The year it was made will be in the Fender serial number on the back of the headstock. The neck plate, at least on my 2004 and 2005 YJM Strats is blank. No serial number or Fender logo. It is the same on the most current (2007) YJM Strat revision also. I think all of the second revision YJM's have the mint green/aged plastic pickguard and knobs along with having a brass nut.
http://pickroar.com/187/how-to-identify ... tocasters/
http://pickroar.com/216/yngwie-malmstee ... ersus-new/
From Yngwie's website:
1994 Model
Fender’s Work of Art:
the Malmsteen Strat
How the Custom Shop Works
Fender calls their custom shop The Dream Factory, and with good reason. It’s here that their designers and craftsmen turn the exacting requirements of world-class guitarists into one-of-a kind instruments, achieving “the perfect expression of each musicia n’s personal vision.”
To create Yngwie’s personal vision, designer George Blanda combined elements from vintage Strats of the 50s. “Yngwie is a traditionalist in many ways,” says Blanda. “It was important to him that all the Strat body contours matched those of his 50s Strats. But the neck was something else. Scalloped fingerboards are an integral part of his techniques. So, for him it had to have the vintage look with his special neck.”
Guitars from the Custom Shop are produced by hand. This includes cutting the body, performing six sand-and-finish operations, buffing to a radiant luster, and assembling the electronic circuitry. All components such as playing action, bridge height, and i ntonation are set to much finer tolerances than assembly line instruments. That’s why Signature Series guitars are special orders, taking up to several months to fill. Here are the specifications on both the U.S. and Japanese-made Malmsteen models:
Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Series Stratocasters
U.S. Signature Stratocaster, 1998 Model
Fender’s website introduces the new model thusly: “Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen first hit the U.S. music scene through a Guitar Player Spotlight column and from there, hit the ground running. From his days in the 80’s rock scene to sold-out performances showcasing his classical influences and prodigious technique, Yngwie has remained truly one of a kind.”
The 1998 model incorporates Yngwie’s customization of heavy (Dunlop 6000) frets and a large 60’s-style headstock. These models have the YJM pickup as well as the HS-3.
Body: Alder
Neck: 1-piece maple with 60’s large headstock
Machine Heads: Schaller “F” tuners
Fretboard: Rosewood or maple, scalloped (9.5″ radius/241 mm)
Number of Frets: 21
Pickups: 2 DiMarzio YJM (neck & mid), 1 DiMarzio HS-3 (bridge)
Controls: Volume, Tone, “No Load” Tone (bridge & mid)
Tremolo: Vintage
Pickup Switching: 3-way selector
Pickguard: mint green
Special: Aged parts, brass nut
Scale Length: 25.5″ (648 mm)
Neck Width at Nut: 1.650″ (42 mm)
Strings: Fender Super 3250L
Accessories: Strap & cable
Fender Case: Tweed
U.S. Signature Stratocaster, 1994 Model
Fender introduces the updated Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster. The model still retains such Yngwie trademark features as scalloped fretboard and brass nut, and adds a late sixties large headstock, original Synchronized Tremolo, and aged plastic parts. Visit Fender’s website for further details.
#010-7700 (rosewood neck), #010-7702 (maple neck) Colors: Candy Apple Red, Vintage White, Sonic Blue Body: Alder, satin finish Features:
Scalloped fretboard
21 frets
American Standard tremolo system
2 DiMarzio HS-3 pickups
1 Fender American Standard pickup
Tweed case, strap, cable
1 volume control, 2 TBX
5-position switching
25.5″ (647.7mm) scale length
9.5″ (241.3mm) radius
1.654″ (42mm) width at nut
Brass nut
50’s style headstock
Japanese Signature Strat, 1995 Model
#027-2702 (maple neck)
Colors: Black, Vintage White, Sonic Blue
Body: Bass wood, gloss finish
Features:
70’s style Stratocaster
Scalloped fretboard
3 single-coil pickups
Molded case
70’s style headstock
5-position switching
1 volume control, 2 tone control
Standard tremolo
.... a couple more things "concern" me. The headstock shape looks a little off to me, the circled top part should be a sharper angle (heading more towards the s of stratocaSter...later versions are a bit more rounded)). The logo positioning is a little of as well, the word tremolo is really close to the edge of the headstock which is something that happened after 2007. Also the machines heads from the ones I have seen are oval ones not the flat sided ones
