The Yamaha Revstar: Your Next Guitar (Demo and First Impressions)

[@ChidOki]

Just a tip to anyone trying these out. The Revstar P90’s are really sensitive, overwound single coils so if you open the volume knob all the way up you can get a bit clippy/muddy when using crunch, dirt, or overdrive. But if you back off the volume knob just a tad to 7-8.5 it is a sweet spot that sounds so. Freaking. Good. I find rolling down the tone a hair or pulling up the tone knob can help offset some spiky pick attack or too much treble when playing high gain. The Revstar P90 has honestly taught me things organically the longer I’ve owned it, it coaxes you into playing with more touch and getting more attentive to your knobs. Great, great playing. It’s so fun to see others’ enthusiasm for this guitar too!

[@macwrightmusic]

@@ChidOki THESE ARE THE TIPS IM LOOKING FOR. I’ve had it for a week and a half and already it feels like that as well. It’s a crazy little thing. I’ll give that a shot!

[@ChidOki]

@@macwrightmusic Can’t wait for more Revstar follow-up videos after you’ve had more time with it! P.S. In case there’s another Yamaha model you want to try in-person in the future before buying - it’s a little far from you, but I’ve found that Music Village USA in Riverdale probably stocks the most Yamaha electric guitars in the state. 👍🏼

[@macwrightmusic]

@@ChidOki noted! Thanks man!

[@plamenpenkov2865]

Are you saying I need to be more attentive to my knob? I just got the one...😂

[@jimmyjimmy951]

I have had 4 new Revstar Gen 1 guitar days and waiting for my 5th.. All down to Chris Buck when he suggested I buy the 502t.. Revstar fan boy..👍🇦🇺

[@macwrightmusic]

@@jimmyjimmy951 it’s not hard to be a fanboy. Thanks for watching!

[@MichaelBarrowTheTourists]

DUDE THE STACCATO PART AT 1:15 WHAT

[@macwrightmusic]

Shhh you’ll make me blush!

[@torgo4ever]

You nailed what I figured out about my revstar P-90 standard . That is , it isn't overly stand-out-ish at any one thing but it fits in in just about ANY situation you want to use it for. It's a dream to play and you never really have to fight it to find a tone that allows you to forget the gear side and just focus on playing.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@torgo4ever SERIOUSLY. It’s pulled some licks out of me that I feel like I’d forgotten about!

[@torgo4ever]

I run a pod go into a Fender bluesbreaker head ( just as a tube power amp ) and this guitar is the 2nd easiest of all of mine to write patches for ( sorry but my PRS SE CE 24 just rolls over all of my others as far as getting tones from it but my revstar does high gain just a bit better )

[@macwrightmusic]

@@torgo4ever I’ve always loved P90s overdriven. There’s just something about them! And of course all credit to PRS for making some of the most functional guitars around.

[@patrickbelanger2535]

I bought exactly the same guitar and i just love it! It feels better than any other guitar that i’ve owned or played. The neck is just amazing and it sounds great! Great purchase!

[@macwrightmusic]

@@patrickbelanger2535 Seriously! It’s so much better than I could have imagined.

[@gxb4877]

Great quality on the video.. Fantastic playing... Wish you a real fast 1 mil subs ❤️...

[@macwrightmusic]

@@gxb4877 thanks so much for watching and for the kind words! Hope to see you around!

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

I always admire the looks of this guitar

[@macwrightmusic]

@@rockinbobokkin7831 it looks pretty good. Not too radical, but not just another Les Paul/strat/tele copy.

[@goog646]

Me too. If it was lighter weight with a wider neck I would own one. My favourite looking guitar.

[@alessandroimprota1230]

Great playing, dude! Geez!

[@macwrightmusic]

@@alessandroimprota1230 thanks man!

[@khawajajodat8763]

I love the Yamaha guitars and guitar amplifiers since 1979

[@macwrightmusic]

@@khawajajodat8763 thats good to hear! Do you have any guitars or amps from then?

[@vinnyninja]

Hey Mac, 👋 what a great sound .. I might try and steal that piece from you if I can figure it out, sounds awesome and suits the revstar. I brought a standard in the sale in UK for £720. After I tried it just for the p90s and put the epiphone down. The yamaha is a superior product. Weird neck angle on mine, bridge is super high 😮 but somehow plays great, only thing holding it back is me😂

[@macwrightmusic]

@@vinnyninja haha dude I sometimes wonder if I hold back my guitars too, but I mean, at least they’re getting played! Thanks for watching man!

[@keithferris9574]

I have the same guitar in Swift Blue. Amazing instrument. I saw a great tip to cut your volume a little when engaging the focus switch. It eliminates the tendency to kinda clip a little.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@keithferris9574 I’ll have to try that out! Thanks for the tip!

[@credibleink]

I have one too. The Elements version only because I don’t like binding on the neck. So I played a standard and the elements to get the feel and the Elements won. Sure I could have paid extra and got stainless steel frets, but I’m fine with nickel. So glad I bought mine! And yes, not enough people realise how good these are. I bought several Fenders before this one and was really disappointed at the quality out of the box. Every one of those needed some attention before I could play it, but my Yamaha was immaculate. It needed no set up, and the elixir strings it came with stayed on it for 6 months before I bothered to change them. This one is a keeper. 🔥😀👍

[@macwrightmusic]

I couldn't agree more. And as someone who owns Gibsons, Fenders, Squiers, and Epiphones, I will be the first to say that the "Top of the line" 'aint all its cracked up to be. If you like the Element, then there's probably a good reason! Im excited to make a follow up video!

[@Mark_B585]

Im pulling the trigger and getting one of these. I've been looking at these for 3 months and because of your video I'm going to buy one. So you'll either get a really happy comment in about a week or I'll be really angry I don't know its a crap shoot 😂

[@macwrightmusic]

High Risk, High reward! Honestly, I really hope you love it. Let me know your thoughts either way!

[@Mark_B585]

@@macwrightmusic I'm very sure I will love it

[@ghrenix2300]

@@Mark_B585 so how'd it go?

[@Mark_B585]

@@ghrenix2300 i love it it plays wonderfully

[@jaymullens9431]

Had mine for a year now and play it almost exclusively other than acoustic. I think the middle/bridge position is usable, and the neck/middle does ONE thing I dig-use medium gain and slow flange or maybe even an envelope filter, pick next to the bridge and you get a sort of Oz Noy quasi-coral sitar Do It Again madness. A note to Yamaha: put a third P90 in this thing, wire it like a standard Strat but keep middle switch position as is (may have to recalibrate the chamber cuts), keep the boost, because it enables a useful hollowbody sound. Sales might just go through the roof on these things.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@jaymullens9431 that could be really cool if executed well!

[@bushhogmck8091]

Love Yamaha, got tons of their products. Still waiting on them to make a great firearm!!!

[@macwrightmusic]

@@bushhogmck8091 I guess time will tell!

[@steved1099]

You bought one just because of Chris Buck (eyeroll), haha, me too.. I picked up a first gen 502 with p90s for only £380 used and it feels and plays fantastically. Chris proves its a serious touring and pro level guitar and he gets truly amazing tones. My days of buying 2-3k strats and Les Pauls are over. This is never getting sold.

[@macwrightmusic]

What a steal! They're seriously incredible. I just played my first gig with it this past monday, and I'll be playing three more sets tomorrow. Two months in and it's still being played EVERY DAY. Thanks so much for watching!

[@steved1099]

​​@@macwrightmusicfantastic, I have the shop black model with wrap around bridge and p90s. The exact model chris buck used before he got the custom shop. Guy who sold it just wanted rid...... Bending is so easy on it, its my go to for all the subtle stuff but the neck is biting too. Not even looked at my LP in months now. Best of luck for the gigs, being armed with an inspirational guitar always drives me.👍👍

[@daviddalziel884]

Nice review! I’ve played the Standard in both P90 and Humbucker versions and the focus switch/tone pot sounds too deep on the humbucker model and just as you found ok with P90s as they’re a bit brighter . I did a comparison of a Revstar Standard P90 version against a PRS DGT SE and enjoyed the Revstar more as the PRS pickups are really deep although the coil splits are really good. I think the professional model which is very expensive has a three way switch with no focus switch /tone pot which is a bit gimmicky rather than functional. Cheers

[@macwrightmusic]

@@daviddalziel884 thanks for watching! Yeah it feels a little like a flawed gem ya know? Like it’s still a gem and I’m still gonna use it everyday, and some may argue that its flaws are what makes it special. Either way, it still punches out of its class!

[@davidbriggs9675]

I tried the Rss20 but found the neck profile to be a little too fat compared with my old Revstar 420. Shame because I liked the all the different sound of it and the stainless steel frets. So the 420 is staying. Great video by the way.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@davidbriggs9675 thanks for watching! What do you feel like is different about the neck profile on the 420?

[@Daniel-cq8jd]

I went to a CRL 3-way, too. Didn't need the 2 & 4. I Just gutted it. Master volume with a bleed. Master tone with a .47 - ditched the push pull pot and focus switch and put CTS 500k pots in it. Agree on tailpiece and the neck! The neck is where it's at!

[@macwrightmusic]

@@Daniel-cq8jd did you feel like the pots helped the bridge pickup? I’m still really bugged by the bridge sound and I wanna swap it out.

[@Daniel-cq8jd]

@@macwrightmusic I don't think so - what is your beef, exactly? That may help to diagnose. You will probably get a better result changing the cap value as opposed to just swapping pots cause, at least in mine, it already had 500k Alphas. I would think cap value and/or messing with height. I used a little more compression foam to get mine higher....

[@macwrightmusic]

@@Daniel-cq8jd yeah I tried adjusting the height on it. It just feels a little thinner than I’d like. It’s obviously not a deal breaker, I’ve just been trying to think of ways to beef it up a little. I’ll try switching the cap out!

[@Daniel-cq8jd]

@ probably your best bet outside of a pickup swap! Maybe. 0.22 or 0.33 if it’s too bright for you

[@macwrightmusic]

@ I’ll try it out. Thanks man!

[@BlackPenquinn]

I have the same guitar in black. Love your pickup 2 sound. What amp are you using? Reminds me a little of the Strat tone in I Mother Earth’s “So gently we go”. Not the same, but made me think of that

[@macwrightmusic]

@@BlackPenquinn thanks for watching! I was REALLY tempted by the black, but my Les Paul is black and cream already, so I went for the Hot Merlot! For the chords, it’s just the amp sound through a blues jr. For the single notes, it’s the blues jr with a Dumble clone pedal.

[@michaelyolch79]

I’ve been playing for 40 years. Went to Sweetwater to play one yesterday. Sidenote: Yes, it’s VERY expensive to live 10 minutes from Sweetwater. 😂 THIS guitar made me play on an entirely different level. Even I was shocked at what I was playing. 😳 Like you said…”responsive.” But I would say literally CONNECTED to precisely every nuance of the entire gamut of my playing. From barely touching it to big time digging in. Just mind boggling. My ONLY wish is that they would have added even more chambering to get another half to one pound off the overall weight. Yeah…first-world problems.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@michaelyolch79 living that close to Sweetwater sounds like a problem I’d like to have! I visited it while I was on tour in 2022 and it was so fun! I totally agree on everything you said! I’ve had it for a month and every day it feels more and more comfortable. As for the weight, Ive been wondering if the tailpiece is adding more than I’d like. I’ve thought about that cause I feel like it’s pretty consistently slipping off the side of my leg while I play sitting down. I don’t know that there’s a way to test it, but it’s something I’ve wondered.

[@VincentStarr13]

I first want to start this off with I very much enjoyed the video I stumbled onto it by accident really and I have sense also subscribed to the channel. Question though, am I the only one confused by what he's saying as far as the first position is the neck pickup. Dont you mean the first position is the bridge & the fifth position is the neck. Like a strat right? Or have I been referring to the positions of the switch backwards?

[@macwrightmusic]

First off, thanks for the sub! Second, I was wrong! According to Fenders website, and even Yamaha's website, they do refer to "Position 1" as being the bridge pickup and "Position 5" as being the neck. That being said, I've also seen wiring diagrams that label them the opposite way so I was just honestly just operating on previous experience mixed with ignorance. But thank you so much for bringing it to my attention in the nicest way possible! That's rare on the internet! I'm glad I learned the technical right way way to label it! Cheers!

[@JAL-cc8jd]

I had a Standard (humbucker version) and an Element. Both very nice guitars but I traded the Element for another guitar and sold the Standard. Of the 2, I liked the sound of the Element better. I think with even just having a 3 way switch vs. a 5 way, it had more useful tones. The dry switch gives you a thinner single coil type sound but without noise. I found the focus switch on the Standard to be useless and not all 5 positions sound good. I did like the stainless steel frets, maple top, and carbon fiber reinforced neck on the Standard. I may get another one at some point, but it will either be another Element or perhaps a Standard (not sure which pickup yet) with 50’s wiring and no push pull.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@JAL-cc8jd yeah, I still can’t decide whether or not I like all the positions. I definitely don’t use the push pull. I guess time will tell!

[@steveliberty]

I also really want to check one out, but like you, I haven't found one in a store anywhere. So, if I decide to pull the trigger, I will have to mailorder one, which I hate doing. Although, I did that to get my PRS DGT SE, which I love, so I guess eventually, I will bite the bullet. As far as off-beat guitars, I suppose the DGT SE and my 1964 Epiphone Coronet would be the guitars that I have that are not your typical SG/LP/335/Tele/Strat (all of which I also have and love). I really like P90's a lot, and I like chunky neck profiles, so I don't expect any disappointments with the Revstar. And the Merlot color is the one!

[@macwrightmusic]

@@steveliberty oooo what color DGT did you get?? Their gold top one is pretty hip. Yeah I have all five of those as well, but this Revstar is winning my favor pretty rapidly. Thanks so much for watching!!

[@steveliberty]

@@macwrightmusic I wanted the Goldtop, but at the time, they were sold out everywhere, and the next shipment was about 8 months out. So I bought the sunburst with the birds.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@steveliberty sunburst is still beautiful. And I feel like you can never go wrong with a sunburst. It’s so classic. I woulda made the same decision.

[@the-LeoKnightus]

You are a good player in your own right. Nice guitar. I always try and take a breath, think about what's in my head....and fill the gaps with those melodies and "sentences".... Or else I am just playing an instrument...noodling and not saying much. I am no Matteo Mancuso either lol.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@the-LeoKnightus haha thanks for the compliment! I think I’ll just never be satisfied with my own playing. But that’s also why I keep playing so I guess that’s what makes it fun.

[@rudybigboote3883]

I also credit Chris Buck for me buying a Revstar, I just got a standard with the sunset fade finish and P90’s. I have 4 guitars but now only play the Revstar. Looks great, plays great but could use some fret polishing, and best of all it sounds great. I would definitely recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a great guitar under 1,000.

[@macwrightmusic]

Couldn't agree more!

[@MarkStearle]

Agree,very comfortable guitar,thinking of getting the P90

[@macwrightmusic]

@@MarkStearle the P90s are a little hot but if you can figure out how to tame them with the volume knob, they definitely have a sweet spot!

[@MarkStearle]

@@macwrightmusic thanks so much for your advice

[@macwrightmusic]

@@MarkStearle thanks so much for watching!

[@kenarts11]

Just noticed Mancuso also played the same guitar

[@macwrightmusic]

@@kenarts11 yeah! His is custom cause he’s got a different color that’s not available and the thumb rest, but it’s still a Revstar!

[@chrisbonnevie4089]

I just bought one. The frets from 8-15 are dead AF unless I put the action so high I can't even play it. Other than that major issue it's good!

[@StavK]

That sucks! They have them on sale right now and was considering it.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@chrisbonnevie4089 where did you buy it from? Cause I’ve heard one other person with action complaints, but I haven’t heard of anyone who’s bought one from sweetwater who’s had a problem. So I’m trying to see if there’s a specific distributor having a problem!

[@donaldray2763]

Muddy??? You could bury this guitar in thr ground and it wouldn't sound muddy!! Brightest p-90s I've ever played. There is nothing dark or muddy about this guitar. One lovely guitar with damn good electronics....

[@mivani84]

I am doubting between p90 and de HH. I play all kids of music. From clean to bleus and rock to metallica. Mostly i play between bluess and rock. I have a tele that can cover all but it lacks a sound in the neck . Got the customshop pickups. I like a LP sound for gnr kinda music

[@macwrightmusic]

@@mivani84 yeah it can be tricky. Something I talk about in my follow up video on the Revstar is how the bridge pickup is a little weak so the HH might be the way to go if you don’t wanna have to go through trying to find a bridge pickup that sounds beefy to replace it with.

[@benspeeds]

I had one of the sunset bursts with p90s. It played better out of the box than everything else I've ever gotten my hands on. The neck felt sooo good and higher notes were delightfully snappy. I feel like the high tech nautilus like acoustic chambering of the body had something to do with producing that delicious snappy-ness. On the other hand, the mid boost pull pot was like a giant turd on top of an otherwise nearly PERFECT guitar. Muddiest garbage mod I've ever heard. The only other criticism I have is the treble bleed circuit was a bit much. The new Revstars with p90s are already super bright and just don't need a treble bleed or that mid pull nonsense. I wish I had kept the one I had and took all the extra crap out of it and popped in a classic simple 1950s wiring harness and a 3 way toggle switch. Yamaha are making high quality instruments for the money they cost. Really good guitars.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@benspeeds I completely agree. I think it’s one of the best guitars out there, and EASILY the best guitar under $1000.

[@bretthuffine]

As someone who abuses muddy tones, the push/pull on this guitar sounds SO appealing. I recently stumbled on these guitars and am about to pull the trigger on one. Just need to go play one before I put the nail in the coffin.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@bretthuffine I hope you find one! It’s genuinely one of the best guitars I’ve ever played.

[@jonthehermit8082]

Got the same color about three months ago, same color.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@jonthehermit8082 nice! How do you feel about it? Love it? Hate it? Meh?

[@jonthehermit8082]

@@macwrightmusic love it man, instant love, I have two of them lol , I bought the humbucker version first wanting a Gibson type guitar, but me being a single coil guy first I had to have it with p90s, thinking about changing the bridge pickup as I find it a little bit tamed down version of p90. The first one is the pro model as well. Caused me to break my no more than one guitar or amp per year personal rule.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@jonthehermit8082 haha I should probably implement that rule. Do you feel like there’s a big difference between the pro and standard? I also feel like your comment about the bridge pickup is a pretty common complaint and I agree. The bridge feels a little thin for my taste.

[@jonthehermit8082]

@@macwrightmusic no , if you want to fork out that extra grand then buy two of the standard is what I would do, it is flawless and you can see minimal differences if you look closely, somehow it holds tune even better if you can believe that ,I don’t know how, Compare it to other two thousand dollar guitars is the only way you can justify that, it’s definitely a two thousand dollar guitar . But yes , slight regrets putting them side buy side, I could have two standards and that thousand dollar’s back.

[@macwrightmusic]

@@jonthehermit8082 noted, thanks! I still haven’t even played a professional so it’s nice to hear someone say it’s not worth the extra grand.

[@sadowskihomestudio]

I had one in black. Now I regret getting rid of it

[@macwrightmusic]

I have a really hard time selling guitars because of this.

[@NeverGoBack2]

It's not all that great! I just received my brand new Revstar RSS02T packaged from Yamaha and it had a very high bridge, tool marks on the fretboard, cracks in the binding, high frets and a poorly fitted and cut nut causing buzzing. It is at the Luthier now to even make it playable...

[@macwrightmusic]

@@NeverGoBack2 dang man! Did you reach out to Yamaha?

[@NeverGoBack2]

@@macwrightmusic yep, never heard back…

[@macwrightmusic]

@@NeverGoBack2 man I’m really sorry that happened! Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s the first negative one I’ve heard and I knew there had to be one out there.

[@NeverGoBack2]

@@macwrightmusic the Luthier is done and found two high frets and the bridge radius did not match the fret board radius so he filed down the outside string slots. All minor things but so unprofessional that I never heard back from Yamaha…

[@macwrightmusic]

@@NeverGoBack2 I agree. So sorry that happened. How do you feel about it now that it’s fixed up?

[@GreatPlanet-c7o]

You gotta figure out how not to just play like Buck. Sorry guy.

[@macwrightmusic]

1. Hard not to take that as a compliment 2. Does this work: kzbin.infolw8izTy_gwI

[@Wagga.b]

agreed, that can only be a good thing haha