Nice Video! I bought the 1700.00 dollar guitar. I bought it to Yngwie to get him to autograph it. When I pulled it out of the case the first thing Yngwie said to me was "Let me see if you have the right one". Yngwie looked it over and said "This is the same guitar as the guitars I use.
For those that don't know, Yngwie has used his favourite 68s many times live and in the studio. You can see many videos and photos of him playing the 68 models. No skunk stripe or bullet. The only thing I'm surprised at is the 5 way switch. Doesn't make sense for an Yngwie model.
totally agree 'bout 5-way blade switch, but I think it's a result of using YJM Fury STK-S10N single coil pickup version to get humbucker using conjunction of middle pickup with a neck and bridge ones (pos 2 and 4), but I'm not sure I understood it in a right way - perhaps in both guitars were used just the same YJM Fury STK-S10B single coil sized humbuckers (not the sinlges in customshop guitar with 5-way switch), but using standard wirings for 3-way and 5-way switches, however in this case I can't understand why wasnt shown of using pull/push volume function to split coils???
@@sommerssamantha the YJM fury pickups are stacked humbuckers. They are NOT single coils. What you're saying would only be applicable to true single coils. Yngwie hasn't used single coil pickups since around 1985.
@@douglasnisbet1189 Thank You, Douglas! Hope You are right, but ... my assumptions are based on the knowledges that customshop guitar is a replica of 1968's Stratocaster, and on what I see in the comparizon table here ruclips.net/video/Ydfh3X81LTE/видео.html - can You explain why pickups models for both guitar were pointed with a small difference - "Single-coil" (not a "single-coil sized")?
@@sommerssamantha both pickups are stacked humbuckers. Yngwie never uses single coils. His YJM fury pickups are NOT single coils. They have two coils stacked on top of each other. Regardless of what any particular spreadsheet or product info page says, that is the reality. The 5 way switch is just there to give access to positions two and four. Presumably just a marketing thing from Fender to make the custom shop model slightly different.
No no no. Lots of 5k copium here. Resonant woods this, dense grained glued on fretboard neck that. There.is.no.way this "custom shop" Strat is worth 5k. The wholesale price differentiation that Fender gets for a flat sawn piece of a maple neck blank to a quarter or rift sawn one is probably like $10. Many of the old desirable vintage strats got flatsawn anyway. A few yrs ago I bought a minty 2006ish YJM, has Dimarzios, 3 way bullet truss rod (way easier), 1 piece flame figured lacquer finished neck, 4 bolt plate, light weight etc...for $1300. Thats exactly the price point these guitars should be at.
Noone is trying to justify the 5k price tag. This is about showing off the clear and apparent differences. Imo, the custom should be 2k and the normal one should be not higher than 1.5k. You get a Richie Blackmore signature für 1.3k brandnew. There is absolutely no justification for the YJM sig to cost almost double. I do not even like the Furys and ffs it is just a strat. I can buy a really solid high end acoustic guitar for 3k. The production costs of a strat is nowhere near to that of a decent acoustic. But then again, you can get some crazy copies of YJM's strat from China for less than 1/5th of the price. Labor cost in Cali is through the roof and so will also be the products.
It's because it's a friggin malsteen Strat, isn't malsteen the Guy who has stacks of marshalls onstage but only a few of them are actually working, and the rest of them might As well be cardboard boxes As they are just a cabinet with nothing in there,you can see how There is no Power going to them heads Or cabinets because of no red Power lights on the Amps,buy a Blackmore Or Gilmour Strat before purchasing malmsteens garbage
Agreed. I have a 1999 USA made YJM i bought from the original owner a month after he bought it. He couldn't get used to the scalloped board so i bought it from him for $1000. Still have it 25 years later. Mines the sonic blue one with a rosewood board and bullet rod
I emailed Seymour Duncan and asked if they wound the YJM pickups that go in the 68 model in their custom shop. They told me that both of these model guitars are using the exact same standard Fury pickups. I did notice that the Custom Shop 68 guitar's pickups were raised up a bit higher closer to the strings, so that may be a contributing factor.
finally someone who gets it!!! better to record guitar playing with a brillian ambient mic, than putting it through processing, etc through a program. If a guitar sounds great perceived through a room mic - and you can hear through your audio device that, then it will sound great through pro-tools or whatever as well. Better hear it like this!!!
I would just like to say I think you have given one he of the most accurate descriptions of this guitar. I’ve had everything over the years and this guitar is covering ever situation for me. It does so much good at everything I play on it it is unbelievable your description is very accurate and spot on
Thank you for this video. You broke everything down perfectly and I greatly appreciate how you really took the time to show us the tiniest details. Thank you!
The non custom shop one has a three way switch, but you can still get the five positions out if it very easy by putting the switch midway between 1 & 2 and then 2 & 3.
The reason behind the difference in body shape is purely down to the fact that one (the custom shop) is based on a 60s Strat which by default is slimmer and with more curves and the other one is based on a 70s Strat which is slightly more less contoured on the edges and thicker in places. Both instruments are incredible the CS version more so, minus the hidden adjusting rod.
yup. i have a real 74 strat and it’s body is much thicker in certain places than my 54 reissue. i like the 70’s bodies more. the rounded appearance is more visually pleasing to me.
SloppyButler I agree. The reason Yngwie prefers the more “blocky” body of the 71 due to its beefyness it is more “suitable” for hard rock metal tones. At lest that’s what he says.
The custom shop strat has a tinted neck, so the colour difference is NOT because of the wood, but the finish. The production model will have the same colour after 2 days in the sun 👍🙂
GREAT video! Just found your channel a few days ago. I'm a big fan of these USA vs. Custom Shop video comparisons and what you do on your channel in general...please keep doing it!!!
I was prepared to listen to some YJM stuff.I have many YJM strats and now i got my own signature guitar based on Malmsteen's first axes. Sound incredible .Check em if you want!!!Nice review .
Woooow love your videos man! You are one of the few reviewers that get so deep!! I have a regular malmsteen, saw your video and went to buy the custom shop but in blue! You rock man! Love your channel!
Check the pickup heights the height has a lot to do with it, the custom Shop has more high mods and treble, if you balance the pickups due to body wood, they will sound closer
IMO. The lack of a bullet truss rod adjustment on the CS, is a bad move. That's a huge pain in the ass if you want to adjust neck relief. I owned the regular USA model and it was a great guitar
I understand his annoyance about the misinformation about the glued on fretboard vs the one piece neck- but, most of the best guitars ever created had a glued on fretboard...
Its the first time i came here to really see the difference but man i'm blown away by the tone of the custom shop YJM. I watched through the entire video and i love how you go through the details. As a Yngwie fan, i never imagine that his go to guitar for gigs and all was the standard YJM strat. But it makes sense for him since he goes live breaking his strats haha. Would hurt for him to break custom shop strat. Haha. Plus it makes sense for him to put his ciggy on a strat with the bullet trus rod. But the existance of the premium custom shop YJM was mindblowing.
Excellent review! The massive price difference doesn’t justify the sound difference to me! Under distortion and reverb it most make much of a difference I think.
Hey! great detailed video :) One Question: did you find you were able to get the action lower on the custom shop strat vs. the USA? I've struggled to get mine (even after a fret level) to 4/64ths in terms of height at the 12th fret. How is that in terms of difference vs the custom? Thanks!
Don't know if you now know differently, but you just loosen the 4 screws only half way without taking the neck out of the neck pocket of the strat body, and just tilt the neck about 30 degrees and you can easily access the truss rod with a philips screwdriver to adjust.
I owned the Fender Yngwie regular USA strat for a year and a half and owned 2 Fender Custom Shop strats: 57 heavy relic and 65 relic and just a few days ago tried the Fender Yngwie Custom Shop strat and was completely, utterly blown away. It's 10 to 20 times better of a guitar than the regular Yngwie USA strat. The Fender Yngwie Custom Shop has the best sounding pickups and best wood tones, sustain and resonance I've ever heard, even with the 1/64 inch neck pocket gap. Just holding the neck with my thumb and index finger at the nut, the Fender CS felt perfectly balanced and the Fender regular Artist USA strat felt like a imbalanced big lump of dog poop in a trash bag.
@@albertgarciaguitar5306 Yeah, I don't know how and why the pickups sounded about 3-5 better than supposedly the same ones as the US model. Probably dipped in wax and better wiring and soldering skills. And to clarify, I was holding the Custom shop vertically with just my thumb and index finger behind the nut like everybody does, and was so surprised how balanced and centered it felt, and the US model just felt literally lopsided. I always thought 2 piece maple cap necks wouldn't sound as good as 1 piece necks but I now think that doesn't matter. It's how old or aged(torrefied) the wood is. Newer, fresher, and wetter wood blanks are cheaper to buy and are never used on Custom Shops I'm sure.
Thank you for this vid it was a really cool review. I've been playing Strats for 30 years and though I'll likely never get my hands on a custom shop instrument, I can relate to that feeling when you wrap your hands around that Strat neck tone. There's nothing else like it. It makes you play things, like the way you played "Lenny". Thanks again and much respect from the Bay Area. MK
Just watched to the end. First time on your channel. Great video and great playing. So nice to hear people playing clean melodic stuff on the Yngwie models instead of trying and failing to play Yngwie stuff and sounding like shit. You really showed how great and versatile these guitars are. Absolutely not just for Yngwie-wannabes. Just for anyone looking for a very high standard guitar.
I wanted the custom shop version but none in stock anyplace and I did not want to pay over 5k for a guitar so went with the standard one and saved 3k plus let me fun an Ibanez 7 string guitar and Mesa Boogie Mark V combo amp. More bang for buck.
Hearing you talk about the massive tone difference between a 1-piece neck and a 2-piece neck, I got me wondering what your take on Jim Lill's "Tested: Where does the tone come from in an electric guitar?" video is? Could you debunk it? That would give you crazy amount of views, I'd bet!
cool video - not many around on the custom shops malmsteens. happy for you that you can start out on amazing gear , i remember when i first started out it was on a costco guitar pack
I have a 2001 signature model. Has great sustain and warmth. Personally I like the dimarzio sh-4s better than the Duncan yjm tone. Not a loud as the duncans but more organic feeling to me. Maybe a comparison would be a good idea
My friend recently got a custom shop danny gatton telecaster from fender. Best sounding guitar I've ever played, neck like a baseball bat out of one of the prettiest pieces of maple I've ever seen. I thought my American standard tele was all that until that moment.
Amazing review and comparison man! Really appreciate the passion and patience to go through all of those details! I'd be great to have timestamps so we can reference to certain bits later easily. Cheers from Brazil!
It's worth noting the body was so much more square that I checked it against my standard strat and found that the standard was more round. I went and looked it up online and the square body according to most information I've found was something that was specified for this Strat. So it's not as much as a custom shop to standard version difference, it's more of a difference in specifications, which Fender claims Yngwie asked for.
Very nice in depth review! 👍👌🤘. I really love my Black 1990 Japanese Malmsteen strat! And good to hear somebody pronoucing the name YngWIE as we/most North Europeans do! Just like it should!👊😉 No Vee but WIE 😆 Rock on 🔥🎸
Wow.. So, based on your observation of the neck wood, my 2020 Fender Player Series Stratocaster has GREAT WOOD. I was studying the grain on the neck, which is maple, it is literally packed with beautiful grain patterns, and the neck tone is darker, almost a yellow. It’s amazing that it’s made in Mexico, and nearly gives my 2009 USA Stratocaster a run for its money. But THAT guitar has aged beautifully. Btw, I purchased the Player Series Stratocaster via Sweetwater. I did have the YJM FURY pickups installed on my 2009 Stratocaster, but I didn’t like that it sounded too hot and took away too much from its traditional tone, so I reinstalled the factory pickups, and after three years and some improved playing, they sound phenomenal. I can get a decent sound with the small gear I have, to Malmsteen’s tone, and in many cases, I can nail down the vibrato as I believe his best tone was based on those early Fenders. However, I don’t just limit my tone to sound like Yngwie, that would be silly. I recently have been playing around with, and using all sorts of tones from sustaining violin like tones, to old dirty gritty ones, and old hard strumming for that dirty rock. I used to only want to sound like Yngwie, but as I’ve gotten older, I asked myself, WHY am I just restricting my playing to just one type..I’m cheating myself out of so much a Fender can do. And now, I just have fun playing my Fenders. Nice video, and I like that you’re a funny guy, you don’t take yourself too serious on these, and that’s very cool! I’ve learned something new today from you thanks!
Thanx bud for the kind words. Yeah the player series are killer guitars! Some of the made in Mexico that I’ve seen over the years were just as good as the USA!!!
THE VATICANTS Yeah, I agree. Ive compared that Player Series to my 09 USA Stratocaster, and these are all the things they each have in common with each other: 1:Both have exactly the same Vintage style bridge with the fulcrum settings (the previous MIM Strats used the even older style with the 6 screws mounting to the body,as opposed to the US models which used the two main mounts for adjustable floating I’d you wanted) 2: both have 22 medium jumbo frets 3: both have identical pickups, except with the degradation of my older Strat’s pickups which make it sound more vintage, but in 10 years, the MIM Strat will probably sound similar as it breaks in. 4: their bodies are identical in shape, down to the edges, roundness, cuts. 5: both share exactly the same tuners, same exact headstock shape. 6: both have the two-string tree’s in the same spot for same strings. The only difference is that the US model has roller-like contacts and the Mexican one has the curved contacts so that the strings don’t slip off. 7: both sound similar in attack, sustain, but just minor tonal variations. In other words, I believe that the Mexican Stratocasters made now, are really just the old USA Standards rebranded as the “Player Series” while the US models upgraded to a more Premium deluxe variation. Sorry, you probably already knew this, but I just wanted to share the similarities between my two believes Stratocasters. Btw, ALL my guitars are left handed models lol.. which irks me that Fender won’t make Yngwie’s model as a lefty, but I’m actually having one built for me . It’s a Play Loud heavily relic’ed Malmsteen model made by DYguitars, and has been in in the building process since late April and should be complete any week now. Thanks again, I subscribed to your channel!
Very cool and through review, thank you! I just brought the cheapest cream strat on ebay and scalloped it myself, I love to play on it, maybe I will buy an original Malmsteen strat one day!
Good sounding guitar still comes down to luck of the draw. The best sounding strat I've owned is a $999 Am. Special Strat....and I've owned 8 or 9 Sometimes we hear wirh our eyes
Thanks for sharing. I was with you (including the different body contours - none of my US Strats - regular or Custom Shop - have ever had Malmsteen style sharp edges like the YM Signature model so I guess they do this on purpose) until the sound /tone comparison. Through my monitors and through headphones sorry but I couldn't understand the differences you were noting. Acoustically they seemed similar but plugged in all that changed. Where the actions and pickup heights the same on both? In my experience you can never predict entirely which is going to be the brighter and longer sustaining but from those I own I find that the Custom Shop models if anything tend to be acoustically warmer/darker (you used the term muddy) and this makes them phenomenal when played loud. As an example I had a great US artist Jeff Beck Strat. It was a really enjoyable guitar to play. When I plugged in my new Custom Shop version I was surprised at how bassy it sounded. It is almost like a Basswood guitar. But it works perfectly with those Hot Noiseless pickups. Which is better? It depends. For sparkly Strat tones I would pick the US artist version. Which do I prefer for JB material? Definitely the CS version. I have a standard latest generation US YJM Strat and it is actually one of the best Strats I have ever owned. It probably would also sound muddy to you but every note jumps off the fretboard wherever you are. And it literally goes into overdrive into a vintage OD250. Just my 2c. I'm just trying to add to what you have said to help any potential buyer. Nothing beats having both guitars in your hands and RUclips is never going to compare with being in the room with your amp. As ever, if you have the option, try before you buy. I thoroughtly enjoyed your video and it's great that we can see a first hand comparison that otherwise we would have to make guesses about and rely on rumours. Thanks again for sharing.
My good man...captivating the way you’ve surrendered your experience so well to educate the masses on so many levels in this video. Wood, neck construction, CLARITY of notes within a high gain sound, marketing screw up by Fender...what a story it should have been sold as but unfortunately wasn’t. I suspect Yngwie would really appreciate this video. You personality shines through positively as does your house interior! Lol. An absolute joy. 🙏🏼 You’ve set me up for an english weekend of rain with a big smile!!! Thanks! 👍🏼✊🏼🤘🏼🙏🏼☀️
Hey Marko I have the corona version and your right a lot of guitarists see these guitars and think that you have to play like malmsteen, I’m not a speed player in fact I play mostly blues and jazz and this guitar is so amazing love the scalloped neck well worth it. Thanks again and keep up the good work brother
Honestly playing open chords takes a bit of practicing on this guitar cause the high E string tends to slide of the fret, but again just like anything else it takes practice
Paul A I have the same guitar the past 7 years, love it to death, is just chord playing is harder than the normal one. Especially when it comes to stretched 4 voicing chords (I have small hands) I find myself some notes being pressed harder than I want to (due to large hand stretch) thus making the note sound a little off. That’s a problem I don’t have with my other instruments. Apart from that it is a dream to play.
Yeah That’s were I kinda benefit from it cause I have big hands, it actually feels like a small neck compared to my Gibson les Paul which I love playing, I do like the fender but Gibson is my favorite
One thing is for sure. Damn that amp sounds fucking great! Custom sounds and looks better. But the signature sounds good as well. I want that rig. Good review man
I think the reason the CS sounds better is because the pickups are single-coils, while the non-CS model has noiseless pickups. I don't think the differences are due to the woods.
@@gpapa31 Pick ups have magnets and strings are magnetic. Wood is not. It's that simple. Beyond sustain, wood doesn't affect the tone of an electric guitar THROUGH THE AMP.
The Fender Custom shop Yngwie could be the most beautiful sounding and cool "Stratocaster" to own. I have the same reaction as you when you played the CS Yngwie. "HOLY SHIT" man, wow!!😄It really sound great. I need to save and buy one. Cheers!🤟
The main difference is that Yngwie doesn't play the custom shop model lol Anybody that wants the guitar that is the closest to Yngwie's will take the official signature one
Yngwie has used 68 models with no skunkstripe for years. True, these days he uses the standard malmsteen model, but in his hey day the 68 models were amongst his favourites. For me as an Yngwie fan and a fan of good guitars, I'd definitely take the custom shop.
Nice Video! I bought the 1700.00 dollar guitar. I bought it to Yngwie to get him to autograph it. When I pulled it out of the case the first thing Yngwie said to me was "Let me see if you have the right one". Yngwie looked it over and said "This is the same guitar as the guitars I use.
What year is yours?
@@hermanodejesus7264 i'd assume it's a 2019-2021 range since the videos 4 years old
@@johnnysix7162 bet you are right.... On stage Yngwie used to play his vintage ones, the duck, the red one, his 68 and such. Not anymore.....
And here we are, 2 years later, with a 500 USD price increase on the Regular YJM....Dang.....
Its is so frustrating
We must save ourselves from inflation.
19:05 Maybe it's the lighting, but that looks like a pretty big gap in the neck pocket for a 5 thousand dollar instrument.
Aggree
Indeed, it's quite strange.
It has to be with the lighting, Fender would never ship a custom shop instrument with such a gap
Great review! Where are you from? I noticed the accent.
Very keen observation.
@@benoitfleury8487 i've seen several custom shop guitars in stores that have gaps between the neck pocket and neck. That is how it is with fender.
For those that don't know, Yngwie has used his favourite 68s many times live and in the studio. You can see many videos and photos of him playing the 68 models. No skunk stripe or bullet. The only thing I'm surprised at is the 5 way switch. Doesn't make sense for an Yngwie model.
totally agree 'bout 5-way blade switch, but I think it's a result of using YJM Fury STK-S10N single coil pickup version to get humbucker using conjunction of middle pickup with a neck and bridge ones (pos 2 and 4), but I'm not sure I understood it in a right way - perhaps in both guitars were used just the same YJM Fury STK-S10B single coil sized humbuckers (not the sinlges in customshop guitar with 5-way switch), but using standard wirings for 3-way and 5-way switches, however in this case I can't understand why wasnt shown of using pull/push volume function to split coils???
@@sommerssamantha the YJM fury pickups are stacked humbuckers. They are NOT single coils. What you're saying would only be applicable to true single coils. Yngwie hasn't used single coil pickups since around 1985.
@@douglasnisbet1189 Thank You, Douglas! Hope You are right, but ... my assumptions are based on the knowledges that customshop guitar is a replica of 1968's Stratocaster, and on what I see in the comparizon table here ruclips.net/video/Ydfh3X81LTE/видео.html - can You explain why pickups models for both guitar were pointed with a small difference - "Single-coil" (not a "single-coil sized")?
@@sommerssamantha both pickups are stacked humbuckers. Yngwie never uses single coils. His YJM fury pickups are NOT single coils. They have two coils stacked on top of each other. Regardless of what any particular spreadsheet or product info page says, that is the reality. The 5 way switch is just there to give access to positions two and four. Presumably just a marketing thing from Fender to make the custom shop model slightly different.
No no no. Lots of 5k copium here. Resonant woods this, dense grained glued on fretboard neck that. There.is.no.way this "custom shop" Strat is worth 5k. The wholesale price differentiation that Fender gets for a flat sawn piece of a maple neck blank to a quarter or rift sawn one is probably like $10. Many of the old desirable vintage strats got flatsawn anyway. A few yrs ago I bought a minty 2006ish YJM, has Dimarzios, 3 way bullet truss rod (way easier), 1 piece flame figured lacquer finished neck, 4 bolt plate, light weight etc...for $1300. Thats exactly the price point these guitars should be at.
But sadly your deal is now a unicorn. I'm seeing older YJM sell for 2k flat all day long
@@ActivateBeastMode1 Who my guitar? I'll have to look at market it's been awhile.
Noone is trying to justify the 5k price tag. This is about showing off the clear and apparent differences. Imo, the custom should be 2k and the normal one should be not higher than 1.5k. You get a Richie Blackmore signature für 1.3k brandnew. There is absolutely no justification for the YJM sig to cost almost double. I do not even like the Furys and ffs it is just a strat. I can buy a really solid high end acoustic guitar for 3k. The production costs of a strat is nowhere near to that of a decent acoustic. But then again, you can get some crazy copies of YJM's strat from China for less than 1/5th of the price. Labor cost in Cali is through the roof and so will also be the products.
It's because it's a friggin malsteen Strat, isn't malsteen the Guy who has stacks of marshalls onstage but only a few of them are actually working, and the rest of them might As well be cardboard boxes As they are just a cabinet with nothing in there,you can see how There is no Power going to them heads Or cabinets because of no red Power lights on the Amps,buy a Blackmore Or Gilmour Strat before purchasing malmsteens garbage
Agreed. I have a 1999 USA made YJM i bought from the original owner a month after he bought it. He couldn't get used to the scalloped board so i bought it from him for $1000. Still have it 25 years later. Mines the sonic blue one with a rosewood board and bullet rod
I emailed Seymour Duncan and asked if they wound the YJM pickups that go in the 68 model in their custom shop. They told me that both of these model guitars are using the exact same standard Fury pickups. I did notice that the Custom Shop 68 guitar's pickups were raised up a bit higher closer to the strings, so that may be a contributing factor.
40:10 bridge YJM
40:17 neck YJM
40:37 bridge custom
41:16 neck custom
Thank you!!!!
finally someone who gets it!!! better to record guitar playing with a brillian ambient mic, than putting it through processing, etc through a program. If a guitar sounds great perceived through a room mic - and you can hear through your audio device that, then it will sound great through pro-tools or whatever as well. Better hear it like this!!!
I would just like to say I think you have given one he of the most accurate descriptions of this guitar. I’ve had everything over the years and this guitar is covering ever situation for me. It does so much good at everything I play on it it is unbelievable your description is very accurate and spot on
Just bought the regular one new. It arrives Wednesday. It will be displayed on the wall next to the Dime Dean Razerback.
One of the best in depth reviews of the guitar I’ve ever seen, thank you bro!! Sounds amazing also
Thank you, brother! ;)
THE VATICANTS hey dude mine just came in this morning!! I can’t believe how amazing it plays! Bought it from Sweetwater! Thanks again! \m/
Absolutely amazing job! Outstanding! This is the video I didn't know I needed! Keep it up!
Thank you for this video. You broke everything down perfectly and I greatly appreciate how you really took the time to show us the tiniest details. Thank you!
the most detailed introduction I have ever seen. Congratulation & Thank's.
I watched the whole thing, Now that was a great review.
Interesting to see that there is such a difference in body contour, probably bc they did have more belly carve in the 60s
The non custom shop one has a three way switch, but you can still get the five positions out if it very easy by putting the switch midway between 1 & 2 and then 2 & 3.
The reason behind the difference in body shape is purely down to the fact that one (the custom shop) is based on a 60s Strat which by default is slimmer and with more curves and the other one is based on a 70s Strat which is slightly more less contoured on the edges and thicker in places. Both instruments are incredible the CS version more so, minus the hidden adjusting rod.
yup. i have a real 74 strat and it’s body is much thicker in certain places than my 54 reissue. i like the 70’s bodies more. the rounded appearance is more visually pleasing to me.
SloppyButler I agree. The reason Yngwie prefers the more “blocky” body of the 71 due to its beefyness it is more “suitable” for hard rock metal tones. At lest that’s what he says.
I ordered a Custom Shop, it should arrive in march-april
Hey Marko, great review and thank you for doing it. You’ve eased my curiosity about the difference. Play it in good health :-)
Can you review the YJM 100 Marshall with the same scrutiny? This was a TERRIFIC review. Thank you!
Thank you for this in depth review and comparison.
The custom shop strat has a tinted neck, so the colour difference is NOT because of the wood, but the finish. The production model will have the same colour after 2 days in the sun 👍🙂
It wont have the same colour after only 2 days in the sun lol. Maybe 10-15 years yes
I had one of these some time ago with the dimarzios fitted, it had to go back to fender the frets were all over the place.
GREAT video! Just found your channel a few days ago. I'm a big fan of these USA vs. Custom Shop video comparisons and what you do on your channel in general...please keep doing it!!!
Great comparison video. Super deep dive. Thanks and kudos!
Where is the truss rod adjustment on the custom shop? Did I miss that part?
I looked at my old RG550.. now I understand the grain and how it was sawn. DAMN!!!! Great vid.
Great review, great tone and great playing mate!
I was prepared to listen to some YJM stuff.I have many YJM strats and now i got my own signature guitar based on Malmsteen's first axes. Sound incredible .Check em if you want!!!Nice review .
Panos you are an absolute God of a player. Incredible.
Appreciate your attention to detail and passion Brotha. 🤘🏻
Woooow love your videos man! You are one of the few reviewers that get so deep!! I have a regular malmsteen, saw your video and went to buy the custom shop but in blue! You rock man! Love your channel!
Dude, that hour flew by. Awesome vid. I was waiting for something like this since I am thinking of buying this Strat.
Thnx Jimmy. I listed this one on reverb and bought the Candy Apple Red ;)
@@THEVATICANTS thats the one im looking at! Gorgeous.
Check the pickup heights the height has a lot to do with it, the custom Shop has more high mods and treble, if you balance the pickups due to body wood, they will sound closer
Bullshit!!!! Those are two different guitars like the man said!!!! And also like the man said, “Sometimes in life, you get what you pay for”!!!!
Great examination of the strats I'm really digging your channel there dude
Do a comparison between the regular Fender YMJ vs The Ibanez JS which is in the background.Would be an amazing comparison.
IMO. The lack of a bullet truss rod adjustment on the CS, is a bad move. That's a huge pain in the ass if you want to adjust neck relief. I owned the regular USA model and it was a great guitar
It is not needed in that type of wood.
Damn man, I’m not even all the way through but I could hear the difference on the custom shop as soon as you played it. That’s insane.
Yeah, my jaw dropped for a second. That quality jump is real. Not that I have that kind of money, but damn.
I understand his annoyance about the misinformation about the glued on fretboard vs the one piece neck- but, most of the best guitars ever created had a glued on fretboard...
Great and informative video... I learned alot!! Appreciate you!!
Great review Thank God I waited ! Wonderful Video Indeed :>)
Its the first time i came here to really see the difference but man i'm blown away by the tone of the custom shop YJM. I watched through the entire video and i love how you go through the details. As a Yngwie fan, i never imagine that his go to guitar for gigs and all was the standard YJM strat. But it makes sense for him since he goes live breaking his strats haha. Would hurt for him to break custom shop strat. Haha. Plus it makes sense for him to put his ciggy on a strat with the bullet trus rod. But the existance of the premium custom shop YJM was mindblowing.
Wow amazing deep dive into these guitars. The signature in red is a dream studio guitar. Would love to play with the clean tone on all 5 switches!
Very very interesting 👍🏻 I just learned a lot of things with your video. Thank you 👍🏻
I watched this video from start to finish. Loved every comparison and example. Most excellent video thank you sir. Subscribed!
Excellent review! The massive price difference doesn’t justify the sound difference to me! Under distortion and reverb it most make much of a difference I think.
I really enjoyed watching this. Thank u. So much detail. Great work.
This just makes me want it even more
Thats custom one really have a crystal clear sound..damnn
You look like 15 years younger without the beard damn dude
Hey! great detailed video :) One Question: did you find you were able to get the action lower on the custom shop strat vs. the USA?
I've struggled to get mine (even after a fret level) to 4/64ths in terms of height at the 12th fret.
How is that in terms of difference vs the custom?
Thanks!
Yeah I had same issues :)
@@THEVATICANTSglad I’m not the only one. I guess these guitars need the higher action to really breathe.
Heel-adjust truss-rod is garbage on a Strat because you have to take the neck off in order to adjust the rod
Songs like your sister.
Don't know if you now know differently, but you just loosen the 4 screws only half way without taking the neck out of the neck pocket of the strat body, and just tilt the neck about 30 degrees and you can easily access the truss rod with a philips screwdriver to adjust.
I owned the Fender Yngwie regular USA strat for a year and a half and owned 2 Fender Custom Shop strats: 57 heavy relic and 65 relic and just a few days ago tried the Fender Yngwie Custom Shop strat and was completely, utterly blown away. It's 10 to 20 times better of a guitar than the regular Yngwie USA strat. The Fender Yngwie Custom Shop has the best sounding pickups and best wood tones, sustain and resonance I've ever heard, even with the 1/64 inch neck pocket gap.
Just holding the neck with my thumb and index finger at the nut, the Fender CS felt perfectly balanced and the Fender regular Artist USA strat felt like a imbalanced big lump of dog poop in a trash bag.
I needed to read this comment, exactly what I wanted to know. Custom shop it is
@@albertgarciaguitar5306 Yeah, I don't know how and why the pickups sounded about 3-5 better than supposedly the same ones as the US model. Probably dipped in wax and better wiring and soldering skills. And to clarify, I was holding the Custom shop vertically with just my thumb and index finger behind the nut like everybody does, and was so surprised how balanced and centered it felt, and the US model just felt literally lopsided. I always thought 2 piece maple cap necks wouldn't sound as good as 1 piece necks but I now think that doesn't matter. It's how old or aged(torrefied) the wood is. Newer, fresher, and wetter wood blanks are cheaper to buy and are never used on Custom Shops I'm sure.
Why the dislikes? This is an amazing comparison video.
There’s always haters cause they can’t do better :)
Amazing review! Thanks!! I’ve enjoyed a lot. Custom shop sound greeeeeat!
Thank you for this vid it was a really cool review. I've been playing Strats for 30 years and though I'll likely never get my hands on a custom shop instrument, I can relate to that feeling when you wrap your hands around that Strat neck tone. There's nothing else like it. It makes you play things, like the way you played "Lenny".
Thanks again and much respect from the Bay Area.
MK
Just watched to the end. First time on your channel. Great video and great playing. So nice to hear people playing clean melodic stuff on the Yngwie models instead of trying and failing to play Yngwie stuff and sounding like shit. You really showed how great and versatile these guitars are. Absolutely not just for Yngwie-wannabes. Just for anyone looking for a very high standard guitar.
I wanted the custom shop version but none in stock anyplace and I did not want to pay over 5k for a guitar so went with the standard one and saved 3k plus let me fun an Ibanez 7 string guitar and Mesa Boogie Mark V combo amp. More bang for buck.
Great comparison. Anyone who is in the market for either one needs to watch this.
That custom shop neck tone is heavenly!
I do favor the custom shop…like the tint on neck…materials are grade up…however the stock Malmsteen is fine by me…🤙🏻
Hearing you talk about the massive tone difference between a 1-piece neck and a 2-piece neck, I got me wondering what your take on Jim Lill's "Tested: Where does the tone come from in an electric guitar?" video is? Could you debunk it? That would give you crazy amount of views, I'd bet!
We all would love the "Bugatti" ✌🏻 great Video!
cool video - not many around on the custom shops malmsteens. happy for you that you can start out on amazing gear , i remember when i first started out it was on a costco guitar pack
Very very nice comparison , well done!
I have a 2001 signature model. Has great sustain and warmth. Personally I like the dimarzio sh-4s better than the Duncan yjm tone. Not a loud as the duncans but more organic feeling to me. Maybe a comparison would be a good idea
I find them identical.
My friend recently got a custom shop danny gatton telecaster from fender. Best sounding guitar I've ever played, neck like a baseball bat out of one of the prettiest pieces of maple I've ever seen. I thought my American standard tele was all that until that moment.
Amazing review and comparison man! Really appreciate the passion and patience to go through all of those details! I'd be great to have timestamps so we can reference to certain bits later easily. Cheers from Brazil!
It's worth noting the body was so much more square that I checked it against my standard strat and found that the standard was more round. I went and looked it up online and the square body according to most information I've found was something that was specified for this Strat. So it's not as much as a custom shop to standard version difference, it's more of a difference in specifications, which Fender claims Yngwie asked for.
Very nice in depth review! 👍👌🤘. I really love my Black 1990 Japanese Malmsteen strat! And good to hear somebody pronoucing the name YngWIE as we/most North Europeans do! Just like it should!👊😉 No Vee but WIE 😆
Rock on 🔥🎸
Coming through YT into some flat response cans I can't tell any difference at all in the acoustic sound
Would like to request some George Lynch guitar reviews if possible. Thanks so much. Great channel.
Wow..
So, based on your observation of the neck wood, my 2020 Fender Player Series Stratocaster has GREAT WOOD. I was studying the grain on the neck, which is maple, it is literally packed with beautiful grain patterns, and the neck tone is darker, almost a yellow.
It’s amazing that it’s made in Mexico, and nearly gives my 2009 USA Stratocaster a run for its money. But THAT guitar has aged beautifully.
Btw, I purchased the Player Series Stratocaster via Sweetwater.
I did have the YJM FURY pickups installed on my 2009 Stratocaster, but I didn’t like that it sounded too hot and took away too much from its traditional tone, so I reinstalled the factory pickups, and after three years and some improved playing, they sound phenomenal.
I can get a decent sound with the small gear I have, to Malmsteen’s tone, and in many cases, I can nail down the vibrato as I believe his best tone was based on those early Fenders. However, I don’t just limit my tone to sound like Yngwie, that would be silly. I recently have been playing around with, and using all sorts of tones from sustaining violin like tones, to old dirty gritty ones, and old hard strumming for that dirty rock.
I used to only want to sound like Yngwie, but as I’ve gotten older, I asked myself, WHY am I just restricting my playing to just one type..I’m cheating myself out of so much a Fender can do.
And now, I just have fun playing my Fenders.
Nice video, and I like that you’re a funny guy, you don’t take yourself too serious on these, and that’s very cool!
I’ve learned something new today from you thanks!
Thanx bud for the kind words. Yeah the player series are killer guitars! Some of the made in Mexico that I’ve seen over the years were just as good as the USA!!!
THE VATICANTS Yeah, I agree. Ive compared that Player Series to my 09 USA Stratocaster, and these are all the things they each have in common with each other:
1:Both have exactly the same Vintage style bridge with the fulcrum settings (the previous MIM Strats used the even older style with the 6 screws mounting to the body,as opposed to the US models which used the two main mounts for adjustable floating I’d you wanted)
2: both have 22 medium jumbo frets
3: both have identical pickups, except with the degradation of my older Strat’s pickups which make it sound more vintage, but in 10 years, the MIM Strat will probably sound similar as it breaks in.
4: their bodies are identical in shape, down to the edges, roundness, cuts.
5: both share exactly the same tuners, same exact headstock shape.
6: both have the two-string tree’s in the same spot for same strings. The only difference is that the US model has roller-like contacts and the Mexican one has the curved contacts so that the strings don’t slip off.
7: both sound similar in attack, sustain, but just minor tonal variations.
In other words, I believe that the Mexican Stratocasters made now, are really just the old USA Standards rebranded as the “Player Series” while the US models upgraded to a more Premium deluxe variation.
Sorry, you probably already knew this, but I just wanted to share the similarities between my two believes Stratocasters. Btw, ALL my guitars are left handed models lol.. which irks me that Fender won’t make Yngwie’s model as a lefty, but I’m actually having one built for me . It’s a Play Loud heavily relic’ed Malmsteen model made by DYguitars, and has been in in the building process since late April and should be complete any week now.
Thanks again, I subscribed to your channel!
Very cool and through review, thank you! I just brought the cheapest cream strat on ebay and scalloped it myself, I love to play on it, maybe I will buy an original Malmsteen strat one day!
68' had a 4 bolt. Cool guitars
Good sounding guitar still comes down to luck of the draw. The best sounding strat I've owned is a $999 Am. Special Strat....and I've owned 8 or 9
Sometimes we hear wirh our eyes
Looks like they raised the price again on the regular ones :(
Thanks for this incredibly helpful video. I'm definitely gonna buy the non-custom shop one!
You did a great job dude!
Man I miss my76 hardtail black with maple board Ugh great Vid thanks Marco!
Thanks for sharing. I was with you (including the different body contours - none of my US Strats - regular or Custom Shop - have ever had Malmsteen style sharp edges like the YM Signature model so I guess they do this on purpose) until the sound /tone comparison. Through my monitors and through headphones sorry but I couldn't understand the differences you were noting. Acoustically they seemed similar but plugged in all that changed. Where the actions and pickup heights the same on both? In my experience you can never predict entirely which is going to be the brighter and longer sustaining but from those I own I find that the Custom Shop models if anything tend to be acoustically warmer/darker (you used the term muddy) and this makes them phenomenal when played loud. As an example I had a great US artist Jeff Beck Strat. It was a really enjoyable guitar to play. When I plugged in my new Custom Shop version I was surprised at how bassy it sounded. It is almost like a Basswood guitar. But it works perfectly with those Hot Noiseless pickups. Which is better? It depends. For sparkly Strat tones I would pick the US artist version. Which do I prefer for JB material? Definitely the CS version.
I have a standard latest generation US YJM Strat and it is actually one of the best Strats I have ever owned. It probably would also sound muddy to you but every note jumps off the fretboard wherever you are. And it literally goes into overdrive into a vintage OD250. Just my 2c. I'm just trying to add to what you have said to help any potential buyer. Nothing beats having both guitars in your hands and RUclips is never going to compare with being in the room with your amp. As ever, if you have the option, try before you buy. I thoroughtly enjoyed your video and it's great that we can see a first hand comparison that otherwise we would have to make guesses about and rely on rumours. Thanks again for sharing.
Love your videos. So honest and straight. Thank you keep going. Rock N Roll
Best honest reviews . thanks Marko
Always insightful partner ;)
Riviera Paradise nice, always wondered how a scalloped neck is for blues.
whats with the massive gap in the neck pocket in the custom shop on the bass end?
Excellent video
For anyone wonderin at 51:40 he played a part of john petruccis solo from the song Breaking All Illusions by Dream Theater.
My good man...captivating the way you’ve surrendered your experience so well to educate the masses on so many levels in this video. Wood, neck construction, CLARITY of notes within a high gain sound, marketing screw up by Fender...what a story it should have been sold as but unfortunately wasn’t. I suspect Yngwie would really appreciate this video. You personality shines through positively as does your house interior! Lol. An absolute joy. 🙏🏼 You’ve set me up for an english weekend of rain with a big smile!!! Thanks! 👍🏼✊🏼🤘🏼🙏🏼☀️
Thnx bud ;) rock on in good health!!!!
beautiful bro, i have one Fender YJM made in Japan they look amazing
Hey Marko
I have the corona version and your right a lot of guitarists see these guitars and think that you have to play like malmsteen, I’m not a speed player in fact I play mostly blues and jazz and this guitar is so amazing love the scalloped neck well worth it. Thanks again and keep up the good work brother
How do you find it playing chords?
Honestly playing open chords takes a bit of practicing on this guitar cause the high E string tends to slide of the fret, but again just like anything else it takes practice
Paul A I have the same guitar the past 7 years, love it to death, is just chord playing is harder than the normal one. Especially when it comes to stretched 4 voicing chords (I have small hands) I find myself some notes being pressed harder than I want to (due to large hand stretch) thus making the note sound a little off. That’s a problem I don’t have with my other instruments. Apart from that it is a dream to play.
Yeah
That’s were I kinda benefit from it cause I have big hands, it actually feels like a small neck compared to my Gibson les Paul which I love playing, I do like the fender but Gibson is my favorite
They are both made in Corona California.
oh my fucking god, first time i have the chance to hear the Malmsteen strat on tha lmighty JP2C :==))
cool video, thanks for posting. Really appreciate yiu're enthusiasm
One thing is for sure. Damn that amp sounds fucking great! Custom sounds and looks better. But the signature sounds good as well. I want that rig. Good review man
I think the reason the CS sounds better is because the pickups are single-coils, while the non-CS model has noiseless pickups. I don't think the differences are due to the woods.
You are 100% right.
Both guitars share the exact same pickups - Seymour Duncan STK-S10n (for neck and middle) and STK-S10b (for the bridge position).
@@gpapa31 Pick ups have magnets and strings are magnetic. Wood is not. It's that simple. Beyond sustain, wood doesn't affect the tone of an electric guitar THROUGH THE AMP.
@@chrisking6695 I never claimed that it did. Just correcting the false information posted about the pickups on both models, that’s all.
Like all custom shop its a nice investment.
But the difference is sound is minimal.
Especially once recorded trought a desk..amp...and gear.
Did you have any issues with the high E string slipping on the custom shop version?
Yep that’s in every one of them because of the design choices that miss-match.
The Fender Custom shop Yngwie could be the most beautiful sounding and cool "Stratocaster" to own. I have the same reaction as you when you played the CS Yngwie. "HOLY SHIT" man, wow!!😄It really sound great. I need to save and buy one. Cheers!🤟
The main difference is that Yngwie doesn't play the custom shop model lol Anybody that wants the guitar that is the closest to Yngwie's will take the official signature one
I noticed this too. Haha.
Yngwie has used 68 models with no skunkstripe for years. True, these days he uses the standard malmsteen model, but in his hey day the 68 models were amongst his favourites. For me as an Yngwie fan and a fan of good guitars, I'd definitely take the custom shop.
Is the sphynx cat included with the custom shop order?