Yamaha Revstar Review with Guitar Setup Tech Tips
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2023
- An in-depth review of a Yamaha Revstar electric guitar, with plenty of Tech Tips for guitar setup and improvements.
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This whole video was excellently done. I too own a Revstar Standard and I love it. I do my own setup work and am happy to say that I could not have made any aspect of this guitar's overall factory setup any better at all. And I am a very picky bastard! I am obsessive actually. If I could say that the only part of this video I did not like was the guy(s) in the background talking away. I found that completely distracting and found the focus of my listening constantly shifting to listening to what the mystery background dude was talking about. So, that was a fail. Sorry. I realize it's a business locale, and it forges ahead regardless of a video being done. Maybe try to do the video when you know nobody needs to be in the same room carrying on another unrelated conversation. Other than that though, it was great. I especially liked the zoomed in bits. Very cool. Cheers.
I really appreciate your feedback. I especially love the fact that you were able to share your thoughts in a positive and polite way. I wish more people gave me constructive criticism, instead of a silent thumbs down, so I know what to work on to improve. So thank you for that.
That said, I also have to admit that background noise is something that I've bene struggling with for a while. I try to wait for a quiet time, then all the sudden, someone walks in, or start laughing, or the phone rings, etc. If you watched any other videos you might have noticed that some were recorded late at night. Sometimes I go to bed around 5am, because I was up late recording. And the lack of sleep is damaging my health.
This particular video was actually recorded by the actual customer. I asked him to do camera work. We had to do a few takes and it was already cutting into his personal time, so I had to use the best take and I even manually cut out some of the background noise in editing. I didn't want him to leave the guitar for a few days, because he comes for far away.
Here's the good news.
In the past couple of month I've bene upgrading my audio recording gear. I've already spent around $1,000 to tackle this problem. The latest incarnation of my attempt to cut on background noise can actually be seen in my second RevStar video czcams.com/video/8BSfGsG2FnU/video.html which I recorded using a unidirectional headset microphone.
Interestingly, even that microphone is still not good enough for all situations. As it turns out, yesterday I was trying to record a Gibson Chet Atkins assessment video, while some drummer was rehearsing close by. That drummer was so loud that my unidirectional mic (that was positioned right in front of my mouth) still picked up his noise, over my voice.
So I had to wait over an hour till he left, which affected my business, I I end up earning significantly less by the hour.
But while he was still rehearsing I spent the downtime wisely and bought yet another microphone, the Shure WH20, www.amazon.com/dp/B0002F6OY4 which I think will be more suitable in those situations.
In case anyone is curious, here's a list of other audio gear I recently bought to improve the audio of my recordings.
RODE Wireless PRO - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CB2HGR9Q
AnkerWork M650 - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQMGJG7V
J K MIC-J 069 Earhook - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D49N8C4
PoP voice Professional Lavalier - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016C4ZG74
Ai also bought two shotgun microphones and a new audio interface, which did not work out for this purpose.
Again, thank you for your feedback.
Hopefully I can keep you on board until I figure out my audio situation.
And don't forget to click like, share and subscribe.
Again... excellent setup video. I think the best I have ever seen. That is the main reason I dared to critique the background noise. As far as I am concerned, you are the "Rick Beato" of guitar setup on CZcams. (Any musician who is serious knows Rick!) So, please keep your expertise coming. I for one am taking it all in. I subscribed and liked. Cheers. @@GuitarQuackery
Yep, understood. You'll see some improvements in this upcoming year. Of course, I will also have to edit some of the older recordings, so in the upcoming months there will be a mix of videos that were recorded using the old gear, but eventually the channel will technically improve.
I also recently made a creative change to the way I edit. So, the new videos start with a short teaser, the it transitions into the logo opening graphic. Perhaps this way the videos will have a better audience retention percentage. Right now 70% of viewers just log off during the first 30 seconds, with at least 30% of viewers not being able to watch through the first 5 seconds. I'm not sure if its an issue of the average attention span, these days, or if I'm not editing my videos right (or both). Time will tell.
For whatever it's worth, I think your video work is very much on point. I think they are extremely well-done and I, personally, would not change the approach. If anything, I could only guess that the extraneous noise (background/onsite talking, phones ringing and other distractions) is distracting enough to not only me, but others who are trying to glean some wisdom from your expertise. It sounds like you are already on the noise case, so that will only help your viewership in the long run. I know I just about shut your video off (because the background voice just about made it impossible at times to listen to only you), but I could see that you were an obvious expert and knew what you were talking about, so I put up with the background noise to listen to you. **And there is no finger-pointing here. Nobody is in the wrong. Business life goes on regardless of what video is being made in that busy working environment. I believe that, once you deal with the extraneous noise issue, you will be full-speed-ahead in the CZcams world of deep-dive guitar setup expertise. You have a great channel there. Keep going. Cheers.@@GuitarQuackery
@@rickfrancismusic Thanks, agin, for your feedback. I wish there was more of that from viewers, as I obviously make the videos for the viewers.
I started this channel just about a year ago and I had this idea that if I'm gonna start yet another guitar channel, it has to be somehow different from all the other guitar channels.
So, I added the Chinese proverbs, and the phone calls.
I actually got two positive feedbacks about the phone calls and I also got two comments that suggest they are distracting.
Like I said, the idea is to present the information in a different way, so sometimes the calls are just humorous and at times the "callers" prompt me to "answer questions" and therefore add more information to the video.
Of course, at this time the calls are already part of the flavor of this channel and I don't think I should do abandon the idea. But I do want to figure out a way to improve.
I do believe that if I stop doing the calls, part of the audience will miss them.
Hopefully, for those who don't think that the calls are adding value, at least they are brief enough.
Of course, I might be wrong about the whole thing.
Maybe I should do a poll, once I have enough subscribers.
Hey man, I actually saved your video for later, I even took a snapshot so I could remember to prioritize it as I was in the middle of building a studio desk. But I couldn’t resist so I clicked on it, put my headphones in and put my phone in my pocket. I gained so much info just by listening. Later I’ll actually watch it. Now, being that you’re open to advice and are receptive to it in a welcoming manner I’ll add by saying I appreciate your willingness to show your expertise and positive approach to criticism. I loved the video, noise and all, if I missed something I just went back 10 seconds. This is your channel and you can’t be everything to everybody. I’m now a subscriber.
Thanks for dropping by and I hope you'll get some value from the videos on this channel.
Passive boost is possible with a transformer like this. It boosts signal in exchange of a bigger impedance (so the darker tone). This was used by Tom Anderson for many years.
Thank you very much for sharing this useful information.
Liked and subscribed! Great video with some very informative content. I'm an engineer and a very amateur guitarist, but I do my own setups and I take a lot of pride in making cheap guitars play like very expensive ones-to the point where I do setups for my mates in exchange for alcoholic beverages. Your use of a dial gauge to check 1st fret clearance is far more scientific a method than I've used in the past. Your microscopic view of the nut is very informative and certainly something I'll be using in the future.
Great vid and very balanced review of the guitar. I've been resisting getting one of these guitars, but your review has given me the confidence to put my money down. My very first electric guitar was a 1989-ish Yamaha RGZ211M that still plays beautifully today (despite needing a refret).
Hello and welcome to the channel. Glad you find some value in the content that also gives you some ideas to explore further. Enjoy.
This is, by far, the most in-depth look at a nut I have ever seen and I learned a lot from you. Thank you so much! You earned a subscription and a like. I know you said not to, but what can a man do?
Thank you. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the episodes to come.
Love everything about this channel, i decided to buy a revstar because of this video, and I will use this video to help set it up if needed - thank you!
Great to hear!
Let us know how the set up goes.
Nice work!
Those Rev Stars are really cool
I like the zoomed in camera angle!
Thanks! I plan on doing more reviews like that.
Fascinating stuff 👍👍👍
Thanks. Make sure you don’t tell anyone about this channel. I don’t wanna have too many subscribers. That would put me in a higher tax bracket.
Great Vid and well presented thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent technical review! At the stated price range the guitar was likely made in Yamaha's Indonesia shop. It stands to reason there would be relatively minor QC issues. I have the Pro model, made in Japan with Humbucker pickups but the same Sunset Burst finish. I am very happy with it and it played and sounded great right out of the box, though I'm sure this technical pro would find a couple of things that need a little tinkering with. I could barely afford a Les Paul, but I'm happy to have the Revstar Pro, which I feel would stand up well to the average LP at half the price. The Revstar has some published science behind the chambering and embedded carbon fiber rods. I have enough left in my budget to look at the AS 2200 ... two made in Japan top of the line Yamahas for the price of one Gibson -- nice!
Thank you for your thorough comment. It definitely adds valuable information to this review.
i bought that rev star thank you for the tips
Sure thing. I hope the setup tips helped you out.
Excellent video. I also have this exact model. (love it!) Your deep dive and setup answered a number of questions. BTW, sorry: I subscribed…
Oh, no… I guess it was difficult to resist the temptation to subscribe. I’ll have to lower the bar on the quality of my videos.
Subbed! Cool channel 😁
Awesome thank you!
Liked, Sub'ed and about to call the shop!
Thanks.
Very good!!!
Thanks!!
i'm glad to see you already have more than 335 subscribers! :) congratulations!
i love Revstar. the design and build quality even for the cheapest models in the line are amazing. i'll buy one when i have a chance.
It's a solid guitar, for sure.
Got mine yesterday ....first impressions fantastic instrument....RSS20 btw thought I wouldnt like the booster...but it sounds so good in the mix....set the amp to just at break up and hit the switch and the Allmans Filmore ! played yesterday for two hours and my hand was not tired.. ( have three strats I usually play and hand gets tired bout an hour in ...)
@@888jimm Sounds like the guitar is a good match for you. Keep us posted...
@@GuitarQuackery -; Will do... Honeymoon 🤣 mind you it came cross country on a truck in the heat haven't set it up yet...action is about three feet off the deck and it still played good...
How can I measure nut height w)o a dial indicator?
Thanks in advance!
Top Job.
Thanks!
Toothpicks also work well for applying lubricant to nut string slots.
Toothpicks are quite versatile, in deed. Thanks for posting your tech tip.
Thanks for the lesson about nut adjustments !
I have exactly the same model in swift blue. I added springs to the pickup screws of mine, locking grover tuners and round counterscrews to the bridge stands (looked a bit dangerously high in my opinion).
Changed the mini volume pot by a regular one.
Made a bone trussroad cover and removed the pickguard.
That's all.
Fantastic guitar, even compared with my US SG Standard and LP Classic.
Oh, I’d love to see your work. Do you have a channel?
@@GuitarQuackery No I don't but I could send you some photographs
@@jeanm.8344 The mod that I think would be interesting to see on CZcams is the fabrication of the bone T-rod cover. If I understand correctly, you made a T-rod cover from bone, right?
I have that exact rig.........I am very happy with the setup, but I see your perfection of it makes me wish ! Yamaha has made great musical instruments for decades, no it's not a Gibson or Fender but then this is not 1902/1946. I would like an American guitar I guess my second (in 1972 I had a Silvertone) will be a C.F. Martin. Thank You for your video.
There will always be fluctuations in quality within the same make and model of guitars.
I agree with you that Yamaha is a very solid factory, but as with any factory sometimes there are imperfections.
But with Yamaha, I don’t see the kind of imperfections, on consistent basis, that would make me believe Yamaha is a bad company.
I wish I could bring my guitars to your shop, San Diego to New York is a long haul.
Maybe one day! I’d love to have you. Oh, BTW, I am actually working on a remote tech diagnostics concept. But right now I have other priorities.
I have the Element and it has a three way slider switch, which I really dislike. A 3 way toggle and individual volume controls would give you much more versatility.
Is it because the toggle allows for quicker switching on the fly?
Very interesting video ... but what is the tool you used to determine the nut slot height called ? Thanks
It is called the Nut Slotting Gauge.
I made my own, but the commercially available version is available through this link amzn.to/3TbS4fz
This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hope this helps.
Oh, this is such a rare find - a beautifully detailed technical review of exactly the guitar I'm looking to get. Love the camera angles and all the minutae. Wonderful work.
Could you tell me, what are your views on the p90 pickup heights? I'd love to hear some measurement recommendations. The bridge and the neck seem so differently setup on all p90 guitars I've seen so far.
I’m glad you enjoyed the camera work.
To answer your question about P-90s.
As a general rule, I set up the neck pickup first, regardless if it’s a P-90 or any other pickup.
I fret-down the low and the high E strings, to see the distance between the pickup pole pieces and the strings. I start by distancing the pole pieces about 1/8” from the fretted strings. This is my starting point.
Now I play the strings individually and back down the pickup to balance out the highs and lows, listening to volume.
When the neck pickup is set up, I balance the bridge pickup. Again, trying to match volume output from low to high, matching the neck pickup, or making it a little bit louder.
One of my CZcams heroes, Dylan, from the Dylan Talks Tone channel, made a good point, not to rely on the ears alone, but to use a DAW software, and look at the volume there. I’m going to start using that method just to see if it works for me.
@@GuitarQuackery That's a wonderful response, thank you. The DAW tip seems like a great approach. I'll try it out. And on what fret do you fret the strings for the initial 1/8" gap?
@@Oleg_K. Just on the last fret, regardless how many frets on the fretboard. The idea is that the strings don't get too close (or touch) the pole pieces when playing all the way up the fingerboard extension.
@@GuitarQuackery Wonderful. Thank you.
wow....just got my revstar....and you are the only one on internet that showed me the tail piece adjustment of the p90 model....my little E string is touching the back bridge....so if I raise the back tail,it should clear the bridge ...I guess....cheers
From your description, I believe that raising the tail piece, which reduces the break angle, will solve your problem.
If you don’t have feeler gauges, you can use a Post-it note instead.
@@GuitarQuackery thanks
cool....I think you actually....re-videoed cause of my question????? thanks a whole bunch.....will the tail piece adjustment frig up my intonation??????
@@andreb1605 Actually, I did not redo the video. But I'll take the credit anyway.
@@frankentronics so you just covered everything....for you are a pro??????????????cheers ...love it...
I liked your technical aspect on guitar reviews so I subscribed.
I bought my Revstar RSP02T last month. Was going to buy the standard version but I always loved Japanese made guitars and decided to go for the pro version which is more than double the price of the standard. Test it out and liked it a lot. The finish on the fret is really nice and felt great. After a few days of honeymoon mode with the guitar, I closely inspected the guitar and noticed small blemishes on the body. I think dust got onto the body before it was painted. Was planning on returning it to Sweetwater but they gave me 10% discount so a saving of $230 and I decided to keep it. I may have a luthier do some set up and more inspections. Probably change the graphite nut to a bone nut. Will see if the luthier like to rewiring the pick ups to get a clearer and brighter tones on the P90s.
Thank you for sharing the interesting developments regarding the purchase of your guitar.
Out of curiosity, why is it that you wish to replace the nut?
@@GuitarQuackery Not a fan of graphite nut. Not sure if bone nut will affect the electric guitar much or not. I just like to be different LOL.
@@sithbk0075 Have you ever considered nylon?
@@GuitarQuackery Interesting, never crossed my mind on nylon.
@@sithbk0075 Nylon is very durable and self lubricating. Hard to work with, though. Check out my video czcams.com/video/8b1Su9HH7us/video.html Filing a '50s Gibson Style Nylon Nut.
Great! I have the rusty rat one with steel wool finish, what do you suggest I should use to clean it from hand grease? I don't want to ruin it.
Are you asking me to recommend a cleaning product for guitar?
If so, I can recommend the Music Nomad Guitar dDetailer, which is great for most situations.
Because you mentioned it I had a look under the cover of the truss rod cavity of my Revstar RSS20, and I had at least as much dirt (white dust) and masking tape there as you found in this video. The truss rod was tight, so somebody did the neck adjustment, but did not care about the dirt. A small screw driver and a vacuum cleaner did the job in 2 minutes.The nut is very high, up to 20/100 mm, so this needs some further work.
I actually had a chance to look at a few Yamaha Revstar guitars, lately.
It is my conclusion that the nut is an opportunity for improvements.
And as you mention, it appears that they don’t do a thorough cleanup job around the the truss rod, after buffing.
@@GuitarQuackery Thank you for your videos. I love the style and your sense of humour.
@@martinbuehrlen Thanks. Hopefully my videos are worth your time. Cheers.
I enjoy your videos without the aspiration to do everything myself. I will reach out to a luthier to fix the nut. I have also looked at the electronics. The soldering looks bad, 'cold' solder joints everywhere, even though I have to admit that everything works so far.
@@GuitarQuackery is this true of standard and professional models
Hi there, would graphite work just as well as a lubricant for each slot of the nut?
Yes it would. The only issue with graphite is that it can get visually messy. But if you apply it carefully inside of the string slots it can still be discreet.
Is there anything we can do tonight reduce hum that comes from the P90s ?
I'm not sure about what we can do tonight, but as a general answer to your question, we can introduce a choke coil... to reduce the hum... or to "buck" the hum. That's what a humbucker is.
So, that's what humbuckers are all about.
i thought this chanel is at least have 100K subscriber.
Great POV, and what a fun man. it will be better if you use a microphone,
As it turns out, I just bought a microphone system to upgrade my videos. Thanks.
I love my Revstar, but the frets were a little rough which you could feel when bending with wide vibrato. I polished frets thoroughly and much better.
Guitars are not as consistent of a product as many other products are. iPhones are all the same. Cameras of the same make and model are all the same. But guitars of the same make and model always have variations. I notice really rough frets on some brand new Gibson guitars, but not all of them. I guess it all depends who at the factory is doing the work.
Was your Revstar a Standard or a Pro? Just curious
@@ChidOkiStandard
I believe these have .10s from the factory. Would putting .09s on the Revstar affect the setup much. Relief etc?
If you’re gonna put 9s I would at least do 9-46 instead of 9-42. I can’t imagine that the setup would be affected by much. Although I would not count on a setup being dead on from the factory, anyway.
I see that you've passed 335 subscribers. I'm looking forward to winning the "made in USAA" Gibson ES335.
Thanks, let's all look forward to the official draw of the winner.
@@GuitarQuackery Delayed gratification is not my strong suit. Are you going to give away an ES345 when you hit 345 subscribers, and an ES355 when you hit 355 subscribers? Just a thought.
@@danrunnoft6642 To be honest, I just kind of wink these videos on the fly, whenever I have a minute. As the channel grows, bigger, or should I say, BIGGER, I eventually want to start giving away BIGGER guitars. But after one year of posting these videos, I’m not even close to 1,000 subscribers.
So, help me grow the channel bigger, tell your friends, and see what happens.
@@GuitarQuackery I'm just joking with you about the giveaways, because I know that you have a sense of humor. I only found you less than 2 weeks ago. Your channel is very unique, entertaining, and informative. You added 2 subscribers in the last hour. There is an old Chinese proverb that says "don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory". This channel is about to take off, please don't give up on it.
Do many new guitars have perfectly cut nuts? It seems that for $800.00 a high nut slot and a couple of high frets is not too bad. The pick-up should have been properly shimmed, though.
The nut is such a central part of the guitar, I don’t think there should be an excuse for $800.
Taylor guitars have pretty much perfect nuts.
Manufacturers can do it, if they’re really put their minds to it.
@@GuitarQuackery It's a question of manufacturing cost and price. For an $850 guitar, I'd say that just one high nut slot is pretty good. Even adding $75 to have a technician fix it, the Revstar looks like a great buy for $925. I would bet that there are very few guitars under a grand that come with five well cut nut slots. Taylors are more expensive and not a fair comparison.
Is the standard model ?
I don’t know. I don’t know much about this guitar model.
At the price mentioned this is the standard. Pro is about 1500 and the Element about 400
The pro is $2,199 USD
@@aperezdeal Should have mentioned I meant UK/EUR prices, my dude. Got mine for £1500
Great video. But I miss the measurements.
I’d be curious to know which measurements you would like to see. Perhaps I can do better in the next video. Thank you.
Measurements of the changes before and after. I bought the P90 Revstar lately and stopped the video wherever you showed any settings. It would be great if you could deliver the measurements in retrospect if possible.
@@2ka244 Since this guitar belongs to a customer, I no longer have access to the guitar. So I would not be able to retroactively post any specs in the description. But, thank you for your valuable feedback. I will try to incorporate that in future videos, whenever possible.
There is no such Chinese saying. Lol
I get all of my Chinese proverbs from a book of Chinese proverbs by Dr. Randy Andy.