Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster

Special Order for 'bout $1200.



The scalloped neck allows for fast/easy playability especially above the 12th fret. A light touch means less time/effort causing the string/fret to sound - thus faster playability. These Dimarzio pickups rock! Solos are melodic/smooth sounding - not tinny.



The scalloped neck can cause out of tune notes if you press to hard. The pickup harmonics could be better, but the tone is smooth and warm (I've gotten some harmonics back by using a wha pedal to transition from enhanced highs/harmonics, to deep crunchy lows). If it had a locking Floyd trem it would be utter perfection.



I've got the candy-apple red model with antique parts and a maple neck - it's beautiful!



The BEST guitar I have ever seen, heard, or , played. This thing sings! A MUST HAVE for any soloist!



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This axe is made in the USA. It has 3 single coil DiMarrzio pickups; the switch is surprisingly 3way (not 5). 1 volume, 2 tone controls, 22 frets, and the standard Strat style whammy bar. Every fret is scalloped, which is a different feel from "normal" fretboards. The nut is brass and exudes a cool chimey resonance to the tone.

UTILIZATION

Access to the top notes are easy enough- not as sleek as shred axes, but plenty good enough and worlds better than a Gibson Les paul. It is super easy to get a ton of great tones out of this instrument, more on this in the next section. Unlike some cheaper guitars that are headstock heavy, this design is ergo-dynamic and well-balanced- fits like a glove. I grew up on Ibanez guitars and have recently moved to mostly Gibsons;positioning my right hand felt a bit awkward. Strats volume control seems to be in a spot where my right hand likes to lay, so that took some adjustment. I hear many others on forums say similar things- some even rewire and move the knob elsewhere to solve the issue. I managed to change my approach when using this axe, and that can be a good thing in some ways. Another factor is the feel of the bridge; it seems to be more abrasive on the right hand palm mute that smoother Gibson Ibanez guitars. Players who play modern metal with lots of palm mutes may take heed- but chances are there will be more traditional players who play this axe, so it may not effect them.

SOUNDS

I have a Randall MTS system with lots of modules including dozens of professionally modified modules emulating Cobra, Marshall, Rectifier, MesaMark, Orange, JTM, Blackface, Deluxe, XTC, Diezel, 5150, Engl, and many more…My favorite tones were those from the Fender; those clean and dirty tones really sounded awesome with this guitar.

I bought this guitar straight from a website without trying it, thinking I could get all those classic Strat tones PLUS go into some Metal. I'm actually a bit disappointed at the Metal tones; I can't really jive with the Marshall mid to hi gain sounds. My buddy has one and loves it for that style, but for me itseemed like a square peg in a round hole. Hi gain= LP for me and Strats just don't do it for me. Strange though, when I record with it, it sounds great- but playing it I feel out of place. YMMV

I use a Dunlop wah and have tried MXR overdrive as well as the Yngwie DOD overdrive. The Yngwie DOD sounded great with it as it really complimented the tone, providing a cool dirty-ness that I enjoyed.

OVERALL OPINION

I love the single note tone on this instrument- it just sings and exudes quality TONE. A few times I thought there must be reverb on my amp, but no, no reverb, no delay, no fx- the axe is just delivering a angelic glow around the note that is very unique and intoxicating. Perhaps it is a combination of the low output pickups, brass nut, great wood, scalloped fretboard- I don't know- but the notes sing especially well on the neck pickup. Beautiful.
The bridge pickup is sensational for clean to dirty tones. I love my Blackface and Tweed modules on this setting- it delivers a great os Lonely Boys/SRV tone that sounds like Money.

i generally stay away bridge pickup- it comes off a bit harsh when you play aggressively...according to my tech, I play like King Kong, so no go on the bridge. This axe demands a gentle touch, the scallops and the entire build just really work well with a gentle approach, so that is a bit of a challenge for me. People who can adapt LOVE the vibrato on this guitar. Single string passages sound great as do sweeping arpeggios.

The tone knob at 10 clicks in and creates a true bypass- making the signal chain more pure. this works great for me on the middle pickup, but for the bridge I often have to dial it back due to my heavy handed style.

This guitar is unforgiving and will expose your weaknesses- it is dead accurate and precise, so good chops are needed here. my slop technique works better on LPs, so this axe has somehow IMPROVED my playing.

I love many things about this axe, but due to my aggressive hands, slop technique, and love for metal, I would opt for a nonscallopped Strat that had a humbucker in the bridge. This axe does have a specific sound that is unparalleled- it really has great strengths. Put this in the definitely try before you buy, it is unique and may or may not be your magic Strat.

Every guitar player knows who Yngwie Malmsteen is. He is one of the most popular neoclassical shredders of all time. He is known for his vintage white stratocaster which is he is rarely seen without. This has been a signature model from Fender for a few years now. I am testing a newer and an older model to compare the Dimarzio Yngwie pickups with the new Seymour Duncan Yngwie pickups. The guitars are identical apart from the pickups so I will just do a single guitar review. What you get is a typical 70s style strat with the Yngwie mods. The body is made from alder and the neck is maple with a maple fretboard. The neck has 21 SUPER jumbo frets with a 9.5 inch radius. The fretboard is heavily scalloped. Up top you get the big 70s headstock with the bullet truss rod. The pickups will either be a set of the old Dimarzio Yngwie pickups or the new Seymour Duncan Fury pickups. Since the guitar currently comes with Duncans thats what ill talk about in this review. The pickup selector is a 3 way blade. The controls are a master volume and two no load tone units.

UTILIZATION

You need to have a certain style to play this guitar properly. Overall it is a hard guitar to play if you are not use to it. The neck has a unique feel. You need a very light touch to play this guitar and sound good. I am use to playing with heavy strings so this guitar is another world for me. With the huge frets and scalloping the strings bend without any effort. It is very easy to push a note or a chord out of tune without thinking about it. With these super low output Yngwie pickups it is hard to play clearly as well. You need to be pinpoint accurate with your playing to sound like you know what you are doing. This is a guitar that takes some time to get use to.

SOUNDS

The Seymour Duncan Fury pickups in this guitar sound very similar to the old Yngwie Dimarzio signature pickups. Apparently Yngwie went through 20 sets of Seymour Duncan pickups before he found the one he wanted. They should have just gave him the set that sounded the most like his old Dimarzios and saved time. These are stacked single coils just like the older models but unlike most stacked noise cancelling single coils they are super low output. Usually people getting aftermarket single coils want more heat on them but not Yngwie. I am not the biggest strat single coil fan but these pickups are pretty vintage by even those standards. The bridge and the middle pickup sound pretty thin by themselves. The inbetween positions sound the best on this guitar. When playing with gain you will find yourself picking harder because these pickups are so low output but when you play harder you start sounding out of tune because of the scalloped fretboard. Playing this guitar is a balancing act between getting a good sound and sounding in tune. For slower lead stuff the scalloped fretboard is great. You can get a super vibrato with it because there is no resistance from the wood because its not there.

OVERALL OPINION

Only get this guitar if you know what you are doing. This guitar will not make you play like Yngwie, in fact it will probably make you worse. You have to really have good skills if you want to sound like you know what you are doing on this guitar. If you are a good player and have the skills by all means get this guitar. If you are just looking for a nice strat there are plenty of nicer strats that are much easier to play that this guitar.

Fender decided to merge with in yngwie malmsteen with his own signature Stratocaster guitar. This is basically a remake of the original guitar at MalmSteen bought when he was just a kid. It's an unusual guitar even though it looks like a standard Fender Stratocaster. It has the old Fender headstock which is a little bit bigger than what you normally see on today's Fender Stratocaster headstock. The pick ups are his signature pick up as which are his own brand fender style voice to his liking. This guitar also features a scalloped fretboard. What that means is the frets are not flat or even slightly curved but rather they are scooped like a U-shaped between each fret. This is a different feeling guitar than a normal guitar that you have played any guitar shop. Because of the scallop frets, it takes a little bit time to get your fingers used to pressing it without necessarily touching the fretboard. It is strange to think when you play this guitar your fingers don't actually touch the fretboard and the reason he did this is because he's such a speed metal type player that he needed to run up and down the fretboard as fast as he could without having to do anything else.

UTILIZATION

Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Super-Jumbo Frets
Position Inlays: Pearl Dot Inlays
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Fretboard: Scalloped Rosewood or Maple
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Headstock: Artist Signature on Headstock
Neck Plate: Vintage Style 4 Bolt
Truss Rod Nut: 1/8" American Series Nut
Electronics
Pickup Configuration: S/S/S
Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan STK-S10B YJM Fury Pickup (Bridge)
Middle Pickup: Seymour Duncan STK-S10N YJM Fury Pickup (Middle)
Neck Pickup: Seymour Duncan STK-S10N YJM Fury Pickup (Neck)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Middle Pickup, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. No-Load Tone Control (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. No-Load Tone Control (Bridge and Middle Pickups)
Hardware
Hardware: Chrome
Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Tuning Machines: Vintage "F" Style Tuning Machines
String Nut: Brass String Nut
Switch Tip: Aged White Plastic Knobs
Tremolo Arm/Handle: American Vintage Tremolo Arm

SOUNDS

The tone of this guitar is very Fender Stratocaster voiced. The pickups are much better than the standard pickup you would find on most Fender guitars. I've never been a fan of the fender standard pickups in all of their brand-new guitars. Every Fender that I've ever owned, I've always had to switch out the pickups. This one comes stock with the ones that he supposedly uses and they do have a pretty good tone but the overall single coil buzz is still there. That is part of his tone anyway so it's not that big a deal but it's kind of annoying if you are used to humbucker pickup.

One cool thing about this guitar is the vintage white look. my favorite colors on any guitar is a faded white color that actually turns creme overtime. The pickup themselves are kind of an off-white, the pick guard is white, but volume and tone control knobs are cream color as well as the tops of selector and the tremolo bar. The guitar itself is in a bad priced guitar for a signature guitar and if you are at fan of MalmSteen then this is probably the guitar that you're wanting to get.

OVERALL OPINION

These guitars are a pretty cool guitar if you're a big fan of his music and or his entire catalog. You can find these guitars new at just about $1700. For signature guitar that's not a bad price because the regular Fender Stratocaster's run around $1000-$1100. So it's just a few extra hundred dollars for a signature guitar, so that's a pretty good deal. I would recommend this guitar to any malmsteen fan and if you're not a fan then I would suggest getting a regular Fender Stratocaster in a white cream color.