A Flawed Gem : Yamaha Revstar RSS02T Review
Sorry, in the video I said “RSS20” instead of “RSS02T” – it happens.
This is the kind of review I want when I’m interested in a new instrument.
I skipped things like scale length, weight, satin neck, etc, because those have been talked about to death. Instead I show some things other reviews don’t, explain how the circuit works, and let you hear the guitar without delay, pedals, added reverb, etc.
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:41 Initial Impressions
01:19 The Tuners
01:32 The Pickups and Adjusting Them
02:05 The Tailpiece
02:22 The Knobs and Pots
02:47 Inside the Control Cavity
03:29 The Output Jack
03:52 The Pickguard and What’s Beneath
04:19 The Switch Positions
06:23 The Boost Circuit
07:06 The Playing Demo Begins
09:06 The Boost Demo
10:20 The Treble Bleed Circuit
11:03 Overall Thoughts
12:30 Why a Clean Deluxe Reverb?
#Flawed #Gem #Yamaha #Revstar #RSS02T #Review
Originally posted by UCrLmG6QSeI_0TTibp_1pIXw at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8X_DAzGasw
This is a real guitar review. Wow.
I really love the feeling in my lap. The neck on all my Yamahas are why I love Yamaha…and the low end Revstar is a great guitar at its low price. I have the RSE 3 entry level. 3 Positions very basic, and I have found out of the box it is such a great setup. I don't have to do much.. the bridge pick-up heights a hair low. But only a minor flaw ez fix..the weight and body are heavier than a Strat . I usually play a Godin Dorchester with a chambered body. Revstar is weIghty good n comfortable. I got mine mint used for $375. Ridiculous low price for such a great little well built good playing fast feel, and… great stainless beveled tight edged frets.. are smooth, wonderful assembly work.. tuners feel better then many higher end guitars.. no cheap feeling on tuning they really are decent. I hate cheesy tuners.. aIso, these p90s do an admirable job. Useful sounds great clean tone on this..I would agree in the internal wiring is passable in. You can get muddy if you let it when the push pull knob is engaged, but I can dial it out a bit with tone controls on the amp. I really agree that the quality control is really good.. playability is stellar in its minimum 3 positions. We will see if it's electronic connections hold up over time and if the glued neck adjustment is good, later if needed. The neck is a three piece mahogany unit with two carbon reinforcing rods. It still has a regular truss rod, so the carbon rods support the truss rod and do not replace it as we are seeing with hollow D carbon supported guitars. The neck has a smooth satin finish. The 2024 Revstar is a bargain. I will be putting lots of milage on mine.
Really interesting guitar. The only thing I don't like is the trapez style tailpiece. Can you exchange that entire thing for a wraparound? I'd much prefer that look and construction.
What amp was used for the sound test?
Could not agree more with thte comment made by @donk.5730. Most (not all) guitar review channels are 2 or 3 times as long and communicate less than half of what's covered here. Reviewing in the "clean" space is what I want to hear. Pumping the sound thru pedals and expensive amps enhances the sound of mediocre instruments Encore!!
Removing the pick-guard is a big improvement!
❤
One thing I noticed I use my practice amp my cheap guitar sounds great.I bring it ti buds and crank it can't even use it gotta break out the LP .Those little hums mean alot crank it up.nevermind I heard the rest of your review good job bro thank you I love yamaha .In 1984 I bought a bran new yz100 it cost 1400 bucks them were the good ol days.Canadian money deliverd to my house from Peter Lapp of lapp cycles .Guitar guys are like who gives a shit haha.
Very informative assessment and enjoyed Logan’s playing very much. More of both, please!
Gonna buy this guitar mod it and make my own signature
I actually kinda dug position 4 with the boost. Haha. Great review! It’s a lot of guitar for the money. Agree on not all tones being useful.
does it mention anywhere in the video WHY the other positions are bad or displeasing? if so can someone be so kind as to point me to the time stamp? are we supposed to just listen to the playing demo and figure it out for ourselves why those are bad positions?
take every review with a grain of salt, you have to try them out for yourself
I enjoyed the thorough review, what is the radius?
Did you ever make the second video showing the mods that need to be made to this? Very interested in seeing that video as I’m considering buying one of these and making the mods…
So that boost thing – I agree it's not for me, but it turns the guitar into an instant jazz machine (if you ask me). A guy playing trad jazz might love it.
that boost would be good for jazz
I have, and love, this guitar. I am getting ready to do the mods 1:1 that you did, with CTS pots. Initially, I was just going to put Lollars in and be done with it, but I really only use 1,3,5 aswell and the tone knob annoys me, due to it being so light and the push pull sounds off to me. Now, I will wait with new Pick ups until I hear the new wiring vesion, then decide if it really needs them. But I am thinking Lollar Low wind neck and Lollar standard P90 in teh bridge. So looking forward to it!! Great guitar and love this series you made about it. I am so thankful!!
If someone doesn’t have the imagination to make use of a function of a piece of gear that doesn’t make it bad.
Players are hungry for these types of guitar reviews. It's a shame you don't do more.
Please do more reviews. Finally someone who knows this subject, gets to the point, no hype, doesn't ramble and gushes over silly features. Thank you, Thank you. I learned a lot. Encore!
I have the marron version (would prefer this fade burst) and it is a fantastic guitar. Oozes quality in the hands.
Was drooling over a Yamaha SG200 (played by big guns like Carlos Santana, Yuri Kasparyan etc.) since the 80s. Now I got me her granddaughter which is the Revstar RS320 (the previous model to the one featured in this video) – the most versatile, iconic, quality rebel undersog guitar to date in its price segment. Holds up easily to guitars twice the price. Shows as to why the japanese were able to easily took over american market in the 80s.
Good review, I like how you qualify your remarks as being subjective, like I've got no use for Strats, doesn't mean that other people can't make beautiful music with them,
This should be the title to every rickenbacker 4001 bass video
Awesome review! Quick question: Are the P90 pickups have a Gibson-style single shielded braid or do they have 2-conductor wires?
Oh, I do like position 2 on my standard. For whatever reason. I pretty much use 1,2,3 and 5 and no boost.
Great review! I just got the same one you're playing. I also don't get the boost switch at all. It's too bassy to be useful for me. I do like the dry switch on the lower (element) model. I'm on here looking how to modify that boost switch…
I personally love the numerous tones for playing Blues from every era through a host of vintage and modern tube amps. Not “gimmicky” to me at all, but very usable for my application.
I can say that the Indonesian made are not the same quality as the MIJ. I received my brand new Revstar RSS02T packaged from Yamaha and it had two high frets, tool marks on the fretboard, cracks in the binding, a poorly fitted, poorly cut nut, fisheyed paint spots and back bowed neck. Yamaha customer service was non-existent. Luckily the dealer paid for a local luthier to fix it up short of the tool marks and water in the paint so be warned!
It has stainless frets?
A lot of reviews could take a page out of this non-review. Jeebus. Cuts to the quick. Much appreciated!
Lyle says it's flawed, I buy it ????. Today finally I got one (showed up in my neighborhood, barely used, not a single scratch). What a beautiful instrument! Funny thing, they put Grover locking tuners into Pacifica 311h, but non-locking tuners into this one. I'm not complaining, the work well. Easy replacement in the future, if needed.
I've always loved the look of Yammies. If my old LP ever gets stolen or whatever, I'd seriously consider one of these. Especially since I haven't heard good things about Gibson in the last half decade. My baby is a '71 Deluxe, which has been cool and uncool about eight times since I bought it when I was 15. Whatever, it's a great guitar, so I don't need another standard electric. But if I did, I'd seriously consider one of these.
The build quality and consistency is what makes Yamaha a stand out brand in my opinion. Never played a bad one. The usual suspects can dream on at this price point. Bravo Yamaha!
Replace the position 2 + 4 capacitors with resistors, and you'll already be on the right track. Particular values will of course be a matter of personal preference. …or perhaps that's precisely what you did in the second video haha
Perfect review.
Great review. I, for one, am pleased that you fully explored the clean tones. Given that a lot of players use high gain and distortion, I can understand why they might like to hear those kinds of tones but your demonstration does a great job of illustrating the fundamental tones the guitar produces.
Your review is honest and amazing thank you for this
Is it comfortable compared to a strat?
In Indonesia these are $400!????
Wire it like a Les Paul Special. I agree, that boost thing sounds like shat
849? Get a Firefly. Get two.
Yeah a lot of the mud positions sounded muddy. I didn’t mind the sound of the booster, there’s a use for a heavy treble sound. Overall sounds a great guitar! Good looking, and really nice sound!
Can you give me the stewmac link for the foam you used under the pickup? I'm having a similar issue on another guitar.
Seems like the sound options being built into the guitar make it a great option when playing with a two guitar band and finding your place in the mix.
I really didn't like the neck on any of the revstars I played, they've all been extreme narrow. It's a shame because I've been dreaming about getting a vintage yamaha SG for a decade. I was so pumped when the first revstars were announced. They just aren't for me.