Re: YJM Rising Force Studio Rig
Malmsteen doesn't use Vintage 30's, though his website said he did for a time. His tech was quoted somewhere as saying his speakers were 70 watts. Was there ever a Lead 70 to anyones knowledge? He currently does endorse '75s for what it's worth.
The HS-3 was out in 1980 and he has said many times that he worked with DiMarzio on it as the HS-1 was not exactly what he wanted. He could have been using them in the studio, but who knows? The YJM was created b/c he wanted staggered polepieces and a slightly brighter tone than the neck.
He was using the same amps then as he's using now; he picked most of them up in Sweden when others sold the NMV to pick up MV amps when they came out (I think that was on the Marshall website).
I trust GJ's knowledge; YJM has said his setup hasn't changed much since the early days, which included a DOD 250, but I don't know if that was only in his live setup or not. YJM has said in the past that he's even overdriven the signal at the board.