This Guitar Sounds AMAZING (No Pickups!) | 1996 Fender Stratocaster Classical Nylon Yngwie STCL-YM

[@Trog]

Have you tried a Scalloped Fretboard before? 🟢My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com 🔴Reverb: tidd.ly/4aFiyhC ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/

[@clarkbabin9799]

😊I believe Richie Blackmore used a stratocaster with a scalloped fret board. Of course it was strung with regular guitar strings.

[@ianfurqueron5850]

Yes. My '71 Les Paul Standard had a scalloped fretboard when I bought it in the late 90's. Unfortunately, it was an amateur job and I had the fretboard replaced by a luthier a few years ago. As it wasn't very well done, I never really got used to the scallops. I have be considering a YJM Strat, although I may go with a Warmoth version. Likewise, I would be more likely to build a Warmoth version of one of these than to pony up the asking prices originals are selling for.

[@drpastormartinosempa8930]

Some ideas are best kept in our heads, dude....

[@sonijam]

It looks like the heavy strings are metal, not nylon.

[@clarkbabin9799]

@@sonijam they are wound strings with silver wound usually.

[@KilljoyRockmusic]

Thanks Trogly for reminding us of the greatness of Mr. Ben Woods. I'm a huge fan of his work. I was thoroughly shocked when I heard of his passing. R.I.P. Ben

[@TheCurtisvideo]

No way. What a way to learn that an old guitar teacher of mine passed away. I clicked on this video because I thought this guitar looked like the one he made. 😢 Flametal is forever one of my favorite bands. Ben Woods ROCKS!

[@trippgoldsberry2694]

I love that not only did they route it for pickups that aren't being installed, they painted the routes with shielding paint to shield the non-existent electronics!

[@karaokeitaliano]

Because they used a pre routed body

[@afurinperil]

@@karaokeitaliano it's amazing to me how little people know about how stuff gets manufactured

[@trippgoldsberry2694]

@@karaokeitaliano Yeah, obviously they are using generic bodies, not ones intended for this model. I'm just surprised that they didn't bother to tell the production line "you can go ahead and set aside 50 strat bodies (or however many they were making) without bothering to route them." I mean, yeah the guitars are made in "factories," but it's not like the Ford factory where big chunks of things are assembled by robots. There is a lot of human intervention in a guitar factory, so if the bodies were shaped, then routed, it wouldn't be hard to send 50 bodies straight to finishing or whatever. They must start by routing for the pickups, then they paint with shielding paint, then the bodies go for further sanding/shaping. I was really commenting by implication how revealing it is that the bodies are routed and shielded. Says a lot about how Fender orders things.

[@ioannpapaioann7678]

this way you have the option to add one or more pickups in the future if you wish so

[@jirivorobel942]

@@trippgoldsberry2694 Putting non-standard bodies aside might be more work than routing and painting them. Why do you think matching headstocks on Strats are so rare? It's not because painting them is so much more expensive. It's because of the logistics involved. Even black headstocks (which look great with black pickguards and/or sunburst paintjobs) are only issued on big enough limited editions.

[@chrisva4268]

Love the Gerudo theme, you're playing has really improved over the past few months and it's inspiring me to get out of a rut and start practicing more!

[@frAgileCS]

i actually love the way that thing sounds with overdrive, normally piezo pickups sound waaay too buzzy and sneezy with how much treble they have (and i personally really like high treble tones), but that guitar is actually great sounding

[@flapjack413]

Thanks for sharing Ben Woods with us. I paused and went and checked him out before watching the rest of the vid. He was incredibly talented, I'm not sure how he flew under my radar for this long! Very sad to hear that he's no longer with us. Anyway, thanks again.

[@elnanjo]

I love when Trogly keeps a guitar in his personal collection

[@wesleyzimmerman94]

Well... when it's something THIS rare....

[@jasongraham4425]

Yeah it’s nice to know they are safe

[@chrisgoblin4857]

Fender Japan have made some real oddball instruments over the years. I have an '89 contemporary Strat which has 3 single coils, a very thin neck and a Kahler Spyder trem which is a beautiful American made licenced Floyd Rose. The one I picked up has seen some use and hasn't been babied by it's previous owners but I only payed £600 for it. Saying that, other than the usual wear and tear it's been nicely looked after. I always loved the vibes of a strat and this guitar almost feels like what would happen if you crossed and Ibanez RG with a traditional Strat. Both Fender Japan and Ibanez are made at the Fujigen factory so I can almost see how that has happened. My Strat and my Japanese RG are my favourites of my modest collection haha.

[@BigCleverName]

I didn't even know Ben Woods passed away! So sad to hear this, I really wanted a nylocaster. I hope his family and friends are doing ok

[@Crazy_Cane]

That Gerudo Valley rendition was amazing! Made me want to buy the guitar haha.

[@DankGhost-cs5dr]

I HEARD IT AND INSTANTLY STARTED TO GET EXICTED

[@Crazy_Cane]

@@DankGhost-cs5dr I know, right?

[@calvinlee8103]

The Gerudo Valley theme is the coolest thing Trogly's ever played. That was rad.

[@AndiKravljaca]

This and the Ibanez SC500N were part of a crazy late 90s fascination with neoclassical. I love the idea of a solidbody nylon string guitar. I want one so much.

[@waynebake1123]

This reminds me very much of the sounds I get when running distortion pedals or high gain amps with my Acoustasonic USA Telecaster. :)

[@stop736]

I have the JazzMaster Acoustasonic and I was going to say the same thing! 🤣. Tbh, I really love the Acoustasonic guitars…

[@PeterMoore350]

@@stop736 thx for that. I’ve been thinking about getting one. I’m gonna have to try one in my local store. Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

[@harrisontownsend910]

What are your thoughts on the Acoustasonics?

[@waynebake1123]

@@harrisontownsend910 Right now, mine is probably my most played guitar, but usually unplugged. I have it strung with 10's, and I have the translucent seafoam color from Sweetwater. Plugged in it's super versatile. I run it either through an Imperial MkII, or a BOSS Acoustic Singer amp. BOSS amp has a great acoustic quality to it obviously. I have lots of other guitars: 2020 Gibson Standard LP, mod shop Jazzmaster, 20219 rarities Telecaster, Am Pro2 Strat, and a some mid 2000's standard fenders, plus a few others, but usually it's the easiest to just pick up and play. The combo of good sound, light weight, and perfect setup makes me pick it up almost every day.

[@stop736]

@@harrisontownsend910 I use mine for everything from just doing lessons from class that we learn, all the way to playing live in front of people! Which is something I never imagined doing! But there is just so many things you can do with the Acoustasonics that just make it a really fun guitar! And I also play mine unplugged. Does is sound as well made as a Martin? Of course not. But it will definitely give you a wide range of tones from it, I even felt pretty good about myself after learning a few small things. I’m very lucky to have one! If you’re hesitating on getting one, I would honestly say just do it! You’ll definitely find some fun times with it! People hate on them but I have never understood why…? They are fun instruments at the very least! And you end up playing more and just messing around with it which helps you progress even faster. It’s only about 5 pounds weight wise, so it’s pretty easy to carry around during the day to help you learn. Mainly, have realistic expectations for the guitar at least. Like I said, don’t buy one of these thinking it’s going to be a Martin. It’s not. It’s barely an acoustic! LOL. But it is definitely a fun instrument that’s for sure. 👍

[@jimmyjames2022]

Looper makes things better! This STCL-YM is both the strangest Strat and the strangest application of a piezo system I've seen yet, but for sure very cool. Still trying to keep an open mind over scalloping the fretboard.

[@MrZardoz777]

For anyone who wants to try this out you can just put nylon strings on any electric and for $20 put a stick-on piezo anywhere on the body. In my experience amplifying classicals for gigs, the worst possible place for a pickup is the bridge; I plug the transducer into an amp, move it around the body 'till I find a sound I'm happy with and that's that. No preamp is necessary, the only modification needed would be wider nut slots. That's one bizarre guitar, thanks for posting!

[@stephen3164]

Not sure if the transducer pickup would work well on a solid body, but only one way to find out!

[@AndrewSkinburn]

And how do you lock the strings in trem? Nylon strings doesn't have bullets...or what are they called?

[@southernpride2003]

​@@AndrewSkinburn 🤦 They make Ball end nylon strings

[@theharbingerexp]

Awesome guitar. Even greater legacy that man left behind.

[@ronpopeil7]

I have a Nylocaster ! So sad that Ben passed. Really crushed me. It is one of my most prized possessions

[@lesterksi4521]

Crazy cool! Only MIJ Fender can do this sort of things

[@danthegeetarman]

Pleasssssseeeee more Fenders on here 😁 LOVE to see these amazing Fenders in all their glory 🙏🙏🤞🤞🤞

[@danthegeetarman]

@@JH-ks9oi same here!!! This was a very cool one indeed too. Hoping he adds a lot more Fenders on here in coming time 🤞🤞🤞

[@spikesguitarcamp]

I could never play scalloped fretboards..always too heavy handed.. I tried a few of them. That's a really awesome guitar though..great find...never even knew it existed. 👍

[@SIXPACFISH]

Love the sound of this thing. PUT some steel strings on it and show us what that sounds like! Two videos from one guitar!

[@godsinbox]

I routed a piezo saddle pup under the bridge of my steel string tele and it sounds.....just like an magnetic pickup. If i plug into a ukulele then it sounds like this. You need to loose vibrations for that 'acoustic sound', hence why solid bodies are just mode for just the right amount of feedback.

[@FFCarr]

What’s a guitar like this one that someone with a cheaper budget could buy? Something like the piezo saddles and meant for nylon strings

[@TheGhostGuitars]

Interesting, I never knew such a guitar existed! My first Fender Japanese Stratocaster is similar in many ways but at same time is also very different. Mine is a black basswood 2010 J-Craft Standard Stratocaster 1H with a single Japanese Dragster WW humbucker in double cream mounted in the bridge position of the white-black-white pickguard and a white volume knob that's in the Delonge position (moved a bit further to the right towards the nonexistent switch). The neck is a maple fretboard on maple neck with the CBS style headstock. This guitar's fit and finish is amazing and among the best I have in my herd of guitars. This guitar was initially sold in Japan and came to me with a receipt trail that led from Japan to Hawaii. AFAIK, I'm the third owner, not including the Hawaii shop that sold the guitar to the previous owner who apparently bought it to flip it to me. The Hawaii shop receipt date was mere days before I bought it. My plans is to pull the entire loaded pickguard and store it. In it's place will be another loaded black-red-black pickguard that will steal a page out of Avril Lavigne's book with a humbucker that is coil-splitted via a 3-way switch and has both a master volume and master tone. The Blackened Black Winter bridge trembucker will be mounted with red knobs and red switch tip. The original trem bar will be stored and be replaced with another that has a red tip. Later on, I'll swap the tuners for locking version and the bridge saddles and bridge block for stainless versions. Oh, and I've already swapped in a set of nickel Straplocks. PS: My guitar is slightly heavier at 6.57 pounds, most likely due to the humbucker and unscalloped fretboard.

[@joermnyc]

You should check out one of those Godin solidbody “acoustics” either their A-Series or the Multiac, since they do have the full EQ you’d find on an acoustic. The only other guitar with a piezo that has a Tone control is the Schecter C-1 E/A.

[@bebopfantan2672]

​@@cataclysmicconverter limitations of an instrument make an instrument .

[@bassmasta9117]

Wow what a great find. One of John Petrucci's signature guitars has a piezo built in that he uses with regular steel strings and it sounds amazing. It's called the JP6

[@TheExtraTuber]

Actually every Earnie Ball Music Man JP Guitar has a piezo in it except for the new 8 string, the JP16 and really old models. Also PRS has got some guitars with piezo pickups. It's a really unique and wonderful sound you can get with these. But the price is quite high unfortunately. But it's definitely worth it.

[@Joe_Jimenez_official]

Check out Ben Woods nylon strat. Unfortunately he passed away late last year. He had a really good thing going with similar guitars. And he was an amazing player.

[@YoureNowOnTV]

The advantage of Ben Wood's Nylocasters was that he used the Brenner Piezo bridges no batteries needed just plug a play. I made a Malmsteen inspired strat with a Brenner bridge and it's awesome fun!.

[@infn8loopmusic]

@6:15 one trick that helps with this for scalloped fretboards - tune to the fretted notes using the amount of pressure you naturally play with. Sounds weird but it works. You may end up with your open strings being slightly flat but... The whole point of scalloped frets is to enable easier natural vibrato because it gives that addition axis for bending so how much time will you really spend on open notes? The occasional ballad maybe? And just retune for those if you have to. I have this franken-ibanez that I built that has a very deep scallop. It's very hard to play unless you're soloing. I put in overwound humbuckers and I did a hydro dip paint job. I also switched to a two knob setup because my biggest pet peeve is having that volume knob so close to the strings because it gets in my way. 😂 I know yngwie uses it for volume swells but I prefer to control volume with my picking dynamics and the occasional knob twist so I don't really need it right there for swells. Thanks for sharing this awesome weird vintage thing. Surprising how loud it is unplugged.

[@duanewelsh5611]

Idea of it sounds stupid but somehow its actually very cool! Can always count on you to show me the lesser known quirky stuff. Thanks Austin.

[@mjeh1]

Wow, I can't believe how great that weird guitar sounds!

[@guywhoisaguy67676]

I had trouble learning guitar because I didn't have enough to fret a string the same way with all fingers. My friend Peter had an idea to help me, he let me use his scalloped neck guitar when I was at his practice room.. After a while I got good at fretting the thing, went back to my strat. months later and it was no trouble fretting the string anymore. That was a huge help for me. That guitar you got is quite interesting. Never saw or heard one before now.

[@agatone20]

Thanks for remembering Ben Woods. I am still in shock on losing him what appeared to be so quickly to us since many didn't know about his disease RIP Ben. F*CK cancer!

[@nunoharris]

Hi. Whats the brand of the nylon strings? Thanks

[@TheMoment1897]

Sounds so much greater than I expected. I’d buy one

[@stratman2939]

Hi, is it necessary that the neck is scalloped ? What is the benefit of this neck with nylon strings ? Thanks

[@aaronmcnair1829]

Was not expecting that. It sounds awesome. Thank you for sharing.

[@TerraNosOlhos]

How it works? How is it conected in the back part hidden by that plastic? Just wondering if I can get the parts on-line to create the circuit.

[@riksmi4027]

I had a mental picture of what that was going to sound like. I was so very wrong. Very cool and surprising.

[@frankperricone2065]

Never played a scalloped board, it sounds pretty damn good. Like a electric classical guitar with a little gain. If you have to many guitars this is your next one. Fender Japan has a great imagination and we know about there quality. I love the thinking out of the box, but definitely one tone control would be the cherry on top.

[@TheJim666]

definitely i was not expecting gerudo valley but at the same time definitely it was amazing ! 14:29

[@joeblankenship377]

Would it change the sound any if you routed out everything under the pickguard, like try to make it as hollow as possible, and put a little soundhole in the pickguard?

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

My first real guitar was a Japanese built Squire. This was 1984 I believe. From what I was told (perhaps you can clarify) was Fender basically shipped Fender USA parts from California to Japan to be assembled. So you're getting a high end for a lot less. I of course knew none of that when I was 15 and traded it away. I would love to have that one back.

[@thenameless3271]

Always loved the idea, of only they had gone with no volume control as well.

[@EdHeinzelman]

are those trem springs set up correctly?

[@bingochoice]

I must have missed something, if it has no pickups, whats picking up the sound? also why is there a volume knob? thank you

[@shanebentley5630]

For the sake of my bank account, i've never looked at more unique guitars, but I would simply adore a guitar like this! Thank you for making this video, and thank The Algorithm for bringing it to me lol I can't help but wonder what Brandon Acker would be able to do with a guitar like this!

[@Dave062YT]

More Fenders please ,what a joy to watch

[@Joe_Jimenez_official]

I too have one of these and of course I love it as well!

[@asmongoldsmouth9839]

*Playing the Gueredo Theme was cool.*

[@TayTayKemp]

Love this review! Now we need you to actually review a true Yngwie signature!!

[@sim_7195]

This. This is what I have been dreaming about ever since I was a kid strumming around on my dad’s classical guitar. I love nylon strings and even love tying them, but I’ll be fine with ball end ones.

[@Ma-Sa-666]

That reminded me a lot of the line 6 variax (300-600-700), which where the 1st runs and had no pickups, given that you have tested so many guitar It would be interesting to hear your opinion on how well the variax was able to copy some of the guitar sounds.

[@michaelmoran514]

Yeah, I have a later JTV Variax which I use a lot - very versatile. The only thing I wish they had implemented is some kind of pseudo-nylon string sound. hearing this, though, I'm kind of glad they didn't. I like the idea of this Strat but I'm not crazy about the sound. It lacks the mellowness I'm looking for in a nylon string. I have one of those cheap Yamaha NX-series ones that does that job very nicely, even using a DI.

[@lollolol6755]

13:53 NOT THE ‘FLAMINGO’😂

[@Ori_Zappa_Rocks]

so what pickup the sound through the cable? the preamp?

[@stainless641]

The only way I can play an acoustic or classical when recording is with a mic set up. All piezo pickups have that quacky sizzle that I can't stand. Mike Dawes and a few others make them work but with other pickups and elaborate systems. Don't know how many times I wanted the simplicity of plugging in with a piezo just to hear that sizzle and give up. Interesting fretboard.

[@elnanjo]

This guitar is so cool!

[@Riverdeepnwide]

👍🏻 Ben Woods 👍🏻 RIP Beautiful music man!

[@StigaWorldCup]

Hearing about Bens passing really made me sad. Been a fan of him for many years & he was one of the greatest flamenco players I ever seen. Rest in peace Ben. You were a master! 😢

[@AkuKohii]

Love that you played Gerudo Valley I wasn’t sure if I was hearing it right at first and then the percussion portion popped in my head and I was like “ayeee I see what you did there”

[@ruffryder13]

Love that look. I wonder if very hot humbuckers could be placed behind the pickguard if the action is relatively low

[@HBSuccess]

You’d need to string it with steel strings. Plus it’s routed for single coils.

[@ruffryder13]

@@cataclysmicconverter No shit, geniuses Is that why my classical guitar doesn't have a 'bucker?

[@ruffryder13]

@@cataclysmicconverter Maybe because, since we're already talking about major modifications, someone could...oh I don't know...switch to metal strings too? Do try to keep up son

[@terrywashburn6347]

Definitely one of the coolest looking and sounding Stratocasters that I have ever seen. I'd really love to try a scalloped fretboard someday. Hey Austin, how about tearing apart a Ritchie Blackmore Strat for us sometime!

[@stephen3164]

Never heard of this model, but do have the Fender MIJ Telecaster with nylon strings and only the piezo pickup. I also bought a modified USA PRS off Mike Christian with a prototype piezo saddle system - that guitar is steel string. For the strat, you obviously can’t add regular guitar pickups to it, because those need metal strings in order to work. They won’t do anything with nylon strings, hence no traditional pickups on this guitar.

[@sryanrussell]

@14:02 You picked the perfect song!

[@dananthony6258]

I didnt know about Ben Woods until this video. Thanks for turning me on to him. Sad to hear what happened. Sounds like he was loved by many.

[@MechanicallyMusical]

Is there any reason you couldnt string a PRS with a Piezo with nylon strings and get a similar sound?

[@joeyattaway756]

RIP Ben Woods

[@flatfingertuning727]

I live playing my Ovation with nylon strings, and my only complaint with them is that unwound nylon strings they can't operate magnetic pickups. Since my style of playing treats the four treble strings differently from the two bass strings, I've toyed with the idea of using magnetic pickups for the two bass strings and acoustic pickups for everything, so I could apply some effects to the bass only. What's the best inexpensive way to convert a Squier for nylon strings?

[@butchlauer]

Very cool, but you need to check out the piezo explorer bass prototype from the 80's ! A real Gibson one off on Reverb, been on my watch list forever.

[@Guitaristlife-dn9ou]

13:49 this guitar would be great for country guitar with the twang

[@AndrewSkinburn]

How do you lock the strings in trembar?

[@Kali-Yuga-Peace-Corp]

Can the piezo system pick up electrical strings? Would it better to put the pickup more in the middle to sound more like a classical?

[@maxmustardman298]

It can pick up any kind of strings due to their vibrations, hence they are located in the bridge saddles. He def needs an acoustic amp to go with these piezos, sounds much better than a normal guitar amp

[@21Million]

will the bridge take steel gypsy jazz strings? i bet that would sound better

[@frosty7145]

Rest In peace Ben Woods !

[@ABCDEFGHIJKELA...]

That is EPIC scalloping! Yngwie would be drun...err proud!

[@Vicksliced]

I was today years old when I saw this masterpiece !!! Thanks man

[@shabott45]

The Zelda toss is enough for me!! Great video bro!!!

[@evgeniydragondog]

I have Lute/guitar hybrid from 1937 and it has scalloped fretboard too.

[@ConwayBob]

What a wonderful, rare find! Some people say the shallow scallops taste better than the deep ones, but I think there's more difference in flavor between the fried ones and the broiled ones.

[@ifarted2hard]

14:28 had me like huh wait is that OHHHH MYYY GODDDDDD.

[@haystackhider7158]

You put a jack plug into the guitar without a pickup? Please explain..

[@boi6568]

Anybody know what that song is at 16:50? I always hear it from background music for guitar vids

[@jackpunkington]

man your playing has improved so much since I started watching you like five years ago! Also loved the Zelda music was so cool to hear!

[@dnantis]

Were you using Anacostia amo to make this Demoing ??

[@silvermica]

When I was 15 I used an 8 ohm speaker as a pickup for my classical guitar - then I made distortion from transistors out of old an AM pocket radio. I was pretty rough with that guitar. You can still see the marks where I had the speaker taped to the body of the guitar. I'd post a KZbin link showing my Classical guitar - but, I think that might prevent my post from posting. Just search for the video KZbin titled, "Autumn Suite i ii iii (practice)"

[@roscius6204]

Trem reacts more like a Bigsby with the tension change. I have a Peavey Generation EXP that I was gifted and though the acoustic sound is OK and it plays well I still don't pull it out much. This makes me think of blanking the SuperStrat style pickgaurd and going nylon with it. Have you steal string piezo bridge guitars to compare with?

[@Neuroanalisis]

Loved the gerudo valley interpretation.

[@Allie-w1l]

I didn't know about scalloped frets! So much to learn...

[@stonephilips9361]

Andy Fairweather Low plays one. He’s in Claptons 2013 Crossroads band. Gin House Blues💯

[@asdf9890]

That thing is awesome, definitely need to play Hallowed Be Thy Name!

[@bizzierhythm]

Trogly, you got me with the Gerudo Valley theme. Well done.

[@BensonOfD]

Was watching the video and literally thinking about how Gerudo Valley would sound so cool on it, not even 5 seconds later you started playing it! Cool guitar and video

[@williamgamez2399]

the clean tone is so beautiful!

[@bebopfantan2672]

What strings are you using ?

[@jimmythekid1]

Man I missed this video when it came out. I made one from a Squire while I was laid off during Covid. It was therapeutic, I gave it to my dad. Sad to hear about Ben Wood.

[@SpiceofLifevariety]

Gerudo valley, nice

[@blastofo]

You polished those frets like a rolls royce hood ornament. They're gleaming!

[@kidwajagstang]

Did Ben leave any info on what mods were necessary to make a Nylocaster?

[@xrp.ph369]

Nice..it would be cool to put strat pickups+the piezo.. really cool project

[@lofijunky]

i got so excited when i heard you play the gerudo valley song

[@felipevalli]

Crazy nylon guitar! Gerudo Valley theme song! That's awesome.