Introduction
In a world of media-savvy, identikit rockstars, Yngwie Malmsteen is a glorious misfit, more likely to throw a curveball into an interview than a stock answer, while wearing what appears to be the contents of a 1970s gigolo’s wardrobe. And that’s not to mention his outstanding guitar playing.
This Swedish- born virtuoso spent a large part of the 1970s copping the licks of Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore, another of his guitar heroes. The latter’s classical-influenced licks inspired Malmsteen to take the idea further, developing his own style, dubbed ‘neo-classical’
Yngwie’s stylistic pioneering was matched by an innovative approach to guitar design: the Swede had the fretboard of his Fender Stratocaster scalloped after seeing traditional stringed instruments with the same feature.
He took a similarly off-the-wall approach to playing advice when asked by MusicRadar's sister mag Total Guitar what a novice guitarist could do to play faster. His response: “Eat bananas.”
Malmsteen further endeared himself to humour-starved fans of guitar music when a recording of an incident onboard an aeroplane had Yngwie threaten to “Unleash the fury!” on a hapless flight attendant.
The attitude is all Yngwie, but here we look at two rigs - one budget, one blowout - that can help you get close to Malmsteen's tones…
