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Fender Yngwie Malmsteen

Elmore

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Jul 10, 2003
Messages
1,888
Very nice. Great playing. I am a fan of the Duncan YJM Fury pickups. I have them installed in a strat with 500K pots and a paper in oil cap. Great for any style of music. Totally clean through a Fender Twin they will tell on you.
 

Vics53

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Jan 21, 2021
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Whoa! If I could play 1/3 as good as you I'd be a happy camper! Great playing brother!
 

melpi65

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Jan 1, 2024
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Thank you! I think the YJM guitar is very useful for many styles, but with high gain is amazing completly.
 

Vics53

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Jan 21, 2021
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For those of you familiar with the YJM Fury pickups, could you provide a bit of detail about them?

I like the clarity of single coils (I know these are stacked) but I never liked how thin the high end is. Always wanted more thickness, more muscle from the high end while retaining that single coil sound. Not that I wanted them to sound just like a traditional humbucker but again...."where's the beef!"

Also, what's the balance between the bridge and the neck pickup like? Meaning, does the volume and the low end of the neck pickup walk over the bridge pickup? I hate when that happens. Can't tell you how many reviews I've seen on YouTube (for any style of pickup) where things sound so balanced from one pickup to another but when I try them it's a different story.

Got a Strat that I'd like to do something with in time. Just not sure what route to go but the YJM's are a possibility.

Thanks in advance.
 

Hiwatts-n-Gibsons

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May 10, 2024
Messages
830
From what you're describing the pickups I would look at would be...

Gold Lace Sensors
Fralin Steelpoles
SK Guitar Design S-90's

The Gold Lace Sensors are marketed as a low noise single coil with a vintage '50s Strat tone. To my ears they are warmer and better balanced then vintage Strat pickups. They have that thwack on the low strings, and gorgeous chime to the highs, but with more warm midrange to thicken them up. They are not noiseless stacked coil design pickups, but instead are a true single coil with excellent noise rejection due to their unique design. They sound gorgeous clean, have a great grind that is not harsh at all dirty, and work great with high gain and fuzz.

The Fralin Steelpoles and SK S-90's are single coil Strat sized pickups based on the P90 design. Like the Lace Sensors they add a good bit of that warm midrange grunt to a Strat sized pickup evening out the tone, so it's less bright and scooped sounding. Again just great pickups clean or dirty, and work incredibly well with high gain and fuzz tones.
 

Vics53

Active member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
184
From what you're describing the pickups I would look at would be...

Gold Lace Sensors
Fralin Steelpoles
SK Guitar Design S-90's

The Gold Lace Sensors are marketed as a low noise single coil with a vintage '50s Strat tone. To my ears they are warmer and better balanced then vintage Strat pickups. They have that thwack on the low strings, and gorgeous chime to the highs, but with more warm midrange to thicken them up. They are not noiseless stacked coil design pickups, but instead are a true single coil with excellent noise rejection due to their unique design. They sound gorgeous clean, have a great grind that is not harsh at all dirty, and work great with high gain and fuzz.

The Fralin Steelpoles and SK S-90's are single coil Strat sized pickups based on the P90 design. Like the Lace Sensors they add a good bit of that warm midrange grunt to a Strat sized pickup evening out the tone, so it's less bright and scooped sounding. Again just great pickups clean or dirty, and work incredibly well with high gain and fuzz tones.
Thanks for the info! I haven't looked into Strat style pickups in years so you've given me a bit of homework to do!

Another possibility I'm considering for my Strat is: currently, I have a DiMarzio PAF in the bridge which I rather like. It's a model that has been discontinued for a number of years and of what I gather many people have begged DiMarzio to bring it back. It's a very clear pickup and almost has a "Strat-like" quality to it. For the neck it's a stacked Dimarzio single coil sized pickup. It's another one that's discontinued and it's part of their Virtual Vintage line. I'm not crazy about it. At times it has a bit too much bass response and the pole pieces on the B and high E don't line up with the strings, with the high E being the worst. Despite that, I hear the possibilities between the two pickups. Not quite there yet.

So I'm thinking about keeping the PAF in the bridge and finding a single coil pickup or a stacked pickup that would work well with the PAF.

That's one of a few possibilities,
 

Hiwatts-n-Gibsons

Well-known member
Joined
May 10, 2024
Messages
830
Thanks for the info! I haven't looked into Strat style pickups in years so you've given me a bit of homework to do!

Another possibility I'm considering for my Strat is: currently, I have a DiMarzio PAF in the bridge which I rather like. It's a model that has been discontinued for a number of years and of what I gather many people have begged DiMarzio to bring it back. It's a very clear pickup and almost has a "Strat-like" quality to it. For the neck it's a stacked Dimarzio single coil sized pickup. It's another one that's discontinued and it's part of their Virtual Vintage line. I'm not crazy about it. At times it has a bit too much bass response and the pole pieces on the B and high E don't line up with the strings, with the high E being the worst. Despite that, I hear the possibilities between the two pickups. Not quite there yet.

So I'm thinking about keeping the PAF in the bridge and finding a single coil pickup or a stacked pickup that would work well with the PAF.

That's one of a few possibilities,

I don't think that's a bad idea at all, pretty damn good one in fact. Lots of versatility to be had, gives you the gorgeous prototypical Strat neck tone, the position 4 tone which I like much more than position 2, and eliminates the bridge single coil sound which is a love hate thing depending on which side you fall on. Personally I like a nice warmer single coil in the bridge of a Strat, but some people are not fans.
 

Vics53

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Jan 21, 2021
Messages
184
I don't think that's a bad idea at all, pretty damn good one in fact. Lots of versatility to be had, gives you the gorgeous prototypical Strat neck tone, the position 4 tone which I like much more than position 2, and eliminates the bridge single coil sound which is a love hate thing depending on which side you fall on. Personally I like a nice warmer single coil in the bridge of a Strat, but some people are not fans.
I like this combination a lot. Fact is, I just spent most of the day playing this guitar. Of all my guitars I think the neck on this one is most agreeable one for me. Its just the two pickups with a 3 way switch, one volume and one tone.

What I would really like to do.....once I find the right neck pickup, is to get two, concentric stacked knobs so each pickup will have it's own volume and tone control. Offhand lets say a 500K setup for the bridge pickup and a 250K setup for the neck pickup. In theory I think it would work pretty darned good but again, which single coil pickup would work best with the DiMarzio PAF bridge pickup?

Even though I'm not totally in love with the neck pickup, I'm liking the middle position sound. It's not perfect (for me) but again, I'm hearing the possibilities of what it will give me with the right pickup.

Thanks again! You encouraged me greatly!!
 

Elmore

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Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Messages
1,888
Vics53, I went down the same road, and bought them. I was all set to buy Duncan classic stacks. I have a classic stack in the bridge of my Telecaster, and like it. I called the Seymour Duncan company, and described what I wanted. He suggested the YJM Fury. They are balanced and clear. It you want to duplicate a vintage Strat sound, there may be a better choice. But they can get in that ball park. That is the only down side for me. For a Les Paul guy, they work well. I use them for any style of music. I put on different covers because I wanted covers without the logo. I used 500K CTS pots and a paper in oil cap. I like them because of the vintage look, and now my Strat is a viable backup to my Les Paul. Here is a good video on them. I like the tone I get out of a Twin better than the tone this player gets.
 
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Vics53

Active member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
184
Vics53, I went down the same road, and bought them. I was all set to buy Duncan classic stacks. I have a classic stack in the bridge of my Telecaster, and like it. I called the Seymour Duncan company, and described what I wanted. He suggested the YJM Fury. They are balanced and clear. It you want to duplicate a vintage Strat sound, there may be a better choice. But they can get in that ball park. That is the only down side for me. For a Les Paul guy, they work well. I use them for any style of music. I put on different overs because I wanted covers without the logo. I used 500K CTS pots and a paper in oil cap. I like them because of the vintage look, and now my Strat is a viable backup to my Les Paul. Here is a good video on them.
Mornin' Elmore! Watched this video while having my morning coffee. Of what what I can tell those pickups sound pretty darned good! The one thing I look for is that the higher strings have some strength to them. (Hate the thin high end). Offhand it sounds like the higher end wouldn't disapoint. The other thing is that the neck pickup doesn't walk all over the bridge pickup in tems of volume and bass response. Again, sounds pretty good. I'm not so much after the pure Strat sound per say, just want something with the qualities that I like to hear. Clarity and strength.

Hmm, decisions decisions! Thanks Elmore! I appreciate your help.

Have a good day.
 

RhinestoneStrat

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Joined
Aug 27, 2019
Messages
453
That was some soulful Strat playing by the OP. The song had a mixture of slow & fast playing which I love. I don't like it when guitarists shred fast all of the time because it doesn't sound as soulful and melodic. Great job by the OP. (y)
 
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