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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:42 am
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ebaysux wrote:
Since I am primarily a bass player now I can't really understand the point of scalloping or how it possibly allows you to play faster.

However I was watching a youtube interview with Billy Sheehan because I was intrigued by his sig. series yamaha..the mint green one with the scallops and stereo output.

He explained if I understood him correctly that it really doesn't do much but in theory allows more bending since the string can travel further before it hits fingerboard. I can not imagine (especially on bass) to be a serious player and not touch the fingerboard..seems rediculous and improbable.

But...bottom line was as Billy stated and I agree..it's more about the look..it just looks cool.


It is obvious that it looks cool :) Moreover, it is really much more easy to bend up the string than a standard neck. But I haven't seen any effect for playing faster or on my speed or accuracy. I am completely feeling the same except bendings.

Actually in some points it is much more hard to play. For example, when you are doing hammer on and pull off moves for repeated and fast lick, you may be not aware but you are using the friction of the fretboard to support your fore finger and that makes your other finger movements easier. But this is not possible for a scallopped neck and that takes some time to get used to it.


Last edited by Yngwie.jr on Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:30 am
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i always thought the theory of the scalloped board was that you use less muscle effort to fret a note and therefore less effort to lift the finger off the string to make you faster. Kind of like a boxers jab, its very relaxed and so moves faster as opposed to the big left that uses loads more effort and moves slower.

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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:04 am
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So, basically you get a scalloped neck..then it takes some time to get used to....then it becomes easier to play???

But other then allowing a little more bending (or "digging in" as Sheehan put it), is it really worth it other then looking cool? I mean all logic tells me at least that no matter how "deep" or far the string is from the "fingerboard"..it (the string) still hits the FRET first.

Maybe I should try one out to see if it does anything, but I doubt it.

BTW if I had the money I obsolutely would buy the Sheehan sig. bass..for the looks alone. It looks so cool I wouldn't care if it just hangs on the wall....lol

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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:11 pm
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Honestly, my fingers are not that much powerful to push the string to dig the fret or I have a style to play more relaxed. I mean, my fingers do not move away a lot from the neck and I guess that is why I can't dig the frets.

My fingers are very close to the string and do not hit the strings a lot. Also I don't pick the strings hard. That's why I can't produce a lot noise from an electric guitar when it is unplugged. Some of my friends can play it like an acoustic guitar when it is unplugged. And also I can't play acoustic guitar louder when it is not plugged when I was doing a solo with it.

I was used to pick harder mostly on the same string when I was playing trash metal rhythms. Because I was moving my fingers much more away from the neck and it was soundig more noisy and dirty, and it was seem that my fingers are fast. But it wasn't :)

Then I learned about triple alternate picking. It was sounding cool and I was feeling that I am playing faster when I was doing that :) I guess most of the guitar players feel the same with the triple picking. It sounds so fast even you do the same move on the same string.

When I tried to play the faster solo parts of Satriani and Vai then I discovered using legato technic was sounding more clean to play the solo parts and I can play faster without picking every note. So I kept myself away from the picking every note with the solo parts.

Then I discovered Yngwie. He was playing linearly and using most of the fretboard when he was doing that. I mean he was starting a solo lick from the 5th fret of high E string and do not stop until the 17th fret on low E string with picking every note with an amazing speed :shock: Also doing more on the low E string.

I was so impressed with his technic. Then I figured out picking softer was easy for me to play faster solo licks with picking every note and it was easier to keep my fingers as much as closer to the fretboard with less effort and less finger movements away from the neck.

I was no idea about sweep picking when I hear Yngwie fo the first time. Especially with 5 or 6 string sweep picking :) When I tried to do that my soft picking technic helped me a lot to achieve good sounding sweeps. And get used to it with closer fingers to the neck.

And I find myself playing with a technic with picking every note that I play but I was not able to give the nuance. Because my ankle get used to the fast picking moves with applying equal power to the strings.

Then I tried to play some Eric Clapton blues stuff and Al Di Meola stuff and it helped me to get the nuance back. Especially Al Di Meola has a weird picking style. He can give the nuance even he is playing faster by applying different picking power on every note he picked. He is a great guitarist. But my ankle is still not powerful as I want.

In my opinion that is a result of playing with a powerful pickups most of my guitar experience so I did not have to pick hard to make the moves that Malmsteen was doing.

My first electric guitar was a Jackson SL1 an then moved to a Jackson Kelly, Epiphone Explorer, Steve Vai JEM, few Fender strats with humbuckers and finally I got the Yngwie Strat as you know :)

What I am trying to explain is may be my playing style doesn't let me to dig the frets and I don't feel any difference rather than that friction on a normal neck. And that explains why I can not control the low E string easily and it moves out of the fretboard.

I have to get used to that antifriction :) and low output pickups. When I get used to it I can do the same moves which I can do on a normal neck I hope. Especially with the low E string.

That's my history of playing anyway :)


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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:07 pm
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Yngwie.jr wrote:
Honestly, my fingers are not that much powerful to push the string to dig the fret or I have a style to play more relaxed. I mean, my fingers do not move away a lot from the neck and I guess that is why I can't dig the frets.

My fingers are very close to the string and do not hit the strings a lot. Also I don't pick the strings hard. That's why I can't produce a lot noise from an electric guitar when it is unplugged. Some of my friends can play it like an acoustic guitar when it is unplugged. And also I can't play acoustic guitar louder when it is not plugged when I was doing a solo with it.

I was used to pick harder mostly on the same string when I was playing trash metal rhythms. Because I was moving my fingers much more away from the neck and it was soundig more noisy and dirty, and it was seem that my fingers are fast. But it wasn't :)

Then I learned about triple alternate picking. It was sounding cool and I was feeling that I am playing faster when I was doing that :) I guess most of the guitar players feel the same with the triple picking. It sounds so fast even you do the same move on the same string.

When I tried to play the faster solo parts of Satriani and Vai then I discovered using legato technic was sounding more clean to play the solo parts and I can play faster without picking every note. So I kept myself away from the picking every note with the solo parts.

Then I discovered Yngwie. He was playing linearly and using most of the fretboard when he was doing that. I mean he was starting a solo lick from the 5th fret of high E string and do not stop until the 17th fret on low E string with picking every note with an amazing speed :shock: Also doing more on the low E string.

I was so impressed with his technic. Then I figured out picking softer was easy for me to play faster solo licks with picking every note and it was easier to keep my fingers as much as closer to the fretboard with less effort and less finger movements away from the neck.

I was no idea about sweep picking when I hear Yngwie fo the first time. Especially with 5 or 6 string sweep picking :) When I tried to do that my soft picking technic helped me a lot to achieve good sounding sweeps. And get used to it with closer fingers to the neck.

And I find myself playing with a technic with picking every note that I play but I was not able to give the nuance. Because my ankle get used to the fast picking moves with applying equal power to the strings.

Then I tried to play some Eric Clapton blues stuff and Al Di Meola stuff and it helped me to get the nuance back. Especially Al Di Meola has a weird picking style. He can give the nuance even he is playing faster by applying different picking power on every note he picked. He is a great guitarist. But my ankle is still not powerful as I want.

In my opinion that is a result of playing with a powerful pickups most of my guitar experience so I did not have to pick hard to make the moves that Malmsteen was doing.

My first electric guitar was a Jackson SL1 an then moved to a Jackson Kelly, Epiphone Explorer, Steve Vai JEM, few Fender strats with humbuckers and finally I got the Yngwie Strat as you know :)

What I am trying to explain is may be my playing style doesn't let me to dig the frets and I don't feel any difference rather than that friction on a normal neck. And that explains why I can not control the low E string easily and it moves out of the fretboard.

I have to get used to that antifriction :) and low output pickups. When I get used to it I can do the same moves which I can do on a normal neck I hope. Especially with the low E string.

That's my history of playing anyway :)


Either way..does the scalloped fingerboard do anything to help your playing..speed or bending or sound or otherwise? Just curious, not debating because I never played a scalloped neck..I just don't understand the benefit and after what you posted I understand it even less now...lol

Seems like something you need to get used to because your touch is too soft if I understand?..why not just play a little harder to learn to bend more effectivly?..I could not imagine not even touching the strings to play. But then again i have a very bluesy style and don't really sweep pick unless I am showing off...which bascally annoys everyone and guarantees I am not getting to take a girl home.

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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:47 pm
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Has the "weakness" issue been solved?

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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:25 pm
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Yeah, about the topic at hand..the weakness. From your description it would seem obvious that if there is not a problem with the wiring or pickup height, that it is just the inherant quality of that Yngwie setup.

Perhaps (and this would make sense) he has "compromised" output for a particular sound he prefers and relies more on effects/amplification to do the work. So the "problem" you are experiencing may not be a defective guitar at all.

From my current experience with the bass I have similar issues. 2 of my basses have active electronics (My 91 Music Man and my 95 P-Bass special) and my 95 Jazz is passive. When I unplug the Musicman or P-Bass and plug in the Jazz I need to increase the volume substantially on my amp to have equal volume level.

However the natural tone of the Jazz is sweet so I keep the EQ settings of the amp flat when using that bass and I always have a predictable sweet sound, but need to raise the volume a lot.

With the MM..I can keep the amp volume control much lower...But I need to boost the midrange and totally adjust the EQ curve to get the sound I want. Perhaps this is all you need to do for that Strat if you are unhappy with the tone or output. Use the amp settings to compensate rather then comparing the same settings using different axes.

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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:23 am
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Unless the pickups are in need to re-wiring it sounds like the YJM pickups are just not what you are after. They are based on low-gain, depending on the amp to do the hard work. This allows much clarity in the guitar to shine through, thats how Yngiwe has that smooth clear sound, yet with biting gain through his Marshall.

Work with a bit before replacing, you might find some hidden gem tone in there. Those kind of pickups on his strat stand up well to distortion on amps and/or pedals. They won't back down like a lot of strat pickups, they'll ring through proud.

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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:24 am
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A very intriguing thread, because it is all so alien to my own playing, and by the sound of it many others', too.

I was moved to try out a Malmsteen Sig after reading Brian May on the subject. The point is not just a slight mod aimed at improving the feel of a conventionally played guitar. It is about a fundamentally different approach to playing, all to do with exquisite lightness of touch, minimal vertical finger movement over the strings; and so, speed.

The idea of the scalloping is not that it permits different finger technique: it is that it insists upon it. You simply cannot play that guitar at all unless you barely touch the string to fret it. Any harder and the strings go out of tune. The sitar analogy is crucial.

Ultra low action is a must too. And that presumably explains the issue of the strings falling off the fret edges, which several people have complained of on this Forum over the months. If you are moving the e string up and down the fret with conventional vibrato, so that it comes near to the rather closely dressed end of the fret, then you are already using that neck wrongly.

My left-hand technique is pretty hard and percussive, so when I got onto the Malmsteen my fingers felt - and sounded - like an elephant on a trampoline. It was a non-starter for me; and since I'm not interested in the kind of music Yngwie plays there was little incentive to stick at it. I didn't buy the guitar!

But a fascinating innovation: it would be very interesting to hear what substantially different players could make of it.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:09 am
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The Vai - Jem guitars have scalloped frets but only way up
high at the top of the neck.
That way he gets his bends of ease way up there but still retains the
fret board for taps everywhere else.

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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:43 am
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ebaysux wrote:
Either way..does the scalloped fingerboard do anything to help your playing..speed or bending or sound or otherwise? Just curious, not debating because I never played a scalloped neck..I just don't understand the benefit and after what you posted I understand it even less now...lol

Seems like something you need to get used to because your touch is too soft if I understand?..why not just play a little harder to learn to bend more effectivly?..I could not imagine not even touching the strings to play. But then again i have a very bluesy style and don't really sweep pick unless I am showing off...which bascally annoys everyone and guarantees I am not getting to take a girl home.


To be honest I didn't feel any difference with my speed when compared with a standard fretboad.

Bending is very easy than a normal fretboard.

Sound is a little bit personal issue. As I mentioned before I was complaining with the output of this guitar. So this pickups need to be boosted a lot. I am boosting a JTM 30 Marshall amp with a TS9. Moreover I am using Seymour Duncan pickup booster. Then the tone makes me feel ok :)

Tone is little bit closer to the classic Yngwie tone. It can be better if I dig the EQ settings. Also I tried to setup a tone from Line 6 X3 live. It was not bad also. But have to dig it more to get a monster Yngwie tone.

By the way does anyone have any idea why Yngwie uses TC Electronics G Force for? He has it in his live setup.


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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 9:47 am
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The jtm30 is a class A amp more suited to blues than any kind of rock style. It could well be the problem with your sound, Judging from the pedals you are using your finding the pre-amp section a bit underpowered. Which is the way that amp was designed. Class A amps move into power-amp crunch a lot earlier than class A/B amps, you probably get power-amp clipping at around the 4/5 area of the volume control 10-12 watts and when the amp gets up to 24 watts 7/8 it will move into class A/B. (providing its still got 2 EL84's in the power section). What this basicaly means is that class A amps tend to have a weaker pre-amp section to compliment the Power-amps ability to drive earlier. Aside from modding the pre-amp and mucking about with a load of resistors and diodes theres not much you can do about it.

There are 2 very easy ways around this if the amp has a effects loop, if not see about getting one fitted it will be worth it.
1 put a compresser into the effects loop, electro harmonix make one called the knockout specificaly designed for fx loops and bolstering amp punch and clarity without sagging the valves. You can acheive the same effect with a normal compresser but it takes a lot of fiddling with.
2 (my personal favourite) Ignore the amps normal input and plug whatever drive pedal directly into the effects return of the amp. So your signal chain goes, GUITAR/DRIVE PEDAL (output of pedal into effects return socket)/POWERAMP. Use the level control on the pedal to control your volume. This is also the best way to use any amp simulater such as your X3 as it stops the eq controls on the pre-amp interfering with the simulated amp sound. Just make sure you turn the speaker simulater on the X3 off.

The JTM30 is a great amp with a really sweet tone to it, its just not a metal monster.

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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:57 am
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Yngwie.jr wrote:
By the way does anyone have any idea why Yngwie
uses TC Electronics G Force for? He has it in his live setup.

I don't know but I do own that exact rack unit.
I mostly use it live for modulation effects & delay, reverb, noise gate... & also tuner.
It's true as they say in many reviews, the 'clean' effects are very transparant, high quality & the pitch shifters are 'key sig intelligent' & sound good too.
Maybe Yngwie is using the pitch shifter/harmonizer?
Or does he use Eventide for that?
(idk Yngwie's style of playing isn't really my cup of tea)
Very good reverb & delays...
The distortion on the Gforce is toneless, the gain structure generates too much noise in my opinion.
It has compression, chorus, flange, phaser, delays, a tuner, distortion, panning, pitch shifting, etc...
It is the classic multi FX rack unit. I toured with it using it on my FX loop.
Nice clean delays & all that but there is alot of "guitar effects" that I find toneless.

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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:43 pm
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nikininja wrote:
The jtm30 is a class A amp more suited to blues than any kind of rock style. It could well be the problem with your sound, Judging from the pedals you are using your finding the pre-amp section a bit underpowered. Which is the way that amp was designed. Class A amps move into power-amp crunch a lot earlier than class A/B amps, you probably get power-amp clipping at around the 4/5 area of the volume control 10-12 watts and when the amp gets up to 24 watts 7/8 it will move into class A/B. (providing its still got 2 EL84's in the power section). What this basicaly means is that class A amps tend to have a weaker pre-amp section to compliment the Power-amps ability to drive earlier. Aside from modding the pre-amp and mucking about with a load of resistors and diodes theres not much you can do about it.

There are 2 very easy ways around this if the amp has a effects loop, if not see about getting one fitted it will be worth it.
1 put a compresser into the effects loop, electro harmonix make one called the knockout specificaly designed for fx loops and bolstering amp punch and clarity without sagging the valves. You can acheive the same effect with a normal compresser but it takes a lot of fiddling with.
2 (my personal favourite) Ignore the amps normal input and plug whatever drive pedal directly into the effects return of the amp. So your signal chain goes, GUITAR/DRIVE PEDAL (output of pedal into effects return socket)/POWERAMP. Use the level control on the pedal to control your volume. This is also the best way to use any amp simulater such as your X3 as it stops the eq controls on the pre-amp interfering with the simulated amp sound. Just make sure you turn the speaker simulater on the X3 off.

The JTM30 is a great amp with a really sweet tone to it, its just not a metal monster.


JTM 30 is a great amp really. It has very sweet tones and yep not suitable for heavy stuff as you mentioned. You are totally right about the weaker preamp section and the clipping. You have lots of info about electronics := I have no idea what you are talking about the resistors and diodes :oops: but it has the effect loop :)

Yngwie says in an interwiew, he plays at his home studio by boosting his tube amp's overdrive with a TS9 or DOD YJM 308. That's why I am trying to do that. Also it is adviced by DiMarzio when I complaint them about the low output of the pickups.

When I am playing with line 6 I am doing exactly what you adviced me to do ;) But I am trying with the amp sims on and off also. Trying to find the best sound.

Thanks for the advices


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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:41 pm
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Ceri wrote:
A very intriguing thread, because it is all so alien to my own playing, and by the sound of it many others', too.

I was moved to try out a Malmsteen Sig after reading Brian May on the subject. The point is not just a slight mod aimed at improving the feel of a conventionally played guitar. It is about a fundamentally different approach to playing, all to do with exquisite lightness of touch, minimal vertical finger movement over the strings; and so, speed.

The idea of the scalloping is not that it permits different finger technique: it is that it insists upon it. You simply cannot play that guitar at all unless you barely touch the string to fret it. Any harder and the strings go out of tune. The sitar analogy is crucial.

Ultra low action is a must too. And that presumably explains the issue of the strings falling off the fret edges, which several people have complained of on this Forum over the months. If you are moving the e string up and down the fret with conventional vibrato, so that it comes near to the rather closely dressed end of the fret, then you are already using that neck wrongly.

My left-hand technique is pretty hard and percussive, so when I got onto the Malmsteen my fingers felt - and sounded - like an elephant on a trampoline. It was a non-starter for me; and since I'm not interested in the kind of music Yngwie plays there was little incentive to stick at it. I didn't buy the guitar!

But a fascinating innovation: it would be very interesting to hear what substantially different players could make of it.

Cheers - C


I guess guitar comes with a 009 standard set on it. I want to try it with Dean Markley Yngwie's Magic set of strings. I that case may be hard fingering can be a problem because it has a 08 low E string. And also Yngwie tunes his guitar in Eb.

You are advicing ultra low action but Yngwie plays with high action strings if I am not wrong. He says low action kills the sustain.

I am not sure if the guitar comes with the pickup height which are adjusted as same as Yngwie. I guess it is not because normally Yngwie's middle pickup is at the same level with the pickguard because he never uses it.

Thanks Ceri


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