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Electric Guitar

Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

Name: Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20
Brand: Yamaha

Yamaha · Revstar II Standard RSS20

Price: 500 EUR – 891 EUR

Price history

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 6/10 (Common)

The humbucker-loaded HH counterpart to this project's already-documented P90 Revstar Standard, built on the same chambered mahogany body and carbon-reinforced neck but voiced through Yamaha-designed VH5 Alnico V humbuckers for a brighter, more powerful character than the P90 version offers. A reviewer who compared both models directly preferred this humbucker variant, calling the tonal difference substantial, and gave the guitar an unequivocal recommendation over pricier competitors in its price range - praising effortless out-of-the-box playability on top of the tone.

Where available? Go to the best price – 500 EUR About this instrument

About the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

This guitar shares its chambered mahogany-and-maple body, carbon-reinforced neck and Focus Switch electronics with this project's already-documented Revstar Standard RSS02T, so that shared foundation - including the full mechanics of the passive Focus Switch boost circuit - isn't repeated here. What sets it apart is the pickup configuration: where the RSS02T carries P90-style VP5 single-coils, this RSS20 is loaded with genuine VH5 Alnico V humbuckers featuring a silver baseplate and heavy formvar wire, the product of Yamaha testing more than 50 prototype combinations of wire, windings, magnets and baseplates before settling on the final spec. The hardware set also differs slightly: this model uses a straightforward Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece rather than the RSS02T's styled racing tailpiece, a more traditional humbucker-guitar hardware choice to match its more conventional HH voicing.

Where to buy

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/99250179-yamaha-revstar-rss20-upgraded-with-bare-knuckle-mule-pickups

Sound character of the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

The VH5 Alnico V humbuckers deliver a bright, powerful voice that reviewers describe as blending vintage richness with modern clarity, offering good punch while still cleaning up effectively at lower volumes - volume rolloff in particular preserves treble response well rather than turning muddy. One owner described a genuinely wide range on tap, from a quacky, harmonic-rich sound to a darker, jazzier tone simply by rolling back the tone knob. Engaging the Focus Switch layers the same passive bass-and-mid boost documented at this project's RSS02T entry on top of that humbucker foundation, growing more useful the harder the amp is pushed into overdrive.

Bright Punchy Crisp Full-bodied Modern/Hi-Fi

What owners of the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20 say

Reception is emphatically positive, with one dedicated review giving an unequivocal yes to buying it and calling it a fantastic guitar that outperforms pricier alternatives from major competitors in its price bracket. Sweetwater owners consistently praise the strong, clear pickups and factory intonation, with one describing the overall package as delivering a boutique feel at a remarkably accessible price. The combined-pickup setting draws particular praise - one owner called it their favorite setting and found it so well balanced they wondered whether special circuitry was involved. A reviewer who directly compared this humbucker version against the P90-loaded RSS02T preferred this model and described the tonal difference between the two as substantial rather than subtle.

Playability & handling of the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

A dedicated review found the guitar required zero setup work straight out of the box, describing the neck profile as a gentle C that produced no tension or cramping even across extended playing sessions, with fretwork the reviewer called superb. Sweetwater customer reviews echo that strongly: one owner called it the easiest-playing guitar they'd ever tried because of the neck shape and fretboard width, while another specifically credited the gentle C profile with letting them play for hours without tension, cramping, or arthritis pain. The thinly applied polyurethane finish also drew praise for letting the guitar ring out resonantly even unplugged, a direct result of the chambered-body acoustic design shared with the RSS02T. The one minor gripe noted was non-locking tuners, which the reviewer flagged as a personal preference rather than a real shortcoming.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

The Focus Switch's usefulness here is genuinely amp-dependent, per the same reviewer: it became increasingly valuable as the amp's own overdriven character increased, making it most rewarding paired with a tube amp pushed into crunch or lead territory rather than a pristine clean setup. The factory D'Addario .010-.046 set is a sensible standard starting point, and because the humbuckers already clean up well at lower volumes, there's less practical need to compensate with pickup swaps than on guitars that struggle to stay articulate when rolled back.

Technical data for the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

Type	Solid-body electric guitar, chambered, double cutaway, set-neck construction
Production	Yamaha Revstar II series (Standard tier), launched 2022
Body	Chambered mahogany with maple top, gloss polyurethane finish
Neck	Mahogany, carbon-reinforced
Scale length	24.75 in.
Fingerboard	Rosewood, 12 in. radius, 22 jumbo stainless-steel frets
Nut	PPS synthetic, 1.649 in. width
Pickups	2x Yamaha VH5 Alnico V humbuckers (VH5n neck, VH5b bridge), silver baseplate, heavy formvar wire
Controls	Master volume, master tone with push-pull Focus Switch (passive bass/mid boost), 5-way blade switch
Bridge	Tune-O-Matic with stopbar tailpiece
Hardware	Die-cast tuners (non-locking)
Weight	Approx. 3.6kg (7 lb 15 oz)
Included accessories	Padded gig bag, D'Addario .010-.046 strings

Price history for the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

Cheapest seen: 500 EUR · Most expensive seen: 891 EUR

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

This guitar belongs to the same Revstar II Standard tier and 2022 relaunch documented in full at this project's RSS02T entry, sharing that model's café-racer design heritage and chambered-body construction rather than representing a separate historical development. Within the Standard tier specifically, the RSS20 represents Yamaha's humbucker-voiced option alongside the P90-loaded RSS02T, giving players a choice between two distinct pickup philosophies on otherwise structurally identical instruments rather than forcing a single voicing across the whole tier.

About Yamaha as a manufacturer

Background on Yamaha as both a major instrument maker and motorcycle manufacturer, and on how that dual heritage shaped the Revstar line's café-racer design language, is documented in full at this project's RSS02T entry rather than repeated here.

Notable players & recordings featuring the Yamaha Revstar II Standard RSS20

No verified, model-specific signature-player association was found for this guitar. The broader Revstar series development process involved input from professional guitarists and industry experts, as already documented at this project's RSS02T entry, without a specific named-artist tie to this model.