Yamaha Revstar set up
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- In this short(ish) video I'm setting up Stuart's new Yamaha Revstar. This guitar looks great, feels good and sounds fantastic. It's a 2 x P90 pickup rig with a 5 position lever switch plus a push-pull switch that er.. does something. Kidding aside, I really quite like not knowing technically what's going on - and a quick peek into the electrics cavity confirms that I have no idea what's happening in that cave of wonders. There's a transformer in there... that's about all I know... plus a superswitch. And several capacitors... and a weedy little volume pot. Why is the transformer there? What does it do exactly? Why are there capacitors sticking out of the lugs on that complex switch? The answer to these questions may be found online...somewhere but I didn't find them yet. The 5 tonal options from the two P90s are excellent and give lots of difference to play with. The tone pot is full-range (you REALLY know when you've got it one way or the other) and the push-pull switch beefs up the tone...somehow, in a way that has to do with the transformer-thingy. The only downer is that if I want to reproduce this tonal palette on another build then I'm going to have to get to the bottom of this wiring schema and learn what everything does :)
I did quite a lot of work getting the custom-made Tusq nut + base combination to the exact size required off-camera and the video starts with me ready to set the action and precision level the frets. I knew from playing the guitar that there was a problem up around the 12th fret (either a high fret or a low one)... and using the Banana levelling tool confirmed that pretty quickly. There was a significantly low fret (#12) and that was causing choke-out on high E bends and causing a load of fret slap on the lower strings, a lot of it focused on that area (but not limited to it). I was able to clear up the high E bend choke followed by alleviating most of the fret slap on the wound strings. That low fret was a big stumbling block to setting a low action on this guitar; thankfully my levelling method was able to confirm it, identify it and resolve it. - Jak na to + styl
The transformer is part of the boost control, it increases the output voltage, I purchased the "standard" and haven't touched my other guitars since, best Yamaha since the SG2000.
PS Thanks for the video.
Thanks for that explanation Steve :) I think you're right about this being the best since the SG2000 - although I loved my Yamaha SE350 (a Matsumoko-built one from the 80s...)
Nah, it's electronic spaghetti.
Hello Sam!
As always, an excellent set-up on this beautiful Yamaha
with p90 pickups, 5way switch never seen before !!
It's always very interesting how you explain everything so precisely, in an exemplary and clear way that people understand. In the meantime I've tried a few things on my guitars and it just keeps getting better with your help !!
I always look forward to your videos!
Greetings from Austria from Lake Constance,
Andy M
Thanks Andi - hope you're well! Yes... really nice switching configuration. I want to copy it now! :-D
Great video Sam. Just got my Revstar and now I know how to set it up. Cool that you still use a tuning fork! I still have a pitch pipe
What a masterclass!!!
👍👌👌
Really interesting ! Like the shorter video as well. Thanks !
Thanks.. the 'shortness' was partly because I did a fair bit of preparation off-camera, particularly shaping and prepping the nut.
Wish you weren't all the way in the U.K. You'd have a boatload of work over here in the U.S. I have 5 guitars myself that could use your touch! Lol 😅
You do nice work Sam 👌
Then again, you're better off where you're at. It's a mess over here at the moment lol
Hi Sam ,
I bought a black P90 Revstar Standard a few months ago and luckily it was great straight out of the box and became one of my favourite guitars.I do wonder how much better the pro version might be but not going there yet😂👍
I remember setting up a Pro version (the first of the two I've worked on) - and IIRC the fit-and-finish was awesome. And the hardware felt top quality in brushed steel..
I suspect that the transformer is lowing the output voltage so that when you pull up on the pot, it defeats the circuit which then gives you a perceived volume boost
Hi Chris ... defeats which circuit? I'm only at Kindergarten level electronics :-) You're right it's a kind of volume boost (beefs up the sound slightly).
There’s a Phil McKnight video it is a true boost as it turns out although initially he assumed what you assumed.
Hi Sam, the Revstar is the one guitar I still fancy buying. I did actually buy one last year from Bax Music but they had packaged it so badly the neck was broken on arrival (sob) so it had to be returned. I was wondering if there was anywhere other than StewMac where you can get hold of the stiffer truss rod to make the banana? I have managed to get one but it's for a Taylor and is a touch short for electric guitars. I'm looking for one of the Bass ones 22-13/16" which are on offer at StewMac but with £20 postage from USA natch. Anywhere in the UK you can recommend? Cheers in advance 👍
PS: You need an emergency tin of Fox's Biscuit Selection at the workshop for those low sugar hanger moments :)
Hi Sam, I saw your ‘How to use the banana’ video, where you use a simple truss rod with stick on sanding paper. However, this ‘banana’ looks different. Is it a type of truss rod I don’t know of, or something else? This manner of fret levelling is one of the smartest guitar tech approaches I’ve come across! Thanks! 😊
Hi thanks for the comment & feedback. Yes - I've changed the rod I use from the simple 'one-way' truss rod to a stiffer (and slightly wider) 'U-Channel' truss rod. Depending on where you are, you can find them sold as 'Martin-style' truss rods. Hosco makes them and I know StewMac in the US sells them. I've found that the U-Channel rod's extra stiffness helps to alleviate what I call 'fret slap' but the regular truss rod does too... you just have to have an even lighter touch so as not to bend it too much :)
my Revstar little E touches the back of the bridge and all the other strings clear the bridge, which is ok by me....if I raise the chrome string holder ,to clear the little E string ,will I change the intonation of my guitar......I have a feeling that my little E sounds a little muffled,because of this....cheers from Quebec city....Andre Breitler
I tried one a couple of years ago at the London Yamaha store, I love the look but the neck is insane !! it's thick and wide, I felt it was unplayable in comparison to Les Paul's neck.
Are there differences between the models? Now Im thinking maybe the one I tried has a chunky neck.
I can't say... I don't have any major objections to any / all kinds of necks so I can't ever recall finding one or another 'unplayable' - but that's a personal take. It's absolutely no wider at the nut than a Les Paul - although it does have the volute below / behind the nut which does make it feel bigger right there. But the rest felt OK to me.
I have a left handed Revstar Standard. I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to do and pullin' and pushin' the pot made no difference to my ears. I suspect it could've been due to the use of a right handed pot (if that matters) or what-have-you but I am not a fan of push/pull pots anyway. So I got rid of it and went with left handed CTS pots and your usual 5-way super-switch with split coils in positions 2 and 4. You really like it? interesting
Yeah... I mean I like the 5 position out of two P90s for starters.. I'm not sure how useful the push-pull modification would actually be when playing. And yes, it's too clunky a knob by far. I would prefer a push-push if anything...
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars I think there's room there for one of those mini switches between the two pots? but could be more trouble than it's worth (cracking the finish when drilling, etc)
Dont you need masking take on the fret board when you use the fret crowning file? Doesn't it scratch the fretboard?
No - the crowning file edges don't touch the fretboard - unless the frets are very low / flat. But even then the worst it does is a small 'pressure' line, nothing major.
Excellent setup demo. Thank you! I wonder about setting the actual p90’s (always been a humbucker guy) I find these pups “wobbly” and was wondering if this is normal?
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