Yamaha Revstar RSP20CR Guitar Review: Does it sound as good as its stylish cafe racer looks?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- After I did the community poll, it was clear you guys were looking for a Revstar review...so here you go! Taking a look at the Japanese-made Yamaha Revstar RSP20CR in Rusty Rat finish this week. With an interesting double-cut design and aged/worn features, it's an interesting guitar with it's own vibe. Take a look!
Want a t-shirt? teespring.com/...
Check out my Reverb store to buy the guitars I review: reverb.grsm.io...
The signal chain was AxeFX2 (Friedman BE, AC-20, Double Verb) with the Horizon Devices Precision Drive pedal. Check out the pedal here: amzn.to/2w2lUd0
I tweet guitar deals: / theguitarpit
Come argue about gear on our chat server: / discord
See what's next on Instagram: / theguitarpit
Typo at 4:29 alert: This guitar is 24.75" scale. Sorry! :) Come yell at me on Discord about it, if you want discord.gg/KjWzGpx
Just a fine guitar. Bought one recently and its really great . Killer pickups. Perfect finish.
Note to self: smile at least once so you have a thumbnail...
Hard to get excited about that guitar right?
You almost did during the pickguard topic. :D
If the colour of the stripes on this guitar matched the pick guard... it would look fucking awesome!
The new Chris buck one does just that and it looks great
Interesting, and I'm no expert, but during the the pickups test, I actually like the Yamaha better than most of the others.
Fair, me neither dude. Wasn't my personal favorite, but it's all subjective with this stuff :)
I know you like a more modern sound but I really liked the sound of this guitar. Old school rock sound warm and gritty to my ears. I really liked the review!
Yeah I think I could get into it. Would need to come up with some new settings to suit it. There is a mistake in the intro clip and I wasn't gonna use it, but I thought it was warm and fuzzy in a good way so I used it anyhow.
I also enjoyed that sound compared to the Gibson and Music Man, at least for those gentler chords. Sweet. But You could also hear the lower output in the demo (assuming that the controls on guitar were dimed, and amp setting was same for each).
Looks and sounds like a great guitar, should be for that price! Thanks bro 🎸🎸👍
??
its cheap its 1600
A review thays actually critical! Rather than just endless hype. I want one of these.
Your review was spot on: I just couldn't dial into the sound I really liked. It felt more muddy compared to my other guitars. But the feel and craftsmanship was what really stood-out for me. What made me return it was that I noticed the fretboard trim cracked on several frets at the point where the frets sprouted into the trim. It was not Yamaha's fault, more like the drastic change in temperature where the guitar was stored to where it then arrived. After sending it back, 2 months later, I developed an itch that I knew only this guitar could scratch. It's mostly the feel, quality and style of the instrument that makes me look for it again on the used market. If I see it for a hair over $1k in excellent condition, I am buying. Plan to experiment with some alternative pickups so perhaps replacement them should dial it in to where I want it.
Thanks man. And I totally get it. Sturdy feel, and a look you cant really get elsewhere. I'd be curious how the import models hold up. I've heard they are nearly as good, and since you're considering replacing the pickups, maybe that'd be another good option.
Danny,
I have one in the black finish. I bought it a year ago new. I will sell it to you for $1000 if you want it. I personally think a pup swap would make this guitar excellent as well as putting a 500k tone pot instead of the 250k pot. I was contemplating putting my burstbuckers from my Gibson historic 60 Les Paul. Unfortunately I have too many guitars and too little time. Condition is excellent.
CHRIS... you are a finicky, picky bastard and I love you for it...you and Trogly are , in my opinion, the two best reviewers on the intraweb...rock on my brother!!!
Haha, thanks man. Appreciate it. Trogly always keeps it real!
Good video. Guitar top is maple. Yamaha have put locking tuners on their RevStar guitars with Bigsby trems. I was going to swap them out but I’m happy with the traditional ones. No tuning problems and they look great. Guitar feels awesome. Very well made but I did notice the corner of the nut top E is too sharp like it’s not been smoothed off. Other than that I love it.
Love the fact you are critical about products you review...not like 90% of gear channel youtubers
Maybe I'm just a rotten complainer! Hah. Not trying to pick this thing apart, but it wasn't my favorite guitar ever. Nice detail and build, just not my personal preference.
Did you ever figure out that ringing sound? I wonder if it is that big copper antenna screwed to the face.
Always dig your honest reviews man, but could ya smile once?? Cheers my friend!!
Haha! Thanks Ben :)
He does smile, one example is at the 16:50 mark and again nearer the end and he even laughs. 😬🙏🤟
Love your honesty! It makes choosing guitars easier. Great review as always!
Personally, I think a PRS CE is an easy recommendation for a similar vibe, same price, and higher end features.
I love that it's just an honest and real life review. Well done mate!
I played the whole range in a shop once and walked away with a base model one in yellow. I didn’t particularly feel like paying double for a different colour, and binding which I hate, mainly because of the fret issue you mentioned. The pickups weren’t that much better in my opinion. MWhat I did like and really felt was insane was all of them were made super well, even the cheapest model. The fretboard finish and the frets were insanely well finished. I’m due to replace the tuners, pickups and maybe the bridge because that’s where the cost cutting went into, but it’s an insanely well playing instrument. I was trying a prs se that I was gonna buy, but I got the Yamaha and a boss dd7. I can’t explain it, but the finishing is really good on those guitars and it feels really resonant, like you pick it up and it just vibes so well. Anyone out there need a good guitar for modding or making a les Paul junior type, the Rev star 320 is excellent. Just cut out a pick guard to go over the neck pickup and there you go.
Very helpful - thank you.
Hi, interesting and fair review. I tested a RS620 that pleased me tonewise with their VH5 pick ups, I chose the slightly more expensive RS820 with same VH5 pick ups and that Cafe Racer look like your RSP20. Preferences on tones is really personal, in your clip comparison with your LesPaul, I prefered the cleaner more crisp tone of the Yamaha. About the price, when considering that of an American made Fender Strat Ultra at 2000 or a Suhr Classic at 2600, or even a SG Standard at 1500, the 1800 for that RSP20 seems well positioned. But the Indonesian RS820 is a bargain at 900 new. The only one thing I don't like on this guitar is the specific tonepro bridge, seems to create metallic resonances of vibrations.
Thanks Gilles. And agree, it's 100% personal taste. The hardware and spec were nice quality on this guitar, it just ended up sitting wrong with me on a couple levels. Suhrs just feel right and are worth the extra cash to me, but I totally get that someone could easily feel disappointed by one of those. Totally an apples to oranges comparison anyhow I guess. A few other comments really praised the value proposition of the korean models. Probably a great bargain, assuming the neck/pickups/spec is something that suits you. Thanks for watching!
I can't get excited about Yamaha guitars, but I do like the finish on this one.
Yeah this thing looked cool for sure. Good vibe with the color and hardware and stuff. Not sure if the rest was for me, but decent for sure.
I have LPs ... Frankly I find the Yamahas as good if not better. I'm over the label queen thing, they're very good value
Pickups ok by me. Good to see.
Always see the cheaper ones in my store never knew they made Japanese ones. Cool and interesting review
Fun guitars, with a fun and unique look. Something about it didn't totally grab me, but at the used price they are certainly worth a look!
Do you think the nickel frets may have been a design choice in order to stick with a more traditional vibe as opposed to cutting costs? Kind of like how all the Friedman’s have nickel frets.
Oh absolutely, considering the low output pickups and such. But I guess in that case, give me flawless fretwork. I'll settle for either :)
The Guitar Pit Totally fair request. $1700 range can get you some near flawless guitars.
I enjoyed the warm vintage sound of the pickups but for the price they should have included the locking tuners and arm contour. Still sounded great though.
Not half bad, but yeah agreed. At $1699...this is a tough sell against the competition in that market. Up against all sorts of heavy hitters!
i really love this SG-like types of Yamaha Guitars
some of my favorites
Neat shape and design certainly. Price seems a little steep, but the non MIJ ones are very reasonable and look just as good.
Great Review
Thanks for dropping by :)
Thank you for this very good video.
Thanks for watching!
The problem you were having with the finish being easy to leave oil marks on is the exact reason why I sing so much praise over the satin finish dangelico does, it stays unusually clean and feels and looks perfect. Love this review though, I agree it's to expensive for the feature set, I might check out one of the cheaper ones just cuz I like the style of it... I might try the one with the filtertrons
Yeah I think the P90 one might be the right pick. And I believe it's import, so you'd save some cash too. They look pretty unique, and P90s would set it apart as a different tool in your arsenal :)
The Japanese one is kinda overpriced considering it has "lesser" spec compared to the Pacifica range (no locking tuners, no graphtech, oem pickups etc). But if you go for the middle ones like the 502/620/820 the pacifica range is crazy good value.
I own a 502 with double p90s and is extremely well built, nothing less than my Pacifica 611, Ibane AZ or old Charvel model 3
Would you recommend the tail or not? I mostly play blues, soft rock...
@@brendangray hi, sorry seen this post just now. The tailpiece one mainly has lower output pickups, with slightly less low end. Personally i much like how much sustain and body the sound of the wraparound bridge ones have. I own a 502 and i'm looking around for a 820cr to add an HB version.
It does have a tusq graphtec but I had to change mine and it is graphtec
7:20 that’s a Radiohead riff from OKC- you thought I wouldn’t catch it, but I caught it….
I think you showed the scale at 25.75, it is 24.75. The mix of talking and playing is better than videos where they talk for the entire time, I could even have gone for a little more playing. I have not gotten to play the high end model, but I feel the frets on the lower models are pretty deserving of the label "jumbo". I really love these guitars, but your review kind of confirms for me what I suspected, which is that they're incredible guitars in the $600-$700 model range, but probably not as worth it for the $1,700 one. And it's weird because between $650 and $900 you get options like a bigsby, or P90s in those midrange ones, while you get the one basic option (2 colors that kind of have the same vibe) at $1.7k. This was helpful. Also and again, the VH5 humbuckers (mid-level option) are pretty damn good, and I loved the P90 ones, so try the cheaper models, I think a lot of the stuff that feels weird at $1,700, is pretty cool at $650, especially if you have fenders and Gibsons and want something different with cool features (I also liked the mention of the volute, it does seem at least, less susceptible to the LP headstock break thing.)
I appreciate the attempt at Street Spirit. Not the easiest picking pattern to get lol
Yeah I blew the intro which was a half-ass version of subterranean homesick alien too haha. Oh well :) Sometimes you just gotta get a video done :P
You're right, at that price point they should have locking tuners and maybe even branded PUPs.
I'm pretty sure most of the more expensive Pacificas have locking tuners and Seymour Duncans. Played a selection of Revstars from all price ranges at the Yamaha store in London.
The Japanese ones were by no means head and shoulders above the lower priced ones.
Really shouldn't be using the kudos of being made in Japan almost double the price of the next model down.
The build quality was there, and maybe the pickups do appeal to a specific type of player...but yeah. Hard to get over the price. Would prefer something like a PRS CE, personally.
How do you find the action out of the box?
This guitar is aimed more at lower-gain players, as the Dry switch is most useful for comping rhythm/skank.
On the QC, I don't think yamaha is currently doing work quite as well as they were a while back, a decade or so. The Hamamatsu workshop was killing it in early '00s, I've got a SA2200 that's fairy magnificent.
Yeah I didn't even know what to do with the pickups. I could see a use for them, but I don't think I have the chops to give them what they need. The QC overall was great, but the frets and lack of locking tuners made me wonder when I saw the retail price. But a nice feeling guitar, for certain.
Best review about this guitar...
Thanks man!
Just waiting for an RS502 to be delivered. Tbh i think the 820CR is much more in line price wise, being more or less half than the one in the video.
Nice, congrats! And agree, I think the Japanese ones are a hair over priced. The regular ones are much more reasonable, and from what I've heard, very similar.
I was gassing hard for one of these. I was gonna get the highest end import version but then got stuck on finding a used one of the Japanese versions (because Japanese is better right???) then I lost interest. Now I see them used constantly for around 1000 bucks. My latest obsession is one the new harmony guitars silhouette models. Sweetwater has sold out of them though and I assume are waiting on another batch. There is a demo model of the singlecut Jupiter model but I always get turned off when a guitar was returned.
Has anyone here played or owned one of the harmony guitars? The Kalamazoo versions. Any thoughts or recommendations?
Hadn't heard of those. Looks like someone revived the brand recently? Very cool. USA built, nice woods, features, and great price. They seem to all have goldfoils, which will be up to your personal taste I guess. Pretty neat, let me know if you end up getting one!
Ditto, the revived Harmony lineup seems more promising (what'd you call this sort of line, "post-vintage"?). I'm keen to see BandLab's next moves for Harmony.
@@jesssullivan4983 harmony died? then lived. but never really? now theyre reappearing again? shame. my 70s harmony has the best cleans ive heard. their new models looked super rad.
Locking tuners aren't the be all and end all. Same for stainless steel frets.
This guitar was off my radar, but actually seems nice! Maybe not that fancy and a bit mid-water with the features, but definitely a player.
It's a solid player, although I had problems keeping it in tune and getting the intonation right. It's totally a decent axe, but I like the used price a lot more than the new price.
Great Review, I just cant warm up to the design of symmetrical doublecuts, same with SGs for me..
Thanks Alex! Me neither. SGs are the most cursed shape of any guitar. This one does it better, but if you catch me reviewing a Gibson SG, know it's under duress.
This actually is my favorite double cut style compared to other brands. The better deals are the 5 and 6 series rs models, brand new under $800 Canadian.
I don't dislike the pickups!
Pretty decent!
They are pretty vintage and low output, but there is a use for them for sure. Plus, I think the entire thing looks neat. Not bad, at used price!
@@TheGuitarPit You made me travel back to my youth with all the riffs. ^^
Especially with my fav' string skipping exercise "Street Spirit". :)
@@Oilid Yeah I gave that about 10 minutes before I gave up and pressed record without learning it lol.
Why didn’t you just read the specs before you do a review? It has a maple cap that they steel wool to give it that finish. Plastic? Really?
I have the RS620 (made in Indonesia) brick burst and I swapped the ygd pickups in mine for Thornbuckers. I love it, but like the rusty rat look better, I would never pay over 1000 for one though. Paid less then 600 for mine.
Nice. Yeah that'd be a great pickup swap imo. Very playable guitar, I just wasn't 100% sure what to do with the pickups.
between the Gibson LP and this one, which sound is powerful?
Personally, I preferred both my Gibson LP Standard and my R9.
this might sound negative but its not intended, I never usually agree with anything you have to say just because i have complete opposite tastes. I grew up playing old ibanez's,floydd roses, I love old guitars and love slab body teles etc but i enjoy your channel because they are not paid and are honest. when you said pickups can make or break a instrument you have never been more right though, good pups can make a trash guitar sound great and the opposite also applies.
Ha, thanks. And yeah, at this point I feel like this channel should just be called "my personal opinion about guitars" because most of the reviews have been on very good, usable guitars by anyone. This thing isn't bad, but for my tastes, I'd get something else haha.
Nice guitar, too bad someone used a butcher screw driver and messed up the bridge bolts. Rs502 is my goal in the future. Thanks for your honest reviews! 🙏🤟
It seems like a running theme on this bridge! I've seen a couple like that. I get that you'd need a huge screw driver, but I also noticed that the screws are fairly shallow. I think a mix of people not having the right tool, and the depth of the slit makes for a problem.
@@TheGuitarPit yes I agree, I also agree with your opinion that for the price this Revstar is outmatched by others in the same price range. The deals seem to be the 5 and 6 series Revstars, imo.
Looks slick, though seems kind of contradictory from Yamaha Japan's originals, like the FGs from Nippon Gakki. In addition to the care exhibited at their factory, their designs where really clever- for example, by stacking slices of various tonewoods with alternating grain as a sort of apocalypse-strength plywood, acoustics could be shipped globally without any warpage (neck joints where also magnificently overbuilt). No frills, and after all these years those $150 Yamahas are currently selling on Reverb for $600+ (except most are like mine and have 50 years of big dents and coffee stains). I digress, 16:52 sums it up "....If it's something you have to have, you don't have a lot of options...."
Agreed. Personally, I think I'd have difficulty picking this up over a PRS CE. New, the price is very similar. Used, PRS CE's do a bit better, so all the more reason to go that direction.
Are you sure about it being a 1700$ guitar? I can get it @Thomann for 1300 new incl. Hardcase
Yup, $1699 at most American retailers. Thomann has it listed for €1,359, which is about $1520 USD. I guess they just have them slightly marked down?
Can u say which coil splits sound good u think . Iv not been so lucky .
PRS and Suhr both do it pretty well. I've heard some decent options on Music Man guitars as well. But typically, the splits on DiMarzios and more modern stuff don't do much for me.
Yyyyeah, not my thing. It's good to get some perspective on Yamaha though, I feel like they're always overlooked. I don't know what it is about Yamaha, I hear they're nice guitars but they always seem like department store guitars for some reason. Maybe I'm being too shallow, but it's just too expensive for something I'd be a tad embarrassed to show up with at a gig or in the studio. Great review bud!
Thanks man. Yeah I totally get that. "Don't they make boat motors?" This one looked high quality enough but at this price...wouldn't you just get something more standard? Some people like to stick out I guess :) But yeah, gimme a PRS CE any day.
Along with the MusicMan Axis this is the best looking guitar design since the classics of the 50s. How could you be embarrassed turning up with not only a nice guitar and not only a cool looking guitar but also a guitar that not many other people rock up with! Don't be a clone.
Is the scale length really 25.75”? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.
It's 24.75".
Tony E Ok, I thought so
Whoooops lol.
UUGGH, what happened to those bridge screws? ruclips.net/video/ykcg6hpgjvk/видео.html
I am a huge Yamaha fan and love the look of the revstars but I honestly can say I didn't like the sound or playing them at all any pacifica with a Alinco V pickups smoke all of them. Want original style yamaha maybe look for a used AES 620 or 920 much better.
Please review a Harley Benton Dullahan! (headless)
You'll have to settle for a Kiesel HD6. Will have one soon. I have little-to-no interest in Harley Bentons. Sorry!
I want one. But I'll tune it first.
To be honest, I had trouble keeping it in tune and intonating it. Not sure exactly what was going on but it would be SPOT on with the axefx tuner, then a couple chords later and it'd sound all sorts of messed up. Rinse, repeat. The weather here is horrible and necks are moving like crazy so I'm just not sure.
It's a maple top!
The neck profile on most higher end rs guitars is assymetrical. Evh style.......
i heard not one, but two radiohead tunes in this video.
Both played poorly, no less!
it's refreshing to see a reviewer tell the truth, finally!
$1700😱 I would go for PRS S2 Mccarty 594
Or heck, lately I've seen a couple non-S2 McCarty's used for about $2k...
Interesting guitar. Good review as always. At least Yamaha makes good keyboards. 😂
Yeah it wasn't bad but I couldn't get the intonation right, even after a couple tries. Felt like it was always out of tune or close to it. Sounded good sometimes...other times ehhhhh.
....and motorcycles!!!
Made in japan?
This one is, yes.
I had one of these and returned it! I loved the look, and it sounded nice and warm, but the neck was so thin, I was bending it out of pitch when I play. I'm an ogre, I guess. I did buy a Vigier Excalibur special after watching your review, however. Love your page! soundcloud.com/jastrowski
I was bending out of pitch too, but didn't think the neck was small. I think I just suck :P You got some rad jams on that soundcloud link. Keep it up, bother!
@@TheGuitarPit Thank you so much for the reply! Much appreciated, dude! Keep up the absolutely great work. You don't at all suck, sheesh. You're playing well enough to make me want a Suhr. Those are stupid pricey, so it must be damn good playing, as a matter of fact!
@@larsnorquist I'll be the first to admit they are over priced...but for me personally...they just tick every box. Perfect shape for me, love the neck shape, fretwork is off the charts, love the pickups. I give them a 10/10, all day long. The good news is the $2k used ones are just as good as the $4k new ones :P
So you don’t like it?
Not my personal favorite but it's a very solid guitar overall. I just didn't really jive with the pickups and probably wouldn't be at the top of my list to spend $1699. Used prices are good though, so check one out at $1k if interested in the looks and overall vibe.
The Guitar Pit checked one today but after a while (warn hands) the frets seemed a to fight me. Struggled with the fret height as my fingers dragged on the solos. Maybe my playing style but hey I love the kook and the quality seemed pretty good. 502T is the sweet spot IMO.
All the best.
Wow, a reviewer on youtube giving a slightly negative review! That's a first for me.
It's almost like they didn't send it to me for free or something LOL.
I mean it sounds good but it's not a truimph Bonneville or anything
More of a Honda Ruckus.
The guitar I wanted but cost too much.
V on the channel? woah! mm yes
doublecut on the channel? ooo mm yes.
next? star on the channel? ;)))) ooooooooo yeah. considering your review history youll probably eventually come around to all the shapes! haha. dont fight it. instead buy 1 of each shape lol. easy solution ;)
Need a Kiesel X-Type! :P
Not everybody likes stainless frets.. They have a sound. Saying that, the pickups sound average as to me
Yeah, and I'm sure their choice was intentional. And that's fine, but give me reallllly nice fretwork, if that's the case. The tuners should be locking though. Cheap addition.
Pretty hard to focus on the Revstar when I see the Modern peeking at the back
Soon! But I'm never selling that so I gotta review stuff I'm trying to get out the door lol.
I agree with you the pickups are horrible
$1700 could buy something better.
PRS CE all day for me :)
What else can you buy with that craftsmanship and a hard case for £1300? PRS are boring.
ridiculous price. $899 max for a flawed design and uninspiring tone.
There are import versions which I've heard are well-liked. Similar complaints on the pickups, from what I gather online. Either way, at $1699 I'd prefer a PRS CE.
The guitar pitty... This is a misery effort to kill a decent guitar, obvious as well... 7:33 he doesn't know!! the top body material whuich is maple and instead he's saying it might be... plastic!!! pickguard is copper, during 8:37 - 9:05 he shows some pickguard patina but according to Wikipedia, Verdigris article, ' the natural patina formed when copper, brass or bronze is weathered and exposed to air or seawater over time', meaning he just left the guitar outside it's hard case in the woods for a few years or is just his pizza sauce... not to mention the horn instruments made out of brass... 11:45 he tells the pickups are some own Yamaha without mentioning they are Humbucking Alnico Pickups, (VH7b+: Humbucker/Alnico V). This is a dirty review and by the way, the color of the guitar is called rusty... rat.
I appreciated the review, despite your observations. Did not appreciate the demo, as I find the tone selected quite uncomfortable. I’ve heard phone recordings of this guitar that sound better than this stack. Needs to turn some knobs or something.
@@jomow9335 Thanks for your opinion but i have to say it sounds quite a contradiction to me, you say 'I appreciated the review ... Did not appreciate the demo, as I find the tone selected quite uncomfortable'. actually that was my point, his intension is to kill this guitar by various means, like the ones i mentioned above and by not turning 'some knobs or something' as you say, as 'you've heard phone recordings of this guitar that sound better than this stack' in order to ensure the destroy of the guitar's reputation to my opinion. Cheers.
@@georgiosdamianoulafazanos5444 meaning it was interesting to hear a new perspective… whether it’s a conspiracy on his part, I don’t know… but I can attest to the part where his tone selection is laughable.
@@jomow9335 have a nice day!
I really only dig shredder type guitars and I just don't get these boutique butt ugly guitars or the price tags they fetch. If I was a guitar flipper I would force myself to "get it" but they are just so damn ugly and boring. Looks like something that has been sitting in the corner for 10 years. I bet new strings instantly go dull on these guitars because they are so bored. Have I missed the Acacia review? My YT suggested videos have gotten really stupid lately.
This one didn't do a whole lot for me, but I don't think it looked hideous. You didn't miss the Acacia, I just wanted to review the Revstar so I can sell it and get my cash back lol.
"I really only dig shredder type guitars"
then why would you care what other people might want to play, when there are 1000s of videos already up your alley
@@shaft9000 Because I'm insecure and need to know everyone likes the same thing I like. ;)
I own a Yamaha SG2000 and I have to say that this Revstar is the Ugliest guitar that I've even seen. Seriously visually offensive.
Ha! Fair enough. I don't mind the look, but I didn't find it very exciting for the MSRP.
Best looking modern guitar ever!