Yamaha Revstars three years on. Hit or miss?

CountryDave

I liked the look of them when they were released. Played a few at the Brum show and enjoyed the experience.
Despite being a telecaster player for many years I’ve also been known to step away from the norm on occasion (my favourite guitar is my Albert Lee Musicman).
The only problem I have with them is the weight as I much prefer a lighter guitar. I understand that mahogany/maple build often brings a weight penalty, but if I had the cash & found a lighter one I’d happily buy one.
I’ve currently got a 720 on loan from a friend and like it a lot.

TA22GT

@TTBZ ;

I have a Les Paul but I also have the Bernie SE and it is a fantastic guitar. There is just something about it. 

Sorry for the hijack!

Philly_Q

I've never tried a Revstar but to be honest the looks alone are enough to put me off. 

The flat top, the shape of the cutaways, the binding - all make them appear large, sharp-edged and uncomfortable (although I know there's some body contouring).  And the matt finish looks like formica.... 1970s kitchen tables.

Not for me, I'm afraid.

Jez6345789

I tried and liked the few I tried when the first ones came out although saw nothing in them to make me revisit them.

i do think Yamaha like most modern companies front load the marketing sort of everything happens for an over heated launch.

Then the vacuum of little or no follow up.i deal with a few companies like this there are launch documents endless amount of social media dealer promo then nothing.

i might be old fashioned but I never think it’s enough to get the ball rolling and full of hype then expect the momentum to carry you through to a successful product with continous sales.

You need a way more ongoing time table, where we’re the in use videos the artist endorsements if it’s the next great things it’s gonna need way more over the years to keep it rolling.

If you can find a heavily discounted one and like it pull the trigger.

jeztone2

I don’t get why they didn't just reissue the SuperFlighter. Or contemporary it up. As someone else has said. I tried one, it felt like a generic Korean guitar. Like a Schecter. 

I think someone in Yamaha doesn’t get the legacy of what they have. I'd be putting out an SG1300T with a Gotoh 510 & a Floyd option on. I’d have an 80’s Floyd Style Pacifica in the range. They make amazing guitars at any price point. Remember the Troy Van Lewin Signature? Why not build something more like that?

olafgarten

Personally I love my Revstar RS720B. It's the best guitar I've ever played and is far from bland, it sounds a lot like a Gretsch Solid body.

The only issue was that the bigsby didn't stay in tune, which was fixed by a Bricksbiggsfix from Alaska. Now it still goes out of tune if used heavily, but all the strings go out of tune uniformly so you can just move it in the opposite direction to reset it. 

Modellista

olafgarten said:

Personally I love my Revstar RS720B. It's the best guitar I've ever played and is far from bland, it sounds a lot like a Gretsch Solid body.

The only issue was that the bigsby didn't stay in tune, which was fixed by a Bricksbiggsfix from Alaska. Now it still goes out of tune if used heavily, but all the strings go out of tune uniformly so you can just move it in the opposite direction to reset it. 

It's notable that most of those who have actually tried them, particularly the higher end models, really rate them.

The RS720B is exactly like a Gretsch solid body.  Maybe the standard humbucker versions struggle to stand out in a sea of similar guitars, but the 720B with the Bigsby and Filtertron copies is excellent.  I assume the P90 ones are great too.

For those not keen, maybe sensible to try one before making your mind up.

Snags

All I can say is that you're all bastards. Between the recent P90 SG (dithered too long) and this thread I'm now gassing for a double-cut with twin P90s, and it's not healthy I tell you, not healthy at all.

carlos

olafgarten said:

Personally I love my Revstar RS720B. It's the best guitar I've ever played and is far from bland, it sounds a lot like a Gretsch Solid body.

Great! We all have to make our own mojo.

Three-ColourSunburst

I have taken the plunge and just ordered a 'brick burst' RS620. To be honest I got tired of trying to finding something that ticked as many of the same boxes, especially at the price. For example, on paper the Reverend Sensei HB in faded burst is very similar but isn't available locally, costs 30% more - and I would hope that the Yamaha's quality is as good. For only a couple of hundred more than something like a Vintage LP copy I can't go wrong. I hope!

One thing I have noticed is that, perhaps due to the satin finishes, many of these don't seem to photograph at all well, with the bodies often appearing to be completely flat even though they have an arm contour, or the colour looking very washed out.  Other times the guitar looks really classy, to my eye anyhow, as in the video below. Similarly, in photos the backs often appear to be completely black (something I hate) when the ones I have seen up close have been more of a deep burgundy / chestnut colour.  When it turns up I hope that it really is one of those guitars that 'look better in the flesh'.

bazxkr

Congrats on going for a 620........I think they do look better in the flesh. My 720B also looks black at the back in pics but it is a nice dark mahogany look when you see it in the flesh so think you will more than happy

Philly_Q

jeztone2 said:

I don’t get why they didn't just reissue the SuperFlighter. Or contemporary it up. As someone else has said. I tried one, it felt like a generic Korean guitar. Like a Schecter. 

I think someone in Yamaha doesn’t get the legacy of what they have. I'd be putting out an SG1300T with a Gotoh 510 & a Floyd option on. I’d have an 80’s Floyd Style Pacifica in the range. They make amazing guitars at any price point. Remember the Troy Van Lewin Signature? Why not build something more like that?

I think you make a good point, it's odd that they don't revisit some of their earlier designs.

It seems like it's been quite some time since the SG range has been available in it's traditional form.  There is/was the SG1820 which was an attempt of make something more LP-like, before that (about 20 years ago!) there was the SG700s with the unbound rosewood board and block markers.

I think it would be nice to see proper re-releases of the SG2000, SG1000 and some more keenly priced models like the SG800, SG600 etc.  Perhaps with an effort to find some lighter timber!

Bigsby

Philly_Q said:

jeztone2 said:

I don’t get why they didn't just reissue the SuperFlighter. Or contemporary it up. As someone else has said. I tried one, it felt like a generic Korean guitar. Like a Schecter. 

I think someone in Yamaha doesn’t get the legacy of what they have. I'd be putting out an SG1300T with a Gotoh 510 & a Floyd option on. I’d have an 80’s Floyd Style Pacifica in the range. They make amazing guitars at any price point. Remember the Troy Van Lewin Signature? Why not build something more like that?

I think you make a good point, it's odd that they don't revisit some of their earlier designs.

It seems like it's been quite some time since the SG range has been available in it's traditional form.  There is/was the SG1820 which was an attempt of make something more LP-like, before that (about 20 years ago!) there was the SG700s with the unbound rosewood board and block markers.

I think it would be nice to see proper re-releases of the SG2000, SG1000 and some more keenly priced models like the SG800, SG600 etc.  Perhaps with an effort to find some lighter timber!

I don't think it's that surprising. The SG1802/1820 range has been available for about eight years now, but they're only made in small numbers, and I guess Yamaha have worked out that it's a small market - essentially 'custom shop' guitars of a design that doesn't have the historical status of Gibsons and Fenders. I wouldn't say it's been an attempt to make a more LP-like SG - the original models were always considered to be pitted against the LP, and these current models are simply a bit more conventional in their construction than some of the earlier models (not all of which had neck-through construction, etc.). What they have done is tried to give them a broader appeal, with the 'traditional' look of the P90s & dot inlays, the classic Yamaha styling of the 1820, and the 'metal' version with EMGs.

Yes, Yamaha could've decided on a range of non-Japanese, lower cost SGs, but would they have sold better than the Revstars? I doubt it, (much as I've always loved the Yamaha SG, and personally prefer it the the Revstar). As for the Super Flighters, I think they would've been less popular than the Revstar - there's something quite 80s about the styling now, whereas the Revstars have that 'contemporary-retro' look - if you know what I mean... 

In terms of broadening Yamaha's range at multiple price points, I think the Revstar was the right move. It's just an oversaturated market out there.

TTBZ

I'm probably in the minority that thinks the Revstar body shape is way nicer than the SG. Just the headstock is a bit plain, if it had something like a Hagstrom or the Puresalem 3-a-side it'd look cool.

Whitecat

TTBZ said:

I'm probably in the minority that thinks the Revstar body shape is way nicer than the SG. Just the headstock is a bit plain, if it had something like a Hagstrom or the Puresalem 3-a-side it'd look cool.

I agree. On aesthetics alone I would have a Revstar any day of the week over an SGxxxx. 

Three-ColourSunburst

Bigsby said:

As for the Super Flighters, I think they would've been less popular than the Revstar - there's something quite 80s about the styling now, whereas the Revstars have that 'contemporary-retro' look - if you know what I mean.

I think this is spot on. Similarly, I was tempted for a while by one the lower-end 'Artist' Ibanez guitars, but the shape of these also kept yelling 'the look of the 80's'.  (And then there was all that blingy abalone inlay - the Revstar's understated, 'pseudo boutique' look is much more appealing to me.) Even the top-end AR 2619 suffers from this 'throwback to the 80's thing' to some degree, as with the big brass block that the bridge bolts to.

The more I have read up on the Revstar the more the marketing approach and overall design makes sense, and actually seems to be pretty clever. Problem is, the underlying rationale has not been articulated very well. As with a lot of marketing the assumption seems to be that the buyers will just 'get it', and I think that it is fair to say many potential buyers simply haven't. It seems that instead many have just thought, 'what on Earth have motorbikes got to with guitars?' rather than 'Ah yes, I can see that there is an underlying philosophy, something essential to both Yamaha and Japanese design, that is common to both these guitars and Yamaha motorbikes'.  Even cleverer, this symmetry exists on multiple levels given the current fashion for modern 'cafe racers' (Ducati's scrambler cafe racer being a good example) and 'contemporary retro-look' guitars. Perhaps the whole 'Revstar' thing was just a bit too clever!

Another issue that I think Yamaha could look at is communicating better the differences between the models. For example, the differences in neck shape. Ibanez seem to be much better than this, with each model having its own page giving neck dimensions, the exact model of pickup fitted and so on.

Phil_aka_Pip

Whitecat said:

TTBZ said:

I'm probably in the minority that thinks the Revstar body shape is way nicer than the SG. Just the headstock is a bit plain, if it had something like a Hagstrom or the Puresalem 3-a-side it'd look cool.

I agree. On aesthetics alone I would have a Revstar any day of the week over an SGxxxx. 

Not me. The SG2k is much prettier

Bigsby

Three-ColourSunburst said:

The more I have read up on the Revstar the more the marketing approach and overall design makes sense, and actually seems to be pretty clever. Problem is, the underlying rationale has not been articulated very well. 

I'd go further and say the problem is that's it's been articulated at all. If this design genuinely sprang from some idea about retro biker culture - we don't need to know it. FFS, we're guitarists - we just want cool guitars, no one cares about the inspiration. 

But by feeding it to us, Yamaha have sounded like a corporation, who have a marketing department that spot an emerging market, and send a brief to a design team, loaded with 'mood boards' covered in photos of bikes! The result is a corporate effort (for good or bad) - which is in marked contrast to a small brand like Reverend, who just dig guitars and come up with a design like the Sensei - which (perhaps) then appears on Yamaha's radar (and so on).

Ultimately, we just want cool guitars - the marketing BS can end up getting in the way... Just give us the end result

kennedydream1980

I own a Revstar RSP20CR which is the top of the line made in Japan model.

I was drawn to the guitar as I liked the whole concept behind the Revstar line. I think the guitar itself is top notch in everyway, from the construction down to the sound etc. It's just an impeccably well built guitar. It sounds incredible with sustain for days.

Temptation always get's the better for me as I love the sound of guitars with set neck/mahogany construction. Unfortunately for me the realisation is I just don't get on with the bigger neck and the feel of SG/Les Paul derived designs when it comes to guitar, I just don't seem to be able to get round them as well as strats. Hasn't stopped me buying many guitars of this style over the years though!!

So mine is currently up in the Classifieds to fund another Strat. I'm taking a big hit on the Revstar from what I paid which is to be expected I suppose.

If the SG/Les Paul style of guitar is your thing and you are looking for a different angle style wise, then I can highly recommend the Revstars.

Three-ColourSunburst

Bigsby said:

I'd go further and say the problem is that's it's been articulated at all. If this design genuinely sprang from some idea about retro biker culture - we don't need to know it. FFS, we're guitarists - we just want cool guitars, no one cares about the inspiration. 

But by feeding it to us, Yamaha have sounded like a corporation, who have a marketing department that spot an emerging market, and send a brief to a design team, loaded with 'mood boards' covered in photos of bikes! The result is a corporate effort (for good or bad) - which is in marked contrast to a small brand like Reverend, who just dig guitars and come up with a design like the Sensei - which (perhaps) then appears on Yamaha's radar (and so on).

Ultimately, we just want cool guitars - the marketing BS can end up getting in the way... Just give us the end result

I would say that what you say illustrates my point very well. The RS design didn't 'sprang from some idea about retro biker culture', it sprang from a desire to convey the 'Japaneseness' and 'Yamahaness' of these guitars, and the way they put a modern spin on a very traditional concept of what an electric guitar should be. The 'cafe racer' thing is just a convenient symbol that ties these ideas together. Problem is, perhaps, that the symbolism is so strong that many people can't get beyond it to see what it represents at a deeper level.

Such marketing is nothing new in the guitar world. Just look at Fender with its iconic 'Stratocaster', the name and image intended to convey ideas of modernity in the space age. Following a similar theme Gibson came up with the design of the 'Moderne, 'Flying V' and 'Explorer'. 

You single out Reverend as an exception. (Whose Sensei would would seem to be strongly influenced by Yamaha's own 'Super Flighter' from the 80's, whilst their Charger / Flatroc / Double Agent looks like an 80's Ibanez Talman.) However, they are just as guilty of 'marketing BS'.  Just look at the names they choose - the 'Charger', the 'Jetstream' the 'Six Gun', the 'Revstar', sorry, 'Super rev', and then there is the 'Sensei', a word drawn from zen Buddhism suggesting that the player of one of these guitars is a 'master' or 'teacher'.  (I understand that the fashionable term for this sort of thing is 'cultural appropriation'. )