The Strat thread

[Shawn]

After the disappointment of Virginia #1, the replacement has arrived. I'm glad to say this time that there are no flaws on the guitar.

This one feels a little lighter and I think the visible grain on the body is nice, the first one I got didn't have much visible grain to speak of. The weight is neither here nor there, neither were heavy guitars.

The nitro finish is amazing. Absolutely flawlessly applied, it's like a mirror. I think it will wear in nicely- I'll be putting a lot of playing hours on this one.

The vintage tint on the neck is just superb too. I love the classic yellow look on the maple. I am in heaven.

Sound-wise, it's great. Classic spanky, glassy Strat tones. It features a Dimarzio HS-2 with one of the coils deactivated in the neck position, it's super fat. The middle is Fender 57 and the bridge is a 62. Position 2 (neck and middle) is wired out of phase. Not sure how much use I'll get from that, maybe I'll learn Eric Johson's 'koto' technique. Overall, it sounds amazing clean and with drive.

It's actually really remarkable how different it sounds to my Yngwie Strat. They're both obviously, identifiably Strats, yet they still sound do different in character.

Anyway, I'm super happy with this Virginia and it will probably be my main player. The next purchase will probably be an Ibanez JS2480 in Muscle Car Red, as I build a collection of signature guitars from G3 roster players. I've already got Vai, Malmsteen and Petrucci covered, so Satch and Gilbert need to be added.

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Love EJ. You must play Manhattan on that beauty.

 

[technomancer]

Does anybody else taste grape?

 

[FloridaST]

I'm getting back into guitar after a long time away and I'm thinking of going with the Yngwie Strat - the newest model with the maple fretboard. I normally played "metal" guitars with humbuckers and Floyds and I'm a bit nervous going with a SSS strat but my tastes have mellowed and I want to try new things plus I like Yngwie and scalloped boards. Does the Fury bridge pickup need to be boosted for heavier stuff or is it pretty hot by itself? Also, are these Fenders routed for a humbucker under the pickguard? How are the trems? Thanks!

 

[Esp Griffyn]

I'm getting back into guitar after a long time away and I'm thinking of going with the Yngwie Strat - the newest model with the maple fretboard. I normally played "metal" guitars with humbuckers and Floyds and I'm a bit nervous going with a SSS strat but my tastes have mellowed and I want to try new things plus I like Yngwie and scalloped boards. Does the Fury bridge pickup need to be boosted for heavier stuff or is it pretty hot by itself? Also, are these Fenders routed for a humbucker under the pickguard? How are the trems? Thanks!

The YJM Fury Is a great pickup set but the bridge is likely to be a little thin if you are expecting to be able to use it as like a traditional metal bridge pickup rhythm tone. It will do the job, particularly in a band setting with a bassist and maybe a second guitarist, but playing on your own, it's not as fat as a normal humbucker.

It's not really a case of needing boost, it's hot enough for what it is meant to be, it's more the character of the pickup. My take on the Fury set, based on my YJM Strat is as follows:

Neck: Fat, round, doesn't have a ton of top end.
Middle: Glassy and full in the mids.
Bridge: twangy and somewhat thin.

If you listen to Yngwie and see how he changes pickup position as he plays, it will make sense. He uses the bridge for riffs, yes, but never really to chug or do 'crushing' heavy stuff. He uses the neck a lot for leads, but does switch to the bridge for a bar here or there to add flavour. I have rarely, if ever, seen him use the middle pickup.

As for the routing, I'm not sure what modern YJMs are like as I've never removed the pickguard. I'd say that modifying it to HSS would almost spoil the spirit of the guitar, so I'd avoid it unless you really must have a traditional rhythm-forward pickup in there.

As for the bridge, its a Fender 6 screw. You can lube the nut, have it setup right and it will still not hold tune like a locking trem. If you can accept that, you'll be fine. An Yngwie-esque dip of the bar or a bit of vibrato here and there is fine, if you try to play Reb Beach's 'Cutting Loose', you may find it not performing to your satisfaction.

I'd definitely say you should go for it if you want a YJM, just embrace the guitar for what it is. There's really nothing else like it on the market and there never has been in all the time Fender have been selling it.

 

[JSKrev]

'87 MIJ ST-72 with Gen IV Noiseless set.

 

[FloridaST]

The YJM Fury Is a great pickup set but the bridge is likely to be a little thin if you are expecting to be able to use it as like a traditional metal bridge pickup rhythm tone. It will do the job, particularly in a band setting with a bassist and maybe a second guitarist, but playing on your own, it's not as fat as a normal humbucker.

It's not really a case of needing boost, it's hot enough for what it is meant to be, it's more the character of the pickup. My take on the Fury set, based on my YJM Strat is as follows:

Neck: Fat, round, doesn't have a ton of top end.
Middle: Glassy and full in the mids.
Bridge: twangy and somewhat thin.

If you listen to Yngwie and see how he changes pickup position as he plays, it will make sense. He uses the bridge for riffs, yes, but never really to chug or do 'crushing' heavy stuff. He uses the neck a lot for leads, but does switch to the bridge for a bar here or there to add flavour. I have rarely, if ever, seen him use the middle pickup.

As for the routing, I'm not sure what modern YJMs are like as I've never removed the pickguard. I'd say that modifying it to HSS would almost spoil the spirit of the guitar, so I'd avoid it unless you really must have a traditional rhythm-forward pickup in there.

As for the bridge, its a Fender 6 screw. You can lube the nut, have it setup right and it will still not hold tune like a locking trem. If you can accept that, you'll be fine. An Yngwie-esque dip of the bar or a bit of vibrato here and there is fine, if you try to play Reb Beach's 'Cutting Loose', you may find it not performing to your satisfaction.

I'd definitely say you should go for it if you want a YJM, just embrace the guitar for what it is. There's really nothing else like it on the market and there never has been in all the time Fender have been selling it.

Appreciate the comments. I mainly just want a unique Strat and this one checks all the boxes. I'm good with all the pros and cons and since I'm looking for a 70s - 80s rock vibe, this will do. I'm sure I can get something fancier for the money and I think that the new price for these is higher than it ought to be, but, it is what it is. Locally, I found a pretty mint used 2017 version for 1600 so there's that. Maybe it's a sign.

 

[budda]

 

[Marked Man]

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'87 MIJ ST-72 with Gen IV Noiseless set.

Where are the scallops??

 

[Marked Man]

Appreciate the comments. I mainly just want a unique Strat and this one checks all the boxes. I'm good with all the pros and cons and since I'm looking for a 70s - 80s rock vibe, this will do. I'm sure I can get something fancier for the money and I think that the new price for these is higher than it ought to be, but, it is what it is. Locally, I found a pretty mint used 2017 version for 1600 so there's that. Maybe it's a sign.

Yngwie Strats are magical! If you want a real idea of what they are like, better to hear from long time owners instead of people who either never played one or played one ONCE for 10 minutes, but explain them to others on the internet for life after that. They of course are not intended to be A/B'd with some HB metal guitar for chugging, that's not the point. But they can still bang out very heavy riffs. I usually don't switch back and forth much between HB and SSS guitars on the same night anyway.

The scallops give a unique experience, a bit challenging at first, but if you are determined, shouldn't take long at all to get the hang and you will become a better player as a result. You will understand the value of a light fret hand and also have an increased respect for the level of control the ol' Maestro has. They make playing fast/complex runs harder, but sound and feel better when you nail it. You can hear the difference playing unamplified also as there is less damping for each note as it is struck.

I have a 2000 - 2010 Sonic Blue with DiMarzios and maple board and a custom made modern one (2017) with all Fender parts except for the Warmoth body because I wanted Seafoam Green and wasn't taking no for an answer. The genuine Fender YJM neck alone was $800 then, must be more now.

The older ones have mild scallops and are very easy to get used to. The DiMarzios are very mild, but take mountains of clear boost very well. And these make it so easy to ape Yngwie's tone directly from the first few albums. The only thing you may want to change is the old school 3-way switch if you value #2 and #4 tones like I do. I had a DOD Preamp 250 for years, which gives a great fat tone (it is assumed you have a cutting amp!). But the ultimate boost I've found to date is the last gen red Fender YJM 308, which has apparently become a collector'$ item in recent year$. It is undoubtedly capable of leaner, meaner boost and has more gain. My formula is to use a moderate gain setting on either a crunch channel or something other than a max Lead channel and then boost it for one of my favorite tones of all! You never lose twang regardless of boost, which I love....

The scallops on the current necks are freakin HUGE and will definitely take some effort to get used to. Frets are bigger Dunlop 6000 Super Jumbo also (incredible). I don't know the year the scallops/frets changed, maybe around the time the Fury set came out? Regardless, the are awesome once you get into them and the Fury set is an improvement in some ways, a matter of taste. Definitely brighter and more modern/more gain, and better cleans as well (I also put a 5-way in my Seafoam Green). If I could only have one, overall I'd have to go for the modern YJM, but I never limit myself when it comes to guitars, because More = More. I really like the Seafoam for doing Trevor Rabin/'80s Yes/Seventh Sign and newer YJM style music and the Sonic Blue for old school Yngwie and most other.

 

[Furtive Glance]

This is a really dumb question, but for those Heavy Relic Custom Shops that look like they’ve been dragged from a truck through a parking lot, the frets and neck etc are still perfectly playable, right? They make everything else look beat to hell but all the touch points are still usable?

 

[ZLE]

That would be the next step of madness, make them with warped necks and frett buzz or something. I don't know why, but every time I see a heavy relic guitar I think of someone buying fake( or real) medals from the WW and sporting them in public.

 

[JSKrev]

This is a really dumb question, but for those Heavy Relic Custom Shops that look like they’ve been dragged from a truck through a parking lot, the frets and neck etc are still perfectly playable, right? They make everything else look beat to hell but all the touch points are still usable?

Yeah, they make it look like Clapton was doing rails off it in the 70's, but they're super playable instruments.

 

[budda]

This is a really dumb question, but for those Heavy Relic Custom Shops that look like they’ve been dragged from a truck through a parking lot, the frets and neck etc are still perfectly playable, right? They make everything else look beat to hell but all the touch points are still usable?

Yes.

Its a finish option.

 

[technomancer]

Happy Straturday

 

[budda]

 

[cardinal]

My most Strat-ish guitars

 

[budda]

If you have time to lean here’s my clean tone

 

[mlp187]

Here’s my latest Strat:

It’s really nice. Like, really really nice. The neck is to die for.

 

[TheBloodstained]

I had completely forgotten about this thread! I did it you guys! I joined the club!

NGD: The strat GAS was driving me insane...

I modded/upgraded my strat a little bit during my summer vacation. Most notably I switched the standard tuners for a set of original Fender locking tuners, which is a mod I only can recommend that anyone with a strat does! Makes string changing SO much quicker!
I usually play guitars with double locking trem systems, so this is the first time I've tried locking tuners, but most definitely wont be the last
Other than tuners I did coppershielding of the electronics cavity. I also bought new saddles for the bridge, but those didn't show up until AFTER I had been working in it, so there'll be a round 2 of mods some time in the future. I would also like to change the little butterfly string thingy on the headstock, because it makes the e and b string stick and go out of tune when using the trem.

I'm still super happy with my little strat. It has been my go-to for noodling ever since I bought it. Me and my DJ brother have also started a little chill-hop/lofi project together where I use my strat. Our plan is to make an EP at some point, but it's mainly a fun little side project we enjoy doing together