I have been thinking of buying an RS620, which I can get locally (on clearance) in the Brick Burst finish for about £570. Thing is, after the initial buzz surrounding these guitars on their release I haven't seen much discussion of them, and the fact that I have seen several of the models on sale at discount prices (mainly the upper range ones) does sort of suggest that the market hasn't really taken to them and / or they were rather overpriced on release.
So, are these still living up to the release hype, or have some of the things that many people said they didn't really like - such as the easily-marked matte finishes and relatively high prices for an Indonesian-made guitar - depressed the market for them somewhat?
I know that what really matters is what they play and sound like, but I don't really want to buy something that I would have to give away should I ever want to move it on in the future.
Comments
Ref the initial marketing hype etc etc - You know that Yamaha don't build a bad guitar and that is a fairly simple statement to begin with - But considering the marketing hype, a 2 year design period and a marketing/design team to get the project going, then I'd say more miss then hit - I've had 2 second hand models so far and both were hard to sell, both in-store, on-line and at shows with very little interest shown in them
Nothing wrong with the actual guitar regarding build quality etc, but did the market need another invasion of ' the best guitar ever' and the easy answer is no
It was overly heavy, totally generic, poor-sounding and had a nasty s-bend in the neck which meant it needed a major fret dress to even be properly playable.
Probably not typical, but it gave me no confidence in the factory’s quality control and completely put me off the range.
Play before you buy or make sure you can send it back if it’s like that...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
It was superb. Virtually played itself. Pickups were great, properly decent-sounding Filtertron copies. The BIgsby worked fine. Yes the finish was unusual with it being matte flame maple, and I guess it would shine up after a while, but I really liked it. The country of origin makes no difference to anything other than price. The build quality was totally flawless.
I haven't played any of the others but I would recommend without hesitation if you're concerned about playability and sound rather than image. Kenny's music are still doing the RS720B for £499 which is a great price. I sold mine on for £400 and there was a lot of interest so perhaps not that much money at stake if you don't like it.
If they had made Bigsby model for that specific guitar, then I would 100% have bought it.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/alternative-body-guitars/yamaha-revstar-rs502t-guitar-in-bowden-green
It felt really good and played wonderfully. It just felt right and I was really impressed.
Unfortunately the store had another Yamaha that I was always interested in, the SG1820, and it was new and at a ridiculously great price. I couldn't resist and bought the 1820.
Hand on heart, when I pick it up it doesn't give me the vibe that I got off that Revstar.
I bought the wrong guitar. I broke my golden rule and that it is what's in your hands that counts.
How do you describe the nondescript?
IMHO, the ones I've played were just bland, bland, bland...
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Yamaha are perhaps the Honda of the guitar world. Properly engineered, deeply competent machines. Arguably somewhat lacking in soul because it's the flaws that deliver personality.
If you're looking for a guitar to love like a pet, maybe a reliced Strat or slightly wonky Gibson is the ideal choice. If you're looking for a guitar to be dependable and do the job with utmost, if somewhat aloof, competence, with everything in its right place and nothing falling off, Yamaha is where it's at.
I also do find the Pacificas really bland, but I’ve never played an objectively bad one.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
In terms of a third guitar, I’d considered this against a Gretsch Streamliner, and I probably lean towards the latter more, but I’ve got a little bit of a soft spot for them partly because it’s not a Gibson/PRS etc. Love of the underdog? Probably.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein