“It plays like something that’s well above some custom shop models”: The Yamaha Revstar is favored by everyone from Matteo Mancuso to Chris Buck – and the affordable Element RSE is a fired-up contender for the best budget guitar on the market

Yamaha has near-unrivaled form in taking its high-end builds to lower price points without sacrificing quality. It’s perhaps best encapsulated by the success of the company's perennially popular Pacifica builds, which started out as a custom shop design and became one of the world’s leading affordable guitars.

Now the manufacturer is repeating the trick with the Revstar Element RSE20 – an affordable take on the double-cut, set-neck mahogany build favored by everyone from Matteo Mancuso to Chris Buck.

Coming in at a street price of just $549, the RSE Elements offer features and finishes that we’re used to finding on models that cost twice the price.

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The build features a chambered mahogany body, which has the dual benefit of losing some of the weight and helping to make it more resonant. As we saw with the recent Pacifica Standard Plus and Pro designs, Yamaha has been leading the line in this area recently, using 3D modeling tools to test tonal and resonance characteristics.

It’s paired up with a three-piece mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. Look at the rear and you’ll see the comfortable neck joint features a slimmer heel than your classic set neck build and allows greater access to those 22 frets.

Meanwhile, the rear of the neck is finished in Satin Polyurethane, which as Paul notes in the video demo above, means “you can really glide across the fretboard.”

There’s more than meets the eye on the electronics front, too. The humbuckers utilize Alnico V magnets, in keeping with the classic PAF-style designs, and the Tone knob conceals what Yamaha calls a Dry Switch high pass filter.

“This is a push-pull switch,” explains Paul, in the demo. “And what’s great about it is that it adds a bit of brightness whilst splitting the coils and there’s no volume drop – so you get the benefit of splitting the coils, without losing any output.”

Given the Revstar Element’s classic looks, it offers a surprisingly rich variety of tones. Check out the clip above to hear Paul running through a whole host of available sounds, from single-coil bite, to rich, growling humbucker tones.

Yamaha | Revstar Series Electric Guitars – Introduction - YouTube

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On the topic of its looks, the Revstar Element RSE line was inspired by Café Racer motorcycles and comes in four finishes, including Swift Blue, Black, Neon Yellow and Vintage White. As such, you’ll spot subtle nods to that aesthetic – from racer stripes (almost hidden on our demo model), to knurled control knobs and classic colorways.

In the clip, Paul confesses he has been a fan of the Revstars since they launched back in 2015 but – as you’ll see – this latest, affordable iteration left him seriously impressed.

“It plays like something that’s well above some custom shop models,” comments Paul. “It definitely punches above its weight, the combination of the chambered body that just feels right, along with the Alnico V pickups and the inclusion of the Dry switch/high-pass filter, [means] you get so much tone at your fingertips. Definitely check it out.”

For more information on the Revstar Element RSE20, head to Yamaha.