YJM Scalloped Necks

[TheGreatGreen]

Can you go in depth about this? I’m considering a custom shop YJM, so this is very relevant!

I'll go into it for my experience.

I find the back of the neck to feel great personally, it's basically a good Modern C profile neck. But in my experience, the worst thing about the guitar is that the distance between strings is set too wide for the neck. In the nut, the distance between strings is cut too wide, and the tremolo is a vintage spaced trem which means the strings are a bit farther apart down at the bridge as well. Because of this, the high E string rests too close to the edge of the neck and will easily slip off, so you have to spend quite a bit more concentration making sure you don't slip the high E string while you play. It's annoying, but that's apparently how Yngwie likes it so that's how the signature model is.

Fender has a partial solution for this, which is that they sell a "Vintage Narrow" tremolo with vintage-spaced screw slots so it can be installed in a YJM strat, but it also has modern-spaced saddles which brings the strings slightly closer together, linked here:

https://www.fender.com/en-US/parts/...strat-tremolo-assembly-chrome/0992070000.html

However, changing the trem will not address the fact that the nut is also cut with too much distance between strings. To completely resolve the issue, you'll need to install both the Vintage Narrow bridge and install a new nut with more narrow string spacing.

I just ordered the bridge myself. As soon as it gets here, I'll drop my guitar off at my local shop to have it installed along with a new more narrow string spaced brass nut.

So yep, it's a great guitar but it does come with a significant flaw for me which can, thankfully, be fixed.

 

[Jakem]

I'll go into it for my experience.

I find the back of the neck to feel great personally, it's basically a good Modern C profile neck. But in my experience, the worst thing about the guitar is that the distance between strings is set too wide for the neck. In the nut, the distance between strings is cut too wide, and the tremolo is a vintage spaced trem which means the strings are a bit farther apart down at the bridge as well. Because of this, the high E string rests too close to the edge of the neck and will easily slip off, so you have to spend quite a bit more concentration making sure you don't slip the high E string while you play. It's annoying, but that's apparently how Yngwie likes it so that's how the signature model is.

Fender has a partial solution for this, which is that they sell a "Vintage Narrow" tremolo with vintage-spaced screw slots so it can be installed in a YJM strat, but it also has modern-spaced saddles which brings the strings slightly closer together, linked here:

https://www.fender.com/en-US/parts/...strat-tremolo-assembly-chrome/0992070000.html

However, this does not address the fact that the nut is also cut with too much distance between strings. To completely resolve the issue, you'll need to install both the Vintage Narrow bridge and have someone cut a new nut and install it.

I just ordered the bridge myself. As soon as it gets here, I'll drop my guitar off at my local shop to have it installed along with a new more narrow string spaced brass nut.

So yep, it's a great guitar but it does come with a significant flaw for me that can, thankfully, be fixed.

Yes, the strings sit too close to the fret ends on the YJM strats quite often. On my YJM Strat I swapped the trem myself to a Fender narrow string spacing bridge and it is even better now. I also bought a new YJM strat with a rosewood fretboard 1.5 months ago and I had to return it due to multiple issues with it and one of them was the high-E slipping off the fretboard at multiple frets.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Yes, the strings sit too close to the fret ends on the YJM strats quite often. On my YJM Strat I swapped the trem myself to a Fender narrow string spacing bridge and it is even better now. I also bought a new YJM strat with a rosewood fretboard 1.5 months ago and I had to return it due to multiple issues with it and one of them was the high-E slipping off the fretboard at multiple frets.

Yeah it's really annoying and I slip the high E pretty regularly if I'm not actively trying to avoid it by hitting the string with my left hand fingers at a different angle than I naturally would. But I like everything else about the guitar so much that I'm having the problem fixed instead of returning it. Don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, it's an excellent strat except for this one issue.

Again I'm just glad it's something that can be fixed.

 

[Jakem]

Yeah it's really annoying and I slip the high E pretty regularly if I'm not actively trying to avoid it by hitting the string with my left hand fingers at a different angle than I naturally would. But I like everything else about the guitar so much that I'm having the problem fixed instead of returning it. Don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, it's an excellent strat except for this one issue.

Again I'm just glad it's something that can be fixed.

The rosewood board one I returned had such steeply angled fret ends it could not be saved without swapping the nut and the trem. I don’t know if those would’ve even helped because it was so bad. Also the fret ends were not rounded at all so had those been rounded for ball-ends then the situation would’ve gotten even worse.

 

[50WEST]

Yeah it's really annoying and I slip the high E pretty regularly if I'm not actively trying to avoid it by hitting the string with my left hand fingers at a different angle than I naturally would. But I like everything else about the guitar so much that I'm having the problem fixed instead of returning it. Don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, it's an excellent strat except for this one issue.

Again I'm just glad it's something that can be fixed.

Really good info! Any idea if this string issue was “fixed” on the custom shop model?

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Really good info! Any idea if this string issue was “fixed” on the custom shop model?

I haven't played the custom shop model so I can't say for sure, but I just looked at the pics of the Custom Shop YJM Strat at Sweetwater, and it looks like there is a good bit more neck and fret on both sides of the high and low E strings, so I'd bet the string slip issue does not exist on the Custom Shop model.

HOWEVER, the Custom Shop YJM strat is completely different than the standard YJM signature strat. The body shape is completely different CS body is very rounded and bubbly like an Eric Johnson strat while the standard YJM strat has a more squared or harder edged body contours (which I much prefer), the CS pickup selector is 5-position instead of 3-position like the standard YJM strat, the CS strat doesn't have the bullet-end truss rod, the fingerboard on the CS is a separate piece of wood glued to the neck while the standard maple neck YJM strat is a one-piece neck, etc.

The Custom Shop YJM strat is more like a standard '68 strat reissue that happens to have a scalloped board and brass nut, while the standard YJM strat is kind of its own unique thing. So if you get the Custom Shop YJM strat, just know you're not really getting the real-deal YJM strat.

 

[50WEST]

Awesome! Thanks. That’s interesting… I had no clue

 

[Metalhex]

I've always heard people say over the years, "there's a common misconception that people think scalloped frets make it easier to play fast..."

Actually I've never heard anyone say that. But I've heard everyone refute it.

It would've been nice if Sam Ash actually carried a YJM so i can try all those years when they WERE open!

 

[Catthan]

Can you go in depth about this? I’m considering a custom shop YJM, so this is very relevant!

sure, as much as I can without actual measurements or tech details.

As a matter of personal preference I prefer narrow nut widths and non-modern neck profiles like a soft V or D but with shoulders shaved off. some examples might be the MM Luke, Anderson and Gibson iirc.

my YJM, mind you not a CS one, did not fall in that category but I’m not suggesting it had an untowardly wide neck or anything. Just not my thing despite the love for scalloping.
Had no idea that the nut is cut wide too affecting string spacing and was unaware of the info presented here.
unless you have a fondness of smaller necks, I don’t think it would be an issue.

eg most PRS i’ve played were like this and so was a Suhr Henderson and a Suhr modern with the elliptical profile etc. Pretty common, but I always end up moving these guitars on specially if they are of considerable value.
My resent Charvel super stock DK is also like this but bc it’s cheaper and serves as my #2, it doesn’t bother me

 

[50WEST]

sure, as much as I can without actual measurements or tech details.

As a matter of personal preference I prefer narrow nut widths and non-modern neck profiles like a soft V or D but with shoulders shaved off. some examples might be the MM Luke, Anderson and Gibson iirc.

my YJM, mind you not a CS one, did not fall in that category but I’m not suggesting it had an untowardly wide neck or anything. Just not my thing despite the love for scalloping.
Had no idea that the nut is cut wide too affecting string spacing and was unaware of the info presented here.
unless you have a fondness of smaller necks, I don’t think it would be an issue.

eg most PRS i’ve played were like this and so was a Suhr Henderson and a Suhr modern with the elliptical profile etc. Pretty common, but I always end up moving these guitars on specially if they are of considerable value.
My resent Charvel super stock DK is also like this but bc it’s cheaper and serves as my #2, it doesn’t bother me

sure, as much as I can without actual measurements or tech details.

As a matter of personal preference I prefer narrow nut widths and non-modern neck profiles like a soft V or D but with shoulders shaved off. some examples might be the MM Luke, Anderson and Gibson iirc.

my YJM, mind you not a CS one, did not fall in that category but I’m not suggesting it had an untowardly wide neck or anything. Just not my thing despite the love for scalloping.
Had no idea that the nut is cut wide too affecting string spacing and was unaware of the info presented here.
unless you have a fondness of smaller necks, I don’t think it would be an issue.

eg most PRS i’ve played were like this and so was a Suhr Henderson and a Suhr modern with the elliptical profile etc. Pretty common, but I always end up moving these guitars on specially if they are of considerable value.
My resent Charvel super stock DK is also like this but bc it’s cheaper and serves as my #2, it doesn’t bother me

I play Ibanez, Vik 7 strings, ESP, and Vigier so I’m comfortable with wider fretboards.

I just grabbed a custom shop YJM. Should be here tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed that I mesh with it. Thank you to everyone for your input!

 

[TheGreatGreen]

I play Ibanez, Vik 7 strings, ESP, and Vigier so I’m comfortable with wider fretboards.

I just grabbed a custom shop YJM. Should be here tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed that I mesh with it. Thank you to everyone for your input!

Good luck!

Let us know what you think.

 

[Jakem]

I play Ibanez, Vik 7 strings, ESP, and Vigier so I’m comfortable with wider fretboards.

I just grabbed a custom shop YJM. Should be here tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed that I mesh with it. Thank you to everyone for your input!

Congrats! Please tell Us how You like it!

 

[50WEST]

Congrats! Please tell Us how You like it!

Just spent the majority of the day playing the custom shop YJM…

The first thing I noticed was the quality of the build. The attention to detail is incredible! Really like they went a step above so to speak. Maybe that’s how the custom shops are, but I’ve not owned a Fender product since I was a kid so I don’t have anything to base that on.

On to the neck! I didn’t really notice the scallops… I just noticed that it was easier to get a “grip” on the string. It was definitely easy to lose control if you aren’t careful.

If you push to hard you can really feel the strings dig into your fingers, so I can totally see how it helps “teach” light touch. I can only describe it by saying the strings felt “bigger”? I don’t know how else to describe the sensation! After awhile, and really focusing on that light touch, it’s easy to fly up & down the neck! It’s extremely comfortable, and on the custom shop model, at least, there is no high E slippage that I noticed.

Finally, it’s just a GREAT sounding guitar. It really shocked me, it sounds good, really good!! Definitely a keeper for me, as it’s not something I currently have in my arsenal. Very, very happy with this acquisition so far, and I think it will only get better the more I play it. If anyone has any questions, let me know!

 

[Jakem]

Congrats for the new guitar and I’m very happy everything went well with the guitar!

 

[Ratou]

The switch is really not bad, I have a guitar that is scalloped from the 10th fret onwards only and I use it regularly live for all sorts of music

 

[50WEST]

The switch is really not bad, I have a guitar that is scalloped from the 10th fret onwards only and I use it regularly live for all sorts of music

Honestly, I didn’t notice it really, and I know I’m a bit heavy handed

 

[Ratou]

On the Malmsteen's the only downside I find is that open chords are slightly more awkward to do but you can get used to it