# Malmsteen, Yngwie J. string heighth



## OmegaSlayer (Feb 28, 2021)

So, according to Mr. Malmsteen, Yngwie J., about min. 20:38 in this video ALLEGEDLY says that his action is 5, 6...7 millimeters



Pretty easy, I too some times have huge action, with the guitar in one room and the strings in another one... 
Not even on a warped acoustic...I can't even 
Not to mention that the Strato neck is fat, and not like Ibanez...so...for 7 mm plus neck, the guy must have a clamp and not a hand, something with the force to shatter diamonds bare handed

PS I love Yngwie and in the video is in the best shape I've seen in ages, maybe even with some face lifting...but yeah, even more relaxed than usual, more humanly relatable...but this string heigth thing is Spinal Tap level
This is one of those thing that are too funny and need to be posted


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 28, 2021)

I think Mattias Eklundh also plays with stupid high action.


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## OmegaSlayer (Feb 28, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I think Mattias Eklundh also plays with stupid high action.


In the vid he shows the guitar and it's not even close to 5 mm, it's 2...3 at max
Check with a ruler, 5 mm is quite unplayable
Playing a descending arpeggio like Yngwie does, not barre shape, at that speed, with 5 mm action gets one's finger below the strings


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## nickgray (Feb 28, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> his action is 5, 6...7 millimeters



No way. Even for classical guitars, 3-4mm is about the max people will go, afaik. At 5-7mm you'll get serious tuning issues too.


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## Leviathus (Feb 28, 2021)

Maybe he means from the bottom of the scallops lol? Uses 8s too afaik.


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## c7spheres (Feb 28, 2021)

From what I can see it looks pretty high. I'd say probably 4-5mm from top of fret on that low string highest fret. Probably about 2mm at teh first fret (from what it looks like to me). 
- What's really weird is it still sounds like he has low action setup on his guitar. He strums that quick chord and it buzz's out and stuff. 
- It's a challenge to play high action and has it's drawbacks. I'm using somwhere around 4-5mm on my highest frets to about 0.5mm on my first fret. 
- It's really about the tension. Because he has only 3 springs (I've seen some of his guitar with 5 springs) and super thin strings, it makes it easier to make contact with the fret. The Scallops make more sense to me know for his style because a huge drawback is high action makes legato and taps so much hard to play cleanly. The scallops would basically negate this issue. 
- Pretty insightful to see his setup up close like that. It makes sense for what what he's doing for sure. He can still play legato and taps no problem. Has the action height so he can lay into the strings and not choke it out and he has the thin strings for easier to manage tone in the mix etc. - But aside from all that, seeing what he can do on a guitar, even with a setup that makes sense for his style, that's still some chops to control it so well.


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## jaxadam (Feb 28, 2021)

Leviathus said:


> Maybe he means from the bottom of the scallops lol? Uses 8s too afaik.



First thing I thought of.


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## groverj3 (Feb 28, 2021)

Leviathus said:


> Maybe he means from the bottom of the scallops lol? Uses 8s too afaik.


It has to be this.

The string noise he gets, despite the high action, must be because the 8s he plays with have a lot of room to vibrate.


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## BlackSG91 (Feb 28, 2021)

I heard Malmsteen tunes down to 432 Hz for a slightly less string tension and atmospheric cleansing.


;>)/


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## Avedas (Feb 28, 2021)

Does Yngwie know what a millimeter is?


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 1, 2021)

Leviathus said:


> Maybe he means from the bottom of the scallops lol? Uses 8s too afaik.


That's what seems reasonable

From Fender page
https://support.fender.com/hc/en-us...-do-I-set-up-my-Stratocaster-guitar-properly-


His Strat radius is 9.5

PRS has action at 1.75 mm

Why do you need less action, when more is more?


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## X1X (Mar 1, 2021)

6th string looks a bit high but he has probably never fretted that string. He just chugs open Eminor all the time. 1st string didn't look that high.

Edit: Just checked my guitar from that angle. It looks pretty much the same and my action is no means high. Yngwie just talking to keep his mouth warm.

Edit more: I actually enjoy some of the stuff he's playing in that video. Haven't listened to him in a while.

Edit even more: Another hilarious classic shredder tutorial video: Guy says "just play like this" and proceeds to shred for ten straight minutes.


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## X1X (Mar 1, 2021)

Also: Are you telling me this isn't a masterpiece?


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## Supernaut (Mar 1, 2021)

There's a part in the video where he hits the low E string (acoustically) and it buzzes - there's no way you'd get that with 7mm of clearance unless he's counting from the bottom of the scallop.

And please, Yngwie - love you man but please stop burying your tone in so much delay!


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 1, 2021)

It appears here that Yngwie has his string heights set up at approximately 11.237459 mm. At that height he seems to be struggling just a bit because the strings are too high. If the height of the strings were set at approximately 6.537249 mm he would then be able to play guitar more fluently and effortlessly...with grace.




;>)/


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## neurosis (Mar 1, 2021)

Leviathus said:


> Maybe he means from the bottom of the scallops lol? Uses 8s too afaik.


I was going to say that, too. Maybe he thinks the action is measures at the fretboard, not the fret. I wonder what he uses to check the action: a gold leaf caliper? A souvenir Ferrari pen? LOL either way love this guy and his playing.


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## jaxadam (Mar 1, 2021)

Still one of my favorite texts I got from a buddy from high school way back.


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## bostjan (Mar 1, 2021)

Yngwie is a fantastic musician. That said, I don't suppose he has the faintest clue how to set up his own action. He's out driving his Italian sports cars while he pays a tech to restring his guitars and whatnot. The guys honestly thinks you can't get a metal tone out of a humbucker when he's one of the 1% of metal players not using humbuckers... if you want to know how to play, listen to Yngwie. If you want to know literally anything else, listen to Yngwie for entertainment purposes only* lol


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## Zhysick (Mar 1, 2021)

Yeah... 5 to 7 mm from the pickguard to the string


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## pahulkster (Mar 2, 2021)

That video is very very Yngwie lol. Not answering any questions and just shredding all over the place.


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 2, 2021)

I cracked smiling at most comment in the thread, which is the reason I opened it


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## GunpointMetal (Mar 2, 2021)

He obviously has no idea what a millimeter is or where they measure the action on a guitar.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 2, 2021)

GunpointMetal said:


> He obviously has no idea what a millimeter is or where they measure the action on a guitar.



I bet he knows what a 9 mm is.








;>)/


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## Leviathus (Mar 2, 2021)

That's his magnum opus.


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## mastapimp (Mar 2, 2021)

bostjan said:


> Yngwie is a fantastic musician. That said, I don't suppose he has the faintest clue how to set up his own action. He's out driving his Italian sports cars while he pays a tech to restring his guitars and whatnot. The guys honestly thinks you can't get a metal tone out of a humbucker when he's one of the 1% of metal players not using humbuckers... if you want to know how to play, listen to Yngwie. If you want to know literally anything else, listen to Yngwie for entertainment purposes only* lol


Here he is installing his own pickups: https://www.facebook.com/officialyn...kups-seymour-duncan-fender-/3208743069351462/


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## eaeolian (Mar 2, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I think Mattias Eklundh also plays with stupid high action.



EVH did, too.


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## ManOnTheEdge (Mar 2, 2021)

I’m sure Yngwie said he worked in a luthiers shop in Sweden and did the early scalloping of his strats, I think he also did the 3 bolt to 4 bolt conversions on some of his strats as well


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## Doug N (Mar 2, 2021)

eaeolian said:


> EVH did, too.


That’s what I thought too, but Dweezil Zappa has a podcast where he “interviews” another guitarist and they talk about a VH album. He had Nuno on for Fair Warning FYI. Anyway, Dweezil had a chance to play Ed’s guitars quite often and he said that the action was pretty standard.


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## SpaceDock (Mar 2, 2021)

Having stupid low action is overrated, it doesn’t really help you play faster but it might help chord a bit easier. IMO getting the right radius on the strings to match to frets is much more important and a little higher action helps with sustain and bends.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 3, 2021)

I have the string action on my guitar as low as can be without having any excessive string buzz...very minimal buzz. If I were to lower the action any more and there was string buzz then the action is way too low! I don't measure my string action...I hear my string action.


;>)/


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## Metropolis (Mar 3, 2021)

SpaceDock said:


> Having stupid low action is overrated, it doesn’t really help you play faster but it might help chord a bit easier. IMO getting the right radius on the strings to match to frets is much more important and a little higher action helps with sustain and bends.



String moves downwards when you fret it, low action prevents that effect and you can be more consistent with your picking hand. There is less time involved with fretting too. Intonation across the board is better with low action.


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## SpaceDock (Mar 3, 2021)

Metropolis said:


> String moves downwards when you fret it, low action prevents that effect and you can be more consistent with your picking hand. There is less time involved with fretting too. Intonation across the board is better with low action.



I agree with all of this as well, it’s about finding a balance between all the factors.


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 3, 2021)

Damn that video was a mixed bag, some bits Yngwie sounded great, other bits sounded really rough. The Strat with small headstock with the birds eye maple is gorgeous though. My YJM Strat is the only guitar I regret selling, I will probably have to buy another one day.


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## Andromalia (Mar 3, 2021)

Avedas said:


> Does Yngwie know what a millimeter is?


It's an Yngwie millimeter, more.


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## groverj3 (Mar 3, 2021)

Yngwie "masterclass," lol.

"Hey, look how good I can play. If you want to get better play as good as me."


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## nickgray (Mar 3, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> If you want to get better play as good as me



He's sloppy af too.


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## Vyn (Mar 3, 2021)

Karl Sandars is another player on scalloped boards with very high action. I believe there is a 2015 or a 2017 rig rundown on YouTube with a close up, the action is rather nutty. That being said it doesn’t stop him from shredding.


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## Doug N (Mar 3, 2021)

nickgray said:


> He's sloppy af too.


Sloppy af? As compared to who? Not sure if you’re joking


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## nickgray (Mar 3, 2021)

Doug N said:


> Sloppy af? As compared to who? Not sure if you’re joking



Joking? Have you seen the video? He plays Arpeggios from Hell right at the start. You can look up his recent concert videos too, it's a sad thing.


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## groverj3 (Mar 3, 2021)

nickgray said:


> Joking? Have you seen the video? He plays Arpeggios from Hell right at the start. You can look up his recent concert videos too, it's a sad thing.


Honestly, that's kind of the way he's always played outside of studio albums. He definitely plays fast and loose with the timing of most things. When he records though, it's usually played straight and on the beat.


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## groverj3 (Mar 3, 2021)

Seeing Yngwie live is the kind of thing I did so I could say I saw Yngwie live.


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## Avedas (Mar 4, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> Seeing Yngwie live is the kind of thing I did so I could say I saw Yngwie live.


This is basically the entire reason I went to Generation Axe a couple years ago.

Fun show but yeah, after a while there really can be such a thing as _too many_ guitar notes.


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## CerealKiller (Mar 4, 2021)

I thought the video was pretty cool. 
I also didn't expect him to say anything particularly helpful, having watched some of his actual instructional videos years ago, but I still like picking up stuff from just watching him play, and this is up close and in good quality.


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## Doug N (Mar 4, 2021)

nickgray said:


> Joking? Have you seen the video? He plays Arpeggios from Hell right at the start. You can look up his recent concert videos too, it's a sad thing.


I’ve seen him in concert and he wasn’t sloppy af, maybe this is a new development, or he’s hitting the gin n’ juice now.


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## Musiscience (Mar 4, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> Still one of my favorite texts I got from a buddy from high school way back.



That's hilarious!


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 5, 2021)

Saw him live in 1995 I think
Being in Italy didn't help, he had a bottle of Chianti and a glass and he drank a glass between each song
But it was crazy nonetheless


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 5, 2021)

Man, watching that video, I’m now on a huge Yngwie binge! LOL! Now I’m seriously looking at his sig guitar...


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## Mvotre (Mar 6, 2021)

In the G3 tour era, I read an Steve Vai interview where he said that he tried Yngwie guitar and it was unplayable for him. Super high action.


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## Rosal76 (Mar 6, 2021)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Man, watching that video, I’m now on a huge Yngwie binge! LOL! Now I’m seriously looking at his sig guitar...



I wouldn't mind buying his red signature model.


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## onefingersweep (Mar 8, 2021)

Yes he has really high string height, there's no secret about that and that's a big reason he has such a great tone. Higher string height (providing you can play with it) will give your instrument a way better tone.

Also, it was really nice to see this video from him. He still got it, the playing in this one is the best I've seen in a good while from him. I hope he will do more videos like this.


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## X1X (Mar 8, 2021)

If your strings don't buzz then added string height is not gonna give you any better tone. That's makes no sense from the point of view of the actual physics involved.


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## onefingersweep (Mar 8, 2021)

X1X said:


> If your strings don't buzz then added string height is not gonna give you any better tone. That's makes no sense from the point of view of the actual physics involved.


 
It does. But hey, it seems I should have consulted you before since you're the expert in physics in here.

I have only played guitar for 20+ years. So what do I know about setting up string height and how guitars sound like.


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## j3ps3 (Mar 8, 2021)

onefingersweep said:


> It does. But hey, it seems I should have consulted you before since you're the expert in physics in here.
> 
> I have only played guitar for 20+ years. So what do I know about setting up string height and how guitars sound like.



It doesn't. If the frets and setup are good, higher action doesn't mean better tone. Actually, go too overboard with it and it'll just give you tuning issues, so no, it doesn't make the guitar sound better.


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 8, 2021)

j3ps3 said:


> It doesn't. If the frets and setup are good, higher action doesn't mean better tone. Actually, go too overboard with it and it'll just give you tuning issues, so no, it doesn't make the guitar sound better.


Intonation problems, much more than tuning ones


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## j3ps3 (Mar 8, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> Intonation problems, much more than tuning ones



Nope. The more you need to push the string down the more you bend it out of tune. String sitting too high will give you sharp notes even if the string is in tune when played open.


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 8, 2021)

Rosal76 said:


> I wouldn't mind buying his red signature model.



Is that one of the custom shop ones? Love those finish options but I was looking at the 1900 dollar one as there is quite the difference in price with those custom shop ones!!


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## bostjan (Mar 8, 2021)

onefingersweep said:


> Higher string height (providing you can play with it) will give your instrument a way better tone.



Why?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 8, 2021)

bostjan said:


> Why?



It's objective. 

It can be "better" if you really need more meat to your tone. It makes your guitar sound fuller in the low end and gives more sustain. I'm assuming it's because your strings have plenty of room to vibrate. But we're dealing with super compressed high gain tones, and shit even compressed clean tones. 

But I like a medium-low action. Just enough to where having it low enough adds some extra snap and attack to your tone.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 9, 2021)

Looking at the pictures and comparing to my guitar he’s about 4-5mm on the lowest string and 4 on the highest, maybe less cause it’s hard to tell with the scalloped frets. The main problem is how bad the nut is setup. Yngwie does use higher action than his peers but I really doubt his live guitars are setup like that.


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## ScottThunes1960 (Mar 9, 2021)

onefingersweep said:


> Yes he has really high string height, there's no secret about that and that's a big reason he has such a great tone.



Your secret identity’s safe with me, Mr. Malmsteen


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## jvms (Mar 9, 2021)

This thread showed up with good timing! I've been wanting to experiment to play with a little more height, although nothing as colossal as 4mm. I was wondering how I should do it. I'd like for the strings to have the same height from the first to last fret. Does that mean I have to raise the nut? If yes, how can I do it? And how high can I go without having issues?

Thanks a lot for the attention!


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## Rosal76 (Mar 9, 2021)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Is that one of the custom shop ones? Love those finish options but I was looking at the 1900 dollar one as there is quite the difference in price with those custom shop ones!!



Yes. That model is from the Fender custom shop. They have another finish called Burgundy mist metallic that looks really cool. Looks like bubble gum. LOL.


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 9, 2021)

Rosal76 said:


> Yes. That model is from the Fender custom shop. They have another finish called Burgundy mist metallic that looks really cool. Looks like bubble gum. LOL.



Love the finishes but that price though!


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## Dayn (Mar 9, 2021)

The best tone comes from the angle between your fretboard and the strings at the nut being 4.32 degrees with an 864mm scale length. Preferably with pyramid inlays to really harness the cosmic harmonies of the mathematical beauty of 432hz.

That was meant to be a piss-take, but I probably just described someone's terribly setup bass.


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## Hollowway (Mar 9, 2021)

jvms said:


> This thread showed up with good timing! I've been wanting to experiment to play with a little more height, although nothing as colossal as 4mm. I was wondering how I should do it. I'd like for the strings to have the same height from the first to last fret. Does that mean I have to raise the nut? If yes, how can I do it? And how high can I go without having issues?
> 
> Thanks a lot for the attention!



No, raising the nut helps nothing other than an open string. Adjust the action at the bridge until you can bend as high as you want, and until you can’t hear any buzzing. If an open string buzzes at that point you need a higher nut. Anything higher than that won’t make any difference in tone, but will make the pitch off when you fret a note. (And all this assumes the correct neck relief.)


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## jaxadam (Mar 9, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's objective.
> 
> It can be "better" if you really need more meat to your tone. It makes your guitar sound fuller in the low end and gives more sustain. I'm assuming it's because your strings have plenty of room to vibrate. But we're dealing with super compressed high gain tones, and shit even compressed clean tones.
> 
> But I like a medium-low action. Just enough to where having it low enough adds some extra snap and attack to your tone.



I agree. I always thought super low action just sounded noisy and “petered” out quickly. Just dull and lifeless. I have always preferred slightly higher action because it feels better and rings better to me.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 9, 2021)

Hollowway said:


> No, raising the nut helps nothing other than an open string. Adjust the action at the bridge until you can bend as high as you want, and until you can’t hear any buzzing. If an open string buzzes at that point you need a higher nut. Anything higher than that won’t make any difference in tone, but will make the pitch off when you fret a note. (And all this assumes the correct neck relief.)



I always press any string on the 3rd fret and if there is just a little bit of space between the string and 1st fret then I thinks the nut height is adequate.


;>)/


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## X1X (Mar 10, 2021)

I think the general rule is that between frets 1-12 you can increase action by loosening the truss rod and onwards from 12 you raise the bridge pieces. Of course it's a little more complicated in real life but that's a good "rule" to know.


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## ScottThunes1960 (Mar 10, 2021)

X1X said:


> I think the general rule is that between frets 1-12 you can increase action by loosening the truss rod and onwards from 12 you raise the bridge pieces.



Please don’t tell people to crank on their truss rods to set action. Those guitars aren’t yours.


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## Wuuthrad (Mar 10, 2021)

Minimum 3.5 on the bass strings, often same on the trebles, or a bit lower for me. Did any of you play Classical? It’s often 4-5mm, and I think Yngwie played classical early on if I remember correctly, which probably carried over.

Action is all about personal preference obviously, but a string will vibrate more fully through a wider dynamic range from pick attack and velocity when it’s higher off the fretboard, which as a result can result in more tonal variety. Of course with high gain it’s not as noticeable.

Truss rods are not used to set action, they are for neck relief, although the two are related to each other. Action is set at the bridge or saddle, and with a properly cut nut.

Electric guitarists can “cheat” with low action and high gain and slinky action because nobody’s going to hear the buzz anyway.

I like higher action because you can use your left and right hand more and shape your sound more.

I remember Yngwie talking about with scalloped frets he can really “grab” the note.
Wasn’t he also selling deodorant and chewing gum?


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 10, 2021)

Anyone know of a real good site devoted to Yngwie tabs (besides the obvious ultimateguitar/songster/etc.) that’s more accurate than those aforementioned sites (which can be hit or miss)?

Please don’t say learn by ear, I absolutely can but don’t have time for that these days, LOL!


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## BenjaminW (Mar 10, 2021)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Anyone know of a real good site devoted to Yngwie tabs (besides the obvious ultimateguitar/songster/etc.) that’s more accurate than those aforementioned sites (which can be hit or miss)?
> 
> Please don’t say learn by ear, I absolutely can but don’t have time for that these days, LOL!


I don't know of any specific websites, but there is the Yngwie Malmsteen Anthology tab book which I believe was written by Yngwie, and obviously YouTube.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 10, 2021)

That’s a good question. What songs are you looking for? I came across a lot of Young Guitar issues where Yngwie had done columns and videos. I have a few tabs he’s done from other magazines too.


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## bostjan (Mar 10, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's objective.
> 
> It can be "better" if you really need more meat to your tone. It makes your guitar sound fuller in the low end and gives more sustain. I'm assuming it's because your strings have plenty of room to vibrate. But we're dealing with super compressed high gain tones, and shit even compressed clean tones.
> 
> But I like a medium-low action. Just enough to where having it low enough adds some extra snap and attack to your tone.



If your string isn't buzzing, giving it more "room to vibrate" doesn't change anything of consequence. I suppose that having higher action means you can abuse your strings harder with your picking hand without causing fret buzz, but I highly doubt that's a) the point that anyone was trying to get across or b) going to give an objectively better tone.

The string doesn't care which direction is up or down or how much space is around it. It only cares about the things it actually touches.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 10, 2021)

Wuuthrad said:


> Did any of you play Classical? It’s often 4-5mm, and I think Yngwie played classical early on if I remember correctly, which probably carried over.



Yngwie sure did play classical early on...classical Strat.







;>)/


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 10, 2021)

Speaking of tablature I bought this book way back in the late 1990's at a music store in Toronto that held a guitar auction. It's very good and thorough with all tabulated notes...but it was hard for me to learn since I did not have the album 'Eclipse' to reference to. Now thanks to the wonderful world of the internet I can easily hear the whole album on YT. Now I just need to find the book since it's hidden somewhere in storage.







;>)/


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## mastapimp (Mar 10, 2021)

BenjaminW said:


> I don't know of any specific websites, but there is the Yngwie Malmsteen Anthology tab book which I believe was written by Yngwie, and obviously YouTube.


Nope...transcriptions by Wolf Marshall, Andy Aledort, Mike Butzen. I have a few Yngwie tab books and Wolf Marshall tabbed Rising Force which is okay, but I wouldn't say it's accurate after seeing Yngwie live a few times. I've also heard that he rarely plays the same take twice and what's recorded is what he's feeling that day.

I think the best bet is to go through the tabs a few times to get the notes and rhythms, then adjust by watching a live performance/video lessons and tutorials. Some of the cracking the code content or lessons from Chris Brooks will assist in picking up some of Yngwie's tendencies.


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 11, 2021)

BenjaminW said:


> I don't know of any specific websites, but there is the Yngwie Malmsteen Anthology tab book which I believe was written by Yngwie, and obviously YouTube.



I’m gonna pick that one up. I do have Rising Force so won’t hurt to add the anthology.



Lorcan Ward said:


> That’s a good question. What songs are you looking for? I came across a lot of Young Guitar issues where Yngwie had done columns and videos. I have a few tabs he’s done from other magazines too.



I used to have the one Young Guitar issue that came out right after Facing the animal and there were tabs for parts of every song. Can’t find the issue anymore in the house argh! I know someone did a tab book for the concerto suite in Japan but it’s like ridiculous prices on eBay and not sure how accurate it was. I love that album. Honestly anything of his I dig! I just spent the last week listening to every album while at work! LOL! I’m also mad that I can’t find the huge stack of Joe Stump tabs I had that I got from the man himself back in the late 90s. Begged my parents to send him a check and I got a huge envelope full of tabs of his first four albums. Sucks I can’t find them anymore.



mastapimp said:


> Nope...transcriptions by Wolf Marshall, Andy Aledort, Mike Butzen. I have a few Yngwie tab books and Wolf Marshall tabbed Rising Force which is okay, but I wouldn't say it's accurate after seeing Yngwie live a few times. I've also heard that he rarely plays the same take twice and what's recorded is what he's feeling that day.
> 
> I think the best bet is to go through the tabs a few times to get the notes and rhythms, then adjust by watching a live performance/video lessons and tutorials. Some of the cracking the code content or lessons from Chris Brooks will assist in picking up some of Yngwie's tendencies.



I thought of Chris Brooks last night too and bookmarked several of his YouTube videos!


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## Bdtunn (Mar 11, 2021)

^ Chris brooks has the yng-way book that is pretty good.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 12, 2021)

I got a bunch of Chris’s books one Christmas. They are some of the best guitar instructional material you will find. 

I have a few Yngwie tabs I made somewhere. You should messsge Levi Clay and ask him if he has tabbed any Yngwie. That’s probably your best option to get the most accurate tabs.


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## Marked Man (Mar 14, 2021)

SpaceDock said:


> Having stupid low action is overrated, it doesn’t really help you play faster but it might help chord a bit easier. IMO getting the right radius on the strings to match to frets is much more important and a little higher action helps with sustain and bends.



My observation over many years is that you should play with the highest action you can stand and still nail everything if you want the best possible tone. My preferred action is probably about twice as high as what guitar stores call "low action", although that still is not very high, but high enough. I have two Yngwie Strats, and they have the highest action of any in my collection, but it's ok with scallops and giant Dunlop 6000s.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 15, 2021)

I would bet any money that this guitar has very high action.








;>)/


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 15, 2021)

You want to learn Malmsteen?

E-7-8-7-5------------------------------
B----------8-7-5-4---------------------
G--------------------5-4----------------
D-------------------------7-5-4---------
A---------------------------------7-6-(7 eventually)

Done


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 20, 2021)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I got a bunch of Chris’s books one Christmas. They are some of the best guitar instructional material you will find.
> 
> I have a few Yngwie tabs I made somewhere. You should messsge Levi Clay and ask him if he has tabbed any Yngwie. That’s probably your best option to get the most accurate tabs.



Levi said he didn’t have anything unfortunately. Do you have a good tab of Blitzkrieg or anything off of Facing the Animal?


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 20, 2021)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Levi said he didn’t have anything unfortunately. Do you have a good tab of Blitzkrieg or anything off of Facing the Animal?



I'm surprised nobody has commissioned him for Yngwie before. I don't have anything from that album or that song. In fact I can't find most of my tabs. They must be on a laptop somewhere. Try Gustavo Guerra for a tab of Blitzkrieg.


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## Vyn (Mar 20, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> You want to learn Malmsteen?
> 
> E-7-8-7-5------------------------------
> B----------8-7-5-4---------------------
> ...



I laughed way harder at this than I should have


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## BenjaminW (Mar 20, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> You want to learn Malmsteen?
> 
> E-7-8-7-5------------------------------
> B----------8-7-5-4---------------------
> ...


I feel like such an idiot for not realizing that was the Black Star lick.


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 21, 2021)

BenjaminW said:


> I feel like such an idiot for not realizing that was the Black Star lick.


And Rising Force and probably other dozen songs
That one is literally the "go-to-riff" to sound like Malmsteen, paired with the diminished arpeggio run and the tremolo pick on a high note before starting a descending phrase


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 24, 2021)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Levi said he didn’t have anything unfortunately. Do you have a good tab of Blitzkrieg or anything off of Facing the Animal?



I can't speak for the quality of the tabs but Young Guitar have done several issues purely on Yngwie that are full of tabs for songs and lessons along with instructional DVDs:
https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/c817832001


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## TheShreddinHand (Mar 24, 2021)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I can't speak for the quality of the tabs but Young Guitar have done several issues purely on Yngwie that are full of tabs for songs and lessons along with instructional DVDs:
> https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/c817832001



Yeah I used to have some back in the day I just can’t find them anymore like I mentioned before. I may grab a few off eBay if they’re reasonably priced


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## p0ke (Mar 24, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> You want to learn Malmsteen?
> 
> E-7-8-7-5------------------------------
> B----------8-7-5-4---------------------
> ...



Laughed pretty hard here too, I'm not really good at knowing what something sounds like without actually playing it but I could totally hear this one in my head


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## Sermo Lupi (Mar 24, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> And Rising Force and probably other dozen songs
> That one is literally the "go-to-riff" to sound like Malmsteen, paired with the diminished arpeggio run and the tremolo pick on a high note before starting a descending phrase



Riding three stereotypical techniques to greatness instead of just one? We all know what Yngwie would say about your criticism...

More is more.


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 25, 2021)

Sermo Lupi said:


> Riding three stereotypical techniques to greatness instead of just one? We all know what Yngwie would say about your criticism...
> 
> More is more.


I grew up with bread and Yngwie, few loves him how much as I do, still...


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## Lorcan Ward (May 13, 2021)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Yeah I used to have some back in the day I just can’t find them anymore like I mentioned before. I may grab a few off eBay if they’re reasonably priced



I picked this one up off Buyee. It's the accompanying book for the Play Loud instructional videos and it seems very accurate. 





I'm sure this guy has some tabs. Probably the best Yngwie interpretation I've come across. 
https://www.youtube.com/user/pheborento


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## TheShreddinHand (May 13, 2021)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I picked this one up off Buyee. It's the accompanying book for the Play Loud instructional videos and it seems very accurate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



nice! I’ve been scoring some books and young guitar mags on eBay for low prices when they pop up. My local library also actually had the Yngwie collection tab book which I grabbed, LOL. Also grabbed Chris Brooks’s neoclassical shred book. A lot to work on for now!


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## Lorcan Ward (May 13, 2021)

Chris's book is fantastic. I need to really give it the time it needs.


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 13, 2021)

OmegaSlayer said:


> So, according to Mr. Malmsteen, Yngwie J., about min. 20:38 in this video ALLEGEDLY says that his action is 5, 6...7 millimeters
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yngwie uses 8-46 or 48 strings in Eb. Who knows where he is measuring the action from. If he is measuring it between the frets, then... yeah. As for the Strat necks being "fat," I would not call them fat, and I find them much more comfortable than an Ibanez or Jackson two graham crackers sandwiched together parading around as a guitar "neck." He could also have misunderstood or misspoken, and meant 5-7/64" which is within Fender spec. I think that is likely for someone who grew up with metric.

He holds the guitar up at one point in this video, and they don't look that high over the frets. I think he is likely measuring between the frets, where it is scalloped, because there it would be around 5-7mm.




Zhysick said:


> Yeah... 5 to 7 mm from the pickguard to the string


This is possible as well.


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 13, 2021)

Supernaut said:


> There's a part in the video where he hits the low E string (acoustically) and it buzzes - there's no way you'd get that with 7mm of clearance unless he's counting from the bottom of the scallop.
> 
> And please, Yngwie - love you man but please stop burying your tone in so much delay!


I couldn't care less about how much delay he uses. Please, Yng -- You supposedly have one of the most impressive collections of rare and collectible Strats. TREAT THEM AS SUCH! (Props to the back row doing all of the heavy lifting in his studio, but holy fuck. I get they are meant to be played, but c'mon.)


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 13, 2021)

Avedas said:


> Does Yngwie know what a millimeter is?


Considering he is Swedish, I'm *pretty* sure he knows what a millimeter is. His tech probably told him 5-7 64ths, and he misinterpreted it. That or he's keeping everyone guessing just to throw people off and irritate people. I liken this to Blackmore putting a strap lock on his headstock to get people to argue over it, confuse them, or think it had some "tonal benefit," such as sustain. Instead, he did it just to annoy people.


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 13, 2021)

SpaceDock said:


> Having stupid low action is overrated, it doesn’t really help you play faster but it might help chord a bit easier. IMO getting the right radius on the strings to match to frets is much more important and a little higher action helps with sustain and bends.


Yeah, and if you want to save money (but not time), you can just measure and adjust each string individually. Or you can buy the radius gauge from StewMac or elsewhere and go that route. I just measured each string.


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 13, 2021)

Esp Griffyn said:


> The Strat with small headstock with the birds eye maple is gorgeous though.


Yeah, but more is more, and that big 70s headstock is awesome!



CerealKiller said:


> I thought the video was pretty cool.
> I also didn't expect him to say anything particularly helpful, having watched some of his actual instructional videos years ago, but I still like picking up stuff from just watching him play, and this is up close and in good quality.


If you want to actually gain anything from that, watch the Troy Grady series. Then it is actually going to teach you something. I think with most / all of those videos, they didn't realize that their pick slant and picking mechanics were that important, and the reason why most didn't get much from those videos.



Lorcan Ward said:


> I'm sure this guy has some tabs. Probably the best Yngwie interpretation I've come across.
> https://www.youtube.com/user/pheborento


Doubt it. He's a "by the ear" kind of guy, I would guess. He learned and covered the new Yngwie song, Wolves at the Door, within 2 days.


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## pahulkster (May 14, 2021)

Yeah that guy nails it


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## BenjaminW (May 14, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> If you want to actually gain anything from that, watch the Troy Grady series. Then it is actually going to teach you something. I think with most / all of those videos, they didn't realize that their pick slant and picking mechanics were that important, and the reason why most didn't get much from those videos.


Those videos are in my opinion pretty damn interesting and cool. But at the same time, I've never been super obsessed with my picking or how others pick so half the time the content just flies over my head.


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 14, 2021)

BenjaminW said:


> Those videos are in my opinion pretty damn interesting and cool. But at the same time, I've never been super obsessed with my picking or how others pick so half the time the content just flies over my head.


Having knowledge and experience with various types of pick slanting, economy picking vs alt picking, etc. is good in order to play more things. Alt picking might not be the best option for something, and so knowing how to economy pick might come in handy. Not only might it be faster, but it might be easier as well, which years from now, you'll likely thank yourself.


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## groverj3 (May 14, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> If you want to actually gain anything from that, watch the Troy Grady series...


Yeah, he's the only guy who actually has content on picking mechanics informed by taking a close look at how people actually, physically, move. At least as far as I'm aware. Everything else is just giving you exercises rather than information on how to make the motions that allow you to play accurately at speed.

I really wish that kind of content was available when I was starting out. I experimented endlessly because most information out there is opinion with no actual evidence.

A lot of great players happened to Intuit efficient ways of playing and just assume everyone will Intuit them as well, and often can't even explain what they do.


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