Yamaha RSS20 Revstar Standard Electric Guitar, Hot Merlot Overview

Yamaha RSS20 Revstar, Hot Merlot

Superb solidbody electric guitar with a ultra-stable carbon-reinforced neck, resonant chambered body and versatile switching options.

Standard Series

The Yamaha RSS20 Revstar is a member of the Standard family, which resides between the flagship Professional and keenly priced Element models in the Revstar series. The guitars in the Revstar Standard line present a more affordable alternative to the Professional models, offering the same pickups, versatile electronics and carbon-reinforced necks as their Japanese-made siblings. Like all Revstar models, this solid-body electric guitar delivers a rich tone, slick playability and a selection of striking finishes.

Chambered Body

At the core of the RSS20 and its bold, resonant tone are is its quality tonewoods and construction. The RSS20’s body and neck are sculpted from Mahogany, a tonewood that’s well-known for its warm highs, juicy mids and deep lows. Topping the Mahogany body is a Maple cap, which enhances note separation and tonal clarity. The Mahogany body has been chambered using Yamaha’s unique Acoustic Design process. This process significantly improves resonance whilst reducing weight and optimising balance, making the RSS20 a lot more comfortable to play standing up.

Slick Playability

A Rosewood fretboard and 22 Jumbo frets cap the set-in 3-piece Mahogany neck for super slick and modern playability. Whether you’re playing emotive Blues licks, chugging Rock riffs or face-melting Metal solos, you can count on this neck to feel superb. As with all guitars in the Standard range, the RSS20 boasts a carbon-reinforced neck. In addition to improving stability and temperature resistance, carbon reinforcement also promotes vibration transfer. The back of the neck is coated in a satin-smooth finish for that inviting, played-in feel.

Alnico V Humbuckers

Each RSS20 model is equipped with dual Alnico V humbucking pickups - a punchy VH5b in the bridge and a juicy VH5n in the neck. Control is catered for by the Master Volume, Master Tone and the 5-way selector switch. Positions 2 and 4 present a fresh take on “in-between” tones by slightly delaying the opposite pickup.

The RSS20 is outfitted with Yamaha’s Focus Switch, a passive boost that emulates the sound of an overwound pickup by increasing mid and bass frequencies. The Focus Switch can be engaged on the fly by reaching for the Master Tone knob, which doubles as a push-pull switch.

If P-90 pickups or single-coils are more your thing, the RSS02T is also available in a wide variety of finishes including Black, Hot Merlot, Sunset Burst and Swift Blue.

Premium Elixir Strings

As an added bonus and an indication of the sheer quality of these instruments, Yamaha fit all Revstar Standard guitars with premium Elixir strings. Elixir’s strings are immensely popular with professional players due to their impressive durability and crisp tone.

Striking Finishes

Yamaha offers the RSS20 Revstar guitar in a range of exciting café racer-inspired gloss polyurethane finishes, including (Black, Flash Green, Hot Merlot, Sunset Burst, Swift Blue, Vintage White) and as a left-handed model (Black, Swift Blue). Lefties are catered for by the left-handed RSS20L, which is available in (Black, Swift Blue).

The Yamaha RSS20 Revstar guitar is a top-notch guitar for intermediate and experienced guitarists that are looking for a premium double-cut electric guitar at an accessible price point.