Yngwie Malmsteen—the very name alone strikes awestruck wonder into the hearts of guitarists worldwide. Yngwie Malmsteen—the Swedish Stratocaster® wunderkind; the fiery and flamboyant showman extraordinaire; the charmingly outspoken enfant terrible of metal; the Paganini of the electric guitar. His classically inspired fleet-fingered technique and apocalyptic guitar sound continue to mesmerize listeners today just as they did when the world first felt his Fender-fueled fury in the early 1980s with Steeler, Alcatrazz and Malmsteen’s landmark 1984 solo debut, Rising Force.

Then as now, Malmsteen often worked his magic on an Olympic White 1971 Fender Stratocaster guitar nicknamed “The Duck.” He bought the guitar in Sweden in 1978 while still a teenager, himself performing the unusual and delicate modification of scalloping the fingerboard. The guitar has taken a beating over the years (and even a burning or two) as Malmsteen’s main stage and studio guitar; played in countless concert appearances and used on each of his many solo albums.

Now, the Fender Custom Shop is working with Yngwie Malmsteen on a very special project that will be officially unveiled later this year