Hello,

I just got a 1998 (SN8******) Yngwie Malmsteen Strat with a rosewood neck.
I used to have a YM Strat when they first came out in 1988 or 1989.
However, the newer one doesn't sound anything like the older one.
It doesn't sound like a Fender anymore.
It sounds/feels like as if I'm playing with a compressor pedal on or something.
I suspect the No-Load tone knob has something to do with it, so I keep it right before where it locks.

What are your thoughts about it?

The early Malmsteen Strats (produced before the change to the actual "large headstock" models in 1998) featured an American 2-point synchronized tremolo, small headstock with spaghetti-style decal, Gotoh/Kluson tuners and a hardened-steel EasyGlider string tree, a Fender DeltaTone single-coil pickup in the middle position (Dimarzio YJMs in the neck and mid) and a TBX tone control for the middle/bridge pickups. Compare that to the modern day model (which started in 1998)

* Body: Alder
* Neck: Maple, Modern "C" Shape
* Fingerboard: Scalloped Rosewood or Scalloped Maple; 9.5" radius (241 mm)
* Frets: 21 Dunlop 6000 Super-Jumbo Frets
* Pickups: 2 DiMarzio YJM Pickups (Neck & Middle), 1 DiMarzio HS-3 Stack Humbucker (Bridge)
* Controls: Master volume, Tone. 1 No-load tone control (neck pickup), Tone. 2 No-load tone control (middle & bridge pickups)
* Pickup Switching: 3-Way Pickup Blade Switch
* Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
* Tuning Pegs: Fender Schaller Vintage "F" Style Tuning Machines
* Hardware: Chrome
* Pickguard: 3-ply White/Black/White
* Unique Features: Special Refined '60s Shape Neck with Large Late '60s Styled Headstock, Machine Screw Neck Mounting Inserts, Bullet Truss Rod Nut, Brass Nut, Deeper Scalloped Fingerboard, Dunlop 6000 Jumbo Fretwire, Aged Plastic Parts, Aged Pickup Covers

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Keeping it where it locks is the equivalent of keeping the tone pot on '9' at all times. Maybe if you changed that no-load to a regular pot, it might give you back that bit of frequency response on '10' that you are missing now.

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You dig?

Capo,

These are the specs for the latest model, not the 2nd version YM Strats.

Thanks, anyway...

Meh, Sorry my fault. Should have made it clearer. The first paragraph was the differences between the modern one and the one of old.

So basically instead of the no load you had the TBX control for the bridge and middle. I'd just go with what Martian said and change the no load to a regular pot ^^

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

I guess I am wondering why a no-load tone control would make the DiMarzio pickups sound like it is compressed? They just simply bypass the tone control when in position 10 on the no-load. I am thinking that, if indeed it were tone control, and you are going to go through the trouble of replacing it to find out, go back to using a TBX, as they do have a slight load at the detent at 5 and bleed off bass at 10.

I do like the sound of the DiMarzio pickups and have used these in quite a number of guitars over the years. The DiMarzio DP-217 YJM is a HS-3 with a vintage magnet stagger. They are pretty fat sounding for a Strat pickup thus giving those really sweet tones when used with a lot of distortion. The old Yngwie Strats had 3 HS-3 pickups if I remember right, then Yngwie worked with DiMarzio to do the HS-3 mod. I wonder if that might be the difference? DiMarzio states the following about the new and improved YJM DP217:

"The vintage 50's magnet stagger is a subtle change from the standard HS-3. It alters the overall tonal balance so there's a little more clarity and string definition, and highs cut through, particulary higher up the neck."

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com