How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

[Bengal65]

Not sure this was the best place to post, but here it is anyway. Those that have Malmsteen Strat's of the "newer vintage" will notice that the pickup covers are mint green like the pick guard. Thus, the new "Mint Green" pick guards.This is not correct if one is pursuing the true vintage look! In the 50's, 60's and some into the 70's Fender used a pick guard material made from PVC plastic. As the pick guard aged some of the chemicals "outgassed" and the guard turned the mint "green". This is not true of the pickup covers, since they were made of a styrene plastic (another organic derivitive) similar to the knobs, which aged "vintage white" or slightly yellow. A call to DiMarzio was in order and a personal check (preferred by DiMarzio) was sent for $10.50 which included shipping, for three "aged white" pick up covers. These match the knobs. These covers are for the "stacked coil" single coil-humbucker arrangement used in the YJM and HS-3 pickups. What do you think, am I insane, to picky, strange??? I think it looks better anyway. The all "mint green" looked to manufactured to me.
[IMG][IMG]

[thetroy]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

I'd like to see some other guitars available with scalloped fretboards stock. Strats are neat and all, but I hate the SSS and v-trem and 21-frets!

[Bengal65]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Yea, I know what you mean. A 7.25" radius fret board to boot too! I like 10-16" compounds, or 10" minimum. But, what I like about the YJM Strat is it's different and I give Yngwie a lot of credit for playing it so well! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[quiksilver]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

+1

[etaeniura]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Funny, I am watching Yngwie on the G3 DVD as I write this. I'm thinking I want to make a yngwie strat mutt lookalike...A scalloped neck is going to be pricey though...

[Bengal65]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

I just got in from Warmoth a birdseye maple/rosewood neck, Warmoth construction with the side adjust truss rod, $132, plus $90 for the full scallop. Not bad considering all the work that has to be done. I love these scalloped necks, like playing on air! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Jim Shine]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Your info on why they turned mint green is incorrect. They only 1959-very late 1964 transitioning into very early '65 3-ply pickguards look mint green. They appear mint green because the white ply's are not 100% opaque. They had a slighlty translucent quality that allowed the black center ply to bleed through. This gave the material a slight blueish-gray tint when they were brand new. In time UV's and smoke yellow the material. Yellow+blue=green. If you have ever held a true mint green nitrate celluloid pickguard, you would see evidence of the original color under the knobs and on the back where they are shielded from UV's.

In '65 they are still nitrate celluloid, but the white layers are now fully opaque. These pickguards turn a yellow/beige color. In '66 they started switcing to vinyl, which yellows a little, but never turn 'mint-green'.

To make that guitar look correct you need a regular white pickguard, or for an aged look a parchment pickguard.

[toejam]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Speaking of mint green, I actually just got a set of mint green knobs and switch tip for my Teal Metallic Green Double Fat Strat. I only put the volume and switch tip on. The original knobs, pups and MOTO pickguard are parchment. I can't decide which I like better.

[Bengal65]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Ah Jim. I stand corrected on the pickguard. It had been a long time since I read A. R.'s "The Fender Stratocaster". Ok, I'm going for the "December '65" look with a left over stock, thin 3 ply pickguard from early '65 or late '64. If I do that then this places the "Big Head" neck in line with the mint pickguard. Hmm, Parchment????

[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Toejam,
Looks good with both! Maybe a mint green pickup??

[toejam]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Hmmm, I did actually think about a mint green pup. I've been thinking about changing out the pups. The neck is a '59 and the bridge is a Pearly Gates Plus. I like them, but not on the same amp settings... the bridge gets too bright and the neck seems to get a little too muddy at times. I do really like the super five-way switch with the 2nd postion being the two inner coils and the fourth position is the top coil of the neck.
And parchment is like an off-white, kinda in between regular white and aged white.

[tigertailz]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

looks good as it is toejam the only thing id change is
the volume nob and select switch to white

[Jim Shine]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

AR's book is heavily flawed, but then again, the bulk of the book was written 20 years ago when all of this info was still being verified. True education comes with owning and working on these things. I spent the past 15 years of my life working on, buying, selling, trading and researching vintage (1950-1970) Fender's. I have personally owned well over 100 and have had atrleast triple that pass through my hands over the years. I guess you are also going after leftover in the factory for 5 years look too as the decal and neck construction combo do not appear until 1970 at the earliest. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[fred dons]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

I made mine from warmoth parts with the correct colour pickguard [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
http://www.pixum.nl/members/freddons...02f93f81b4fa60

[Bengal65]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Jim your killing me [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] First hand experience is the way to go. I figured some of these books are not 100% accurate, especially written from authors not intimately familiar with the factory changes by "being there" over the years. Need to hang out with Bill Carson or Freddy Tavares or maybe George Fullerton??? I betcha they can't remember half of the stuff. We need to hangout, this stuff is too interesting! [img]/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif[/img]

[jgcable]

Re: How to Make Your YJM Strat Look Correct!!!!

Jim Shine is the man... Mr. Fender.