I bought one of these about eight years ago. Best guitar I’ve ever owned. I liked the sound and the fact that it’s surprisingly lightweight. It was an awesome learner guitar.
Hear Pal Here No, I gave it to my little bro when I moved out of my parents’ home. I really don’t have time to play, and I was never that good at it XD.
@@ElZamo92 Well, that's really nice of you, hopefully he'll enjoy playing it. Glad I could give you a trip down memory lane :-) And don't worry, you may start playing again in the future... you never know!
I own this guitar. It is a very underrated guitar. It is a better instrument than some that cost 2-3 times as much. It sounds especially good through clean channel. I enjoyed the review.
I couldn't agree more Douglas, I would say that about the price/quality of every Yamaha guitar I own. Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed it. In the future, I'll be doing more reviews of my other guitars including my vintage SBG2000.
@@hearpalhere Looking forward to the SBG2000 review. I also have a Pacifica 112. I sounds better than the American Stratocaster I used to own. It is really unbelievable more people are playing Yamaha. So much guitar at such a low cost!
I've owned a number of Yamahas including SBGs, Revstars, Pacifica teles and strats, but not an RGX. Yamahas are one of the best kept secrets in the guitar world. They are incredible values. Even their more expensive, high end models are worth it and very well built. Their stock pickups tend to be excellent, very well designed. I tell anyone thinking of getting a Gibson to check out Yamahas.
Telling it like it is! I love Yamaha guitars and still own several. In fact, I own very few other brands at this point (I've sold 2 really nice Gibson guitars). If you look at some of my other videos, you'll see an SE350, an SE603, an SBG2000 and I also own a BB300 bass. They are all exceptional instruments. Always happy to hear other people like them too and share their experiences! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Got one of these babies. It’s incredibly light!! I still remember the shock of receiving it; I thought they had sent me an empty box!! Super versatile as well. I have used it for playing lots of different styles, from horrible cheesy Beyonce tunes, to wonderful mega distorted Rammstein songs.
Nice Carlos! Happy to hear that you like it, I think these are a great value and sound amazing while also providing some very unique features. The light weight is a huge bonus too!
I bought the same 2 years before and its my favourite.I replace the rotary with a 3way switch which also makes the pickups single coils.With 6 tones its really great.
Very cool! These really are great guitars and I always thought the pickups sounded great. I can imagine splitting them gets a really nice single coil sound. Do you have any videos of you with your guitar? I'll try to check out your channel.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have actually written some words to go with that little blues progression since then and will hopefully post it soon.
Every time I pick mine up I think 'this thing is way better than it should be for what I paid for it' It looks the nuts and I have great fun letting other guitarists pick it up and watching their faces when they register how light it is! Superb piece of kit.
Awesome to hear that Jason! Yeah, it really is a great design in many ways. I have since sold mine and my wife actually still gives me grief about it :-) I may have to pick one up for her someday haha.
@@maspesasmasperras5554 I'm not 100% sure I remember the price exactly but I think it was about $270 or so - which is just a smidge more than what I paid for it. They are a really great guitar for not a lot of money.
Good review, I definitely need to check out what Yamaha's doing, they are putting out some really innovative, great stuff - like the guitar you have here. It's great to see brands fly free from the massive F &G shadows, Lol, we can do with innovative in all directions, and not only metal.
Thanks a lot Luey! Yes, they definitely put out some great stuff over the years. I'm a huge fan of Yamaha and would put up any of my instruments against much more expensive ones made by the big manufacturers. The Revstar model guitars look really incredible too but unfortunately, I haven't tried one out myself yet. If you're in the market for a new model, I would certainly give those a peak.
Nice review and demo man! It's good to know that this is lightweight since I never play standing up and when I do I'll start to get a backache within a few minutes. I'll think about this guitar so I can train myself slowly to be able to play standing up! Anyway, great channel and lesson, I also make guitar vids on my channel :) Thanks -Jose
Thanks for the feedback Jose, I'm glad this was helpful to you. It sounds like a good match for you, the guitar really is very light. I've only played a couple and only for a few minutes at a time but Parker Fly guitars are also extremely light. You may want to look into those as well but they are a lot more expensive than this Yamaha would be and their necks are even thinner (if my memory serves me correctly). I'll check out your channel too!
It's a tough choice - the tele is a class design indeed and it's a body type that I don't yet own (but have lusted after for many years now). Based on my experience, I would think that the fit and finish (and overall quality) would be better on the Yamaha than the affinity series guitars. My advice would be to try both in person if you can and then just decide on whichever one feels better to you. The RGX A2 is certainly unique and very cool in its own way. I think it'll turn into a future classic to be honest. Good luck deciding and please let me know which one you get!
Yamaha, all day over Squier! Fender gives you the least for the most , in guitar market, but market it to you the opposite way round : that you're getting the most for the least. It took me years of buying guitars, examining every single thing on the market, to reach this conclusion. You can't get worse value than Fender. That's not to say that Fender is bad, it just means everybody else is giving you more for your dollar. And if Fender is giving you a tight deal, Squier is giving you a shoddy deal! Chinese pot metal, not only in your bridge and tuners, but in your pickups! And with that kind of mentality, god knows what other corners they are cutting! Yamaha on the other hand, have really impressed me with what I've seen. Here is a company offering you more than more...they are tripping over themselves to get you better and better features.
I hear you, my wife to this day gives me a hard time for selling it 🙂 If you're looking for one though, you can usually find really good deals on used ones. Also, it seems like outside of the USA, you can still buy new ones.
if you find a rubber band that's thick and fits around it fairly tight you can put that around the knob then use the heel part of your hand to switch it.. or get different knobs that are soft and grippy, use the lower heel part that runs with your pinky, how I do tone and volume
Thanks for the suggestion. I have since sold this guitar so I won't be able to try that out. I will say though, that from my memory at least, I don't think that a rubber band would give enough grip to make that switching comfortable. It's a really hard kind of switch (very firm rotary switch) - not at all like a potentiometer.
i hope i can find one. i remember seeing that one but as a teenager i didn't have much money 😅 . i really hoped they would release some other colors, but they discontinued them instead 🤷🏻
@@hearpalhere not yet, I guess I will have to wait until a used one appears. Really Wanted them to make a metallic purple one or something. Definitely the white looks better than the black. I also thought that guitar-format midi controllers were going to be more common, for all of us who play string instruments more fluently than piano.
@@0000song0000 I've never played a midi guitar before but I can certainly see the appeal. Have you seen Paul David's video a while back about the futuristic guitar, midi controller? Seemed like a generational leap as far as previous midi guitars I've seen demoed. Good luck with finding a used one! Maybe you can refinish it?
@@hearpalhere Nice review . Beside that , y haven't got many ''hot'' amps , to go over a lot palette of clean and driven sounds , it sound's , on clean and light driven , very round , like a semi hollow , even is solid sandwich construction ! Bridge seams flat and easy for palm muted riffs . Don't like an electronic system , for me is , togle switch , tone and vol pot . Origin cavity is small to ed more up grade . I don't know about tuners , ratio , how much they are confort and ''want to stay in tune . Head stock design allow strings to be in line after a nut , that's nice !
@@crnogor Yes, you're absolutely right, I didn't show how it sounds with higher gain settings. In the future, I'll try to show that kind of sound as well. I think you're on to something with your observation about it sounding almost like a semi-hollow body guitar. I think it's because the pickups are somewhat low gain and vintage sounding. I really loved the way it sounded and the only negatives for me were the ones I mentioned. The tuners were really comfortable and the guitar held tune really well. I'm kind of surprised more guitar companies don't use these kind of tuners - probably because they simply don't look traditional.
@@hearpalhere Sound result is from many things . I think is coming from sandwich body an , as y say , moderate , lower , '' vintage '' output ! Alnico V magnets should provide a lot of output , but , we have reduced sized of Humbuckers , here , less wide bobins , and , who know how much shorter wire wound then standard ! Yamaha is not giving electric data . It's sound some how nice for me . As i say , cavity is small to ed some micro togle switches for splitting , maybe edding a resistors for jumping from warm to bright Vol and Tone ? I took this guitar from wall at my Town Yamaha store , let me say , more than 10y ago , but i can't remember the neck feel ! Y moan , neck feel is not confort for y , but as i see from clip , y have longer fingers than me ! How is that ? Merry Chirtmas !
Very cool! I've never played one of those but I'm sure it's great. I've got an old BB300 bass from Yamaha as well and it's awesome. I did a video review about it not too long ago if you're interested. I'd put that up against any p-bass by one of the larger manufacturers.
I love that guitar!! But I see what you mean with inconvenient switching between pickups. I'm shocked that it appears Yamaha didn't hand out a bunch of these guitars to players to check out..I'm sure 100% of people would've told them that the rotate pickup knob sucks. There's a guy near me asking $350 for a black one...in very nice shape. Looks looks Yamaha saved some money with the fret markers only on edge. I really like their silent guitar..it's a lot of things but silent isn't one of them. Yamaha needs a new marketing director.
I couldn't agree more about a test run determining the trouble with the pickup selector switch being a knob. If I remember correctly, PRS was doing that for a while too and then they switched to a more conventional toggle switch. It makes much more sense and is also why I prefer push/push pots instead of push/pull. If you're interested in picking one of these up, I think the $350 price is pretty reasonable. You do see them occasionally go for even cheaper but they're not that common so, it depends on how long you want to wait for another one. That's funny what you say about the silent guitar, I've never tried one but I imagine that the strings still make a decent sound similar to an unplugged electric guitar.
If my memory serves me correctly, I remember reading that the size is the same as a DiMarzio soapbar P90. These pickups are actually humbuckers but just look like soapbars. I actually think they sound great and are a real strength of the guitar. As a result, I'd definitely recommend trying the guitar as is before deciding to replace them.
That's not exactly my style but I definitely played dropped D tuning every once in a while for fun with it and used a fuzz, etc. It can hold it's own just fine I think. The pickups are indeed humbuckers - they just look a bit like soapbar P90's (and have the exact same size actually). They are somewhat low output pickups but I think that gives them a really nice clarity too.
Yes that then next thing is from the 24 fret guitars from the 80s what's honestly you're not interested in...do they make that yamaha with a Floyd 🌹 type locking systems?just asking great video 💗
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I have several Yamaha guitars and two with Floyd type locking whammy bridges. You can see me play them in several videos on my channel. I'll eventually do a proper review of each guitar when I have some free time. The two trem equipped guitars I have are the SE350 and the SE603. I used to also own an SE1203A back in the day but sold that many years ago. That was a neck through model with a cool ebony fretboard and the same type of locking whammy.
I always thought Yamaha sucks, i mean like they make so much stuff, how can they be good? Then i saw this sweet thing and i really liked the look so i tried it. Some minutes later i bought it after i saw how cheep it is. It's a great guitar and i also like the neck. So slim and sexy and it really sounds good. Some years later a friend gifted me a Super Fighter so now i got a second Yamaha... These guitars really are underrated and don't have to hide from my Gibsons, Fenders, Ibanezes, Chapmans and my new Gretsch :-)
Yes indeed, Yamaha makes great guitars! If you look at some of my other videos, you'll see that I own a number of different models. Thank you for mentioning the Super Flighter model, I've actually never heard or seen those before. They look awesome! They seem to be in the same caliber as my SBG2000 from the early 1980's. I can imagine yours holding it's own quite well against any Gibson (I know mine does).
Thanks a lot Esteban. I would say that the neck is somewhat between a D and C in the picture you can see here www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/archives/009a24d4-0d3c-4b8b-a8fb-8b47f67166aa.JPG It's thinner than many Fender Strat type guitars I've played but not as thin as an Ibanez for example. I hope that helps give you a frame of reference and good luck!
Hi! Nice review! I would ask you if the guitar tend to do even a bit of neckdive when you have the guitar hanging and take off the both hands. Thank you very much!
I've sold it a while back, so this one is no longer available. Depending on where you live, you may still see them for sale brand new though. I've seen a few UK based stores still carry them and there are places here in Hungary that have them new too. You may also get lucky and find one used for really cheap. I would definitely recommend trying one out, they are great guitars. Good luck!
@@beefnacos6258 Awesome! I occasionally peruse Craiglist out of nostalgia and sometimes see them listed for cheap there as well. If you keep an eye out, it's likely that you'll find one (ebay, reverb, etc).
That's a bummer to hear Ruben. Being hard up for money is always a sad reason to have to sell an instrument. I hope you can buy another one soon. They are great guitars!
@@hearpalhere I know, I watch these review videos when I get nostalgic. I like watching people appreciate them as the rare guitars they are. I'm a tech nerd, too and I was crazy for the Gibson Robot Guitar, since I could not afford one, I bought the RGX A2 and I really loved it. Even when I had to send it for repairs right away when the pickup selector was hard stuck.
@@lesponge88 That rotary switch is not a common part so it's a bit annoying if you have to replace it. The LED lighting for the switch is certainly part of the charm of the guitar but it's also a bit of a weak point. I've only contacted Yamaha a few times but they were always very friendly and super responsive. I really like them a lot.
I sold the guitar shortly after making this video. It's definitely a cool instrument, highly recommend checking one out if you want a unique axe with some great features.
You could remove the rotary switch and put in a momentary switch that would ground the output. That would work fine I guess. Of course you'd then have to use something else like a normal toggle switch to change the pickups. If you're not hung up on having the LED lights indicating the pickups being used, you can really mod a lot of different things into this guitar.
Hi Andy. I bought the one in this video a few years back and paid about $200 for it. With that said, I sold it for about $250 not long after making this video. I see that you're in MA (it's a small world, I lived in Boston for about 6 years back in the day). I have seen these come up now and again on boston.craigslist.org so if you're not in a rush, you may find one cheaper. Ebay, Reverb, Guitar Center all have them now and again too. These are still made (but not for the US market) and I think getting one into the US will cost you a lot for shipping and duties/taxes. The local music supply here in Hungary sells them for a little over $600 new. So based on that, I don't think $350 is a bad deal at all. Do you have the opportunity to try it out before buying or would it be shipped to you? If it's in nice shape and you can give it a play through an amp, I think it's a good deal. Let me know how you like it if you try it or buy it!
Hear Pal Here yes I live south of Boston. Small world indeed. I love What I’ve seen of Hungary. Spent a few days in Budapest. Thanks for info, I’ll let you know if I check it out.
@@AndyDion That's awesome man! I've been living here since 2010 so I have gotten to be a heck of a tour guide. Let me know if you ever need tips for a future visit. Good luck with the guitar and I hope you get to check it out.
Sorry but I have since sold this guitar so that will not be possible. However, I'd say that it'd be pretty easy to get that kind of a sound out of this guitar's pickups though. Are you thinking of buying one? I highly recommend trying it out if you get a chance, they are great guitars.
I can definitely see why you'd say that. It certainly does have a lot of innovative features that I haven't seen on other guitars. I think they overshot the mark a bit and part of the reason the guitar didn't catch on with more people is that it was a bit too different from the "classic" shapes/features. I do wish more people would consider implementing some of the design elements though because as I say in this video, it's an incredibly vibrant and resonant guitar. I think that the sandwiching of the lighter wood with the outer hardwood accounts for that. The tuners are also quite funky and work really well. I really like the string through bridge too... super comfortable and the feel is really snappy. Definitely worth trying one out if you get a chance.
Hi Marco. I've since sold this guitar so I cannot actually measure it for you. From my memory, I'd say that this neck is spaced a little bit wider than say a standard Strat or Les Paul. The neck is a bit flatter too - definitely a more modern feel. It actually was very easy to play certain chords and arpeggiated finger style things.
This is the guitar that made me bitter that I’m lefthanded. A big local music store has it hanging forever. I didn’t like the look, because it looks cheap and plasticy in person, but every time U picked it up and try to play it for a few minutes, all the other guitars felt so lifeless in comparison. I still sometimes have silly daydreams about buying the whole Yamaha just so I can 1) force the guitar department to release a left hand version of all their guitars, since they seem to be more hostile towards that idea than any other big guitar band, and 2) find out exactly what all the innovations are, and how the pickups work, then use that knowledge to make a new, better version And also the Line6 Variax: us travelling lefthanders would get much more joy from a do-it-all guitar like that Edit: I just looked for it in the classifieds: it’s really cheap used! I might buy two so I can take one apart and document what makes the body sound so great
Haha, man that is awesome to read - you are spot on with your description of this guitar. It's certainly got a funky vibe/look but the resonance is incredible! Sorry that you can't find a left handed version. It's my understanding that they use a very light and resonant wood for the main (middle) section of the body and then sandwich it between two thin layers of a harder wood (for durability). I'd be absolutely curious to see if you do decide to dissect one. Please make sure to let me know if you do it! Although, it'd be a shame to ruin one of these because they are such great guitars. Depending on your playing style, especially if you don't require access to the highest frets, it may be possible to play it upside down. I do realize the knobs would be in the wrong place, but if it worked for Jimi, it may work for you too :-) Anyway, good luck and please do let me know if you end up getting one. My wife will occasionally give me a hard time about selling mine. Who knows, someday, I may have to buy one back haha.
@@hearpalhere it actually has a few dents mainly on the back of it. I'm a bit hesitant now after that .. also I think the person isn't a guitar player which is usually a bad sign when buying something like this so I think I'll pass
@@jayz6008 Obviously your move but with it being local and the ability to try it out, I don't think you have much to lose in just playing it to see if you like it. I don't think you'd get anywhere near this quality of an instrument for that kind of money (used or new).
@@hearpalhere I went ahead and bought it . The dents actually aren't too bad and aren't very noticable, it's in good shape overall and feels nice. I can't dig in and play it more because the strings are all gunky.. I will resting it tomorrow and set up the truss rod and all that. I plugged it in and it works and sounds good . The only thing that is different from the ones I've seen is the tuners are normal looking ones not the unusual round ones and the bridge pickup has a black cover . Not sure why... I have a 3 pack of strings coming in the mail tomorrow so I will be re stringing it as soon as I can.
@@jayz6008 Very cool, glad to hear that! Please do let me know what you think after you've had a proper setup and new strings put on it. The pickup may have been changed. I know some people have modded these guitars with Dimarzio P90 soapbar pickups... supposedly, they are an exact match in size and sound great. I personally think the original pickups in the guitar are really great too so I would say try them before you think of changing them. Good luck and have fun with it!
Hi Mattia. This switch is really inconvenient to move as it requires two fingers. I would think for a killswitch, you'd want to be able to activate or deactivate it quickly so I would go with something else. You may even do something like a 5 way, Strat style switch if you're willing to route the little groove for it. Then you could have a lot of different options and make one be a kill position. I think this could be a great project guitar, definitely try it out if you can and see how you like it.
@@warriorpoet1643 It's a pretty unique guitar with some really cool features. I thought the pickups were great too. Depending on what country you're in, you can still pick them up new it seems but you can also find them used here and there. What are you playing now?
@@hearpalhere A Fender Strat and a special edition Squire. I’ve been a big fan of Yamaha guitars. I’ve owned several Pacifica 112V’s, an AES820 and the RGXA2. Working on a project to modify an ivory Pacifica 112 V with two of the same pickups that are standard to the RGXA2, in both of the neck and middle positions. There are aftermarket pick guards for that. Add some 500 K pots, and 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@warriorpoet1643 Wow, that sounds like an awesome project! I'd love to see it and hear it if you are finished. If you can post a video, please send me the link - I'd love to check it out.
I've never seen one sold separately but I imagine if you contact Yamaha, they could get you one. I've had to order pots from them before for another guitar and they were really helpful and responsive. Are you looking to put the bridge on another guitar or do you need to replace one on an RGX A2?
"RG AX2" *stupid rage intensifies* It's said you can't play Blues on a guitar that hasn't been in a pawn shop. I pawned my Bass to spare my RGX A2 and I don't even play that much.
I've never heard that said about the blues and pawn shops but yeah, I don't buy that at all haha. If it were true, we wouldn't have had Hendrix, Jimmy Page, etc. These are definitely great guitars, happy to hear from others who enjoy them. Rock on!
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I bought one of these about eight years ago. Best guitar I’ve ever owned. I liked the sound and the fact that it’s surprisingly lightweight. It was an awesome learner guitar.
Very cool! I take it then that you don't have the guitar anymore? Are you still playing?
Hear Pal Here No, I gave it to my little bro when I moved out of my parents’ home. I really don’t have time to play, and I was never that good at it XD.
@@ElZamo92 Well, that's really nice of you, hopefully he'll enjoy playing it. Glad I could give you a trip down memory lane :-) And don't worry, you may start playing again in the future... you never know!
I own this guitar. It is a very underrated guitar. It is a better instrument than some that cost 2-3 times as much. It sounds especially good through clean channel. I enjoyed the review.
I couldn't agree more Douglas, I would say that about the price/quality of every Yamaha guitar I own. Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
In the future, I'll be doing more reviews of my other guitars including my vintage SBG2000.
@@hearpalhere Looking forward to the SBG2000 review. I also have a Pacifica 112. I sounds better than the American Stratocaster I used to own. It is really unbelievable more people are playing Yamaha. So much guitar at such a low cost!
I've owned a number of Yamahas including SBGs, Revstars, Pacifica teles and strats, but not an RGX. Yamahas are one of the best kept secrets in the guitar world. They are incredible values. Even their more expensive, high end models are worth it and very well built. Their stock pickups tend to be excellent, very well designed. I tell anyone thinking of getting a Gibson to check out Yamahas.
Telling it like it is! I love Yamaha guitars and still own several. In fact, I own very few other brands at this point (I've sold 2 really nice Gibson guitars). If you look at some of my other videos, you'll see an SE350, an SE603, an SBG2000 and I also own a BB300 bass. They are all exceptional instruments.
Always happy to hear other people like them too and share their experiences! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Got one of these babies. It’s incredibly light!! I still remember the shock of receiving it; I thought they had sent me an empty box!! Super versatile as well. I have used it for playing lots of different styles, from horrible cheesy Beyonce tunes, to wonderful mega distorted Rammstein songs.
Sweet! Glad to hear you are enjoying it, they are wonderful sounding and are so light indeed!
Definitely a hidden gem of a geetar! I bought mine new in 2008? She can do anything from quasi acoustic to godzilla stepping into Tokyo!
Absolutely John! Glad to hear you are so happy with yours. I really love Yamaha guitars.
I bought one, a blue one, in 2019 May. Love this guitar, the tone and string action are great.
Nice Carlos! Happy to hear that you like it, I think these are a great value and sound amazing while also providing some very unique features. The light weight is a huge bonus too!
@@theracer1969 no, I bought it new on a great music store here in Brazil, have all the tags and docs by Yamaha.
Szia Paul! I was surprised you had this guitar! Yes, that pup selector was a dead end idea.
Beautiful jazzy sound, greetings from CRO...I just subscribed and liked ! 🎸☀️🎼
Thank you very much and welcome!
I`ve got one of these. It really is a brilliant guitar !
Absolutely! I really think they are a fantastic value and are kind of a sleeper classic in the making.
I bought the same 2 years before and its my favourite.I replace the rotary with a 3way switch which also makes the pickups single coils.With 6 tones its really great.
Very cool! These really are great guitars and I always thought the pickups sounded great. I can imagine splitting them gets a really nice single coil sound. Do you have any videos of you with your guitar? I'll try to check out your channel.
@@hearpalhere No i don't have any video with the guitar.Maybe in the future.
@@Arkoudeides. Let me know if you post anything!
Cool, is your other channel Marco Dimarco? I just watched a video there with the RGX A2. Very nice!
@@hearpalhere Yes its mine.Thanks man.
nice guitar and nice blues at the end!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have actually written some words to go with that little blues progression since then and will hopefully post it soon.
Every time I pick mine up I think 'this thing is way better than it should be for what I paid for it' It looks the nuts and I have great fun letting other guitarists pick it up and watching their faces when they register how light it is! Superb piece of kit.
Awesome to hear that Jason! Yeah, it really is a great design in many ways. I have since sold mine and my wife actually still gives me grief about it :-) I may have to pick one up for her someday haha.
@@hearpalhere how much did you sell it for if we may know?
@@maspesasmasperras5554 I'm not 100% sure I remember the price exactly but I think it was about $270 or so - which is just a smidge more than what I paid for it. They are a really great guitar for not a lot of money.
Good review, I definitely need to check out what Yamaha's doing, they are putting out some really innovative, great stuff - like the guitar you have here. It's great to see brands fly free from the massive F &G shadows, Lol, we can do with innovative in all directions, and not only metal.
Thanks a lot Luey! Yes, they definitely put out some great stuff over the years. I'm a huge fan of Yamaha and would put up any of my instruments against much more expensive ones made by the big manufacturers. The Revstar model guitars look really incredible too but unfortunately, I haven't tried one out myself yet. If you're in the market for a new model, I would certainly give those a peak.
Nice review and demo man! It's good to know that this is lightweight since I never play standing up and when I do I'll start to get a backache within a few minutes. I'll think about this guitar so I can train myself slowly to be able to play standing up! Anyway, great channel and lesson, I also make guitar vids on my channel :) Thanks -Jose
Thanks for the feedback Jose, I'm glad this was helpful to you. It sounds like a good match for you, the guitar really is very light. I've only played a couple and only for a few minutes at a time but Parker Fly guitars are also extremely light. You may want to look into those as well but they are a lot more expensive than this Yamaha would be and their necks are even thinner (if my memory serves me correctly).
I'll check out your channel too!
@@hearpalhere No problem man, thanks for replying! I'll check out that brand too! Keep up the good work
I´m between a squier Telecaster affinity series or the RGX A2, the tele it´s a classic, but the Yamaha looks awesome
It's a tough choice - the tele is a class design indeed and it's a body type that I don't yet own (but have lusted after for many years now). Based on my experience, I would think that the fit and finish (and overall quality) would be better on the Yamaha than the affinity series guitars.
My advice would be to try both in person if you can and then just decide on whichever one feels better to you. The RGX A2 is certainly unique and very cool in its own way. I think it'll turn into a future classic to be honest.
Good luck deciding and please let me know which one you get!
Yamaha, all day over Squier!
Fender gives you the least for the most , in guitar market, but market it to you the opposite way round : that you're getting the most for the least.
It took me years of buying guitars, examining every single thing on the market, to reach this conclusion. You can't get worse value than Fender. That's not to say that Fender is bad, it just means everybody else is giving you more for your dollar.
And if Fender is giving you a tight deal, Squier is giving you a shoddy deal! Chinese pot metal, not only in your bridge and tuners, but in your pickups! And with that kind of mentality, god knows what other corners they are cutting!
Yamaha on the other hand, have really impressed me with what I've seen. Here is a company offering you more than more...they are tripping over themselves to get you better and better features.
Yamaha 100 times better
Had one years ago, really regret selling it. It'd be awesome if Yamaha remade this weird guitar.
I hear you, my wife to this day gives me a hard time for selling it 🙂
If you're looking for one though, you can usually find really good deals on used ones. Also, it seems like outside of the USA, you can still buy new ones.
if you find a rubber band that's thick and fits around it fairly tight you can put that around the knob then use the heel part of your hand to switch it.. or get different knobs that are soft and grippy, use the lower heel part that runs with your pinky, how I do tone and volume
Thanks for the suggestion. I have since sold this guitar so I won't be able to try that out. I will say though, that from my memory at least, I don't think that a rubber band would give enough grip to make that switching comfortable. It's a really hard kind of switch (very firm rotary switch) - not at all like a potentiometer.
i hope i can find one. i remember seeing that one but as a teenager i didn't have much money 😅 . i really hoped they would release some other colors, but they discontinued them instead 🤷🏻
Have you found one since? I know they made them in black as well but I always thought the white one was cooler for some reason.
@@hearpalhere not yet, I guess I will have to wait until a used one appears. Really Wanted them to make a metallic purple one or something.
Definitely the white looks better than the black.
I also thought that guitar-format midi controllers were going to be more common, for all of us who play string instruments more fluently than piano.
@@0000song0000 I've never played a midi guitar before but I can certainly see the appeal. Have you seen Paul David's video a while back about the futuristic guitar, midi controller? Seemed like a generational leap as far as previous midi guitars I've seen demoed.
Good luck with finding a used one! Maybe you can refinish it?
Thanks for the review
You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
@@hearpalhere Nice review . Beside that , y haven't got many ''hot'' amps , to go over a lot palette of clean and driven sounds , it sound's , on clean and light driven , very round , like a semi hollow , even is solid sandwich construction ! Bridge seams flat and easy for palm muted riffs . Don't like an electronic system , for me is , togle switch , tone and vol pot . Origin cavity is small to ed more up grade . I don't know about tuners , ratio , how much they are confort and ''want to stay in tune . Head stock design allow strings to be in line after a nut , that's nice !
@@crnogor Yes, you're absolutely right, I didn't show how it sounds with higher gain settings. In the future, I'll try to show that kind of sound as well.
I think you're on to something with your observation about it sounding almost like a semi-hollow body guitar. I think it's because the pickups are somewhat low gain and vintage sounding. I really loved the way it sounded and the only negatives for me were the ones I mentioned.
The tuners were really comfortable and the guitar held tune really well. I'm kind of surprised more guitar companies don't use these kind of tuners - probably because they simply don't look traditional.
@@hearpalhere Sound result is from many things . I think is coming from sandwich body an , as y say , moderate , lower , '' vintage '' output ! Alnico V magnets should provide a lot of output , but , we have reduced sized of Humbuckers , here , less wide bobins , and , who know how much shorter wire wound then standard ! Yamaha is not giving electric data . It's sound some how nice for me . As i say , cavity is small to ed some micro togle switches for splitting , maybe edding a resistors for jumping from warm to bright Vol and Tone ? I took this guitar from wall at my Town Yamaha store , let me say , more than 10y ago , but i can't remember the neck feel ! Y moan , neck feel is not confort for y , but as i see from clip , y have longer fingers than me ! How is that ? Merry Chirtmas !
@@crnogor Haha, yes, neck shape is very much an individual preference :-)
Merry Christmas to you too!
Great sound 🤩
Thanks so much!
I have bass version, RBX4 A2, the best bass I've owned.....from US Fenders, Stingrays the lot.
Very cool! I've never played one of those but I'm sure it's great. I've got an old BB300 bass from Yamaha as well and it's awesome. I did a video review about it not too long ago if you're interested. I'd put that up against any p-bass by one of the larger manufacturers.
I love that guitar!! But I see what you mean with inconvenient switching between pickups. I'm shocked that it appears Yamaha didn't hand out a bunch of these guitars to players to check out..I'm sure 100% of people would've told them that the rotate pickup knob sucks. There's a guy near me asking $350 for a black one...in very nice shape. Looks looks Yamaha saved some money with the fret markers only on edge. I really like their silent guitar..it's a lot of things but silent isn't one of them. Yamaha needs a new marketing director.
I couldn't agree more about a test run determining the trouble with the pickup selector switch being a knob. If I remember correctly, PRS was doing that for a while too and then they switched to a more conventional toggle switch. It makes much more sense and is also why I prefer push/push pots instead of push/pull.
If you're interested in picking one of these up, I think the $350 price is pretty reasonable. You do see them occasionally go for even cheaper but they're not that common so, it depends on how long you want to wait for another one.
That's funny what you say about the silent guitar, I've never tried one but I imagine that the strings still make a decent sound similar to an unplugged electric guitar.
I wonder if that pickup can be replaced with other brands 🤔 that's basically a p90 right?
If my memory serves me correctly, I remember reading that the size is the same as a DiMarzio soapbar P90. These pickups are actually humbuckers but just look like soapbars.
I actually think they sound great and are a real strength of the guitar. As a result, I'd definitely recommend trying the guitar as is before deciding to replace them.
Has anyone every tried this guitar with low tuning, distortion for metal? And are the pickups humbuckers?
That's not exactly my style but I definitely played dropped D tuning every once in a while for fun with it and used a fuzz, etc. It can hold it's own just fine I think. The pickups are indeed humbuckers - they just look a bit like soapbar P90's (and have the exact same size actually). They are somewhat low output pickups but I think that gives them a really nice clarity too.
Yes that then next thing is from the 24 fret guitars from the 80s what's honestly you're not interested in...do they make that yamaha with a Floyd 🌹 type locking systems?just asking great video 💗
Thanks, glad you liked the video!
I have several Yamaha guitars and two with Floyd type locking whammy bridges. You can see me play them in several videos on my channel.
I'll eventually do a proper review of each guitar when I have some free time. The two trem equipped guitars I have are the SE350 and the SE603. I used to also own an SE1203A back in the day but sold that many years ago. That was a neck through model with a cool ebony fretboard and the same type of locking whammy.
I always thought Yamaha sucks, i mean like they make so much stuff, how can they be good? Then i saw this sweet thing and i really liked the look so i tried it. Some minutes later i bought it after i saw how cheep it is. It's a great guitar and i also like the neck. So slim and sexy and it really sounds good. Some years later a friend gifted me a Super Fighter so now i got a second Yamaha... These guitars really are underrated and don't have to hide from my Gibsons, Fenders, Ibanezes, Chapmans and my new Gretsch :-)
Yes indeed, Yamaha makes great guitars! If you look at some of my other videos, you'll see that I own a number of different models.
Thank you for mentioning the Super Flighter model, I've actually never heard or seen those before. They look awesome! They seem to be in the same caliber as my SBG2000 from the early 1980's. I can imagine yours holding it's own quite well against any Gibson (I know mine does).
Yamaha are probably the best manufacturer ref consistent quality and bang per buck😎
@@richardrichard5409 Right on!
@@richardrichard5409 Yamaha is like Toyota.
Great video! Looking into buying one of these as a live guitar. Would you compare the neck to a C (Fender-ish), D or U shape?
Thanks a lot Esteban. I would say that the neck is somewhat between a D and C in the picture you can see here www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/archives/009a24d4-0d3c-4b8b-a8fb-8b47f67166aa.JPG
It's thinner than many Fender Strat type guitars I've played but not as thin as an Ibanez for example. I hope that helps give you a frame of reference and good luck!
Hi! Nice review! I would ask you if the guitar tend to do even a bit of neckdive when you have the guitar hanging and take off the both hands.
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the feedback, glad you liked it. No, the guitar wasn't neck heavy and didn't dive at all. It was really comfortable in that way.
@@hearpalhere Thank you very much!
Please pull back your camera so we can see all of you're guitar and you👍
Thanks for the feedback, I'll bear that in mind in the future (and many of my newer videos are shot from farther back already).
If it’s available for purchase, I’m definitely interested!
I've sold it a while back, so this one is no longer available. Depending on where you live, you may still see them for sale brand new though. I've seen a few UK based stores still carry them and there are places here in Hungary that have them new too. You may also get lucky and find one used for really cheap. I would definitely recommend trying one out, they are great guitars. Good luck!
If you are in the States Guitar Center has 3 of them. You're welcome :P
@@beefnacos6258 Awesome! I occasionally peruse Craiglist out of nostalgia and sometimes see them listed for cheap there as well. If you keep an eye out, it's likely that you'll find one (ebay, reverb, etc).
I sold mine and I regret it. I needed the money, I will get one as soon as I can afford it :)
That's a bummer to hear Ruben. Being hard up for money is always a sad reason to have to sell an instrument. I hope you can buy another one soon. They are great guitars!
@@hearpalhere I know, I watch these review videos when I get nostalgic. I like watching people appreciate them as the rare guitars they are. I'm a tech nerd, too and I was crazy for the Gibson Robot Guitar, since I could not afford one, I bought the RGX A2 and I really loved it. Even when I had to send it for repairs right away when the pickup selector was hard stuck.
@@lesponge88 That rotary switch is not a common part so it's a bit annoying if you have to replace it. The LED lighting for the switch is certainly part of the charm of the guitar but it's also a bit of a weak point.
I've only contacted Yamaha a few times but they were always very friendly and super responsive. I really like them a lot.
Sold
I sold the guitar shortly after making this video. It's definitely a cool instrument, highly recommend checking one out if you want a unique axe with some great features.
Can u use the selector for kill switch
You could remove the rotary switch and put in a momentary switch that would ground the output. That would work fine I guess. Of course you'd then have to use something else like a normal toggle switch to change the pickups.
If you're not hung up on having the LED lights indicating the pickups being used, you can really mod a lot of different things into this guitar.
With a push/pull tone control for split-coil and a three-way toggle PUP selector mod, these guitars KILL.
Hey Hal, One of these just came up on FB marketplace for $325. I like how light it is. You think that’s a good price?
Hi Andy. I bought the one in this video a few years back and paid about $200 for it. With that said, I sold it for about $250 not long after making this video.
I see that you're in MA (it's a small world, I lived in Boston for about 6 years back in the day). I have seen these come up now and again on boston.craigslist.org so if you're not in a rush, you may find one cheaper. Ebay, Reverb, Guitar Center all have them now and again too.
These are still made (but not for the US market) and I think getting one into the US will cost you a lot for shipping and duties/taxes. The local music supply here in Hungary sells them for a little over $600 new. So based on that, I don't think $350 is a bad deal at all.
Do you have the opportunity to try it out before buying or would it be shipped to you? If it's in nice shape and you can give it a play through an amp, I think it's a good deal.
Let me know how you like it if you try it or buy it!
Hear Pal Here yes I live south of Boston. Small world indeed. I love What I’ve seen of Hungary. Spent a few days in Budapest. Thanks for info, I’ll let you know if I check it out.
@@AndyDion That's awesome man! I've been living here since 2010 so I have gotten to be a heck of a tour guide. Let me know if you ever need tips for a future visit.
Good luck with the guitar and I hope you get to check it out.
Hear Pal Here for sure, I want to take my family on a Euro trip when all this settles down
Can you make a cover of Fortune Faded by RHCP? Just to see how it sounds on this guitar...
Sorry but I have since sold this guitar so that will not be possible. However, I'd say that it'd be pretty easy to get that kind of a sound out of this guitar's pickups though. Are you thinking of buying one? I highly recommend trying it out if you get a chance, they are great guitars.
cool
Thanks Mike, glad you liked it!
Looks like a custom guitar that a professional would use with all those unorthodox features
I can definitely see why you'd say that. It certainly does have a lot of innovative features that I haven't seen on other guitars. I think they overshot the mark a bit and part of the reason the guitar didn't catch on with more people is that it was a bit too different from the "classic" shapes/features.
I do wish more people would consider implementing some of the design elements though because as I say in this video, it's an incredibly vibrant and resonant guitar. I think that the sandwiching of the lighter wood with the outer hardwood accounts for that. The tuners are also quite funky and work really well. I really like the string through bridge too... super comfortable and the feel is really snappy.
Definitely worth trying one out if you get a chance.
How is string spacing at nut?
Hi Marco. I've since sold this guitar so I cannot actually measure it for you. From my memory, I'd say that this neck is spaced a little bit wider than say a standard Strat or Les Paul. The neck is a bit flatter too - definitely a more modern feel. It actually was very easy to play certain chords and arpeggiated finger style things.
This is the guitar that made me bitter that I’m lefthanded. A big local music store has it hanging forever. I didn’t like the look, because it looks cheap and plasticy in person, but every time U picked it up and try to play it for a few minutes, all the other guitars felt so lifeless in comparison. I still sometimes have silly daydreams about buying the whole Yamaha just so I can 1) force the guitar department to release a left hand version of all their guitars, since they seem to be more hostile towards that idea than any other big guitar band, and 2) find out exactly what all the innovations are, and how the pickups work, then use that knowledge to make a new, better version
And also the Line6 Variax: us travelling lefthanders would get much more joy from a do-it-all guitar like that
Edit:
I just looked for it in the classifieds: it’s really cheap used! I might buy two so I can take one apart and document what makes the body sound so great
Haha, man that is awesome to read - you are spot on with your description of this guitar. It's certainly got a funky vibe/look but the resonance is incredible! Sorry that you can't find a left handed version.
It's my understanding that they use a very light and resonant wood for the main (middle) section of the body and then sandwich it between two thin layers of a harder wood (for durability). I'd be absolutely curious to see if you do decide to dissect one. Please make sure to let me know if you do it!
Although, it'd be a shame to ruin one of these because they are such great guitars. Depending on your playing style, especially if you don't require access to the highest frets, it may be possible to play it upside down. I do realize the knobs would be in the wrong place, but if it worked for Jimi, it may work for you too :-)
Anyway, good luck and please do let me know if you end up getting one. My wife will occasionally give me a hard time about selling mine. Who knows, someday, I may have to buy one back haha.
Someone locally is willing to sell me one for $100, should I go for it ? Never heard of these up until I saw it for sale yesterday
Definitely check it out, that is a really great price for a really great guitar!
@@hearpalhere it actually has a few dents mainly on the back of it. I'm a bit hesitant now after that .. also I think the person isn't a guitar player which is usually a bad sign when buying something like this so I think I'll pass
@@jayz6008 Obviously your move but with it being local and the ability to try it out, I don't think you have much to lose in just playing it to see if you like it. I don't think you'd get anywhere near this quality of an instrument for that kind of money (used or new).
@@hearpalhere I went ahead and bought it . The dents actually aren't too bad and aren't very noticable, it's in good shape overall and feels nice. I can't dig in and play it more because the strings are all gunky.. I will resting it tomorrow and set up the truss rod and all that. I plugged it in and it works and sounds good . The only thing that is different from the ones I've seen is the tuners are normal looking ones not the unusual round ones and the bridge pickup has a black cover . Not sure why... I have a 3 pack of strings coming in the mail tomorrow so I will be re stringing it as soon as I can.
@@jayz6008 Very cool, glad to hear that! Please do let me know what you think after you've had a proper setup and new strings put on it.
The pickup may have been changed. I know some people have modded these guitars with Dimarzio P90 soapbar pickups... supposedly, they are an exact match in size and sound great. I personally think the original pickups in the guitar are really great too so I would say try them before you think of changing them.
Good luck and have fun with it!
Is it possible to use the switch like a killswitch?
Hi Mattia. This switch is really inconvenient to move as it requires two fingers. I would think for a killswitch, you'd want to be able to activate or deactivate it quickly so I would go with something else. You may even do something like a 5 way, Strat style switch if you're willing to route the little groove for it. Then you could have a lot of different options and make one be a kill position.
I think this could be a great project guitar, definitely try it out if you can and see how you like it.
Do U still have it?
No, I've sold this guitar not long after making this video. If you get a chance, I highly recommend checking one out.
I had one just like it. Almost wish I’d never traded it in.
@@warriorpoet1643 It's a pretty unique guitar with some really cool features. I thought the pickups were great too. Depending on what country you're in, you can still pick them up new it seems but you can also find them used here and there. What are you playing now?
@@hearpalhere A Fender Strat and a special edition Squire. I’ve been a big fan of Yamaha guitars. I’ve owned several Pacifica 112V’s, an AES820 and the RGXA2. Working on a project to modify an ivory Pacifica 112 V with two of the same pickups that are standard to the RGXA2, in both of the neck and middle positions. There are aftermarket pick guards for that. Add some 500 K pots, and 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@warriorpoet1643 Wow, that sounds like an awesome project! I'd love to see it and hear it if you are finished. If you can post a video, please send me the link - I'd love to check it out.
where can I get the bridge of that guitar?
I've never seen one sold separately but I imagine if you contact Yamaha, they could get you one. I've had to order pots from them before for another guitar and they were really helpful and responsive. Are you looking to put the bridge on another guitar or do you need to replace one on an RGX A2?
"RG AX2" *stupid rage intensifies* It's said you can't play Blues on a guitar that hasn't been in a pawn shop. I pawned my Bass to spare my RGX A2 and I don't even play that much.
I've never heard that said about the blues and pawn shops but yeah, I don't buy that at all haha. If it were true, we wouldn't have had Hendrix, Jimmy Page, etc.
These are definitely great guitars, happy to hear from others who enjoy them. Rock on!
what was that ? guitar test ? shit.....
Sorry that you didn't enjoy the video, thanks for watching anyway.