DO NOT Buy This So Called Stratocaster
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2023
- DO NOT Buy This So Called Stratocaster
Today I'm checking out something I bought a few years ago that's just been sitting in a corner. It's a cheap knock off Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Strat. The message is simple. If you ever get the chance to buy anything from this company, don't.
Enjoy!
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Thanks Elmo for addressing the issue of counterfeiting. I think the word you're looking for is "rip-off". A "knock off" is one thing, everybody does it, there are parameters, but a rip-off, is just not okay, essentially stealing. Good job.
If you want to build a budget malmsteen just go Warmoth, they do fender licensed scalloped necks, then just slap it on a squire or MIM body with YJM pickups.
I bought an Ali express guitar a few years back. Not a Fender or Gibson copy. After I filled and re-drilled the bridge posts 4mm forward. Replaced the bridge. Replaced the fake active EMG's. Leveled the frets, and re-shaped the back of the neck. Replaced the tuners, and nut, pots, and 5 way switch. It's a reasonable instrument. Although I'm probably going to need to replace the output jack soon...
after your hard work you definitely deserve a decent tone now lol ,,cheers
You would have been better off just getting a kit guitar. It actually sounds like less work. I do believe I will avoid Ali Express.
Biggest fear with this stuff, not intonatable instruments, wrong neck angles, crooked neck pockets...not to say that it couldnt also happen with other cheap imports
A good way to test a single coil is with a drill, place the chuck parallel to the pickup and pull the trigger, the motor will create a magnetic field and the pickups will respond as it's an input.
Thanks for the warning. I bought a used Fender Player for not much more than the price of that monstrosity.
Where, pls?
I was looking at MIM Fender Tele's the other day and most people were selling them very close to the retail price, I was gobsmacked!
I've known for years that these do exist. I remember how I toyed around with the idea of buying one to learn how it compares to the real deal. But I guess I'm happy that I never did. Well, I suppose you could use that one as a wall decoration. Just place it in a dimly lit room and somewhere where people can't see it too well. Here, a coffee (or something) on me. You deserve it!
Hard Rock Cafe wall art.
Thank you very much!
ESP makes a grassroots statocaster that comes fully scalloped for around 500 imported from Japan. Great guitar
Awesome
I'm glad you made this video . Making people aware .
I would feel comfortable using this, because I sometimes feel like a cheap knock-off of Yngwie :)
Haha 🤣
These days even Yngwie is a cheap knock-off of Yngwie...
@@jonlvstad2861- I mean you’re not wrong…still better than me, though. 😅
@@jonlvstad2861I saw Yngwie a year ago totally awesome ,and at the top of his game
@@t3hgir April is doing great. Where did you took the suicide bs from?
I bought a Chyngwie Strat off eBay second hand. Luckily the headstock is plain with no fake logos so my conscience is clear as far as fakes go. I had to replace the trem with a genuine Fender item as the saddle height adjusters kept falling out, and I also bought a set of second hand Dimarzios for it as well as a new selector switch. All in all it cost me £450 after fixing it up and I have a nice scalloped neck strat copy with decent pickups. Suits me fine as I would never buy a genuine Yngwie strat due to the cost.
Where I have a problem is with the fake logos, I couldn't care less about the strat design being copied, every man and his dog do that. My problem is with people passing guitars off as fakes. I'd be really annoyed if someone paid a lot of money for a fake guitar thinking it was real.
Elmo, what you ought to do is sand the fake logos off the headstock and give it a bit of a tune up. Sell it as a cheap strat copy and someone will get a bargain and you'll recoup some money. Don't smash it up m8. 👍
I have 2 DIY kit strats that have the Fender shape headstock, so I put Fender waterslide decals on them, but I have no intention of ever selling them, so I'm not worried about them being "counterfeit." I do plan on putting Fender Tex/Mex pickups in one of them.
Great timing on your video. You probably saved me some money and a major headache. I was actually considering ordering an ESP George Lynch Kamikaze model. Thanks!
Check out the ESP Grassroots Strat that comes fully scalloped already
"Burn it, burn it, burn it... bring forth the sacrificial Shi" 😂
For the UA-cam gods, thank you for your honest work.
I appreciate you saying this and, sadly, ran into the same thing when I bought this exact same guitar about a month ago. Very much like you (I believe): I am a "spirit of the law" type of person. Even though not always fair I believe an individual and a company should have protections for their ideas as to not be taken advantage. That said the "concepts" (stratish, scalloped necks, pickup selection) can get more ambiquous and, to be frank, as a person who's owned a scalloped rosewood strat guitar for years I wanted an all maple option. I did all the "right" best practices - tried to only deal with companies that have been in business for a while, made sure to have a "conversation" with the person hoping for the best. My thing was I knew the instrument wouldn't be perfect though hoped for something "decent" that I could tune down to Eb. I also believed (and was promised) that the instrument they'd send would have a "blank" headstock with no "Fender" or other logos. This was promised over and over... so I paid. Only to get the same thing as you'd expect - a "copy". I knew that this was a possibility (I've had issues with two other sellers - one on Aliexpress and another years ago on DHGate) and knew I'd need to dispute. Even though I offered to send the instrument back I was "awarded" $80 of the original $180 back as a "partial refund" and it was closed by AliExpress with no other options for dispute. I can't see myself doing business with any of these companies ever again because, they are not only terrible, they've incentivized their sellers to essentially sell junky or misadvertised products because they're making a profit. Mind you I should say: I actually LIKE the instrument I received. It's not great quality, though it's also not terrible and, oddly enough, seems to hold tuning at the keys and seems reasonably balanced. That's the point for me - that I knew making a decent strat wouldn't be difficult - which is why it's even more sad that they didn't just take the extra time and make the guitar they promised. I plan on doing all the "mods" I do to most of my guitars - alnico pickups for a "50s" sound, a new pickguard, a super switch, and a new nut. I also am trying to find a way cover the headstock and may literally just use painters tape. In any event I've heard of people who've had great experiences with these companies and their shady sellers. My whole thing is that I would have bought more instruments if they had just been honest. Also, to be fair I've had other sellers who kept it real... so maybe I'm still just not choosing the right sellers... but it's evil what they're doing on so many levels and I don't want to take part in that.
With these guitars, you are really only buying a body and a neck. They are great if you like building or working on guitars, it's a good base to start from, but not a guitar for beginner.
Elmo bringing up working conditions. BASED. ❤
I also bought a Chibson without seeing the headstock 2 years ago, You will have to keep it, its your demon forever. Selling it or giving it away could lead to someone thinking its real later down the line as its sold and traded over and over again, creating many negative demons for others dealing with its fakeness lol
I guess if you sanded the brand name and all other fakeness off the headstock it could be what you wanted exactly?
You could carve or stamp FAKE on the back of the headstock
@@audiomonster303 or turn it into ratocaster lol
I dont know even from the limted quality of the video and no close ups it looked really fake and of poor quality to me so it seems that it wouldnt be easy to confuse with a real Fender strat.
I bought a cheap scalloped guitar with an 'FR' from ali for 165 euro, wood is wood, sanded off the decals, did a bit of fretwork and slowly replacing the cheap parts. From my end as long as you are aware of what you are getting yourself into and dont try to sell it as an original then nothing is wrong. I own a yjm already and i wasnt willing to shell another 2.5k on a guitar.
This sounds like exactly the way to go! I bought an Acrylic Jem copy with light up LEDs just to see what you get for £250(ish) delivered. It's actually not a bad guitar - even out of the box. Sure it has cheap parts but the neck & body are sound. I bought it thinking it would be a cool wall ornament but it's far better than than. It even arrived intonated and in tune!
I'll never have a genuine Jem 20th Anniversary, so this'll do me. If I was going to play it, I'd be upgrading a few parts and that'd be it 👍
You are 100% correct about the headstock being the part that is protected. But this only applies to some body shapes- such as the Tele, the Strat, and the Les Paul. This is because these shapes are dictated by function- not aesthetic choice. To make a functional guitar- especially acoustics- you have to use a certain shape- it fits the leg when sitting, allows room for your arm, etc.- and creates the best sound and volume in the case of acoustics. So the court decided you could use those shapes- anyone can- but they have to have an original headstock shape because this is not purely dictated by function and it's how most of us recognize brands. Shapes like the Flying V however are protected because they're not dictated by function- you can easily make a functioning guitar without making it that shape- and the shape has become synonymous with Gibson, so they were able to protect it going forward. The Explorer would be the same way- or any shape not dictated by function.
I'm not going to debate the shape function and copyright, but I have made and seen and heard many acoustic cigar box guitars made with cigar boxes, metal boxes, paint can lid resonators and springs inside. The headstocks range from a straight same width as the neck to flared, to Strat style to anything else you can imagine. What makes the sound? String vibration and the more precision on the fret harmonics the better the sound.
This video popped up in my feed and since I have a very similar looking Strat knock off, I was intrigued.
@@towpathguitars It's not about the sound - it's about the guitar fitting the human body and being comfortable to play and move about with. Which explains why you see so few guys playing Flying Vs and Explorers- most ppl want something that fits their body and is comfortable. The court realized this and decided that protecting these shapes would reduce competition and innovation- and they were right.
@@stoneysdead689 I'm not arguing that, even a basic box has a sound and can sound great.
I bought a Gretsch hollow body recently, love it, and I purposely would only buy one made in Korea. It's not a knock off, and Gretsch does have builders in China, but I know Korea has fair labor laws, China does not. We have two voices in this world, how we vote and how we spend our money. Korea has been making guitars longer and they have real pros doing it, and they're actually really good at it and you can see the pride in their work, it's a beautiful guitar and plays really well...I know that much. And I just can't justify spending $1000 buck on something that says: Handcrafted in China, I just can't. Gretsch has factories all over, the only ones made in the U.S. are at the Fender factory and are custom only (big bucks), and their basic off the shelf high end are made in Japan, and they're beautiful and I would trust them 100%.
"And I just can't justify spending $1000 buck on something that says: Handcrafted in China, I just can't." You mean like an iphone, tv, computers etc etc?
Those aren't handcrafted. Let me be more concise then: I'm speaking of guitars, as this a guitar forum.
sorry to tell but there is good chinese guitars, like you have bad ones too..
but yah the fair labor counts.
USA Fenders are made in the USA. Duhhhhhhhh..
I actually have a reason to buy one of these or a Chibson because I teach a consumer protection law class and I have purchased some counterfeit products for education purposes. My students learn how about the extent of the problem and what to look for when it comes to counterfeit products. It's not just guitars or handbags, but soap, insulated water bottles, and all kinds of everyday stuff. I'd love for my students to figure out how to identify a counterfeit fender or Gibson, which gives me an excuse to buy a nice guitar. Like I really need one. I've read that a lot of the people who make counterfeit products work in or have worked in the factories where the legit things are made, so they know the process and just make some side cash making counterfeit versions of the same things. The counterfeit market is worth something like $600 billion per year. This video will certainly help make people aware. Bravo.
Elmo, I wants one!! Cheers
I paid $175 usd shipped and am quite impressed with the overall quality and playability for the price. I will replace the tuners with cheap locking tuners and block the tremolo with some coins and will upgrade the pups eventually. Ive always wanted to try a scalloped neck guitar and this definitely scratches the itch. My biggest complaint is the awful smell of the finish but after a few days it all went away. The guitar is extremely lightweight too. The neck almost feels hollow. But overall I would totally buy this guitar again for the price. The real fender is way too expensive and I dont like YJM enough to spend that kind of money!
Really good video. I cannot effort a Yingwie Malmsteen Fender strat...but... I think that in the future I will built one by myself using one HB ST-62MN VW Vintage Series and scalloping the neck. The ST62 is a good base. I have already one and with the EMG pick up is really a good guitar
Elmo,
BaxMusic in Holland own house brand Fazley have a range of affordable scalloped Strat style guitars Hard tail and with trem .I had a scalloped itch to scratch and bought one of the hard tailed Brass nut locking tuners versions a couple of weeks ago for under £150 and was pleasantly surprised at its build & sound quality for the money 👍
Hey Elmo, did you plan to try the Ibanez AZES (31 or 40) ?
I've seen people buying the shell without hardware on them ,a quik fret level crown/ polish and they end up totally usable.
Very true...
If all someone is going to do is play something on stage and want to have the Fender logo for their own vanity, fine. But if someone wanted to then sell it on, this is where you hit very boggy ground, because not only do you have to have the ethical standpoint to label the advert as “Not a Fender” but then the mental ethical gymnastics to worry about the purchasers ethical standpoint.
As for the quality. Okay you may have paid 300 quid 💷 to buy the guitar, but there is probably another 300 pounds of remedial work to change the tuners for a set that at least work effectively, or perhaps are Fender genuine parts. The next thing would then be a complete pre wired scratch plate with the correct pickups or at least ones that work as they should. Then a decent quality trem bridge system. And perhaps fitting the correct nut. At this point someone would at least have something approaching the correct quality, but then brings it back to the initial issue of copyright. As once the remedial corrective work has been done it’s then actually probably more of a copyright issue, despite at that point containing Fender correct parts. As it will then be on one hand a PartsCaster, but also still a knockoff.
Think at that point you would be engraving “Made in China” on the back of the headstock to make it more obvious.
Thing is, once you’ve fixed all the initial problems, it probably would have made more sense to have bought an actual second hand Fender.
Nice Job The Fender Players Series are hit or miss also
ESP do a strat with the YNG spec really cheap. Its a grass roots. Can get them used for a couple hundred.
Elmo !! does it again !!
Damn straight 👍 Thanks alot for this one . 🎸🎸❤️
thank you Elmo for this Video!
My pleasure!
@@MrPolevaulter All the Chinese ali dhgate guitars i have are awesome Truss rod is always working good Never had any problem Love to do the work and make them play like the overpriced real deals Brass nut only cost a couple of euro Wiring and pickups and hardware you can choose whatever you like
Good review, thanks for speaking the truth on these guitars. I've been tempted several times of buying a SRV Strat from Ali express, now I feel happy I didn't pull the trigger. Regards
I'm cool with ordering copies but I never do because it's too risky for me.
Man I LIKE this guy!!! He's HONEST, and a HELL of a guitarist!!!! :) Thanks for the great online lessons , man!!! RESPECT!!! :) I have the genuine YJM. LOVE IT!!! ( and it's actually noiseless lol )
I appreciate that!
How about reshaping the headstock sanding off the logo and signature and repainting it? Or all it to me and I’ll do it, I’ve wanted a scalloped fret board for ever without getting stuck with the Yngwie stigma.
Hey, they even chiseled it old school man, with a kitchen knife like Ritchie! 😜😝😛
If I wanted a ruined fretboard, I'd do it myself.
I've bought a few chinese knock offs and end up spending so much on upgrades, fretwork, and set up that I could get a classic vibe or g&l tribute with a setup for less and have a better guitar. occasionally you can get a good one andhave kept a couple Chibsons that were awesome out of the box, but mostly I have taken the parts off for my own builds.
Plz don't support the Chinese Communist Party.
Sounds like you need to re wire the pick guard Titan up the tuners what about the neck is it straight are frets in even and sharp you might be able to get it to play and sound good .
Thanks for this video. I was considering this as a cheap alternative or a project guitar, but now, no way. But, I will also not spend $2500 - $4500 for a Fender. I'll stick to Schecter, Ibanez and Jackson/Charvel.
If one checks out music gear websites such as Reverb...can find listings for quality American made Fender guitars far less than $2500.00 - $4500.00. Purchased a used 2007 American made strat for $800.00 in excellent condition on Reverb, few years ago. Custom shop Fender strat, much less than $2500.00. Schecter, Ibanez, Jackson/Charvel guitars have such a different vibe, playability, tonality...than Fender guitars as well.
He bought a CHENDER!
😀
IYV, AIO/Wolf guitars, some of the Epiphones, some of the Harley Bentons, are all made in the same factory in Vietnam, IYV's. Those are excellent instruments for the most part. And dirt cheap.
I bought a replacement neck off Aliexpress for a DIY project. And to my surprise it turned out to be the exact same neck as you have here, but I never knew it was gonna have the Fender logo and YJM signature on the headstock, thus making it a fake. I kept it in its styrofoam box for almost 3 years before I decided to use it. The fret job was pretty bad. I had to level them all and work really hard to get it to be somewhat playable. I did record a couple of songs with it, but I don't like playing it. It's bulky and feels like those huge 50s Les Paul necks and I don't like the idea of playing a fake. I've considered sanding off the Fender logo and Ynwgwie's fake signature, but I'll probably end up replacing the neck altogether.
Cheers!
I got one of these for a couple hundred bucks. Seems like a decent guitar to me. Put a set of dg20’s in it and boom, fun scalloped guitar.
If somebody buys that thinking they’ll get the quality of a 2300$ guitar then they’re nuts 😂
Like u said u can use the bare bones and replace the lot. Then surely it could be made playable therfore almost worthwhile
I've never played one, and I don't know if they still make them, but Fender Japan made a series of YJM Strats. They had the scalloped neck, brass nut and block, the bullet truss rod (if appropriate), etc. The interesting part was that they came in a variety of reissue years. The American YJM's are based on the '72 Strat. I believe the Japanese YJM's come in '57, '62, '66, '72, and possibly other years.
Anyone had any experience with these models?.
Yes - they’re pretty good…. On par with a good…. MIM strat, but not as good as the USA one
The japanese ones are highly recommended.
I remember an Yngve interview from the 80s where he said the Japanese Fender Strat bodies were better than the US ones. He used combinations of US necks and Japanese bodies for some of his guitars.
Lol.. don't just dip the pick-ups in wax to stop the microphonic squeal, dip the entire guitar in it then toss it in a burn barrel and if it's still squealing or "not," take a chainsaw or jackhammer to it.. yes I had a similar thing happen with a Ibanez that was counterfeit but luckily I figured it out the same day when I went to adjust the truss rod and saw that there wasn't one that would actually turn anyways, then I noticed it had a very strange scarf joint on back of headstock, then I noticed the headstock was slightly different than a rg series was, as a matter of fact it looked similar to a Geo headstock which it most definitely was.. so I took it back to the reputable store and the salesman didn't notice anything strange about the guitar i just purchased earlier from that reputable music store.. long story short, management noticed everything I did and refunded everything and gave me a discount on a no counterfeit squier paranormal tornado guitar which was actually a paranormal tornado and a really nice guitar for 349.00 reduced to 299.00. . I still don't know how the IBAcounterfeitnez r-geo who knows what?? But the fact that someone made a counterfeit of something that only cost 349 ish for the real deal is very strange and peculiar? 🤔
however, are the body and neck actually "fine"? is the body actual wood or is it plywood/multiplex, or even worse, sawdust glued into the shape of a Strat? is the neck straight? does it stay straight with strings? are the frets playable? i guess i ask because sometimes customizing a weak guitar is not worth it at all. there are guitars from the 80's, Hondos (for example) that are just not worth upgrading because of the built-in "cheap" factor. i'd be curious to know.
Well normally cheap guitars have noise in the pickups, but I think you can pay for a good fenders picks or DiMaggio pickups. I got one I give some TLC and works pretty good and didn’t pay $1200 for one original.
Dimarzio
Years ago I bought one and changed out parts and it plays and sounds great! You have to put some good parts.
So, you stripped it so far that you only have the wooden body left? 😀
@@christian-van-e No.
@@christian-van-e Don't be an idiot.
If you know how to set up a guitar and play. It's a steal for the price of the guitars. Yes, you will have to put in some parts. No more than 200 bucks. Elmo must be venting.
Hell I did this much to a 97 L P studio. Changed out small pots, cheap plastic coated wire and bad tuners. Nut and locking bridge came next. Did I hurt the value? I don't care, made a better playing guitar.
I'd never buy a cheap Chinese guitar. And after watching this, it's confirmed my views. Thank you. M
I have an inexpensive Chinese Squier and it’s fantastic. Of course it doesn’t feel as nice as a proper Fender but a little work with sandpaper, fret end files, and lubrication at the friction points it closes the gap.
Still if you have the cash go for the real Fender but good instruments do come out of China.
I have a Grote Telecaster, and after a nice setup, it's one of my go-to rockers, even over some of my much more expensive guitars. It depends on which ones you buy and why you buy it, but they're not all terrible.
Excellent leaves more for me! lol! I got one of these China YJM Fenders the custom shop specifically order it maple on maple neck and did all the fret-leveling, re-crowning and high polished the frets. Did all the USA YJM upgrade mods. YJM Fury pickups all YJM electronics, brass nut everything except Fender locking tuners and I love this guitar now! saved a bundle, frankly I think this guy is kissing USA Fenders ass for trying to put down this alleged bad guitar? I will say electronics were not that bad but with the right attention to detail as a luthier I can get them to play like melted butter! It's ok all the dummies can run with it just leaves more for me because I'm going to buy them and do all the upgrades on this 22 fret from Beijing factory. USA Fender is an over priced guitar, wire & wood plus quality parts and craftsman ship of course but both are essentially $1200 and $2500 guitar not 23/55 which Fender in my opinion is price gouging. All USA Fender YJM pickups and parts are around $600. Solid neck model is $2300-$600=$1700 body and neck even with luthier labor costs detail is steep. USA custom shop $5,500 factor same parts $600 well you can do the math its a large profit margin. Personally I would never try to sell it as a USA but I don't ever sell axes. . I got the money to buy a USA YJM but I don't play 1953 21fret
Yngwie used to have a habit of going to local pawn shops when he was touring. He went into a shop in Cocoa, FL in 1994 when he was playing a small gig in Melbourne, FL. He traded 2 of his own Yngwie Strat guitars for 1 Rolex watch. One Strat had a left-handed neck on it, and that one got purchased very quickly. I purchased the other one with the normal right-handed neck from the pawn shop for $900. It came with a case, a photo of him holding the guitars with the pawn shop owner, and a paper written and signed by him for authenticity (it says "I, Yngwie Malmsteen hand over 2 Strats for one Rolex. Play loud"). The guitar has his cigarette burns by the brass nut where he often put them when he was playing, scratches on the back from sliding it across stages, and nicks and marks everywhere. Doesn't play very well, at least compared to a used Ibanez I bought at age 16 which I scalloped myself with different sized round wood files and sand paper.
Do you reckon Yngwie had a racket going swapping Chinese fake guitars for Rolex's 😂
@@EricTViking Ha ha ha !
@@EricTViking Not unless he played the Chinese Strats on stage. This one was pretty worn and used up.
@@EricTVikingthe idea of him playing fernandes or squier strats that were just labeled fender is just hilarious to me
Hi. Just an observation: you did say the neck and body of the guitar are fine, right? If that's the case, getting a good stratocaster body and a scalloped neck for 300 euro is actually a great deal. A decent scalloped neck alone will cost you about 700 euro, or where I am, about 800 dollars. If you like to tinker just a little, it's well worth the price to replace all of the mechanical and electronic parts, which will cost about 300 or 400 Euro more. That is, if the neck and body are really fine. The real problem for me is the deception, and as you say, the copyright infringement. Good cautionary tale regardless.
I found them for $105 USD plus $61 for shipping.
if the body is ash or alder and the neck is maple I would get this guitar for this price. Good deal, actually.
I have the Yngwie Strat from Alie Express and it's actually really good. The body is perfect and the pickups don't have hum, just need a full setup and it really rocks. Chingwie rules!🤭👑
@@jugl7324 the body is mahogany and the neck is scalloped gloss maple. If youre a bedroom shredder who don't have a plan in playing on stage, this is the best guitar to have and since Yngwie is my idol. This guitar makes me feel how Yngwie feels to play .😅
@@guitarandmore69Link, please! I'm looking for a scalloped maple neck but can't find any.
The Harley Benton factory is a very good factory in Indonesia. They are probably the same factory that manufacture for Ibanez, Squier, Jackson, Schecter and others.
I got a fusion Tele, excellent quality. Changed pickups though.
Great video Mr. Elmo as always. Hate these knockoffs ughh 🙄
Especially the pickup sound 😅
A lot of Harley Benton's are now manufactured in Vietnam, in an effort to keep prices down. There are a number of Indonesian factories (e.g. PT Wildwood, for one..), so it may not be Cor-tek (Cort) that was making them. Even if it was, they were being built to a price point that may make them less consistent QC wise to Ibanez etc. They do offer incredible VFM though. Great specs on those Fusion models too!
FIREWOOD NUFF SAID
I would just get some Grover tuners and fender pickups from Guitarcenter and make it sound like a fender.
When i first bought a strat in 1964 there was only a fender strat made on usa . They sholuld never have brought in all these bull models and overseas copies, thats where they took the plunge
You can see from far away that the bridge is a pos too.
i love your humor !
So buy a noise gate if you don't the hum.
I've seen some pretty shoty squires, too..
If you are only spending a couple hundred bucks on a guitar, you really should bring someone with you to pick out a good one
If you don't understand what to look for regarding the quality of the build.
Hypothesis: if you're buying a guitar explicitly because of who used it, you're buying the guitar for the wrong reason.
Mostly yes, but also no. If you have an artist/band tribute going on, that's a legitimate explanation for buying it based on that fact alone.
@@MrGul True, but if you're playing in a tribute band, you're likely sufficiently experienced and well informed as to understand exactly why the musician chose it; you're not just a mindless fanboy buying on brand recognition.
Dude I had one of his, and it S.........D! I hate that neck. Washed and waxed school busses over a summer when I was 13, bought it not understanding guitars. Traded it off for a Gibson Nighthawk and LOVE it! Lot of miles on her, but still one of my main goes to, even above any of my PRS.
Maybe I needed to eat nothing but fried chicken and donuts to make my fingers have the meat sweats and donut ooze to make the neck feel correct! lmao
Would love to see a series where you customise this big time Elmo, turn it into a worthwhile instrument do it doesn't feel like you just threw money away. The neck and body are fine as you said yourself. Just a thought anyway
Why?
Make review on the harley benton hbo classic please 🙏🏻
How about Fender cables for guitars?
The original is for playing, while the KO is meant for the smashing and throwing stunts when a gig is about to end 😁
Was the truss rod usable? Even if you change all the other hardware but can't adjust the bow then you've just bought a painted body.
All the Chinese ali dhgate guitars i have are awesome Truss rod is always working good Never had any problem Love to do the work and make them play like the overpriced real deals Brass nut only cost a couple of euro Wiring and pickups and hardware you can choose whatever you like
I think it actually says Flanders Yngwad Mimestein model?
I'd like to see you mod this out with all the right parts and come back and review it and see if it is possible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I'd hope that anybody willing to purchase an instrument from certain outlets isn't naive enough to think they are getting the real deal. You know why you went there and not to a reputable outlet and that's usually because of the difference in cost so you can't really complain about what you received. That's why I'd like to see this modded out and reviewed to see if it will cost you as much to make it playable as buying a genuine article.
Bought a brand new 2022 Yngwie Strat a month ago and it sounds astronomical. Even with the Chinese Demonfx 250 pedal ;)
Cool 😊
Ku Chibsoniin vaihtaa tunerit ja tekee säätöjä niin hyvällä ruutila siitä saa kelpo soittopelin, vaikka ne kaulat on kyl niin paskoja että sitä ei pelasta mikään.
i ve buildt 3 partscasters with fender Genuine Parts that was just for fun i wanna know if i couldt do it - it works the parts are with Garantie not the complett Axe and it´s not cheap - But a Fender yngwie Modell for 300 whatever from Ali express forget it or wait + belief in Santa thats shit and not real
I bought one of these from AliExpress back in 2016 and mine was even worse than yours. Same things you described were present, but it also had a really f*cked-up neck which was not only slightly twisted but also has a non-adjustable truss rod and the most horrid fretwork I've ever seen with sharp edges and I'm willing to bet that no fret levelling was done whatsoever.
I've replaced the bridge pickup with a real YJM Fury pickup, the plastic nut with the YJM brass nut, and the tuners (the one for the D-string was busted and didn't work) with Harley Benton locking tuners, but it doesn't help with the playability since the neck is way beyond repair.
Lastly, the first thing that told me this was a knock-off was the fact that the neck had 22 frets instead of 21.
Body shape makes mega difference. Ask EVH about his "Shark" Guitar.
5:48 noiseless 😂
I bought 2 both lefthanded. Did what I do to a real Fender. Replaced the pickups, put on locking tuners, put a bone nut and brass trem block. They are both players. No fret issues and I sanded the names off the headstock. I'm a lefty so there is no "real" Yngwie made for me. Basically you gave the guitar no chance. I don't support counterfeiting. However, you can't buy a scalloped neck for less than $200.
Paul Reed Smith calls those things “guitar shaped objects”…and there are a lot out there!!!
You could consider making cheap modifications, for example: instead of "noiseless" write "noisiness" 😁. Seriously now, I see your point, this is not just a cheap fender alternative. There are stratocasters made in PRC - I own one myself - that play and sound better than this "thing" and they don't fall apart "every now and then"... Actually you could replace the "noisiness" and the rest of the junk with cheap quality parts, and then do whatever you like with it!
Thinking of replacing everything except the neck and body.
@@MrPolevaulter That is the best thing you can do, if you want the guitar to sound decent. I understand your frustration though. We all change certain parts of our guitars, especially if we go for “cheap alternatives”, but we do it because we like them and want to make them better. What you are trying to do is upgrade something that passed quality control on friday afternoon (not to mention the violation of the fender trademark).
Also the malmsteen strat has a plane neck plate no fender logo. 7:50
I agree about the copy right issue with any guitar that infringes on those rights. The other issue like in this guitar is the sub quality for a price that you can get a firefly or Harley Benton guitars. Thanks "that guy"! Lol.
Cheers!
All the Chinese ali dhgate guitars i have are awesome Truss rod is always working good Never had any problem Love to do the work and make them play like the overpriced real deals Brass nut only cost a couple of euro Wiring and pickups and hardware you can choose whatever you like
@lucbos7516 I have no issue with buying guitars from DH Gate that are not disbanded & putting good parts in them, it's the copyright infringement guitars I disagree with.
@@dragan4658 I don't care about copyright at all
@lucbos7516 that's obvious that you have low morals.
Ok but if you change hardware and electronics, you can make a cool malmsteen for low budget. Or just to try a scalloped neck, before buy the real deal, why not...
Are the neck and body worth a rebuild?
You would pay more for a good neck.✌️
Sounds like a pretty cool percussion instrument. 😅
percussion - like using it to bang it off my hardwood floor
A friend was scammed by buying a Malmsteen copy !. The fret work (medium jumbo) and the scalopped fingerboard was OK, like a good mexican strat. The pickups were ceramic single coils and it's at the level of a Squier Affinity. Very light weight (probably basswood) and sound powerful but horrible plastic nut & tuners.
lets call it "firewood"
Plot twist: you mixed up and think the real Strat is the knock-off
🤣
Did I hear a jab at Charvel guitars?
I have had a lot of the original USA ones and they were fantastic as were the original USA Jackson guitars.
Not Charvel. It was a jab at the Zuwei.
I would sand the headstock, swap out a few parts and just keep it as a spare or at that point sell it for a few hundred bucks once it’s de-badged and playable
i'd throw it in my fire pit
Same. If the neck is good then the rest can be replaced.
@@EricTViking i'd take the neck off and use it as an axe handle
I bought the fender model and had high E string slipping all the time couldnt stand it.
Sorry to hear.
If you just want to try a scalloped fretboard, go ahead and get one. Given that YJM Strats are now $2249 in the USA, you shouldn't put yourself out for a grail like that just to try the scalloped feel. I bought one back in 2011. Build quality is comparable to a Squier. The parts used are tragic but digital modellers cover up the noise better than a tube amp. I threw some $50 locking tuners on it and it was good to go. When I decided to plug up to the Marshall, I had problems, so I bought some YJM Furies and the pots that go with it. The fake branding is annoying, but that's how China is. In fact, that $180 KO strat build wise was setup better than the $350 White Blonde CV50s. 5th Fret on that Squier was so uneven, I had to take it to a tech to get it fixed.
I’m not so fussy about the cheap Strat being substandard. Its cheap and I expect it to be substandard. What bothers me is the blatant counterfeiting and that would stop me from owning it. If it didn’t have the Yngwie signature, noiseless on the clearly single coils and the Fender script, I’d be ok with having that guitar. I’d swap out the electronics and give it a setup with new tuners. It would probably be an ok guitar after a good setup.
You can buy a loaded pickguard and tuners but by the time you buy everything you might as well just get a fender.
Well, no such thing as a free lunch, but 200 bucks for a scalloped neck knock off? A brass nut, new tuners and shielding maybe 50-100 on top?
So the neck and body are good enough for you to sell to a Luthier or a DIY person and make some money back without having to spend anything more?
Thinking of upgrading the parts.
@@MrPolevaulter the problem is that in the US you have places like Hobby Lobby and other home décor stores that sell these types of guitars... They were meant to be wall hangers not playable instruments. The seller misrepresented his product to sell it for more probably, but in reality you would of spent around $100 to $150 US for a wall hanger in a home goods store in this country
It’s a guitar that you can play during a camp fire.
And when the fire needs more fuel, just toss it in.
🤣
Do you have somewhere you can start a Wall of shame. Or maybe make it t-shirt about?!! Just thinking out loud there's got to be some kind of promotional thing that you can do to make something with.
Sand the fender of the headstock then clear-coat it. Then gut the guitar & modify it to create some more kick ass content
Sorry to tell you, but I think that you're not honest about being "basically a bit stunned" upon discovering the Fender-logo and all - you must've been DELIGHTED and super, super happy with that, and you knew PERFECTLY that it's a cheap knock-off. Anyway, I'm giving you a "plus" because you're so amusing.(ultimate LOL).....