2022 Yamaha Revstar in-depth comparison: Standard vs Element | Which should you buy? Guitar Shootout

[Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] welcome back to rich words music where today we're comparing these two guitars now here we have the 2022 yamaha revstar element in a rather alluring shade of neon yellow and here we have the 2022 yamaha revstar standard this time in a rather elegant sunset burst color now these are my two favorite guitars that i've tried new in the year 2022. they're two of the three tiers of yamaha's new relaunched revstar range and what we're going to do today is try and find out should you go for the element or should you go for the standard model now the element comes in at just under 500 or euros and the standard is around 800 or euros so you've got about 300 euros worth of price difference but is it worth it that's the question that we're going to try and answer today so first i'm going to tell you about the specifications and features of the two guitars then we're going to play them in a variety of different styles so you can hear how they sound when playing multiple different genres of music and at the end i'll tell you about my experiences having had the guitars here at home for the past few weeks and tell you which i think is worth your money more at the end of the day now i should also say that i've done detailed individual videos on both of these guitars elsewhere on my channel so you can watch those afterwards if you want more details about the specs and everything but let's quickly go through those now we'll start with the revstar element then at under 500 or euros this is the most affordable of the new revstar range now underneath this neon yellow finish with racing stripe we have a chambered mahogany body and on the front of the body of the guitar itself you can see it's quite a stripped back simple affair that's what the rev stars are aiming to be so we've got two yamaha vh3 humbuckers they're all nico 5 humbuckers we have a three-way switch to move between the various settings we have a master volume control and a master tone control now we have an extra tonal option with this guitar if you pull up the tone control you engage the dry switch now the dry switch is a high pass filter that basically shaves off lots of unwanted low end in your signal so if you're adding more gain to your tone it'll start to become possibly flubbier and bassier in the low end if you want to tighten things up you can do that perfectly with the dry switch it's a little bit similar to a coil tap or a coil split in that way that you don't thin out the sound quite that much elsewhere on the body then we have a yamaha stop bar tailpiece bridge operation and moving up to the neck we have a satin finish on the neck so it's a gloss body and a satin neck it's quite a chunky-ish sort of a neck the profiles on the necks of both of the guitars are the same as are the main measurements so we've got a 24 and three-quarter inch scale length we've got 22 jumbo frets and these are standard frets on the element model you have stainless steel frets on the standard but we'll get to those in a minute we have a rosewood fingerboard a plastic nut here and if you move up to the headstock we have yamaha's own branded tuners just as you have on the standard two so that is the revstar element edition and this is the revstar standard model now at about 800 or euros this is 300 more of your local currency than the element model but why well that's what we're going to look at now with the differences in the specifications so just like the element you get a mahogany body here with the standard but the standard also has a maple top so that's going to account for some budget difference also the pickups are different we have the upgraded yamaha vh5 and the co5 humbuckers in the standard model and these also give you extra switching options too now you might expect to just have three different pickup options in a two humbucker guitar like this but you actually have a five-way switch with the standard model so you've got your neck both together and bridge but you've also got the two and four in between positions that you might recognize from a fender strat or something like that so they give you a little bit more tonal versatility and we're going to hear more of those in the playing samples elsewhere we have the yamaha stop bar tailpiece bridge operation we have a master volume control and a master tone control but again if we pull up the tone control on the standard we have what's called the focus switch now this is different to the dry switch on the element model the focus switch is basically a passive boost it's like giving your guitar hotter pickups it's like giving yourself more aggressive tone it shaves off some of the high end and gives you a boost in the mid and low end and we're going to hear more of that in the playing part of the video as well now moving up to the neck on the standard we have the same neck profile we have the same satin neck as the element model the same scale length 24 and three quarter inches the same fretboard radius 12 inches a rosewood fingerboard as well but look you can see that we have slightly different shaped fret markers slightly more expensive looking we also have 22 frets which are jumbo in size but on the standard model they're stainless steel so that's definitely a difference and that's definitely an upgrade over the element model now the neck on the standard model is also carbon reinforced so there's carbon in the neck and i'll blend in a picture so you can see what that looks like and that will give you more stability in the neck and yamaha say it gives you an increased tonal transfer so it should help us in the tone stakes too we've also got a plastic nut and the yamaha red star headstock with yamaha traditional tunas there and there's one more thing that you get as part of the revstar standard package that you don't with the element and that is this yamaha gig bag now a gig bag is a gig bag you might say but this is a very decent one it's thick and chunky and well padded and it has some nice rucksack style straps there so you can hold it in your hand or wear it on your back it's a decent enough gig bag so those are the extras that you get with the revstar standard then and now what we're going to do is hear the two guitars in a bit of a tonal comparison so we're going to play them in as many different genres as possible as i always like to do on my channel my rig for today is going to be my using ketna black spirit 200 amp head we'll start on the app's clean channel and we'll play some poppy stuff some folky stuff maybe some indie then we'll kick on my gria light speed overdrive pedal to do a bit of indie rock and a bit of classic rock as well after that we'll go to the amps lead channel and do some harder rocks and progressive rock and some punk then we'll go back to the amps clean channel at the end i'll switch on my rev g3 distortion pedal we'll tune the red stars down to drop d and see if they can do a bit of tight metal chugging enough talk then it's the 2022 yamaha revstar standard versus the 2022 yamaha revstar element let's play them both now and we'll speak in more detail about them afterwards [Music] so [Music] so [Music] do [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Applause] so [Music] do [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Music] hmm [Music] so [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] bye [Music] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] ball [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] so [Music] good do [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] ah [Music] thank you [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] okay then so that was the 2022 yamaha revstar element versus the 2022 revstar standard model and i hope you enjoyed the playing and the tones and i hope you've also now managed to get a bit more of an opinion on which of the two guitars might sound better for you there was plenty to get through in terms of playing styles because they are very very versatile instruments they'll do pretty much everything from a pristine clean all the way through to modern downtune metal but yeah let's talk about them now in a bit more detail and find out which one i preferred and let's talk about those specifications and the price differences between the two and see which one i think might be more worth your money but i would like you to drop me now a comment down there telling me which you prefer tell me element or standard and why i'm looking forward to seeing what you guys think as well so let me tell you about my first impressions of the two guitars and well you instantly know that you're playing a more expensive guitar when you get the standard out of the box because it comes in that beautiful padded and chunky gig bag so that's a decent plus point for the standard right from the off but both of these guitars feel great i mean they really do feel good and i can't find anything on either of them in terms of build quality that lets them down in any way and especially when you consider the price points that we're looking at now don't forget as well that there is a yamaha revstar professional model which costs around 2 000 euros so that's much more money and i do wonder how much better that one is going to be i'm really looking forward to trying the professional model at some point so hopefully that can happen in the future but the element and the standard models both feel great i do have to say that the standard model actually feels and looks a little bit more refined a little bit more elegant than the element model perhaps that's also partially psychological and because of the finishes too but it does really really feel good perhaps the stainless steel threats have been done slightly better i don't know but you do just sort of get the feeling that you're picking up a more expensive instrument when you pick up the standard which of course is a good thing because it is more expensive but apart from that first impressions on both of the two guitars was fantastic and that's when i started to play them and i do have to say that i really really rate the playability of both these guitars very highly the necks are really really comfortable they both have the same neck profile semi to medium chunky they both have this satin feel to the back of the neck which is really slinky really fast and easy to get up and down the frets on both have been done really really well so no problems there whatsoever in terms of playability in terms of the shape of the rev star body i really like it the weight of the two guitars is perhaps slightly heavier than some people might want they're at about eight pounds both of them i've watched another couple of videos by other people who've weighed the guitars as well and it seems like yamaha are building these rev stars to come in at about eight pounds to eight and a half pounds now that in kilogram measurements is about 3.5 3.6 kilos something like that so decent weights not super light not super heavy by any means the other aspect that might affect the playability of the two guitars for you is actually the frets on the standard model of the revstar we have stainless steel frets on the element model we have just standard frets not stainless steel now this is a plus point for the standard in one way because these frets will last forever the frets on the element will wear down and need changing at some point but some people do say that stainless steel frets feel a little bit different i've played a bunch of guitars with normal frets over the years and i've played a few more with stainless steel frets more recently too but this is the first chance that i've actually had to really kind of a b two of the same model and i do think that playing stainless steel frets is a slightly different experience to me it doesn't feel any different when fretting normal chords but if i'm sliding up and down the fretboard or if i'm bending a note it does feel slightly different in a way i mean you really get used to the normal frets the way you bend them up to hit a certain note it's slightly different the feel with a stainless steel thread it's slinkier in a way it's a minor thing and of course if you had a stainless steel fret guitar you'd get used to it but it is something to think about as well so it's a positive and perhaps a negative in some ways it's a decision that you'll have to make for yourself there i guess the other thing about the playability is the fact that we have yamaha hardware on this guitar we've got the tuners the bridge the pots and the knobs and all that and those are all totally fine no issues whatsoever all aids the playability the other crucial aspect to think about with these two guitars is of course the sounds the pickups and the switching options that you have with those pickups and i think once you realize the kind of music that you're going to play you're definitely going to have a favorite between the element and the standard in that regard the way i look at it is kind of like this i feel that the standard and the vh5 pickups in this guitar give it a more of a refined air a more elegant sort of a tone a little bit more classic leaning i feel that the elements vh3 humbuckers are a bit more aggressive they put a boomier low end they've got more of a top end but with the standard model you have smoother laid back mids you have warmer jazzier cleans if that's what you want and you can make things even more jazzy with use of the focus switch now the focus switch and the dry switch of course are other big aspects to the sound and give you other elements to your tone now for me the focus switch i actually still haven't found the perfect use for it because for me what it does is take away the top end and what i really like in my tone is a lot of top end so that really doesn't work for me in that regard i do find that when i was playing with kind of heavier overdrive that i could flick on the focus switch and give myself a slightly creamier tone which would work for lead stuff but i don't personally play lead stuff that much so in that regard not as useful for me the dry switch on the element on the other hand for me is absolutely fantastic and i found myself using it an awful lot when playing that guitar it just tightens up the tone it really works well in that regard it makes a clean sound sound a bit more like a single coil or more like an acoustic guitar it tightens up everything rocky and for metal as well it really can help if you're wanting to do chuggy sounds it gives you a more defined response i did also find conversely that the focus switch on the standard model gives you a bit more oomph for metal but if you're looking for tighter more modern sounds i would personally recommend the element over the standard now of course i did also just say that i think that the standard is a more classic guitar in terms of its tonal leanings and you do have those two in-between sounds which are also kind of going in that classic direction they're not quite quack extract tones if you want those tones you're gonna have to buy a strap but the two and four positions in the standard really do give you a bit of extra versatility and if you want those quacky almost nasal tones in some regards they're going to give you those no problem again for me at the end of the day i feel that the element model with its three-way selector switch and the dry switch gives me all i need so i don't need the extra options of the focus switch and the five-way selector switch on the standard model but i do have to say that i would really like to hear the vh5 pickups in the standard model with the three-way dry switch switching options of the element model confusing maybe yes but you'll know what i mean perhaps so we've heard the two guitars in detail now we've talked about them in detail too and now let's talk about the question of is the standard model really worth the extra 300 euros or dollars well that's a decision that you're going to have to make for yourself based on what you've heard based on what you've seen me talk about with the specs but let me just very quickly go over those differences again so with the standard you pay 300 more dollars or euros and you get a gig bag of course now it's a really good gig bag no questions asked there it's a really really decent one of course you could buy a third-party gig bag for the element model for 100 euros or dollars you could get a really decent one too so let's factor that out of the equation slightly when it comes to the body of the standard you get that maple top and you get the vh5 pickups as opposed to the vh3 pickups you get the focus switch and you get the five-way switching options so you get a few more tones and you get slightly more refined sounds at least in my opinion when it comes up to the neck you have the carbon reinforcements there and you have the stainless steel threads and i think that the stainless steel threads are 100 an advantage in the standard model they're going to last forever they're always going to be the same whereas if you have the element model you are going to have to have those frets looked after over the course of time so that's definitely an advantage and you can take those bits of information and decide whether you think that makes the standard worth paying the extra cash for you and i'm really really interested to hear what you guys think so again comment and tell me standard or element and why i'm really interested to hear your guys thoughts this video has been about these two specific guitars of course but what about if you're also looking for something similar out there maybe a little bit more in terms of price maybe a little bit less who knows well i have a few other recommendations that i can make don't forget that the revstar standard also comes in a p90 version so if you want that kind of p90 honk and snile if you don't like humbuckers too much consider giving that one a go and of course if you've got a bit more cash there's the revstar professional model i'd love to try out the p90 model of the revstar i'd love to try out the professional too so yamaha if you're watching this let's get that sorted at some point but i would also recommend looking at a few other manufacturers i did do a video where i compared the revstar element against my epiphone les paul so check that one out if you fancy it that's a really interesting comparison and the rev star is not a les paul it's its own thing but that is a similar ballpark style of instrument you could also consider some of the more modern high-end epiphone les pauls or sgs or maybe even some of the more affordable gibsons like the newer tribute models those might be decent then there's other kind of sort of out of the box sort of suggestions maybe something like a prs se model would work for you there maybe a guitar by a brand like reverend if you're into something a little bit different from your standard les paul strat type guitar or you could even try going for something like a guitar by revolter or sterling for music man or something like that if you're looking for something which is not your bog standard strat telly les paul sg then that is the kind of thing to consider but that said i think you're going to be really hard pushed for the two respective price points here to find something better value for money than the 2022 rev stars and so that's a pretty good conclusion for this video really in my opinion the webstar element and the revstar standard are probably the two best guitars that i've seen released in 2022. now in terms of the bang for the buck in terms of the value for money in terms of the tones the playability the feel the vibes the looks the finish options the p90 options and the left-handed options that you have available too big props to yamaha for that these guitars are really some of the best out there and i would have no qualms whatsoever in sending you yes you down to your local yamaha dealer to try these two out and choose which one works best for you but tell me down in the comments which one you think you prefer if you were to make me choose between the two it's a tough one really because i do love the real refinements that you get with the standard model i love the stainless steel frets and i think it feels just a tiny bit more expensive than the element model but for me i'm not the world's most sophisticated player i don't play a lot of lead and i love the tones of the vh5 pickups so i'd probably say i'd be happy going with the element model i love the dry switch too i'd get that model in swift blue and i would probably never look back that's at least until i get to try the standard model with the p90s or maybe the professional model too stick around with the rich words music channel because i hope i'll get to try those at some point in the future too listen i hope this video has answered all of the questions that you might have had about the revstar element and standard models if there's anything else that you want to know let me know in the comments down there and if you're still around it would make my day if you'd consider subscribing to my little rich words music channel you can do that by clicking my face up in the corner or you can stick around and watch a video by me there's a couple more being recommended here and here but that's been it for today's video i've been rich for rich words music and i'll see you in the next one bye for now

Channel: Rich. Words. Music.

Views: 25,735

Keywords: Yamaha, Revstar, Yamaha Guitar, Yamaha Guitars, Yamaha Revstar, Yamaha Revstar Element, RSE20, Dry Switch, Yamaha Revstar 2022, 2022 Yamaha Revstar, 2022 Revstar, New Guitars 2022, Best New Guitars 2022, Yamaha Revstar Review, Best Revstar Guitar, Best Les Paul Alternatives, Double Cutaway Guitar, Best New Guitars 2021, Guitar, Yamaha Revstar Standard, Yamaha Revstar Demo, Focus Switch, yamaha revstar rss20, yamaha revstar rss20 sunset burst, yamaha revstar standard rss20

Id: 65BCvT4U1HM

Length: 32min 55sec (1975 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 07 2022