Yamaha Revstar RSP02T Crisp Gold

Without a doubt, the most soulful Japanese-made instrument I've ever owned. Japanese guitars and basses (new and old) have a reputation for being all "precision quality" and no soul, but not this beautiful thing. All that engineering put into making this guitar sound worn-in from the day you open the case is definitely doing something, because that's exactly how it feels: like an old soul. You might call it buyer's confirmation bias, but I absolutely love this guitar and am glad I paid extra for the Japan model.

Fit and comfort is excellent. Yes, it's on the heavier side, but because it is balanced so excellently, it just sits on you comfortably at the perfect angle, so you don't have to deal with any neck-dive or imbalance. The cut of the body and shape of the neck are all wonderfully ergonomic, and the neck I find excellent. Slightly on the beefier side, but without being too unwieldy or slow. The frets are also exceptionally dressed, and just beg to be played.

For what it's worth, out of the box from Thomann I just needed to do a quick and easy adjustment of the neck, and everything else has been perfect: action, intonation, pickup height, etc. Side note: I never understand why reviewers find the need to comment on how guitars perform directly out of the box. After having being kept in various non-temp controlled warehouses and shipping containers for months, of course it's going to need a setup, first thing. In this case though, that was just a quick neck tweak. Easy.

Anyway, what surprised me the most was the versatility of these Yamaha P90's and Yamaha's boost system. You really have the best of all worlds here, with strong humbucker style tones and glassy single-coil tones all available with various configurations of the tone and volume knobs. Take note that the volume knob is far more critical here than on most guitars... just dropping the volume knob to 80% and you'll be in a completely different arena of tone possibilities, and likewise for all volume levels. I've never played a guitar where the volume knob has this degree of influence on the tone and playability.

Beyond all this though, the overwhelming impression is that this really is a master-built guitar with true soul and character, for much less than the US counterparts. I love that Yamaha are trying hard to forge their own path here, and not just trying to carbon-copy a P90 Gibson gold-top, or a generic Strat/Tele. It's conservative enough to evoke reflections of those classic guitars, but then has enough of its own charisma and charm to really stand out on its own. Absolutely lovely instrument, and by far, worth the extra cost.

This guitar promised to be amazing. But I didn't keep it...

The Yamaha Revstar RSP02T Crisp Gold looks fantastic. (Although looks and sound are subjective). The paint job, the finish, the hardware, are top notch. The P90s do not sound vintage. Yamaha designed their pickups with a unique, modern (yet not exaggerated,) twist. I did not expect it, but I do like it a lot. (I‘ve always been a fan of vintage gear). From delicious cleans to even more delicious overdriven sounds. Balanced, versatile, maybe slightly too much high frequencies, but that can easily be tamed. A perfect fit between humbuckers and single coils. An almost “I can do it all” guitar. I dare say I like it more than my Custom Shop Gibson 1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue VOS, which I sold because it never really clicked. I tested the Yamaha Revstar on a Star Sirius Reverb 30 (Class A tube amp by Mark Sampson) and a 1971 Marshall Super Lead. Straight into the amps, no pedals, no reverb, all EQ flat. I have quite a few electric guitars, Fenders, Duesenberg, Ibanez, Maybachs, Gretsch, Gibsons, Eastman,... both vintage and new. All great instruments, but this Yamaha seemed ready to take the stage. The neck plays super easy and pleasant. I am a fan of the 24 3/4 neck scale. The radius combination works really well for me.

Still, I returned it...

The guitar had an awful setup. The action was bad, rattling strings, no accurate tuning possible on the 12th fret, the harmonics or with open strings. A nightmare. It also kept detuning, before and after replacing the standard strings with new ones. Would be a complete fiasco for live gigs. The frets were so sharp that, after a while, it became uncomfortable and I had to put the guitar aside. Of course, you could bring it to a good luthier and spend a lot of money to get it right, but I gave up on that. It is just not what I expect and not acceptable for a guitar in this price range. Yamaha could learn a lot from its compatriot Ibanez in this regard. The weight was also very disappointing. At 3.82 kg – this guitar even has a chambered body – it is the second heaviest guitar I own. Not ideal for a long concert. (I don't change guitars during a performance). For these reasons, I returned it.

One more small detail. The case is rather ordinary. Nothing wrong with that, but it's really one out of a dozen, whereas high-end guitars often get to show off in a more luxurious, stylish and sturdy case.

It is such a beautiful guitar with a fantastic sound. But I don't want to hang it up against the wall and just look at it. I want to play it and gig with it. Over and over again. What a shame. It could have been a perfect instrument.