A Japanese-Made Revstar That Does Things Differently
Most guitars ask you to pick a side — humbuckers or single-coils, vintage or modern, rock or jazz. The Yamaha Revstar Professional RSP02T doesn't really see the point of that argument. With dual P90-style pickups, a 5-way selector that pulls off a trick or two, and a passive Focus Switch hiding in the tone knob, this guitar has a surprisingly wide tonal range packed into a sleek, café racer-inspired package.
The RSP02T is the top tier of Yamaha's current Revstar lineup — hand-built in Japan using Yamaha's Acoustic Design process and finished with their I.R.A. (Initial Response Acceleration) treatment, which applies targeted vibrations to release stress in the wood and give a new guitar that broken-in feel and resonance right out of the gate. It's a thoughtful approach to guitar building, and you can hear the difference.
If you've been on the fence about P90s, this is a great place to land. And if you already know you love them, the RSP02T is the kind of guitar that'll make you wonder why you waited so long.
This item is a B-Stock guitar sourced directly from the manufacturer. It is new and has never been previously owned. The photos shown are of the exact instrument you will receive. Before shipment, our licensed technician will inspect and professionally set up the guitar to ensure it is playing its best. During our inspection, we noticed Visual Imperfection on Binding and heel. (see pictures) Please note, these may not be the only cosmetic imperfections. As a B-Stock instrument, there may be additional minor blemishes that are small in nature and do not affect playability or performance.
A Body Built for Tone and Balance
The RSP02T's chambered mahogany body is topped with maple — a combination Yamaha developed using their Acoustic Design process to optimize resonance, improve balance, and keep the weight manageable without sacrificing sustain. The chambering isn't just a weight-reduction trick; it actively shapes how the body vibrates and contributes to the guitar's full, open sound.
The gloss polyurethane finish in Sunset Burst shows off the maple top beautifully, with warm amber and orange hues fading to deeper edges. The body contours are double-cutaway, giving easy access all the way up the neck, and the overall aesthetic draws a clear line back to the utilitarian style of 1960s British café racer motorcycles — purposeful, not fussy.
The Neck: Set, Stiff, and Player-Friendly
Yamaha went with a 3-piece mahogany set neck here, reinforced with carbon fiber strips running alongside the truss rod. That carbon reinforcement isn't just a talking point — it adds meaningful rigidity, keeping the neck stable across temperature and humidity changes that would make lesser necks wander. The glued-in set joint also contributes to sustain and the guitar's overall resonance.
The neck profile is Yamaha's "Revstar Pro" shape, measuring approximately .825" at the first fret and .955" at the 12th — a comfortable medium-C feel that works well for both chord work and single-note lines. The rosewood fingerboard runs a 12" radius across 22 jumbo stainless steel frets, with the nut cut to 1.649" from PPS material. Stainless frets are a nice touch at any price: they're harder, smoother, and more durable than nickel, and they tend to stay feeling fast longer. The neck back wears a satin finish for a natural, unobtrusive feel under the hand.
Pickups, Switching, and the Focus Switch
The star of the show is the pair of Yamaha's custom-designed VP5 P90-style single-coil pickups, loaded with Alnico V magnets. P90s occupy a unique space between humbuckers and vintage single-coils — thicker and warmer than a Stratocaster pickup, but with more bite and clarity than a humbucker. On the neck, they deliver a warm, rounded tone well-suited to clean jazz textures. On the bridge, they push into bright, cutting territory with plenty of edge when driven.
The 5-way blade selector adds a clever wrinkle: positions 2 and 4 introduce a subtle delay to the opposite pickup, creating a mild phase shift that produces those classic "in-between" sounds with a modern twist. Pull up on the tone knob and the passive Focus Switch engages — a boost that shifts the resonant frequency, brings up the mids and low end, and adds an aggressive, almost overwound character without any active circuitry. It's a genuinely useful feature, not a gimmick.
Hardware is rounded out by a Tune-O-Matic bridge paired with Yamaha's custom racing-style tailpiece, die-cast tuners, and nickel/chrome hardware throughout.
Product Features:
- Body: Chambered mahogany with maple top, gloss polyurethane finish in Sunset Burst
- Neck: 3-piece carbon-reinforced mahogany set neck, satin finish, Revstar Pro profile
- Fingerboard: Rosewood, 12" radius, 22 jumbo stainless steel frets, 1.649" nut width (PPS)
- Scale length: 24.75"
- Pickups: 2x Yamaha VP5 P90-style Alnico V single-coil pickups (neck and bridge)
- Switching: 5-way blade selector with phase-shift in positions 2 and 4
- Electronics: Push/pull passive Focus Switch on tone control for resonant frequency boost
- Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with custom racing tailpiece; die-cast tuners; nickel/chrome hardware
- I.R.A. (Initial Response Acceleration) treatment for a played-in feel and resonance
- Made in Japan
Brand: Yamaha
Model: Revstar Professional RSP02T
SKU: RSP02T SSB-3RD|IKI333E
Condition: B-Stock
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