Metropoulos Forum

I finally concluded today what it is that I've known for a long time, just never realized. My favorite guitar or type of guitar is this:


* Nice 50's style, highly contoured Alder wood body (obviously a strat)

* The medium sized 'soft V' neck contour, like many of the '56-'57 models, 7 1/4 radius, along with 6105 fret wire, on a maple on maple 'round lam' fret board. The big cbs headstock along with the 'stratocaster' on the logo.

* Stock, original style Fender bridge (Tokai copies are my favorite)


I like a strat, and my 1984 Tokai '56 reissue is my favorite, especially now that it has been reliced into a white '68 style, with the above specifications.



Any style (Gibson, etc), What is everyone's 'specific' favorite features and why ?

That pretty much nails it for me as well Billy. As far as Gibson's the single cut Juniors, my '52 Goldtop, I'm not a big Les Paul humbucker guy, maybe if Chief gives me his JB '54 Oxblood, he has too many guitars to play them all anyway..
I do like my 1983 '57 Reissue Strat's neck as well, as does David Gilmour as his '57 Reissue neck is on the black guitar currently!
yngwie308

yngwie308 wrote:my '52 Goldtop

I read the detailed description and have seen the pics. That '52 really is something! Just remember "pay it forward". If you get the '54, I'll take your '52 I'll forward my son's Squier on to someone.

It's pretty much '50s/'60s strats (6105 frets, 7 1/4 radius, too) and '50s LPs for me, whether originals or clones. I do have a 64 "reissue" Rickenbacker 360/6 which I'm quite fond of, as well, which is surprising. I used to be a Jackson/Charvel or nothing kind of guy... ...I still have 'em; but, it's been about 5 years since I've really played them.

Thanks lcampz !
Yes with the Pigtail lightweight tailpiece and the aluminum ABR-1 bridge, it is acoustically loud and has incredible tonal response. Dr. Vintage and I agreed that the Gold Top finish, which is thin, but Jack Romano had to spray to cover the filled in area visible in the pics if you look closely near the bridge, would lend itself to the brighter mor mid to top end accentuated aluminum bridge.
I can't praise enough the artistry in metal that the Pigtail hardware is. The praise I gave , which I think is the highest, is that I would use the pieces on a vintage Gibson without hesitation, to get the best tone! And I have!!
I even like the original Fender smaller frets, the 6105's are a great modern sized fret. I have my Hamer And Washburn for modern Charvel/Jackson style feel.
I would like a maple cap CBS headstock Strat next. I shared with Toneslinger my dream Fender Custom shop guitar, since apparently the do not modify signature/artist model guitars.
Maple cap board, 7.25" radius, slightly larger frets, medium-wide ovals, alder body, possibly Lindy Fralin's Woodstock pickup set:

As far as scalloping goes, I feel one guitar is enough. I have researched the YJM's to know that the 2007 and up are the closest to his actual stage guitars. Actually the three pre-production test mule guitars of the 2007 spec YJM's are what Yngwie is mostly using on stage. He does break out the 'real' Strats every so often.
Since the YJM forum is not in any way connected with Yngwie or his management, it is hard to find out, even if it was the usual politically correct answer. Yngwie's '68 Strat and his early seventies guitars, did start out as 7.25" radius necks, which were then scalloped. The YJM's to my knowledge and we are up to the MK III version, post-2007, have always been the 9.5" radius. This is a significant difference. I have felt since my first experience with a scalloped fingerboard, (my 2004 YJM), that chording , especially in the first positions would be easier for a fumbler like myself.. . And I assume it is for Yngwie as well. Notice how I have cleverly hijacked this thread as Malmsteen orientated !! Actually the urban legend that his guitars action is sky high, has been debunked and observant fans on the current tour say it is in fact low. So basically a '69 relic type Strat is what I am describing, but it would start out differently though.
My go to and the oldest guitar I currently own, besides the '52 is my 1983 '57 Reissue Strat, the Fullerton black beauty, which I ordered as a tribute to Eric Clapton, and have always had the tremelo screwed down with all the strings, but I never have blocked it with wood ala E.C. Kind of like a hardtail, but with all the resonance of the trem routed body , ect.!













I know I am always posting pics of this guitar, but it is my favorite go to guitar, along with the Goldtop!
yngwie308

yngwie308 wrote:Actually the urban legend that his guitars action is sky high, has been debunked and observant fans on the current tour say it is in fact low.

Depending on the angle one looks at a neck with that kind of radius (7.25) it will definitely give the illusion that the action is higher than it is. Added to that the scalloping and then it really seems like the strings are some distance from the neck. So, I'm not surprised to hear that.

I think Yngwie really should put to rest the argument that you can't "shred" on a vintage Fender. To this day, people will argue with that. Yes, it's easier with a flatter radius; but, it's far from impossible with the more curved radius.

Right on!! You made my point exactly and with less words. The G3 video with Yngwie and Satch, Vai , illustrated that point exactly, a vintage based Strat is the biz when its time..TO ROCK, as Yngwie says!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp4oqwNbWXo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vheuPUbH ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_borQkU ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0ubklCoM8Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlD7FkqV-F8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Usually Adagio is the meter which to judge Yngwie's performances, how he expresses himself in the phrasing, ect. If he rushes it or throws it away with fluff notes , ect.
This isn't his best version by any means, but the crowds loved it. Yngwie doesn't just shred though. When he came to the States they told him he shreds, he said what is this shredding, shredding cabbage, ?? A whole genre of playing developed, with Yngwie's Alcatrazz sentence as it were and the Japan '85 show. I enjoy the later stuff as well, the Leningrad show and the Budokan in the nineties. Some say Yngwie became 'sloppy' after his recovery from the accident,, which nearly took his life. My opinion on this is that he just adjusted from having right hand temporary paralysis. But in an amazing fashion. He just modified his picking technique, if you watch pre-accident and later, it almost looks identical, but to me his right hand looks more fixed in place and he has a more rigid right hand, which I totally understand. That he is such an amazing player, helped him recover. This was also a time when he was still drinking, so a little more sloppy. When I saw him for the first time in 2005, I was blown away by his playing. I enjoyed the sound check as much as the show!
yngwie308

Although I consider myself a Strat guy thisCustom Shop Tele is the best sounding best neck feel guitar Ive ever played. My other go to guitar is my clone of a 69 strat it has my fav combo of maple large headstock thick u shaped neck with no finish on the back , a bone nut ,a medium weight punchy 62 ri Black alder body, Steel tremblock fat 50's Bridge pu at 6.4 k fat 50's rw rp mid pu and a cs69 neck pu. Very nice tone and feel. The strat in the pick has a great cbs u shape neck bone nut gotoh cluson tuners Callaham bridge Custom shop 54 pu's and but the body is just not resonent enuff. Got my eye on a hotrod 62 strat thin skin sunburst body for it on the Stratosphere. I would like to have a early 60's rosewood strat to complete my dream collection though. Played a 62 hotrod last night that was awesome but money money money !!! lol.

Dont seam to have a prog for smallerizing my pic