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A note on identification. While the first Yngwie Strat model (1988) is distinct from the others in that it has a small, 50’s style headstock and a two-point tremolo, the later two redesigns, launched in 1998 and 2007, are less easily distinguished. Online specs are often outdated, with a picture of the new guitar but the info on the old one; sometimes sellers on eBay or smaller indy sites copy the latest Fender specs (from the ’07 revision) to the description of their older, used models. Occasionally a Japanese model will sneak in, too. The way to ID the Malmsteen Strat you’re looking at is from its headstock.
Here’s what you’re looking for:
US version #1:
Small 50s headstock (all others feature large “CBS” heads)
Filled truss rod plug – no access
US version #2:
Large 70s “CBS” headstock
Walnut truss rod plug w/access
US version #3:
Large 70s “CBS” headstock
Chrome “bullet” truss rod
Japan versions:
Large 70s “CBS” headstock
Chrome “bullet” truss rod
Does not say “with synchronized tremolo” below Fender decal
Two string trees
Modern Gotoh type tuners
US vs Japan
Fender-scallops-US-JPModels produced by Fender Japan, regardless of how you feel about them, are less valuable than the US versions, with bodies made from basswood (as opposed to the traditional alder of the US versions) and generally worse scallop jobs. Up close you can often see quickie, machine-style scallops in their fretboards; a shallower cut that does not reach all the way from one fret to the next, but rather creates a small trench in the wood between flat, unscalloped ledges. Fender US Malmsteen necks have a more detailed, hand-finished look to them, with each scallop rounded out individually from fret wire to fret wire; no flat ledges. The same applies to factory-scalloped Fender Japan ST71 and ST72 “SC” (for ‘scalloped’) models, which did not carry Yngwie’s name or signature, but were unmistakably intended as cheaper avenues into the Malmsteen realm. It’s easy to identify the Fender US approach as more appealing, having more craftsmanship invested in it; however, it has been said that refretting the Japanese style board would be an easier job, which may be true or may not.
US vs US vs US
I’ve owned all three US versions of the Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster, and although I got rid of the earliest model, I still have the next two models, which are much closer in spec and appearance, and by far the two you’re most likely to find out there today.
The original 88 version is quite distant from what Yngwie plays today, with its little round neck, thin vintage frets, two-point trem etc. However, what bugged me about it was the way truss rod adjustments could only be made at the heel. That meant removing the neck for every adjustment. If you own a scalloped neck somewhere like the North East, where half the year is terribly humid and the other half is terribly dry, you need to get in and make adjustments, and it’s just too much of an operation with the first Malmsteen model — especially if you consider how we don’t always get truss adjustments right first time, and have to retune, let the neck settle, check, and tweak again.
There’s not a great deal to separate the latest two versions, both of which feature the fat frets, big headstocks, later ‘YJM’ model DiMarzio pickups and easily-accessible truss rods we’d expect. But the 2007, which remains the current design today, does have some nice updates, and is my pick of the Malmsteen models. If you want to know why, see my V2 versus V3 Malmsteen Strat comparison review.
— G.A.N. |
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发表于 2016-5-11 18:26:51
