REVIEWED
HANDS ON... The Man
THIS MONTH:
Yngwie J Malmsteen & the Marshall YJM100
What can be said about Yngwie J Malmsteen that hasn’t already been used to describe the volatile Swedish guitar virtuoso? Armed with a precocious talent and a
temperament to match, Yngwie first came to the world’s attention when, aged just 19 years old, he came to the United States at the behest of Shrapnel Records boss Mike Varney. Within weeks the new kid on the block was the talk of the town, lines of people queued around the block to check out this crazy foreign guitar player ripping lightening speed classical guitar lines out of battered old Fender Stratocaster. Yngwie’s arrival on the US rock scene was truly explosive, his first solo LP Rising Force was nominated for a Grammy Award and whilst his uncompromising stance as a bandleader seemed to propel a constantly shifting lineup, his albums generally stand up among the best examples of contemporary rock guitar ever recorded. Few rock guitarists seem to divide opinion as strongly as Yngwie Malmsteen: fans cite him as a genius whilst others, perhaps motivated by jealousy, write him off a shallow purveyor of flash with no real musical substance. Both opposing points of view may have some solid basis but Yngwie is undeniably a one-off, he was a pioneer who broke new ground in rock guitar by fusing centuries old classical music motifs with heavy metal, serving it up with panache and swagger.
Based on the legendary Marshall 1959, the new Yngwie Malmsteen Signature amp brings the classic Marshall crunch into the modern era…
Marshall YJM100
As a long time collector of vintage Marshall amplifiers, and original 1959 100 watt heads in particular, Yngwie has amassed a formidable arsenal of Marshall weaponry. However, not all of these priceless vintage pieces are really suitable for dragging around on tour, so it figures that the YJM100 allows the Swedish maestro to enjoy his favourite Marshall tones without the worry of damaging his beloved vintage amps. Many people agree that the full 100 watt mode isn’t always suitable in smaller venues so the YJM head includes a couple of great ways to control the volume without compromising the tone. The special new features include built-in power attenuation (Marshall’s EPA system, which is similar to that used on the Slash AFD head) allows the user to adjust the power between a full 100 watts, right down to 0.1% of the amp’s total output; perfect for controlling the amp’s ferocious volume whilst maintaining the full tonal integrity. The power can also be selected between 100 and 50 watts, with a
18 3pickup The YJM100: packed with tons of amazing tones and useful features
simple switch to deactivate two of the main EL34 output tubes for half power mode but for more contemporary tones a built in boost circuit kicks in a hi-gain modern overdrive, with a handy noise gate that kicks in as soon as the player leaves even the tiniest gap in between licks or phrases – no more unwanted hum or buzzing in between licks! The self-biasing circuit is also a real boon, LEDs indicate when an output tube needs adjusting or even replacing, negating the need to take the amp to an amp tech when it’s time to change the output tubes, just bung in a new set, switch the amp to self bias mode and you’re good to go! These great features – many of which can be used with the amp’s included multi-function footswitch – mean that the YJM100 isn’t just for shredders. You’ll find the essence of a classic vintage Marshall amp, enhanced with modern features that make it a versatile and great sounding amp for any modern rock guitarist. PM
LEARN THE SECRETS OF MARSHALL USERS’ TONES
Love him or loathe him, there's only one Yngwie…!
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