The neo-classical virtuoso may sometimes border on a caricature of his bad-self, but few guitarists have been so loyal to one model than Yngwie to the Stratocaster.

Even a short-lived 1986 Schecter signature model was decidedly one-dimensional in terms of its inspiration.

Yngwie signed an Artist Series contract with Fender in ‘87, which yielded the scalloped-fretboard, DiMarzio-loaded Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Stratocaster:

“That’s like a fine-tuned Ferrari”, explains Malmsteen, “That’s just sick. That’s just a monster of a guitar.” Nearly two decades later, Fender would lovingly recreate the original ‘Play Loud’ guitar based on the 1971 olympic white model that he’s played since his teenage years.

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