The Definitive Yngwie Malmsteen Strat Thread, Pix & Video

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brandon Breeze
  • Start date Start date
I put these Wilkinson Locking Saddles on my YJM recently.

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Jakem said:
How do You like those, Carl?
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I've put them on 3 guitars at this point. They came w/ the Suhr Pete Thorn guitar, so 4 guitars altogether.
The guitar seems to ring out acoustically a little better. They DO NOT bring the strings in off the edges of the fretboard on the Yngwie. Spacing is the same.
As long as the 6 bridge screws are set properly and no issues at the nut, guitar stays in tune very well.
 
Jakem said:
Been checking out the older Japanese YJM Strats via Ishibashi webshop and those are tempting a bit. :D
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The MIJ YJM's are also very well made! I have them from all era's and they're all fantastic!
 
CarlF said:
I've put them on 3 guitars at this point. They came w/ the Suhr Pete Thorn guitar, so 4 guitars altogether.
The guitar seems to ring out acoustically a little better. They DO NOT bring the strings in off the edges of the fretboard on the Yngwie. Spacing is the same.
As long as the 6 bridge screws are set properly and no issues at the nut, guitar stays in tune very well.
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What made you want to put these saddles on the YJM?
 
Brandon Breeze said:
What made you want to put these saddles on the YJM?
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I can't speak for Carl but I can see people not liking the standard rolled steel saddles if only because the height adjustment screws on those things can dig into your hand in an obnoxious way if you like your action a bit lower. The more chunky saddles can recess the height adjustment screws into the body of the saddles so they don't do that.

No idea if those particular saddle screws do anything for stability though. I've always though the tuning instability in trems came from either string slipping at the nut or friction on the trem knife edge bring the trem to "rest" in a different spot than it was in before you moved it. It doesn't make sense to me that the string would slip at the saddle because it's already at max tightness there.
 
Brandon Breeze said:
What made you want to put these saddles on the YJM?
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Those saddles came standard on my Suhr Pete Thorn. The tuning stability on that guitar is excellent.
So, I ordered two sets and put them on my Monterey and Yngwie Strats.
They have a bit more tuning stability now.
They did not bring in the E strings off the edge of the fingerboard on the Yngwie however.
 
Just finished up a few mods on my YJM strat.


Mod 1: No more cramped strat volume knob.
I can't stand the volume knob placement on strats, I always slam my hand into them. Put in a new guard with two knob slots for volume and tone. On YJM strats, the bridge Tone knob is a no load pot, so the Tone control on this new setup is a dual gang pot. Top one is a no-load tone pot for the bridge and the bottom is a standard tone pot for the neck. Works great.


ZnODoFP.png


Mod 2: Tighter saddle spacing.
The saddle spacing of the bridge that comes with the guitar is too wide for the neck. I installed a Fender bridge that has vintage body screw mount placement but modern saddle spacing. Fixes the string slip issue for the high half of the neck.

Mod 3: new brass nut.
The stock string spacing on the brass nut that comes with the guitar is too wide. The high E was constantly slipping off at the low frets. Had my local tech cut a new brass nut with more narrow string spacing to resolve the issue. Now the high E no longer slips off the low half of the neck. I was afraid tighter string spacing at the nut would make chords feel cramped but the tech did a great job bringing the strings in only as much as needed to stop the slipping. Low chords still feel fine.


yLdKKRc.png



Mod 4: Lowered middle pickup and magnets.
The other major thing I can't stand about strats is how I always catch my pick on the middle pickup and its magnets. I hate it. So I lowered the pickup as far down as it would go and my tech moved the magnets down as well with the help of a soldering iron to loosen them up. Now my pick never gets hung up on anything. Works great. Also before anybody says anything, this is a rock and metal guitar. Bridge and neck pickups only. The middle pickup still works but let's be honest it's for decoration only on this guitar, so this mod doesn't change a thing about any sounds I'll use.

lMGSxQ3.png




This guitar is exactly how I want it now. It's amazing. It has everything I want out of a high gain SSS strat and nothing I don't.
 
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TheGreatGreen said:
Just finished up a few mods on my YJM strat.


Mod 1: No more cramped strat volume knob.
I can't stand the volume knob placement on strats, I always slam my hand into them. Put in a new guard with two knob slots for volume and tone. On YJM strats, the bridge Tone knob is a no load pot, so the Tone control on this new setup is a dual gang pot. Top one is a no-load tone pot for the bridge and the bottom is a standard tone pot for the neck. Works great.


ZnODoFP.png


Mod 2: Tighter saddle spacing.
The saddle spacing of the bridge that comes with the guitar is too wide for the neck. I installed a Fender bridge that has vintage body screw mount placement but modern saddle spacing. Fixes the string slip issue for the high half of the neck.

Mod 3: Lowered middle pickup and magnets.
The other major thing I can't stand about strats is how I always catch my pick on the middle pickup and its magnets. I hate it. So my tech lowered the pickup as far down as it would go and moved the magnets down as well with the help of a soldering iron to loosen them up. Now my pick never gets hung up on anything. Works great. Also before anybody says anything, this is a rock and metal guitar. Bridge and neck pickups only. The middle pickup still works but let's be honest it's for decoration only on this guitar, so this mod doesn't change a thing about any sounds I'll use.

lMGSxQ3.png


Mod 4: new brass nut.
The stock string spacing at the nut is cut too wide. The high E was constantly slipping off at the low frets. Had my local tech cut a new brass nut with more narrow string spacing to resolve the issue. Now the high E no longer slips off the low half of the neck. I was afraid tighter string spacing at the nut would make chords feel cramped but the tech did a great job and low chords still feel fine.


yLdKKRc.png



This guitar is exactly how I want it now. It's amazing. It has everything I want out of a high gain SSS strat and nothing I don't.
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Looks awersome!!!
 
Brandon Breeze said:
Looks awersome!!!
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Thanks man! This guitar is way cooler than I thought it would be. I had a feeling I'd like it but I didn't know how much.

As far as I'm concerned, whether the YJM strat is associated with Yngwie or not, it's just kind of the perfect high gain traditional strat design, not necessarily because of the mods I did, just as a guitar design overall. There are super strats with humbuckers and floyds and stuff that do their own thing that are arguably "better" or more appropriate for rock and metal overall, but as far as the platonic ideal of a traditional Fender Strat built for high gain? I think this is it.

Also, I don't know what it is about this strat but it really does kind of feel like the evolution of a classical instrument like a violin in a way other strats don't, and not just because it's associated with Yngwie's shredding. There's just something about it. The strat construction, the sound of the single coils, and the scalloped board give the guitar a kind of lightness and airiness in weight and feel you'd almost associated with a violin or something. Then there's the fact that the whole guitar is almost one color which kind of mimics the look of a classical instrument. I mean yeah I know the body, neck, and pickguard are slightly different colors, but they all feel like different shades of the same overall beige wood-ish color that blend together in a way where your brain just accepts it as kind of all one material, just like it does with a classical stringed instrument.

I dunno man, I don't mean to drone on about it but it really does feel like a great evolution of the classical to the modern. Like I said before it's not my #1 guitar but it does put me a very different headspace than any of my other guitars when I play it, and it's an awesome alternative tonal option if you're looking for something slightly off the beaten path. I'd encourage anybody to at least try one.
 
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TheGreatGreen said:
Thanks man! This guitar is way cooler than I thought it would be. I had a feeling I'd like it but I didn't know how much.

As far as I'm concerned, whether the YJM strat is associated with Yngwie or not, it's just kind of the perfect high gain traditional strat design, not necessarily because of the mods I did, just as a guitar design overall. There are super strats with humbuckers and floyds and stuff that do their own thing that are arguably "better" or more appropriate for rock and metal overall, but as far as the platonic ideal of a traditional Fender Strat built for high gain? I think this is it.

Also, I don't know what it is about this strat but it really does kind of feel like the evolution of a classical violin in a way other strats don't, and not just because it's associated with Yngwie's shredding. There's just something about it. The strat construction along with the airy sound of the single coils, as well as the scalloped board, gives the guitar a kind of lightness and airiness in weight and feel you'd associated with a violin or something. Then there's the fact that the whole guitar is almost one color which kind of mimics the look of a classical instrument. I mean yeah I know the body, neck, and pickguard are slightly different, but they all feel like different shades of the same overall beige wood-ish color that blend together in a way where your brain just accepts it as kind of all one material, just like it does with a classical stringed instrument.

I dunno man, I don't mean to drone on and on about it but it really does feel like a great evolution of the classical to the modern. Like I said before it's not my #1 guitar but it does put me a very different headspace than any of my other guitars. I'd encourage anybody to at least try one.
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Definitely agree, they're my favorite strat by far. Very versatile and can do just about anything. If you go and play some metal with them, then grab any other guitar with a traditional sized side by side humbucker they sound muddy by comparison. It's a very interesting guitar for sure.

Funny enough, I think owning one will help save folks money in the long run. You develop a lighter touch, which helps save wear and tear on frets, strings and any other typical wear items. Not to mention it saves you from finger pain and cuts on your fingers. With that in mind, you're literally losing money by not owning one haha.
 
TheGreatGreen said:
Just finished up a few mods on my YJM strat.


Mod 1: No more cramped strat volume knob.
I can't stand the volume knob placement on strats, I always slam my hand into them. Put in a new guard with two knob slots for volume and tone. On YJM strats, the bridge Tone knob is a no load pot, so the Tone control on this new setup is a dual gang pot. Top one is a no-load tone pot for the bridge and the bottom is a standard tone pot for the neck. Works great.


ZnODoFP.png


Mod 2: Tighter saddle spacing.
The saddle spacing of the bridge that comes with the guitar is too wide for the neck. I installed a Fender bridge that has vintage body screw mount placement but modern saddle spacing. Fixes the string slip issue for the high half of the neck.

Mod 3: Lowered middle pickup and magnets.
The other major thing I can't stand about strats is how I always catch my pick on the middle pickup and its magnets. I hate it. So I lowered the pickup as far down as it would go and my tech moved the magnets down as well with the help of a soldering iron to loosen them up. Now my pick never gets hung up on anything. Works great. Also before anybody says anything, this is a rock and metal guitar. Bridge and neck pickups only. The middle pickup still works but let's be honest it's for decoration only on this guitar, so this mod doesn't change a thing about any sounds I'll use.

lMGSxQ3.png


Mod 4: new brass nut.
The stock string spacing on the brass nut that comes with the guitar is too wide. The high E was constantly slipping off at the low frets. Had my local tech cut a new brass nut with more narrow string spacing to resolve the issue. Now the high E no longer slips off the low half of the neck. I was afraid tighter string spacing at the nut would make chords feel cramped but the tech did a great job bringing the strings in only as much as needed to stop the slipping. Low chords still feel fine.


yLdKKRc.png



This guitar is exactly how I want it now. It's amazing. It has everything I want out of a high gain SSS strat and nothing I don't.
Click to expand...
The "new brass nut" really caught my attention, as mine has worn too low in the grooves and it's time to replace. However, I did not consider this as a "solve" for the high E slipping off the top frets, which is the bane of anyone who owns this guitar it seems! I am going to ask my local guy if he can do this for me without cramping the strings. I am glad you posted this as I was considering replacing the bridge with a narrow spacing model. The nut solution seems a better option.
 
johnny q said:
The "new brass nut" really caught my attention, as mine has worn too low in the grooves and it's time to replace. However, I did not consider this as a "solve" for the high E slipping off the top frets, which is the bane of anyone who owns this guitar it seems! I am going to ask my local guy if he can do this for me without cramping the strings. I am glad you posted this as I was considering replacing the bridge with a narrow spacing model. The nut solution seems a better option.
Click to expand...

To be honest the guitar benefits from narrower string spacing at both the bridge and the nut. I’d recommend doing both if you can.
 
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