Yamaha Revstar RSP02T - The Perfect Blend of Vintage and Modern?

For my Presets visit: johnnathancord... A while back I got to check out the new Revstars. They kindly sent me one to demo further, and this one has such perfect fretwork. If I like it, you'll see more of it on the channel....I guess that's the real test?!
The headlines are:
-Left handed models now!
-Stainless Steel Frets and Carbon Fiber reinforced necks and bodies for the Japanese models
-Chambered bodies making them (presumably) consistently lighter than the older Revstars
-Satin Necks
Three types - Elements (the cheap ones), Standard (the mid-priced ones) and Professional (the expensive japanese ones). P90s and Humbuckers available on the Standard and Professional models.
/ 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!
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 for £5 - 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 for £3 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 for £3 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!

[@TCMx3]

Stainless frets really ought to be industry standard IMO. These Yamahas are so cool to me, love what they're doing

[@AVeelcheck]

Kind of disagree - not everyone likes to change strings that often. Middle tier guitars should have at least Jescar nickel frets at HV5-200 harndess. Other nickel frets may vary from 120 to 180 of vickers hardness and that's why you can get a guitar for 1500$ with cheapo asian frets tho. I enjoy the most evo gold frets but they're even way more expensive than stainless ones

[@jfo3000]

@@AVeelcheck??? I've had strings on stainless steel fretted guitars well over a year, with LOTS of wide vibrato.

[@sasmitha8446]

+1 for SS being the industry standard

[@Kerriben]

@@AVeelcheck Only if you buy shite cheap strings. Any of the modern brands (NYXLs etc) with a decent coating on them will be absolutely fine with SS frets for a while

[@christianboddum8783]

@@AVeelcheck Evo gold converts here, Evo Golds you can install yourself, not so easy with SS. I HATE those cheap frets on import guitar, they need dressing every month or two in my experience.

[@cesarherediaaguirre4419]

Stainless steel frets are the best! They're smooth to play, shiny and give you a bright tone that is very suitable for guitars. Definitely worth the extra money for them.

[@nickcoupe2964]

Agreed. I like them so much more than nickel.

[@findingtheFOOT]

Chris Buck has sparked my interest in those Revs for a while now, very cool to see you're style on one of these. Stupid good, as always. Thanks

[@basildog007]

I got the humbucker model from Japan. If you're wondering about getting one here's my take: - OUTSTANDING fretjob, finish, electronics... - That push pull switch gives THE BEST modern jazz tone from a solid body imo. I absolutely love it. You can get some Metheny round tones out of it - That neck is perfect for my hands, the action is low enough, super comfortable 👌 I could play this for hours, and I do - That price/quality is UNBEATABLE for a CUSTOM SHOP instrument... You'll NEVER GET this level of perfection from Fender CS... Sadly. The fretjob won't be that good. I would know, believe me... - You can play anything on it from jazz to metal... Those humbucker are punchy but sweet, very dynamic and articulated. Love them 💕 - This would be a great desert island 🏝 instrument. One would be very lucky to be stuck with a Japanese Revstar! Cheers 🍻

[@basildog007]

Btw, I strung it with D'Addario NYXL 09-40. My new favorite strings... That light 40 E is heaven on Earth!

[@edwardssistershands]

For a couple grand they better be good.

[@nickfarrow4788]

Have to decide between an AZ and a Japan Revstar. Convince me to buy the Rev😅

[@fernandoocaranza4510]

​@@nickfarrow4788totally different instruments.

[@damienhenriquez9754]

Just got one in sunburst - absolute best guitar I’ve ever played

[@SimonSawal]

Wooow, i really really love your playing and phrasing and the runs and intervals you are using

[@tomireunanen8033]

I just went to a store today to try ES335's and ended up buying the Revstar RSP02T in crisp gold. In my +20 years of playing I never played a guitar that sounded and felt as good straight out of the box. The body is very comfortable and balanced (easy to play sitting down or standing, fairly lightweight), the quality is flawless (finish, fretwork) and even without it being plugged in it is loud and sustains for days. You can really tell that a lot of thought went into designing the guitar and that those things really made a big difference. Love the fact that, especially the gold finished one, looks timeless and I can see myself playing a variety of different styles with it. And like I mentioned, I was not even in the market for one, but I'm glad I tried it out because it really is something special.

[@fernandoocaranza4510]

I have the same guitar, crisp gold. I love it.

[@tomireunanen8033]

@@fernandoocaranza4510 It really is fantastic!

[@be8965]

I got mine in crips glod, and absolutely love it! I can go trough a whole variety of genres with it, those P'90s are fantastic. I put on hiatus my other guitars (ES 335 figured, Godin Stadium 59, Strat Roadhouse+upgraded and Casino Coupe upgraded) since Goldy arrived, cant be happier, in all honesty I think that is it for me, no more guitars... till Yamaha drops other Revstars I'm sure. I'm converted to Yamaha

[@sheldonkorpett1708]

Just ordered mine in Crisp Gold from a local shop near me.

[@89ji76]

I just tried out one of these at a shop and the setup was god awful with unreasonably high action. Not a flaw with the guitar obviously but I was worried it might’ve been hiding bad frets. So I’m glad to hear at least in your experience the frets are good On another note, another manufacturer in this price range that never seems to miss is FGN/Fujigen

[@curiositydivine]

I’ve had these guitars on my radar for a while now.

[@nethbt]

I own two of these now, P90 and humbucker ( Indonesia)...I also own several Suhrs and ErnieBall Stingray and Cutlass, the fretwork is surprisingly on par in terms of how accurately leveled and dressed it is . This is, IMO, the best bang for buck guitar in the market right now. My only ever so slight complaint is the honky Elixir 10s that came with it

[@gp-hj7sq]

Stingray or this one is better?

[@nethbt]

@@gp-hj7sq Stingray of course, there is a reason why it costs 3x to 4x as much, but I'd rather much get 3 REVSTARS for a Stingray, anyday easy.

[@brendangray]

Hi, man. What strings did you replace them with? Thanks

[@b47d16]

which guitar would you recommend getting? P90 or HB version? First electric guitar ill be getting and cant decide. I do like that the HB dont have noise.

[@nethbt]

@@b47d16 Humbucker is a lot more versatile coz you can play Metal with it...P90 is more of a specialized pickups if you want that specific bluesy / rock or jazz tone. But it's your pick, can't go wrong with either

[@Cring0r]

I own this exact guitar but in the standard range (same colour even). I could not believe I could buy a stainless steel fret guitar at this price point roughly $1290 AUD. Other than it is made in indonesia vs japan and I think my model doesn't have the carbon rods in the body. Guitar is absolutely lovely to play, sounds great although I don't find much use for the push pull passive transformer. Really enjoying my purchase thus far!

[@JasonWadeGuitar]

Definitely a featured packed instrument. But, at a $2000 US mark for that particular model, it treading in shark invested waters. I was very disappointed you couldn't get the RSP02T Crisp Gold in the US. Best of luck to them in the market, a lot of players love them.

[@enzocarniel6008]

I have one of the old Revstars and it makes me question the value of my Gibson Les Paul. These are seriously good value guitars and I haven't tried the new one which look amazing

[@jfo3000]

I had a Gibson Les Paul, they might retain the $$$ value, but to me, as a tool to create music comfortably and easily their value is very, very low on the overall scale of available instruments out there.

[@XxGMANxXaltered]

Killer playing and I def think I'll be grabbing one of these in the future.

[@CristiNeagu]

When it comes to guitars, Yamaha have been doing an absolutely stellar job with guitars for decades. Very well made at affordable prices. I don't think there has ever been a bad Yamaha guitar. I have an 18 year old EG-112 which is their absolutely cheapest guitar ever. You can grab one brand new for like $200 with an amp and a gig bag. Even though it was a decent beginner guitar, I stripped all the hardware and electronics from it, added quality parts, and it's a brilliant guitar.

[@NJSonye]

I owned a SBG-1000. It was like a double cut Les Paul.

[@MoreMeRecording]

I agree with the exception of the cheap made in Korea Pacifica (which I dubbed "Pathetica") from the late 90s / early 2000s. I really regret buying that guitar now but being LH, I had to take what I could get at the time. Every last thing about that guitar was boring and unexciting, from the look to the sound (I pulled the bridge pup for a JB). The electronics looked like something from a no-name Chinese guitar from Amazon.

[@CristiNeagu]

@@MoreMeRecording Yes, but did the price match the quality?

[@rhesreeves5339]

Incredible fretwork should be the name of your podcast.

[@notalkguitarampplug-insrev784]

A only play on stainless steel frets now. Made all my custom shop strat refretted with jescar ss, also have Tom Anderson, LSL and Suhr guitars and had previously some Musicman, play better, no wear, no string breakage, perfect, better tone

[@Herfinnur]

It has such an awesome, different kind of squeal/cry in the high frequencies

[@bernie_smith]

Fabulous playing as usual John. I have had the Crisp Gold version of this guitar on pre-order since April. It has been a very long time since I was so looking forward to a new electric guitar purchase. Thanks once again for your great channel!!

[@065kunal]

Holy shit the tone ! ❤

[@Kerriben]

These actually look interesting - good to see guitar companies waking up to the fact that jumbo SS fretwork is objectively superior to anything vintage, especially for more experienced players. Personally won't touch any guitar with less than jumbos on it these days, its just a fundamentally handicapped experience.

[@aaronmajchen982]

I think medium jumbos feel better, I play faster and cleaner on them, and my fingers feel less crowded above the 12th fret.

[@martyshwaartz971]

@@aaronmajchen982 I think fenders narrow tall or whatever are really good. Great for bending but narrow enough that I can still play up high

[@aaronmajchen982]

@@martyshwaartz971 Waiting for narrow talls in stainless steel. All guitars above $600 should be standard with SS frets IMO.

[@christopherjbutler]

Very nice guitar. The transformer in the guitar is intriguing. Also, appears to be a set neck, was going to say neck through, but I don't believe. so right? I have a Carvin DC--145 with properly tooled and finished Stainless Steel frets, and I wish all my guitars, vintage style and modern, had them.

[@jfo3000]

Carvin/Kiesel SS frets are wonderful.

[@jakeah1175]

Tone is lovely! Was hoping for a Japanese lefty but think the best model they do is the mid price one… great guest review.. was waiting for the mark out of 10 but ‘hard to say’ was good enough

[@jeremystone2658]

You went full Satriani on that Revstar

[@dimitri2576]

Excellent playing.

[@Many141]

Sounds like Vinai T. Either you try or not, it’s amazing as an improvisor !

[@AndrewReynolds1]

It would be great if you get the chance to compare it with the standard model which is nearly £1000 cheaper.

[@aadityakiran_s]

Should have added locking tuners also. The similarly priced Pacifica has it.

[@metallica3604]

Inspired playing

[@dykeneuk]

I bought the humbucker version, just to be noise free. It's a lovely thing really. I put some locking tuners on as mine wasn't holding it's tuning well. Solid now. I might have to get a 2nd one with P90's and bigsby, though i'd prefer a regular strat type of trem. It has such a classic look to it eh....

[@vlj1133]

Which locking tuners did you swap in, and were they a direct drop-in replacement? No drilling necessary, no exposed holes?

[@dykeneuk]

@@vlj1133 well, the ones I should have got were gotoh magnums. There are 2 varieties. One had exactly the same hole position as the Yamaha ones. But I already had a cheapo set lying around that actually work perfectly. I’ll be getting some gotohs eventually.

[@john808welk]

Wow, a solid hardtosay/10!

[@michael1]

" If I like it, you'll see more of it on the channel....I guess that's the real test?" - I agree, because the vast majority of youtube players will play anything and say it's good but what do they actually play when they're not shilling for a guitar manufacturer or a retailer like sweetwater? And the answer is generally - not the guitars they're saying are great. I looked through your videos and most of them you're shilling kit but even on the ones you're not you're generally not playing a revstar. That's not to say they are bad guitars but it does mean it's not really worth considering your opinion. It's like Jack Gardiner says everything Ibanez sends him is brilliant, the quest series et al - but he generally plays one HSS blue AZ guitar when he's actually playing something - clearly what he likes is that guitar. It's difficult to know what you actually like (because you're just shilling in 99% of your videos) but it's not this.

[@jltrem]

It's Friday. A Revstar and a pair of hands. It must be Chris Buck. No, wait......

[@QTQification]

Nice guitar !

[@umatgeratonleik2584]

If you need a video subject, here's something I'd reeeally like to know (though maybe it pertains a bit more to the humbucker version): are they a viable alternative to a Gibson Les Paul or maybe SG? All the specks suggest that they'd be something akin to super-strat versions of Gibsons, but the tones I'm hearing from y'all KZbinrs sound and feel completely like they're their (...there...?) own thing

[@yuudee3132]

good review

[@MrAntpre]

Great very nice piece of gear. Would be nice if you could run throught the different position with and without the switch in that nice clean setting u were using while talking. In the other videos of the guitars i notice that the sound of the guitar was much more modernish or more harsh compared to the old model with p90. Am I wrong ? Cheers

[@finishin.my.coffee8780]

That's a great guitar, but if I were to buy one, it'd be the gold version.

[@johnnytwo-shoes9798]

Transformer you say?! "More than meets the eye"

[@davidhallowell3457]

Nice guitar. I wonder how much one gives up in the Revstar that are about half that price.

[@equinoxpete]

Hi,What are you playing through. You're getting a very beautiful tone.I've been thinking about getting a guitar with P90s I never had P90s ever.But I play a lot of classic rock so didn't know if that would be good or bad great video thanks.

[@stratocumulusnimbostratus328]

Shame about the scratch-late, could have looked so clean. Great playing though 😍

[@keithb5612]

Thanks for the review Johnathan. Just out of interest how is the feel, playability and tonal options/variety compared to the Charvel DK24 HH you reviewed recently? Also... any thoughts on the ease of string changing with that Revstar bridge plate? Cheers

[@richardlynch5632]

John...😎👍 Couldn't see clearly how high off the body the bridge sits...is is high, low or medium...? Thanks😎👍❤🖖

[@triton1044]

Do you think you could do a demo playing some jazz pieces? I would be so very grateful

[@johnnathancordy]

Will try!

[@umatgeratonleik2584]

I will a left-hand version buy for sure, but do you think it will be possible to install something like a Stetsbar vibrato? I can't get my head around that metal-for-which-to-hold-strings object on the tail. is it screwed to the top? Also: that your daddy?

[@garychen483]

Do these two knobs turn in a spiral way???

[@carloslonmoer6285]

Goddamnit, I was trying to get this guitar out of my head and now this. I will remain forever poor at this rate.

[@rtbmusic1135]

I had one of the first series revstars, but I couldn’t live with the neckdive on it. Is that a problem on the new ones?

[@MrNamePerson]

Neck dive?

[@rtbmusic1135]

@@MrNamePerson Neck heavy, dives to the floor when you let it go. (When standing up with a strap)

[@benspeeds]

Someone needs to come up with a cool mod for that pull switch because that mid boost sounds Yuck. It bugs the f@ck outta me because everything else about them is perfection. STILL waiting on them to be I'm stock in the US. The demos all dropped in January for these things. Where are they!??

[@christianboddum8783]

That tailpiece though, is string change fiddly, and will there be resonances from it?

[@johnnathancordy]

I think the thing with a tailpiece is that you're kind of looking for increased resonance from it anyway in my experience?

[@michaelrosawatkins3928]

Just got one in swift blue. Fretts on underside of the neck are rough/sharp not good. Trying to get a refund

[@user-oe9rd8cj2d]

if you could buy one new for $900 would you?

[@CocoKoi321]

That an mij version?

[@flearhcp]

Anyone find the necks too thick for their taste?

[@dd61125]

£3000+ is just too steep for these

[@ChrisJones-ht9zn]

My experience couldn’t be more different to yours. Just received my standard and have to say it’s the worst fret job I’ve had on any guitar. Sharp edges and so gritty. Massively disappointed 🙁

[@michaelhimes8778]

He is reviewing the pro model though

[@niklassilen4313]

Yours is done in Indonesia, the one he reviews is done in Japan. There is a reason this one costs 1000$ more than your standard. Still, bad fret work should always be returned.

[@VenelinNikolov]

I find it pretty ugly 😄 But sounds great !