The new Revstar series of electric guitars introduces a new design concept, in tune with today’s aesthetic sensibility and with unique features. The aim is to update the classic body style of Yamaha’s best electrics. Inspired by the racing motorcycles that roamed the streets of London and Tokyo in the 1960s, by the legacy of the finest Japanese engineering and by the 50 years the company has been building guitars by hand, every last detail of the Revstar models has been meticulously designed to bring out the personality of each guitar.
The curves and contours of a body designed from scratch, singular colors and finishes, pickups specially wound to perfectly reflect the character of the instrument... This new design is the culmination of three years of development, for which Yamaha drew on data from dozens of interviews, feedback from professional musicians, artists and industry professionals, as well as from enthusiasts and students of the instrument in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo. The aesthetic language at the heart of the series takes traditionally Japanese elements of design; the visual concept recalls the spirit of the modified vintage motorcycle racers (“Café Racer”) of the sixties, and everything about them evokes the warmth and look of vintage, previously played instruments. The Revstar guitars draw on Yamaha’s half-century legacy of building high-quality, high-end guitars, as is customary by Japanese standards of excellence.
Model Range:
- RS320 in gloss Black Steel, Red Copper or Stock Yellow finish
- RS420 in gloss Black Steel, Fired Red or Factory Blue finish
- RS502 in polished Shop Black or Billet Green finish
- RS502T in gloss Bowden Green finish
- RS620 in polished Brick Burst or Burnt Charcoal finish
- RS720B in polished Ash Grey or Wall Fade finish
- RS820CR in polished Rusty Rat or Steel Rust finish
- RSP20CR in polished Brushed Black or Rusty Rat finish – Made in Japan
Going Further
The Revstar series was born with a different approach from the very first moment. Yamaha set to work together with a leading agency and a worldwide team of designers to research and develop every single element of the guitar, pursuing the perfect balance between distinctiveness and familiarity at once in the curves, the colors and the components. Our everyday lives are surrounded by objects created through design processes that run from start to finish, but that isn’t the case with guitars. Or it wasn’t until now.
Nothing Was Taken for Granted
Not a single aspect of the final design of the Revstar guitars is there simply because “that’s how it’s done.” Everything was questioned, everything reconsidered and validated, everything is where it is because we believe “that’s how it has to be.” Every detail, from the arm contour to the neck joint, was debated, argued over and decided with only the guitar’s needs in mind. These aren’t changes for change’s sake; they’re changes that came from the pursuit of perfection.
Inspiration
There isn’t a detail on a Revstar that doesn’t invite you to play, that doesn’t inspire you to create something exceptional. The feel of the necks is striking and the sound of the pickups certainly brings different tones, but even so it isn’t a guitar just to admire. It’s a guitar first and foremost to play.
* Available starting December 2015
