Thanks Elmo for addressing the issue of counterfeiting. I think the word you're looking for is "rip-off". A "knock off" is one thing, everybody does it, there are parameters, but a rip-off, is just not okay, essentially stealing. Good job.

I bought an Ali express guitar a few years back. Not a Fender or Gibson copy. After I filled and re-drilled the bridge posts 4mm forward. Replaced the bridge. Replaced the fake active EMG's. Leveled the frets, and re-shaped the back of the neck. Replaced the tuners, and nut, pots, and 5 way switch. It's a reasonable instrument. Although I'm probably going to need to replace the output jack soon...

I've known for years that these do exist. I remember how I toyed around with the idea of buying one to learn how it compares to the real deal. But I guess I'm happy that I never did. Well, I suppose you could use that one as a wall decoration. Just place it in a dimly lit room and somewhere where people can't see it too well. Here, a coffee (or something) on me. You deserve it!

I would feel comfortable using this, because I sometimes feel like a cheap knock-off of Yngwie :)

If you want to build a budget malmsteen just go Warmoth, they do fender licensed scalloped necks, then just slap it on a squire or MIM body with YJM pickups.

A good way to test a single coil is with a drill, place the chuck parallel to the pickup and pull the trigger, the motor will create a magnetic field and the pickups will respond as it's an input.

I bought a Chyngwie Strat off eBay second hand. Luckily the headstock is plain with no fake logos so my conscience is clear as far as fakes go. I had to replace the trem with a genuine Fender item as the saddle height adjusters kept falling out, and I also bought a set of second hand Dimarzios for it as well as a new selector switch. All in all it cost me £450 after fixing it up and I have a nice scalloped neck strat copy with decent pickups. Suits me fine as I would never buy a genuine Yngwie strat due to the cost. Where I have a problem is with the fake logos, I couldn't care less about the strat design being copied, every man and his dog do that. My problem is with people passing guitars off as fakes. I'd be really annoyed if someone paid a lot of money for a fake guitar thinking it was real. Elmo, what you ought to do is sand the fake logos off the headstock and give it a bit of a tune up. Sell it as a cheap strat copy and someone will get a bargain and you'll recoup some money. Don't smash it up m8. 👍

Thanks for the warning. I bought a used Fender Player for not much more than the price of that monstrosity.

For the KZfaq gods, thank you for your honest work.

"Burn it, burn it, burn it... bring forth the sacrificial Shi" 😂

I bought a Gretsch hollow body recently, love it, and I purposely would only buy one made in Korea. It's not a knock off, and Gretsch does have builders in China, but I know Korea has fair labor laws, China does not. We have two voices in this world, how we vote and how we spend our money. Korea has been making guitars longer and they have real pros doing it, and they're actually really good at it and you can see the pride in their work, it's a beautiful guitar and plays really well...I know that much. And I just can't justify spending $1000 buck on something that says: Handcrafted in China, I just can't. Gretsch has factories all over, the only ones made in the U.S. are at the Fender factory and are custom only (big bucks), and their basic off the shelf high end are made in Japan, and they're beautiful and I would trust them 100%.

I appreciate you saying this and, sadly, ran into the same thing when I bought this exact same guitar about a month ago. Very much like you (I believe): I am a "spirit of the law" type of person. Even though not always fair I believe an individual and a company should have protections for their ideas as to not be taken advantage. That said the "concepts" (stratish, scalloped necks, pickup selection) can get more ambiquous and, to be frank, as a person who's owned a scalloped rosewood strat guitar for years I wanted an all maple option. I did all the "right" best practices - tried to only deal with companies that have been in business for a while, made sure to have a "conversation" with the person hoping for the best. My thing was I knew the instrument wouldn't be perfect though hoped for something "decent" that I could tune down to Eb. I also believed (and was promised) that the instrument they'd send would have a "blank" headstock with no "Fender" or other logos. This was promised over and over... so I paid. Only to get the same thing as you'd expect - a "copy". I knew that this was a possibility (I've had issues with two other sellers - one on Aliexpress and another years ago on DHGate) and knew I'd need to dispute. Even though I offered to send the instrument back I was "awarded" $80 of the original $180 back as a "partial refund" and it was closed by AliExpress with no other options for dispute. I can't see myself doing business with any of these companies ever again because, they are not only terrible, they've incentivized their sellers to essentially sell junky or misadvertised products because they're making a profit. Mind you I should say: I actually LIKE the instrument I received. It's not great quality, though it's also not terrible and, oddly enough, seems to hold tuning at the keys and seems reasonably balanced. That's the point for me - that I knew making a decent strat wouldn't be difficult - which is why it's even more sad that they didn't just take the extra time and make the guitar they promised. I plan on doing all the "mods" I do to most of my guitars - alnico pickups for a "50s" sound, a new pickguard, a super switch, and a new nut. I also am trying to find a way cover the headstock and may literally just use painters tape. In any event I've heard of people who've had great experiences with these companies and their shady sellers. My whole thing is that I would have bought more instruments if they had just been honest. Also, to be fair I've had other sellers who kept it real... so maybe I'm still just not choosing the right sellers... but it's evil what they're doing on so many levels and I don't want to take part in that.

ESP makes a grassroots statocaster that comes fully scalloped for around 500 imported from Japan. Great guitar

I'm glad you made this video . Making people aware .

Great timing on your video. You probably saved me some money and a major headache. I was actually considering ordering an ESP George Lynch Kamikaze model. Thanks!

I actually have a reason to buy one of these or a Chibson because I teach a consumer protection law class and I have purchased some counterfeit products for education purposes. My students learn how about the extent of the problem and what to look for when it comes to counterfeit products. It's not just guitars or handbags, but soap, insulated water bottles, and all kinds of everyday stuff. I'd love for my students to figure out how to identify a counterfeit fender or Gibson, which gives me an excuse to buy a nice guitar. Like I really need one. I've read that a lot of the people who make counterfeit products work in or have worked in the factories where the legit things are made, so they know the process and just make some side cash making counterfeit versions of the same things. The counterfeit market is worth something like $600 billion per year. This video will certainly help make people aware. Bravo.

I bought a cheap scalloped guitar with an 'FR' from ali for 165 euro, wood is wood, sanded off the decals, did a bit of fretwork and slowly replacing the cheap parts. From my end as long as you are aware of what you are getting yourself into and dont try to sell it as an original then nothing is wrong. I own a yjm already and i wasnt willing to shell another 2.5k on a guitar.

I also bought a Chibson without seeing the headstock 2 years ago, You will have to keep it, its your demon forever. Selling it or giving it away could lead to someone thinking its real later down the line as its sold and traded over and over again, creating many negative demons for others dealing with its fakeness lol

I paid $175 usd shipped and am quite impressed with the overall quality and playability for the price. I will replace the tuners with cheap locking tuners and block the tremolo with some coins and will upgrade the pups eventually. Ive always wanted to try a scalloped neck guitar and this definitely scratches the itch. My biggest complaint is the awful smell of the finish but after a few days it all went away. The guitar is extremely lightweight too. The neck almost feels hollow. But overall I would totally buy this guitar again for the price. The real fender is way too expensive and I dont like YJM enough to spend that kind of money!

I'm cool with ordering copies but I never do because it's too risky for me.

Hypothesis: if you're buying a guitar explicitly because of who used it, you're buying the guitar for the wrong reason.

You are 100% correct about the headstock being the part that is protected. But this only applies to some body shapes- such as the Tele, the Strat, and the Les Paul. This is because these shapes are dictated by function- not aesthetic choice. To make a functional guitar- especially acoustics- you have to use a certain shape- it fits the leg when sitting, allows room for your arm, etc.- and creates the best sound and volume in the case of acoustics. So the court decided you could use those shapes- anyone can- but they have to have an original headstock shape because this is not purely dictated by function and it's how most of us recognize brands. Shapes like the Flying V however are protected because they're not dictated by function- you can easily make a functioning guitar without making it that shape- and the shape has become synonymous with Gibson, so they were able to protect it going forward. The Explorer would be the same way- or any shape not dictated by function.

He bought a CHENDER!

Being Chinese I'm surprised they spelled noiseless correctly.

Hi. Just an observation: you did say the neck and body of the guitar are fine, right? If that's the case, getting a good stratocaster body and a scalloped neck for 300 euro is actually a great deal. A decent scalloped neck alone will cost you about 700 euro, or where I am, about 800 dollars. If you like to tinker just a little, it's well worth the price to replace all of the mechanical and electronic parts, which will cost about 300 or 400 Euro more. That is, if the neck and body are really fine. The real problem for me is the deception, and as you say, the copyright infringement. Good cautionary tale regardless.

Man I LIKE this guy!!! He's HONEST, and a HELL of a guitarist!!!! :) Thanks for the great online lessons , man!!! RESPECT!!! :) I have the genuine YJM. LOVE IT!!! ( and it's actually noiseless lol )

If all someone is going to do is play something on stage and want to have the Fender logo for their own vanity, fine. But if someone wanted to then sell it on, this is where you hit very boggy ground, because not only do you have to have the ethical standpoint to label the advert as “Not a Fender” but then the mental ethical gymnastics to worry about the purchasers ethical standpoint. As for the quality. Okay you may have paid 300 quid 💷 to buy the guitar, but there is probably another 300 pounds of remedial work to change the tuners for a set that at least work effectively, or perhaps are Fender genuine parts. The next thing would then be a complete pre wired scratch plate with the correct pickups or at least ones that work as they should. Then a decent quality trem bridge system. And perhaps fitting the correct nut. At this point someone would at least have something approaching the correct quality, but then brings it back to the initial issue of copyright. As once the remedial corrective work has been done it’s then actually probably more of a copyright issue, despite at that point containing Fender correct parts. As it will then be on one hand a PartsCaster, but also still a knockoff. Think at that point you would be engraving “Made in China” on the back of the headstock to make it more obvious. Thing is, once you’ve fixed all the initial problems, it probably would have made more sense to have bought an actual second hand Fender.

I've seen people buying the shell without hardware on them ,a quik fret level crown/ polish and they end up totally usable.

Yngwie used to have a habit of going to local pawn shops when he was touring. He went into a shop in Cocoa, FL in 1994 when he was playing a small gig in Melbourne, FL. He traded 2 of his own Yngwie Strat guitars for 1 Rolex watch. One Strat had a left-handed neck on it, and that one got purchased very quickly. I purchased the other one with the normal right-handed neck from the pawn shop for $900. It came with a case, a photo of him holding the guitars with the pawn shop owner, and a paper written and signed by him for authenticity (it says "I, Yngwie Malmsteen hand over 2 Strats for one Rolex. Play loud"). The guitar has his cigarette burns by the brass nut where he often put them when he was playing, scratches on the back from sliding it across stages, and nicks and marks everywhere. Doesn't play very well, at least compared to a used Ibanez I bought at age 16 which I scalloped myself with different sized round wood files and sand paper.

I'd never buy a cheap Chinese guitar. And after watching this, it's confirmed my views. Thank you. M

IYV, AIO/Wolf guitars, some of the Epiphones, some of the Harley Bentons, are all made in the same factory in Vietnam, IYV's. Those are excellent instruments for the most part. And dirt cheap.

I have 2 DIY kit strats that have the Fender shape headstock, so I put Fender waterslide decals on them, but I have no intention of ever selling them, so I'm not worried about them being "counterfeit." I do plan on putting Fender Tex/Mex pickups in one of them.

If I wanted a ruined fretboard, I'd do it myself.

Elmo, BaxMusic in Holland own house brand Fazley have a range of affordable scalloped Strat style guitars Hard tail and with trem .I had a scalloped itch to scratch and bought one of the hard tailed Brass nut locking tuners versions a couple of weeks ago for under £150 and was pleasantly surprised at its build & sound quality for the money 👍

Elmo bringing up working conditions. BASED. ❤

The original is for playing, while the KO is meant for the smashing and throwing stunts when a gig is about to end 😁

Plot twist: you mixed up and think the real Strat is the knock-off

Hey, they even chiseled it old school man, with a kitchen knife like Ritchie! 😜😝😛

Years ago I bought one and changed out parts and it plays and sounds great! You have to put some good parts.

Sorry to tell you, but I think that you're not honest about being "basically a bit stunned" upon discovering the Fender-logo and all - you must've been DELIGHTED and super, super happy with that, and you knew PERFECTLY that it's a cheap knock-off. Anyway, I'm giving you a "plus" because you're so amusing.(ultimate LOL).....

Dude I had one of his, and it S.........D! I hate that neck. Washed and waxed school busses over a summer when I was 13, bought it not understanding guitars. Traded it off for a Gibson Nighthawk and LOVE it! Lot of miles on her, but still one of my main goes to, even above any of my PRS. Maybe I needed to eat nothing but fried chicken and donuts to make my fingers have the meat sweats and donut ooze to make the neck feel correct! lmao

You can see from far away that the bridge is a pos too.

I bought a replacement neck off Aliexpress for a DIY project. And to my surprise it turned out to be the exact same neck as you have here, but I never knew it was gonna have the Fender logo and YJM signature on the headstock, thus making it a fake. I kept it in its styrofoam box for almost 3 years before I decided to use it. The fret job was pretty bad. I had to level them all and work really hard to get it to be somewhat playable. I did record a couple of songs with it, but I don't like playing it. It's bulky and feels like those huge 50s Les Paul necks and I don't like the idea of playing a fake. I've considered sanding off the Fender logo and Ynwgwie's fake signature, but I'll probably end up replacing the neck altogether. Cheers!

I got one of these for a couple hundred bucks. Seems like a decent guitar to me. Put a set of dg20’s in it and boom, fun scalloped guitar. If somebody buys that thinking they’ll get the quality of a 2300$ guitar then they’re nuts 😂

Thanks for this video. I was considering this as a cheap alternative or a project guitar, but now, no way. But, I will also not spend $2500 - $4500 for a Fender. I'll stick to Schecter, Ibanez and Jackson/Charvel.

I bought 2 both lefthanded. Did what I do to a real Fender. Replaced the pickups, put on locking tuners, put a bone nut and brass trem block. They are both players. No fret issues and I sanded the names off the headstock. I'm a lefty so there is no "real" Yngwie made for me. Basically you gave the guitar no chance. I don't support counterfeiting. However, you can't buy a scalloped neck for less than $200.

Really good video. I cannot effort a Yingwie Malmsteen Fender strat...but... I think that in the future I will built one by myself using one HB ST-62MN VW Vintage Series and scalloping the neck. The ST62 is a good base. I have already one and with the EMG pick up is really a good guitar

lets call it "firewood"

Lol.. don't just dip the pick-ups in wax to stop the microphonic squeal, dip the entire guitar in it then toss it in a burn barrel and if it's still squealing or "not," take a chainsaw or jackhammer to it.. yes I had a similar thing happen with a Ibanez that was counterfeit but luckily I figured it out the same day when I went to adjust the truss rod and saw that there wasn't one that would actually turn anyways, then I noticed it had a very strange scarf joint on back of headstock, then I noticed the headstock was slightly different than a rg series was, as a matter of fact it looked similar to a Geo headstock which it most definitely was.. so I took it back to the reputable store and the salesman didn't notice anything strange about the guitar i just purchased earlier from that reputable music store.. long story short, management noticed everything I did and refunded everything and gave me a discount on a no counterfeit squier paranormal tornado guitar which was actually a paranormal tornado and a really nice guitar for 349.00 reduced to 299.00. . I still don't know how the IBAcounterfeitnez r-geo who knows what?? But the fact that someone made a counterfeit of something that only cost 349 ish for the real deal is very strange and peculiar? 🤔

Elmo, I wants one!! Cheers

When i first bought a strat in 1964 there was only a fender strat made on usa . They sholuld never have brought in all these bull models and overseas copies, thats where they took the plunge

I’m not so fussy about the cheap Strat being substandard. Its cheap and I expect it to be substandard. What bothers me is the blatant counterfeiting and that would stop me from owning it. If it didn’t have the Yngwie signature, noiseless on the clearly single coils and the Fender script, I’d be ok with having that guitar. I’d swap out the electronics and give it a setup with new tuners. It would probably be an ok guitar after a good setup.

I love what I am hearing throwing money to the wind thanks for keeping it REAL

Body shape makes mega difference. Ask EVH about his "Shark" Guitar.

The Harley Benton factory is a very good factory in Indonesia. They are probably the same factory that manufacture for Ibanez, Squier, Jackson, Schecter and others. I got a fusion Tele, excellent quality. Changed pickups though. Great video Mr. Elmo as always. Hate these knockoffs ughh 🙄 Especially the pickup sound 😅

Elmo !! does it again !! Damn straight 👍 Thanks alot for this one . 🎸🎸❤️

I'd like to see you mod this out with all the right parts and come back and review it and see if it is possible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I'd hope that anybody willing to purchase an instrument from certain outlets isn't naive enough to think they are getting the real deal. You know why you went there and not to a reputable outlet and that's usually because of the difference in cost so you can't really complain about what you received. That's why I'd like to see this modded out and reviewed to see if it will cost you as much to make it playable as buying a genuine article.

You must be incredibly naïve to have believed that a headstock that isn't shown in the photos would be anything but counterfeit!

The industry is partly to blame. When one is $3k, the other $300 , it's no wonder people buy that PRC CRAP.

You could consider making cheap modifications, for example: instead of "noiseless" write "noisiness" 😁. Seriously now, I see your point, this is not just a cheap fender alternative. There are stratocasters made in PRC - I own one myself - that play and sound better than this "thing" and they don't fall apart "every now and then"... Actually you could replace the "noisiness" and the rest of the junk with cheap quality parts, and then do whatever you like with it!

Nice Job The Fender Players Series are hit or miss also

It’s a guitar that you can play during a camp fire. And when the fire needs more fuel, just toss it in.

ESP do a strat with the YNG spec really cheap. Its a grass roots. Can get them used for a couple hundred.

Good review, thanks for speaking the truth on these guitars. I've been tempted several times of buying a SRV Strat from Ali express, now I feel happy I didn't pull the trigger. Regards

I've never played one, and I don't know if they still make them, but Fender Japan made a series of YJM Strats. They had the scalloped neck, brass nut and block, the bullet truss rod (if appropriate), etc. The interesting part was that they came in a variety of reissue years. The American YJM's are based on the '72 Strat. I believe the Japanese YJM's come in '57, '62, '66, '72, and possibly other years. Anyone had any experience with these models?.

So buy a noise gate if you don't the hum. I've seen some pretty shoty squires, too.. If you are only spending a couple hundred bucks on a guitar, you really should bring someone with you to pick out a good one If you don't understand what to look for regarding the quality of the build.

thank you Elmo for this Video!

Bought a brand new 2022 Yngwie Strat a month ago and it sounds astronomical. Even with the Chinese Demonfx 250 pedal ;)

So we should call it, Chinder!

Paul Reed Smith calls those things “guitar shaped objects”…and there are a lot out there!!!

change neck, tuners, bridge, and pots and build a custom guitar at this point. it seems the only thing salvageable is the body.

FIREWOOD NUFF SAID

I bought one of these from AliExpress back in 2016 and mine was even worse than yours. Same things you described were present, but it also had a really f*cked-up neck which was not only slightly twisted but also has a non-adjustable truss rod and the most horrid fretwork I've ever seen with sharp edges and I'm willing to bet that no fret levelling was done whatsoever. I've replaced the bridge pickup with a real YJM Fury pickup, the plastic nut with the YJM brass nut, and the tuners (the one for the D-string was busted and didn't work) with Harley Benton locking tuners, but it doesn't help with the playability since the neck is way beyond repair. Lastly, the first thing that told me this was a knock-off was the fact that the neck had 22 frets instead of 21.

Sounds like a pretty cool percussion instrument. 😅

Well normally cheap guitars have noise in the pickups, but I think you can pay for a good fenders picks or DiMaggio pickups. I got one I give some TLC and works pretty good and didn’t pay $1200 for one original.

Upgrade it with better quality parts and do a comparison also donating it to someone who wants a guitar!

Aliexpress does have good stuff though, it's the prebuilt guitars that you need to be careful with due to a lack of QC. Some sellers have entire production lines and can make you anything you ask for. I've browsed Stratocaster type bodies and necks and they have some really good looking ones for a cost of a grocery run. Funny that you mentioned the Zuwei strat being better, haha. I actually like the looks of that guitar, the body at least.

Well, no such thing as a free lunch, but 200 bucks for a scalloped neck knock off? A brass nut, new tuners and shielding maybe 50-100 on top?

I have a couple of Gibson counterfeits I striped all the electronics of and the hard ware and replaced it with Gibson stuff. Now they are great guitars the bodies and necks are well made and the paint job is perfect. workmanship is as good as Gibson. Gibson has gone down hill a little in the past years.

Say what you will...but they included three free microphones with the guitar! 🤣 6:09

Fender and others already tricked thousands of people who spent 2.5k $ for a guitar. It"s a scam based on ignorance of the buyers.

Try to get a Yamaha SE300 from the 80s. No quality issues for a little less money than this.

I would sand the headstock, swap out a few parts and just keep it as a spare or at that point sell it for a few hundred bucks once it’s de-badged and playable

"Wow! Im sorry Officer, I didnt know the car was stolen..." Please.........

Ok but if you change hardware and electronics, you can make a cool malmsteen for low budget. Or just to try a scalloped neck, before buy the real deal, why not...

If you just want to try a scalloped fretboard, go ahead and get one. Given that YJM Strats are now $2249 in the USA, you shouldn't put yourself out for a grail like that just to try the scalloped feel. I bought one back in 2011. Build quality is comparable to a Squier. The parts used are tragic but digital modellers cover up the noise better than a tube amp. I threw some $50 locking tuners on it and it was good to go. When I decided to plug up to the Marshall, I had problems, so I bought some YJM Furies and the pots that go with it. The fake branding is annoying, but that's how China is. In fact, that $180 KO strat build wise was setup better than the $350 White Blonde CV50s. 5th Fret on that Squier was so uneven, I had to take it to a tech to get it fixed.

Buy a Squire classic vibe Strat used. Scallop the neck yourself - its very easy to do. Buy the pre-loaded Yngwie Pick guard. Buy a brass nut. Total cost, around 700. A lot less than the $2,200 the Fender costs, and you're using the exact same pickups.

Just a quick note regrding the legal part, we are talking about trademarks here, not copyright. The totally unacceptable part here (IMHO) is someone putting the Fender brand on the headstock, meaning someone (a guitar byuer) could actually (for a minute) believe it is an actual Strat. And just FYI,Fender has not been able to trademark the Strat body shape, although Gibson has (e.g., Les Paul and Flying V). Regarding what to do with the guitar, perform a gig with teal Yngwie Strat, then quickly change to this guitar so that nobody sees - and burn it on stage! Anyway, thx for the review!

Well said. Its a scourge. Playable or not it’s counterfeit and offensive. Thank you

Would love to see a series where you customise this big time Elmo, turn it into a worthwhile instrument do it doesn't feel like you just threw money away. The neck and body are fine as you said yourself. Just a thought anyway

Was the truss rod usable? Even if you change all the other hardware but can't adjust the bow then you've just bought a painted body.

Phillip McKnight will on occasion take a knock off and try to make a decent instrument out of it, but he’ll sand off the brand label and burn “FAKE” into the back of the headstock.

Need to replace all electronics and hardware ( pick ups, knobs, nut, tuners, trem all of it) and even then who knows what kind of wood on this thing. It will never sound and feel like a real yjm fender.

Harley Benton is not a factory. so there are no Harley Benton workers. Cheap, affordable but also up market brands have their budget guitars made in overseas factories, that make guitars for multiple brands. In their contracts they determine how much (quality) control there is, what materials are used and how much time and effort is allowed to produce the guitars, and since time is (labor cost) money, the lower the price the less time can be spend on your axe. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to understand that good labor conditions have a price too, and by that token it is not possible to make guitars under a 100 dollar in paradise-(=Western)-like (although, think Amazon)) working conditions.

How about Fender cables for guitars?

the 90% of people in my country will never afford a real one so...

200 Euros? All you could expect was a SCAM, and scammers are usually COUNTERFEITERS.

You could always put it into a fire pit

Fix it up on the cheap. Iron Gear, Guitar Madness, etc pickups, Tone Ninja tuners, Tusq nut. Throw some decent quality budget parts on it and see what you wind up with.

I get a vibe you don't like the guitar . Seriously thanks good video