My 'New' 2003 Yngwie Malmsteen Strat

[Mudfuzz]

WHY DOES EVERY DECENT THREAD ON ILF END IN ANIME?

CUZ the power of moe` will burn your soul

[Mudfuzz]

i heard his DOD overdrive pedal is also really good - any experience with that?

I have his signature DOD YJM308 Overdrive and while it generally gives you a flavor of his sound, I felt it added a bit too much treble to the mix and it's very noisey. You need a noise suppossor like a Boss NS2 or something with it at high gain knob levels. It was supposed to be based on the old 70's gray DOD 250 Overdrive but for some reason they deviated with a couple part values that affected the EQ bias. You can read a little about the history of it on this Analogman page (http://www.analogman.com/dodmod.htm) and the reason why some people like to get it modded, which is a fairly simple DIY task if you can work a soldering iron.

In my case the more I started learning about it I decided to make my own exact 'gray spec' 250 clone and leave my YJM308 original. I've posed about it in the DIY section here or you can read a little Google sites page (http://sites.google.com/site/snmavronis/neoclassic) about my project. I love it and don't use my YJM308 any more. The gray spec circuit parts really give it a midrange tone that I like better, and it has way less noise which I don't know if that's from the way I built it or if the original pedal was less noisey too.

Also, there are 2 YouTube clips here (http://sites.google.com/site/snmavronis ... 1overdrive) featuring my overdrive pedal (the bottom one is better to watch) being played by neoclassical guitarist Dean Cascione. When I was building my 250 clone I built an extra at the same time to give to him for free but ended up non-profit since he wanted to cover my parts costs and shipping for doing this for him.

At first I was thinking about selling copies but ended up deciding not to (because it is too much of a hassle to deal with sales and shipping woes) and I'm just going to publish all the information so other DIY people can build their own version if they want using my exact PCB board layout and everything. This reminds me that I should also post info there soon on how to mod a YJM308 with just a couple capacitor value changes or a full mod if you want to use the original spec 741 op amp chip; you'll have to re-wire some of the board to use a 741 since it has a different pinout than what the YJM308 chip comes with.

You know I have always wondered about that pedal, thanks for the info.

[DarkAxel]

yeah, thanks, Steve

[htsamurai]

I kinda want one actually...

[Toonster]

I made a DOD 250+ clone from BYOC recently, is there a lot of difference with those grey specs?
Pedal sounds good by the way.. Even with bass on some amps, on others it sucks big time..

[Steve Mavronis]

I made a DOD 250+ clone from BYOC recently, is there a lot of difference with those grey specs?

Well technically there were some component value changes like caps and diodes through the gray 250 series. I choose mine to be like the last 1979-1980 gray 250 representing the culmination of its evolution. The first yellow 250 in 1981 was identical to the last gray version by the way. I have a spreadsheet I'm working on here so you can see the part value changes from the first gray 250 to the last YJM308 version:

http://sites.google.com/site/snmavronis ... e/research

The difference between the last gray 250 and YJM308 was the op amp chip changed from the original LM741 to the KA4558, they added a 25pF feedback loop capacitor to tame the new op amp's extra trebel some, and they changed the original input capacitor 0.01uF to 0.001uF. So to do a quick mod just change the input capacitor back to the original value, add a socket for a 1458 (dual 741 pinout) op amp, and remove the 25pF capacitor. Here's a graphic I should to add to my page next illustrating what you can do to the YJM308 to help bring it more back to gray 250 specs, but I wouldn't so stap 2 because that's not a gray spec value. The person who originally described what to do suggested that as optional so I included the info in my illustration, but when I revise the graphic I will take that optional step out:

[Jwar]

I have to say that despite some of the comments in this thread that you have a pretty awesome looking guitar there man! I am a bass player, but can appreciate a nice guitar as well. And I also think it's cooler than shit that you got to meet one of your hero's and he was actually nice! I got to meet Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down back in 1999 I believe. Daron was probably one of the most pompous arrogant douche bags I'd ever met, which was a fucking shame. But Shavo was humble, respectful and actually seemed to give a shit. I started talking to Shavo about his bass and Daron rudely interrupted us and told him "dude we need to go". This was after their set too, so I think he was just being a dick.

So I envy you in a way. Cool deal man!

[ashdown]

the only anime i watched was on cartoon network like 8 years ago. outlaw star, the big o and trigun and that stuff

and gundam..

do those count? is this me earning anime street cred or shooting myself in the foot

[Mudfuzz]

the only anime i watched was on cartoon network like 8 years ago. outlaw star, the big o and trigun and that stuff

and gundam..

do those count? is this me earning anime street cred or shooting myself in the foot

Both cartoon network edits the shit out of everything making it shit... as for gundam, hey if what you like is big mecha bots hitting each other then that is your thing, I find as interesting as paint drying, but that is just opinion... The only mecha stuff I really like is Diebuster and Gurren Lagann

[ashdown]

the only anime i watched was on cartoon network like 8 years ago. outlaw star, the big o and trigun and that stuff

and gundam..

do those count? is this me earning anime street cred or shooting myself in the foot

Both cartoon network edits the shit out of everything making it shit... as for gundam, hey if what you like is big mecha bots hitting each other then that is your thing, I find as interesting as paint drying, but that is just opinion... The only mecha stuff I really like is Diebuster and Gurren Lagann

then i guess its time dig up these old episodes to see what i was sheltered from. should be entertaining

[Mudfuzz]

[dubkitty]

how scalloped is the fingerboard as you get closer to the nut? i've always been curious about the scalloped fingerboard because John McLaughlin used it in the late 70s for the sitar-style bending thing in Shakti, but have never actually seen a guitar with a scalloped board IRL.

[Steve Mavronis]

how scalloped is the fingerboard as you get closer to the nut? i've always been curious about the scalloped fingerboard because John McLaughlin used it in the late 70s for the sitar-style bending thing in Shakti, but have never actually seen a guitar with a scalloped board IRL.

On my 2003 model the scallop is an even depth throughout and the maple color is nice. Here's a cool article (link down below) explaining the differences between version 2 (mine) and version 3 including scallop depth differences. Mine is like in the bottom photo:



Yngwie Malmsteen Strat: Old versus New (article):
http://pickroar.com/216/yngwie-malmstee ... ersus-new/

[snipelfritz]

I have way too many things to say about this thread:

-Like I've said, I was a regular on UG before this and that place is all about virtuoso love. You can't start a thread without, "OMG Satch does this." "Satch is so awesome." Well guess what? Satriani's tone is like a sickly queef. That said, Steve Vai and Yngwie are alright, but I never have any desire to listen to more than one song at a time by them. Also, Eric Johnson transcends the term virtuoso.

-It's all about preference. Some people like music because it's complex others like it because it's simple and others like it because of it's ear-splitting gnarliness. I'm not into overly-technical wankery, but I despise simplicity for simplicities sake even more. The Ramones sucked. They had a few songs with good melodies, but apart from that they don't deserve any praise whatsoever. Don't even get me started about folk music.

-Anime is often so strong an example of serialized storytelling that you might as well be watching a soap opera or *gulp* Lost. If you want to commit to a show in a religious way from the onset, that's fine, but I'd prefer a show win over my favor in some way other than dangling an unfinished storyline in front of my face. That said, I think the best anime is no more than six episodes like FLCL or Afro Samurai. Pokemon is the only other anime I've ever been able to get into, but that was like second grade.

-I've always wondered how Yngwie and others can get such a beefy sound with such high feedback on a strat. Not that I don't see strats having good tone, but that doesn't really sound like one to me. What kind of pickups does that guitar have? How would they differ from traditional strat pups?

-And since I mentioned Steve Vai:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSJv_apyIR4[/youtube]

[Steve Mavronis]

-I've always wondered how Yngwie and others can get such a beefy sound with such high feedback on a strat. Not that I don't see strats having good tone, but that doesn't really sound like one to me. What kind of pickups does that guitar have? How would they differ from traditional strat pups?

The Yngwie Malmsteen signature series guitar uses (until now - which I'll cover next) DiMarzio stacked hum cancelling single coil pickups; the HS-4 (formerly YJM) DP217 in the neck and middle positions, and the HS-3 DP117 in the bridge position. I think his very first solo recordings (pre-1995) used all HS-3 pickups. Here are the specs:

The HS-4™ is the vintage magnet-stagger version of the HS-3™. While there is obviously a strong resemblance to the HS-3™, the vintage stagger recreates the string-balance of single-coils from the 50s, producing a unique sound in the neck and middle positions with both chords and single-note soloing. And there’s no 60-cycle hum.
Recommended For: Neck and middle. Tech Talk: The HS-4™ works very well with high-gain amps, but the classic setup is with an overdrive pedal and a Marshall® amp. The pedal boosts sustain and distortion, and the sound cleans up dramatically when the pedal is switched off. Works well in all 3 positions for slightly warmer than usual Strat sound. The vintage 50's magnet stagger is a subtle change from the standard HS-3™. It alters the overall balance between the individual strings, resulting in a little more clarity and string definition. This is most obvious on the unwound strings, particularly higher up the neck. Introduced: 1995.

The HS-3™ has been the weapon of choice for Strat®-powered classical metal since the early 1980s. Far from being a high-output monster, the HS-3™ is actually a smooth and relatively quiet pickup that produces a sweet overdrive tone without jagged edges. These qualities combine perfectly with a heavily distorted amp, because the sound won’t get muddy or messy. The HS-3™ is also versatile - it’s a noise-free pickup in a live situation or in the studio. Recommended For: All positions. Tech Talk: The HS-3™ works very well with high-gain amps, but the classic setup is with an overdrive pedal and a Marshall® amp. The pedal boosts sustain and distortion, and the sound cleans up dramatically when the pedal is switched off. Works well in all 3 positions on a Strat® for a slightly warmer-than-usual Strat® sound. Also works well as a bridge pickup with HS-4™ (neck) and HS-2™ (middle). Combines in middle and neck positions with bridge pickup with HS-4™ (neck) and HS-2™ (middle). Introduced: 1980.

In 2010 Yngwie dropped DiMarzio and is now endorsed by Seymour Duncan instead. Now his Fender signature guitars will be stocked with STK-S10 YJM Fury pickups:

The YJM series includes a dedicated bridge pickup and a separate neck/middle pickup. Pickups can be purchased individually, in a three-pickup set, or in a pre-wired pickguard ready to drop into your Strat guitar with an 11-screw hole "USA" pattern. Hum-canceling single-coil-sized pickup based on our original Stack® pickup design. Recommended for rock, neo-classical, shred, hard rock, power metal, and heavy metal. The STK-S10B (Yngwie's bridge pickup, punchy and aggressive) handles Yngwie's hard-hitting chordal onslaught. The STK-S10N (Yngwie's neck pickup, sweet and fluid) balances Yngwie's left hand technique with his broad mix of right hand pick attack for a tone that's sweet and fluid, but with great articulation and responsiveness to dynamics. Introduced: 2010.