull tone control: humbucker coil split
• Headstock: angled 10°, 3+3 tuner configuration
• Hardware: chrome

Founded in 1965 by Hartley Peavey in Mississippi, Peavey is one of those American brands that has had a profound impact on the history of the electric guitar. While its name remains inseparable from the legendary 5150 amplifiers, the company also wrote a major chapter in guitar history alongside Eddie Van Halen with the creation of the Wolfgang. Developed between 1996 and 2004, this guitar embodied Eddie's vision of the perfect instrument: an extremely fast neck, exemplary ergonomics, a remarkably stable tremolo and a rare combination of power, precision and comfort.

Following the end of the collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, Peavey retained the DNA of this exceptional guitar and evolved the platform under a new name: HP 2, with the initials standing for Hartley Peavey. The HP 2 therefore preserves the core philosophy of the Wolfgang while introducing its own developments, with an exceptionally refined design and a level of equipment worthy of the brand's high-end instruments.

This 2020 HP 2 NOS Deep Ocean occupies a very special place in that history. Contrary to what the NOS designation might suggest, it was not manufactured in the United States. This exceptional series was produced in the Czech Republic by NBE Custom Shop, a workshop specializing in the manufacture of high-end instruments. Its real significance, however, lies in the use of American NOS — New Old Stock — woods originating from Peavey's historic stockpiles.

Peavey still had carefully preserved American woods dating back to the brand's great production years. Part of this historic stock was selected to produce an extremely limited series of approximately 400 HP 2 NOS instruments. These guitars therefore combine historic American materials with very high-level European craftsmanship, carried out by NBE Custom Shop to standards worthy of a true Custom Shop.

This series is all the more significant because it coincides with a major turning point in Peavey's history. From 2020 onward, HP 2 production was definitively relocated to the Czech Republic. This HP 2 therefore belongs to a particularly interesting period, when Peavey entrusted its European production to NBE while still using some of its precious historic American wood stocks. Peavey subsequently refocused its guitar activity on high-end models, making these NOS instruments a particularly interesting series for collectors and Peavey enthusiasts.

And this is precisely where the true uniqueness of this HP 2 lies. It is absolutely not simply a European version designed to reduce manufacturing costs. On the contrary, the work carried out by NBE Custom Shop is of an exceptional standard. The quality of the construction, the precision of the finish, the neck work and the attention to detail place these instruments among the most accomplished versions of the HP 2 lineage.

Among Peavey enthusiasts, these NOS models have also earned a particularly strong reputation, with some players even considering them superior to certain American productions in terms of precision and finish. Without seeking to systematically pit the two production periods against each other, it is clear that these HP 2 NOS guitars are truly remarkable instruments, with a level of craftsmanship worthy of the finest Custom Shop productions.

This impression is immediately confirmed as soon as you pick it up. The basswood body features a superb carved figured maple top that provides both depth, projection and visual elegance. The oiled Birdseye maple neck is one of the instrument's major highlights: extremely comfortable, fast and perfectly balanced, it delivers that smooth playing feel characteristic of the finest Wolfgang and HP 2 guitars.

The neck profile is particularly well designed, allowing you to move instantly from powerful rhythm playing to fast technical passages. Upper-fret access is exceptionally smooth thanks to the sculpted heel, while the 22 jumbo frets provide all the precision required for bends, legato playing and modern techniques.

On the electronics side, the HP 2 retains all the character that made this family of instruments so respected. The Peavey humbuckers, mounted directly into the body, deliver a powerful attack, generous sustain and impressive dynamics. The three-way selector, combined with the push-pull control for splitting both pickups, provides a considerably wider tonal palette than the instrument's very rock-oriented character might initially suggest.

Naturally, you get the big, aggressive saturated tones that made the Wolfgang famous, but the guitar can also sound surprisingly open and precise when the pickups are split. It can move from a big hard-rock crunch to much cleaner and snappier tones without ever losing its personality.

The Peavey/Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo perfectly completes this design. Its stability allows you to fully exploit the instrument's playing possibilities while maintaining excellent tuning stability and note definition. The HP 2 is therefore perfectly at home in hard rock, instrumental rock, shred and metal, but it also performs beautifully in more nuanced styles where its dynamics and precision really shine.

Beyond its exceptional musical qualities, this HP 2 NOS now has genuine historical significance. It belongs to a limited series of approximately 400 instruments using historic American woods preserved by Peavey and brought to life by NBE Custom Shop in the Czech Republic. Above all, it represents a transitional period in the brand's history, immediately before production was definitively relocated to the Czech Republic from 2020 onward.

This combination is precisely what makes these instruments so special: the direct heritage of Eddie Van Halen's Wolfgang, American NOS woods from Peavey's historic stock, the exceptional craftsmanship of NBE Custom Shop and an extremely limited production run.

For Peavey, Eddie Van Halen and high-end superstrat enthusiasts, this HP 2 NOS is clearly an instrument deserving very serious consideration. These are genuine masterpieces of craftsmanship, extremely rare and exceptionally well executed, reflecting a period when Peavey was still pushing the quality of its guitars to an extremely high level.

A HP 2 NOS Deep Ocean is therefore far more than just another guitar: it is a rare piece of Peavey history, sitting at the crossroads between the brand's American heritage and its definitive transition to high-end European production.