What's Wrong with Yamaha Guitars - Does Rhett Have a Point?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- For my Presets visit: johnnathancord...
For ArtistWorks courses: artistwork.prf...
For TrueFire courses and All Access Memberships: prf.hn/click/c...
Use the code JNC40 for a 40% discount off all courses, or JNC100 for $100 off all access membership!
/ johnnathancordy get my lesson tabs and backing tracks here
www.buymeacoff... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
Get my PADs bundle here: www.paypal.com... (this folder will grow, and I'd encourage you to ask for different keys/songs and stuff that might suit this type of preset?)
I've decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together - www.paypal.com... - I will then email you a link to both bundles!
Try my general patches for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com...
You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com...
Try my patches for Pod GO using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com...
/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoff... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
![Tee Grizzley - Blow for Blow (feat. J. Cole) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wNLN5xsx5dc/mqdefault.jpg)
Never played a Yamaha that didn’t make me go “that’s quite good actually.” Their QC in the low end is pretty consistent imo.
I agree they have amazing QC which I haven't seen in ibanez guitars that cost 3-4 times the price.
I got a Pacifica that I modded a bit.
Makes my 1500 USD + guitars feel like crap.
True story
@@ehsanhaq155 same yo 😂
@@obvioustroll3617 Agreed. Yamaha Indonesian factory BQ & QC CONSISTENCY isn't as good today as times of the mythological legend, but it's better than Ibanezs IMPE.
@@theblytonian3906 That's sad to hear. I've been looking into getting a Yamaha because I have been getting absolutely sick of the poor QC for Indonesian-made Ibanez guitars. I always heard that Yamaha, at all price points, had very good QC. To be fair, most of the guitars that I get that are Indonesian-made, have all had some major QC issues. I have some Indonesian Gio's from the early 2000s, and they blow most of the Indo premium stuff I've bought over the last few years out of the water! Not in terms of specs, but in terms of build quality, fit and finish, and attention to detail. I just wish that more guitars were still made in South Korea. A lot of those guitars could get quite close to their Japanese/USA counterparts at really decent prices. I'm guessing that just too many guitars are now being made in Indonesia, and that's why the overall quality is slipping.
If you can break the psychological grip that Fender & Gibson have & suppress the inner snob in you, there are some fantastic cheaper alternatives out there to choose from, Yamaha being one of them
I think we’re all guilty of this to some extent. I know there are plenty of acoustics that sound as good as a Martin, but by god, I want a Martin.
@@Full_Deflection Thank my left brained gift I'm not one of said afflicted. The moment I see some 18 year old kid who doesn't earn enough to pay for a Happy Meal at McDonalds out of their own pocket playing a Martin or Taylor on their YT channel, it provokes immediate disinterest and I despair for human kind and the idiocracy.
@@theblytonian3906 I get it, man. It’s the reason I WANT a Martin, but don’t own one. I’m a successful 40 year old and can afford it, but I simply can’t justify it.
@@Full_Deflection I could afford a Taylor or Martin if I wanted to go there. I don't. Completely unnecessary in 2023 for the discerning from a playability, tonality, aesthetic or quality perspective, and I can't rationalise ridiculous spending I can divert toward other acquisitions on superficiality buying the approval of others who are.
no inner snob, fender and gibson have more appealing styling in most folks eyes. no real need to over think, one should not need to talk oneself into a yamaha they really don't want.
Yamaha is the most underrated brand and nothing else comes close. Every price range excels
The lower to midrange Revstars may be the best double humbucker/P90 deal for a new guitar right now, even more for a used one.
If they had the room and routing for 3 potentiometers out of the box (I use G&L PTB-style wiring in most of my guitars), they would be the perfect modding platform for my needs.
why underrated? folks play them in stores and decide they just don't really want to own it
I have original SG3000 and a Revstar 720...both excellent
@@ltcuaa What stores? I've seen zero Yamahas in any store I've been to, apart from their acoustics. The truth is, Fender and Gibson have a huge monopoly on the guitar market. Some smaller stores I know don't even stock Ibanez.
stores stock what sells, they just don't sell well. it's like your dad trying to talk you into dating some sensible neighbor but you're just not interested
When I think of Yamaha I think of the instrument brand you buy for your kids as they learn ... pretty much anything. Trumpets, violins, pianos, flutes, drums ... from grade 1 through to diploma, they have an instrument that will meet the demands of the player no matter what the level, and at a reasonable price. Their stuff is just so good, you know the music teacher will give a gentle nod of approval when they see it. It is just the safest purchase you can make. They just make quality tools for musicians.
Yamaha makes many high-end instruments. Some of its pianos, for instance, are among the best, and definitely not for any but the most well-heeled students
It's also worth mentioning Matteo Mancuso who also plays Yamaha exclusively. He is one hell of a player!
he did mention it, also wen't on to say those guitars are customised specific to artist needs which means those guitars can't be aquied by general public maybe?
wen’t? Holy crap.
@@grgwashnton23 Exactly. He has a yamaha custom shop revstar that has different hardware and pickups - specifically too it adds locking tuners. Although the implication is that this is a prototype of a future signature guitar
I met Matteo Mancuso when I went to see him in Sacramento in February. He happened to be staying at the same hotel as me. I actually asked him why Yamaha? He said as you would expect that he has a roomful of guitars but he always comes back to the Revstar. Of course is doesn't hurt that he is sponsored by Yamaha!
They have consistently made great sounding quality instruments, Matteo Mancuso and Chris Buck and many others have proven this over and over again.
I mean shit masayoshi takanaka plays almost exclusively Yamaha and he's probably the best guitarist in all of Japan and the world but he doesn't get enough recognition over seas sadly
mike stern too.
Those custom Pacificas look awesome. Yes, Yamaha are missing an opportunity there but to be honest... they are doing pretty well in the market anyway and guitars is only a small fraction of their business.
Honorable mention, Ty Taybor from "King's X" had his own signature model. A very under-rated guitarist!
If you enjoy Ty, you'd probably like his solo project called "the jelly jam"
Ty Tabor is a very unique genius. Noone plays like him.
Those T Tabor signature RGX models are awesome
Because Yamaha make consistently decent beginner instruments for the price, I think many people consider them a starter brand and want to move on. That and their marketing is lacking. It mostly comes down to perception.
Yes. I consistently recommend Yamaha for beginners. They make seriously great bang for the buck guitars and basses. I’ve never felt that I didn’t get my moneys worth with any Yamaha product from mixers to drums and guitars. One of these days, I plan on getting an SA2000. By all measure, an awesome guitar.
@@timkoelln3826 The SA2000 is, but that's where Ibanez has niipped them in the bud on this occasion, and I say that as a Yamaha fanboy, and Ibanez fanboy, and Gretsch fanboy, and Cort fanboy. : P Ibanez not only make an equivalent of the current model Yamaha SA2200 in their Made in Japan AS2000 Artstar, but for the poorer folk like me who don't live in the USA paying in warmonger profiteeering inflated USD, they make the Ibanez AS113 which is pretty much an Indonesian made AS2000. I have one and can attest the BQ could easily be mistaken for Japanese. Same pickups and electronics, with a few additional aesthetic and and brand niceties in the AS2000 such as genuine Gotoh tuners.
rly funny bcus fender is 3x the price for the same/weaker quality and specs and idiots eat those shit up thinking those are quality instruments just bcus of the price tag
some people even go with the "buy mexican strat then upgrade" route, even tho they could have just gotten a pacifica 612, which is cheaper than a mexican strat and is better than an american strat
@@lestercheng1454 Fact. You can even hear the elitist snobbery in this reviewer's conditioned perception and trite dismissal of the PAC61X series Pacificas. As if any Fender comes with custom full Seymour Duncan PUP fitout, pull-push coil split, Graphtech TUSQ nut and string trees, Grover locking tuners, and vintage 6 point mount Wilkinson bridge and trem block with finishes and build quality that positively embarrass Fender or Gibson.
@@theblytonian3906Must have watched a different video. What snobbery? What elitism? Any negative points made are largely about marketing, and to me he is spot on. I have bought and enjoyed several Yamahas over the years, but they too often present a middle of the road image as standard. They make some great instruments, but dont explore the flagship hi spec area, nor do they make much effort to exploit the image of the great players who use them. He picks out Chris Buck’s custome Revstar for example, which should really be made widely available and would excite people about the quality all across the range. No snobbery there, just good sense.
Yamaha could benefit from some better marketing, but I quite like that they’re an underrated gem. My Revstar is unbelievably easy to play, action is down to 0.6mm and it’s buttery smooth.
@@reggiewallace260 No, you're mistaken. 0.6mm action is correct - a human hair is 0.06mm.
This is the first time I viewed your channel. I enjoyed this video. I play Fender mostly now, but I had a Pacifica in the past. Yamaha is a great guitar Conpany. They really caused a huge change in quality with less expensive guitars as well. Other companies like Squire really began to step up their quality to keep up. I will always have gratitude for that. Your guitars are beautiful by the way. Also you are an amazing player. Thank you for the education. Great video!
I am a keys player turned multi-instrumentalist (guitars) and I love my Revstar. I know how amazing Yamaha pianos and Synths are so looking into their guitar options was a no-brainer. Fantastic quality instrument.
I absolutely loved my Pacifica over my bullet. Both cost about the same, but sound and neck quality were loads better on the Yamaha
Isn't it crazy how yamaha had more authentic feeling fender necks than the Squier models did? 😂 my pacifica is still going strong and I've gotten nothing but raised eyebrows and compliments on how well built such an affordable guitar is.
@@dethmedic52 and it’s just plain beautiful! I have the violin sunburst color.
@@Emrys345_Guitar heck yeah good color, mines just all natural baby 🤣
Based on their going rates on the used market, I think Yamaha would make a mint if they re-issued the sg/sbg series and it wasn’t 3 grand.
The SG1820 is about £2400, and is an awesome instrument. Yamaha have to fight the Americana bias of electric guitarists, it’s no surprise and not their fault that their instruments are undervalued.
@@terencecain2893I agree to a point. I can’t help but think if they reissued models like the sg500, 600, etc instead of the revstars they would have been more popular
@@Horseheadbookendz A 1980 SG1000 is about £950, a Gibson Les Paul of the same vintage costs two and a half times as much. The Yammy is undervalued and a bargain imo. This won’t change for the foreseeable future, and makes reissuing the series an non-starter. No surprise Gibson keep raiding their back catalogue tho.
Mike Stern has been playing his signature Pacifica Tele for 30 years now.
They should consider re-releasing the less expensive T style Pacificas. I think they should design their own offset guitar as well, like Ibanez did with their Talman.
I remember getting really close to buying a yamaha acoustic that had a built in system to add chorus and reverb that was so cool and inspiring to play, but was a bit expensive for me at the time. Highly recommend trying one out if you find one
I’ve been playing and collecting guitars for nearly 40 years. I have a collection of all the ‘usuals’: Strat, Tele, PRS, Les Paul, SG, etc, as well as some more unusual ones. All amazing guitars in their own right. I recently bought a Yamaha Rev Star. I can’t overstate how impressed I am with it. Amazing build quality, great feel and playability, fantastic sound, great features. We all know guitars are very subjective and very personal, but to me at least, the Rev Star is up there with the best I have. They should definitely be more popular but, for now at least, they seem to be a bit more in the ‘for those that know’ category.
I've almost absolutely decided that my next guitar will be either a Revstar or Pacifica 612. I think they are definitely overlooked.
I have both Pacifica and Revstar (P90). Very happy with both
Revstar is an amazing guitar.
Don't think you can go wrong with either! I have a SA2200 (chose it over a ES-335), Revstar RS502 and now the 611 is catching my eye as that P90/Humbucker combo looks very interesting!
Wow, I love your playing so much John. Beautiful phrasing and so melodic with flawless technique.
Back in the day I remember the SG2000, SG1000 and SG45 guitars from Yamaha that were amazing. Stuart Adamson of Skids and Big Country fame played one as I recall.
You can add Santana, John McGeogh, and I think Bill Nelson to that list too. Alan Murphy (Level 42) played an MSG. And no one ever has a bad word for the the SA2200 or its earlier incarnations. They make some bloody good guitars - I own 4 btw, including an MSG Standard, an SA2200, and one of the handmade LL400 acoustics.
They should bring back the Ty Tabor model.
I got 2 of those
The only thing that lets Yamaha guitars down is the marketing. (E.g not humping the consumer) Apart from that they are a fantastic guitar from bottom to top.
I'd like to bring a different angle that is gonna piss off a lot of people here: the problem is not Yamaha , it's rather guitar nerds mentality. Most people do not really have the ability of judging an instrument for what really is but rather prefer to read blogs and use the eyes and stomach feeling for choose an instrument. Otherwise you can not possibly explain why Gibson still selling big numbers despite quite obvious flows in the quality and not only in the °entry level ° LP std ( considering the price is a non sense to call it entry level ) but also in the higher price range. The relatively new design of the Revstar might understandably turn off a lot of people that want a more classic look instrument , but Japanese production have a lot to offer also in that box: Edwards, FGN etc. I think the truth is most people really have no idea how to differentiate a good from a mediocre instrument, mostly because they are noodlers rather than musician
I'm old- over 50- and co-own a somewhat celebrated recording studio in San Francisco. Our inexpensive Yamaha models - electric guitars, 5 string bass and 12 string acoustic- get more use from clients than almost all our more recognized axes- when it comes to studio tracking. I have to laugh at all the comical snobbery I've seen over the years around this issue. Bottom line: get a guitar under $500 you can afford- and any other money is better spent on lessons than gear.,
Paul Simon's main live touring guitars for years have been Yamaha.
Their acoustics are good.
Pawnshop Pacifica has been my gig axe for the last 10yrs. Exquisite neck. Yamaha keyboards both acoustic and electronic are 1st rate not to mention skis, tennis racquets and motorcycles, snowmobiles and jetskis...
I gigged one of the upper end 90's Pacificas side by side with my US PRS for years. Never did the Yamaha feel any lesser of an instrument. Still have that Pacifica and play it almost every day. Their upper end 335 types are beyond stunning. Yamaha have never pushed their guitars as a 'lifestyle brand' and I respect them a lot for it.
Jeff Schroeder of The Smashing Pumpkins plays Yamaha Pacificas and occasionally Revstars. I have several Yamahas including a MIA custom shop Pacifica, and I feel sorry people paying for labels on the headstock.
To be fair, its worth noting that Chris Buck was pretty engrained in his Revstar before collaborating with Yamaha. I still have my first guitar, a 2nd hand Yamaha acoustic. A little woody, but rich sound, plays like butter. Friends reach for this one when over. It's been festival camping, homeless through winter, through uni. campus life, road trips, left in the rain, left by the campfire, left in reach of toddlers, a little melted by the radiator. Still going strong. Yamaha knows how to build!
Another name to add is Ty Tabor from King's X. Super influential player who played Yamaha guitars for years, and even had a signature model like 20 years ago.
I really fond of Soren Andersson music video with reversed Pacifica - such a nice look IMHO. And Jack Thammarat's custom light Yamaha was the top notch.
Yep Soren is great. He does a demo for Yamaha’s modeler double and single. Sold me on getting one.
Nathan, you and Chris Buck just need to make a collaboration video. You both are stupendous players and would make an amazing duo in one video.
Their hollow bodies are highly regarded as well, aspirational type guitars. I wish they would do a re-release of their old SA guitars from the late 60s and early 70s, the SA30 through SA90 guitars. I love the ways those look, a very kindy quirky japanese tweak on the hollow body shape.
I've got Fenders and Gibsons but I often gig with one of the original Revstars and also a Pacifica 311M. At every price point they are fantastic value. Most of the heritage brands are lazy and trade on the past but Yamaha innovate.
If you make something right the first time it doesn't mean you are lazy...
@@AlexVonCrank they got a lot right but by no means everything.
@davidmurphy4844 Well between Fender and Gibson, IMHO, they got EVERYTHING right. That's why Yamaha's best guitars are copies.
@@AlexVonCrank I'm glad you're happy with your purchases cranky. Guess we're both happy! My favourite copies are my Gordon Smith electrics. Saved me a fortune!
@davidmurphy4844 Gordon makes nice instruments. Enjoy. Just out of curiosity, have you ever owned a nice LP standard or American Strat?
The problem with the Revstar has been availability. Guitar Center doesn't carry them, and neither does the local mom and pop store near me. And they were out of stock everywhere online for a long time. I would have probably gotten one of the Revstar Standards when they finally becaume a little more available, but have never played one, and hate buying blindly. (I ended up buying the PRS DGT SE instead because the mom and pop near me had one for me to play).
Sam Ash sells them
@@MarkStearle The Sam Ash stores within 25 miles of my house do not have any in stock. This is how it has been since they were announced. And the online store is out of stock on several colors (but not all colors). They are hard to find.
@@steveliberty I hope you find one Steve,nice guitars
My Vegas Sam Ash has the Element in stock,I bought a white one six months ago,give them a shot,hope it helps
Well obviously Sweetwater has them because Rhett can’t remember if it’s a loaner or not. He’s seriously in need of a reality check in many ways.
I commented on Rhetts's video a similar idea to yours; that Yamaha needed a really high-end guitar that was, to borrow your sentiment, aspirational. They have all the tools necessary for the creation of such a guitar, however, they don't have nearly the notable client list of most other brands by comparison. They need heavy hitters who actually use their guitars on stage and screen.
My premier classical guitar was a Yamaha. Yamaha owns line6 with our beloved hx stomp, helix and also totally awesome Variax guitars. Heaps of well known artists play Variax too. Thanks John love your videos.
They make a great double or single modeler as well the hd100. It feels and sounds like an amp. Also, the THR line. Rhett grates on my nerves. He needs to return the free guitar he has on loan.
Michael Lee Firkins made good use of a Yamaha Pacifica 921J back in the 90s. Monster player - quite unique.
Love his debut album... I bought the CD back in 90's in Japan and I still listen to it from time to time. He had a unique mix of techniques... sort of country picking style ~ legato ~ then.. full speed picking AND create slide guitar sounds using the tremolo bar... Good songwriting in that CD, too..
I was in the market for a decent acoustic and tried Martin and Taylor variants. Lovely instruments but I then tried a Yamaha A5M that was about £400+ cheaper and was blown away how well made it was. While it might not be considered as sexy as the other brands, it was just so beautifully engineered that I kept going back to it in the shop and bought that over the others
I tried the same, and then tried Larrivee OM, I got rid of my Martin! Larrivee are often overlooked, and are great guitars and cheaper than Martins.
Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Stuart Adamson (Skids/Big Country) and John McGeoch (Magazine, Banshees etc) all played SGs.
bro i haven’t seen your posts in like 6 months on my feed lol i completely forgot about your channel and how much i appreciate it
I think that Pacifica 112 is probably one of the best choices for a beginner. Top of the line Pacificas sound incredibly good and it's true you can have them for a fraction of the price a Fender or Gibson would cost.
Honestly I haven't noticed much presence of Yamaha guitar in big stages and I always wondered why
Because people go to stuff that their heroes played. Which usually ends up being a fender or a gibson because those two were basically the only options for an el. guitar up untill the 80s. Thats my take on it.
I have a 112V and its superb, especially when you consider the price. Its built nice, comfortable to play and its got alnico 5 pups
I love Yamaha’s THR amps, their studio monitors and their acoustics 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽 also the silent ones
They also have the single and double modeler the hd100 it’s great comes with its own power.
@@Utube-g3g I had that one as well, I loved it, but the clean channels where trash. You cannot use them as clean amps with a guitar cabinet it doesn't have any headroom for that.
I'm mainly an acoustic player, but I play electric a significant amount, and my main electric guitar is a Yamaha SA1100. I got interested in their SA series because Phil Keaggy (my favorite player) has played SA2000 and SA2200 guitars. My local shop got a used SA1100 and I picked it up there, and I love it. The pickups in particular have a lot of character. The one downside is that it's an old guitar and the pots are going on it (I've taken them apart and cleaned them once already-a real chore on any semi-hollow guitar). Yamaha used atypical values for the tone pots (300k), and I've been reluctant to replace them with different, more readily available values. -Tom
Have you considered using Gibson 300k pots, by any chance?
@@JohnsDough1918 Thanks a lot for that tip! That has helped me locate some pots that might do the the job. Thanks for taking the time to point out Gibson's use of these.
I always think of the Pacificas as either entry level or modding platforms. The local mom & pop shop has some 112s in stock and not sure how a couple of them made it out of the factory. Obvious tooling marks and really bad neck pocket gaps. The chain store has the more expensive models that seem to have better QC but are getting into the same price range as the Sire S7. Be nice to see Yamaha update the line with some more modern features like SS frets and roasted maple :)
The Revstar is a good looking guitar as was the old SG thing. I remember trying a couple of them in a guitar shop in the 80s. Unbelievably heavy is my recollection.
Yep.... Really heavy. I have an 80's SG 1000 and it is an awesome guitar...... With a wide padded strap. It has more sustain than any Gibson I have ever owned and I have never sold it, unlike the Gibsons.
@@rgbplumbinghiltonthey are great guitars, good looking too.
Thus Europa from Santana Moonflower. That’s what he played back then
Rik Emmett of Triumph played Yamaha, Bill Leverty of Firehouse, and plenty I'm not thinking of. I've got two myself - a Pacifica 611HFM and a 90s superstar.
People just apply some mythic magic to Fender and Gibson, when you can get those sounds elsewhere. I no longer have Gibson or Fender and probably won't again. The only thing that Gibson REALLY improved since the changeover is the marketing.
My first guitar in the 70’s was a Yamaha classical guitar. I knew nothing about guitars but had a knowledgeable friend help me search pawn shops to help me find a good reasonably priced guitar. It turns out Yamaha had sent some luthiers to Spain to study classical guitar construction in the 60’s. Those luthiers returned to Japan and made some excellent classical instruments in the 70’s and 80’s. Unfortunately mine was stolen during a break in but it was a great guitar.
Jeff Schroeder of Smashing Pumpkins is another artist who has been playing Revstars for a while.
He has a quiver of Standard series revstars all completely stock for his latest tour.
that was not JOHN LENNON in the photo graph, it was his SON Julian Lennon
I have a Yamaha acoustic I bought off a bandmate in 1979. Played it quite a lot since then...it's been abused such as when I lived on a boat, went travelling, took it camping several times etc. needs a re-fret now and it will be great again... Really is a guitar for life! I also have 2 of the Japanese Revstars (One with Humbucker one P90) and absolutely love them. They are great fun! The position of the controls, build quality and sound are perfect and a nice change to the "standard Strat or LP sounds" that have ruled for so long. I could afford the Japanese built "Pro"models, so why the hell not, and I quite like that you can't easily tell the difference.
One of the very few guitar brands that actually spends on R&D. They just need a proper marketing team.
A good point. Yamaha is constantly innovating. Fender/Gibson haven't done anything innovative in decades.
I mean, their sales are great. I think the marketing team is doing their job just fine. They’re a huge, diverse company, even just in the musical instrument realm, whereas Gibson and Fender are predominantly guitar manufacturers. I think people are forgetting this. They very much know their place in the industry and know what they need to do to capitalize.
Logically I know they are good quality. But I have almost zero desire to get any of their guitars other than a revstar. Even then I don’t feel like there’s anything I’m missing out by not owning one.
@@jamesmarkham7489 Curiously, I have zero desire to buy another over-priced, poor QCed Fendson. So we cancel each other out!
@@bostonbesteats364 oh I agree the big two are not something I’d recommend anymore.
My main players are two Pacificas. 2021 PAC112J and 1995 PAC102S. S type and T type, I like to call them fraternal twins.
I've modded them slightly, but nothing a non-luthier couldn't install with a screwdriver, a tiny hex key, and some school glue (actually, ok, the jack fell apart on the 102S and I did have to take it to a shop to get that repaired, but I got to upgrade to a PureTone dual-contact model, which still feels like a win to me). And people routinely try one of them out and say "damn, how much you pay for this, like $800?" and get their minds blown when I tell them that's slightly more than both of them cost put together, including mods. Severely underrated instruments.
I play keys in my band, but my guitarist wound up getting his own 112J after playing mine at a practice, and has since turned it into a bit of an art project: he's relic'ed it and painted flowers all over it, as well as putting some rainbow inlays on the fretboard. I'd have thought that would throw off the feel, but apparently it doesn't. He says it's almost as good as his MIM Strat.
That Pacifica is so pretty and sounds awesome!
Fender seems to have agreed with your criticism because now they have a “pro”Pacifica option.
Regarding the Pacifica range, it was originally designed in the late 80s by Rich Lasner, who famously designed many of Ibanez’ hit instruments - the JEM, RG, Saber and Radius series. The Pacifica is, to me, an improvement on the superStrat template, that looks much curvier and balances better compared to a Fender. I wouldn’t say no to a minimalist version with more contouring, kind of a Luke I style…
Just thinking about the good stuff - the 611 with humbucker and P90 was a great innovation - possibly earlier than some others (??) - PJD do some lovely guitars with this combination. I think they would do well if they did a Revstar like this.
I really wanted one of these (611), but had to fill a trem requirement - a lot of the hardtails about but not so many V variants.
@@jivetolkein I played a honeyburst 611VFM with a trem in the flesh, and it was an amazing guitar. At the time I couldn't afford one at the new price, but found a hardtail one in the used marked for less than half the price of the new ones, so bought that. It's a great guitar too, but that honeyburst with the trem had a special mojo. All of the tone options on these guitars are genuinely useful, too.
Very well done...I appreciate the research and objective look at this brand!
Yamaha guitars are incredible! My Pacifica 612 is lightyears ahead of anything remotely similar from the competition at that price point but with higher end pickups and hardware. There's nothing wrong with Yamaha guitars, from my understanding the Pacifica and Revstar have both been huge successes and the Revstar updated line has been backordered for a while. Yamaha just doesn't have enough models on the market to get the same brand recognition as the bigger brands, but everyone who has played a mid-high end yamaha guitar always has good things to say. They just have to release more models of different styles and get more yamaha guitars into players hands and word of mouth will spread, especially in the era of social media. I have no doubt that if Yamaha developed a line of T-style guitars and single cuts at the same great price point and quality of the standard Revstar line, they will only continue to grow in popularity and reputation.
I have a Revstar 502T with P90s and a bigsby. I love that guitar. I am mostly a Fender Jaguar player but I like to have other sounds available. It has a great quality
There are people who want a name on the headstock, and then there are people who want a working guitar. Those Pacifica's are excellent, easily as good as a USA strat
You make every guitar sound good!
4:30 Rhett only said Chris Buck as a notable Yamaha player? [wow] I would've thought he'd have checked to see Mike Stern should have come to mind. edit: 6:40 you knew this :D . [I commented while I was watching the video, haha.]
I knew there were a bunch of cool players playing Yamaha, BUT was surprised at just how many there were over the years!
The SG 3000 was made for Carlos, Rik Emmet used to play one too. I have a wonderful Yamaha classical from 69. I wish they still had the SG series in modern finishes and hardware, wonderful instruments, I miss mine. Rhett is also a gear snob, yet he plays a guitar that looks like Grandma's kitchen threw up on it.
Love the Revstar and Pacificas, Yamaha is amazing quality
I think the problem with Yamaha guitars is that they aren't expensive enough.
Since they're not that expensive, people tend to think that they're just medium range guitars, so there's nothing exciting about buying a Yamaha 6 string. While buying a gibson, wow, you get a sense of acheivement, even though, they can't fucking stay in tune, have lots of flaws, and the quality of the woods and craftmanship isn't superior to most other brands. But in the mind of the buyer, it's better than the rest. They don't have the same aura.
I have had several Yamaha guitars in my life, and with Ibanez, it's the brand I usually recommand buying if you wanna start playing the guitar, cause they're usual good playable instruments that are not very expensive.
When my boy was starting guitar, pretty much everyone recommended a Yamaha Pacifica. Does the whole brand now have the “taint” of student guitar? (We didn’t choose one in the end. The boy chose a Squier Bullet Mustang)
Your point about the differences (or lack of them) between Standard and the Japanese made Revstars is well made. The Standards are aspirational enough for me.
Dollar for dollar Yamaha makes some of the best instruments in the industry and always have. The Pacifica and Revstar are as good as anything out there.
Phil Keaggy played an SA2000 for a number of years. It wasn't his main guitar but he played it a lot and recorded it on many songs.
but he did not want to be seen with it right? hense this is news to me
@@ltcuaa He used it live and in the studio a lot. Why wouldn't he want to be seen with it? His main amp was also a Yamaha for a few years about that time and he didn't have an endorsement deal. He just liked them. Yamaha made some of the best guitars on the planet during the 60 - 80's.
Wow.. those high end prototypes "mock-ups" looks indeed incredible! Where did you find them, I want to see more...
I love yammies!, I sold my Ibanez when I tried a yamaha rgx a2. Then I bought a pacifica, and I'm planning on getting a Revstar. I guess people dont buy them because they don't picture Slash playing one, or Stevie Ray with a pacifica. I think they need to sponsor more famous players to get to customers. In the mean time, I will profit from buying great guitars on sale for a fraction of the price.
I have a 1988 Yamaha YSG-1, and it plays better than any other guitar I own. The quality of the build is staggering. Sort of a Les Paul type feel, with a sharp double cutaway, almost like a Paul Reed Smith. 24 fret, mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fretboard. Binding on the neck and body. It’s probably the most beautiful guitar I own. With some PAF humbuckers, it will be a superior guitar.
Beautiful playing as usual buddy! The little walk up after the quiet little break sounded excellent.
My kid has a sweet Pacifica. He wants a fender. I told him I’d buy the Pacifica. It’s great. I had it all supped up by the local tech store.
I have a Pacifica, it's beautifully made. Dunno why but I much prefer my Silver Sky SE. The nut width seems narrow to me on the Yamaha and it don't sit in my lap as cosy as the PRS. Also the neck seems looong
Jeff Schroeder (recently ex Smashing Pumpkins) uses two Revstar Standards as his main on tour. One stock and one with the P90’s replaced with mini humbuckers.
Of course Peter Hook was/is a famous Yamaha bass player.
I play an APX and a BB at church. Both are solid instruments, sound great and have survived decades of use.
The BB's barrel socket is a pain, time to replace it again but that's the only problem it's ever had.
Birelli Lagrene also plays a Yamaha Pacifica
I think you have hit a solid point that Yamaha don't encourage aspirational progress through their range. I would like to see a flame top Revstar brought back. Their custom shop I believe is in California and only does Yamaha artist work. A custom shop, a la Gibson/Fender, maybe Japanese based, where you could go one step further, nitro finishes, top quality hardware, aged finishes etc. Getting more of the higher quality/custom shop guitars in the hands of capable endorsees, and then marketing the crap out it, after all that is exactly what the big guns do. Of course none of this comes cheap and has to be balanced in the budgets, but it could propel their guitar sales much higher than they already are. On the other hand, the Japanese psyche may be that manufacturing and selling very capable instruments with a minimum of fuss and outlandish claims is a better business model long term.
Billy Corgan has played acoustic Yama for decades...I love my Yama YZ125cc. Pitbike..lol..
I don't own any Yamaha instruments but have played some random acoustic/western guitars and a few electrics and they were all awesome. The neck felt right, the action, the sound, all top!
I'm not a pro-player - bit of a plodder really, but I've got two Revstars, one RS720B and an RSS02T Standard. Love the neck and the way the instrument feels in-hand. Maybe I'm a contrarian and just didn't want to go the usual Fender/Gibson route? Don't know but I enjoy the Revstar immensely
My Revstar is my main guitar, the Element model. Main reason I use it, is how light it is, doesnt break my back like my old Gibson LP, Satin neck, and how good it sounds either analogue or digital. I get what you mean regarding marketing etc.... for extra money they are not that great, should have better tops, hardware, electronics etc......
The great Richard Bredice (Jules & the Polar Bears) played a Yamaha for a number of years in the late 1970s - early 1980s.
My first guitar was a Yamaha acoustic, and I owned a SG-1500 which was a fantastic instrument, I currently own a Revstar, and while it’s a good instrument, it doesn’t compel me to pick it up; absolutely zero mojo. If they brought back the SG-1500/2000, I’d buy one in a heartbeat
I've had a Pacifica 611H for about 10 years now (the first model with black body). Never needed adjusting. During this time, I've bought considerably more expensive guitars and they are just gathering dust. The 611H is still my main guitar. Probably will get rid of the other guitars (just keep my Duesenberg Caribou), buy another 611HFM amber colour and just stop the GAS.
Try a SA2200, way better than the two Gibson es335 I had ,better quality finish and could match the gibson sound then offer much more . I wont go back
I think that Yamaha are much better known for their keyboard instruments, particularly (in rock and pop circles) the DX7 synthesiser. They started out manufacturing reed organs in the 1880s and have been making pianos since 1900. From that starting point they branched out to just about any musical instrument that you can think of; you name it they make it. They are the largest musical instrument company in the world but obviously, electric guitars have never been high on their priority list.
*Yamaha has been producing Great guitars, like the SGV Series (SGV 800, etc.), since way back and they have nothing wrong with them at all.*
I have never owned a bad piece of Yamaha gear, mixers, speakers, guitars, drum kits, all great.
The thing that does me with the yamaha pacifica 112 is the neck is too thin at the nut (41mm), the string spacing isn't wide enough for my fingers, hence why I play strats and other guitars with wider necks at the nut around (43mm). I used to own a pacifica 112 years ago the fretwork was some of the best I've seen for the price, it's just a shame they don't make them with wider necks at the nut then maybe someone with bigger hands instead of a kid might be-able to play chords near the nut with one (without mute-ing other strings?)....
Nothing wrong with yamaha guitars.
Some guitarists are brand snobs.
The revstar has a better build than a sg or les paul standards.
I used to own them
both.
I sold them both .ever since I play ibanez guitars and soon I will be buying a revstar standard as well.
Excellent playing though.
Ty Tabor used to play a Pacifica and had his own signature Yamaha for a while.
I have a 712 Pacifica from the 90's and it is hands-down one of the best guitars I have every played. Professional quality for enthusiast prices. can't go wrong with that
Yamaha’s website for their guitars doesn’t seem terribly great and at times appears out of date. That said I would really like one of the higher end Revstar’s - that’s likely my next guitar
Who care what Rhett thinks? Yamaha makes exceptional guitars.
Fortunately, Yamaha is doing pretty well in Europe! Good prices for great guitars.
The tuning fork logo is the stamp of a fine tuned instrument.
I have never heard a Yamaha instrument owner
complain, some of my friends own them I have a few
always reliable...
The Indonesian guitars are proving to be a very good
and affordable product, wish we had them in the 70s....
I love Yamaha guitars and basses...have an electric Pacifica 12 string, an AEX500 thinline, an acoustic 12 string and a 5 string bass...I used to play bar gigs with a Pacifica 912 J that was a top notch guitar and leave my strat and les paul in the studio. Same with the AEX 500...great acoustic stage guitar with a hybrid mini humbucker at the neck. Leave my Martin in the studio....I wish I'd kept some of my old Pacifica's but I would sell them to students...they are great beginner instruments that can take a beginner from basics to bar gigs. Larry Klein played Yamaha basses as does Nathan East..Larry played them with Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel and Nathan plays with Clapton...Tommy Tedesco played Yamaha jazz boxes at the NAMM shows for years. Bonnie Raitt had a signature Yamaha guitar.
A Mike Stern model has been on my radar for long enough