“‘Labor of love’ gets thrown around too often, but collaborating with Yamaha to recreate my guitar has been exactly that”: The Yamaha Revstar pulled Chris Buck away from Strat loyalty – and his new signature model boasts some tantalizing personal touches

NAMM 2026: Last year, in a Guitar World interview on YouTube, Chris Buck explained why he'd become a Yamaha Revstar man, after a lifetime of Strat loyalty.

“I just loved the idea of the Revstar being a new guitar,” he explained. “It wasn't an S type, it wasn't a T type, it wasn't a Les Paul, it was its own thing, and just such a simple, ergonomically kind of attractive guitar.”

Now, the electric guitar maestro has taken his relationship with the Revstar to the next level, teaming up with Yamaha for his own signature twist on the model, the RS02CB.

“My custom shop Revstar has been the beating heart of every record I’ve made and every show I’ve played since I first laid hands on it in 2020,” he says. “It hasn’t left my side, and has quite literally travelled the globe with me, from Cairo to California.

“The phrase ‘labor of love’ gets thrown around a little too often these days, but collaborating so closely with Yamaha to recreate my guitar over the past few years has been exactly that. I’m beyond thrilled to finally see it come to life. As much as it may be based on my guitar, this one’s yours.”

Chris Buck Signature Revstar RS02CB | Introduction - YouTube

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So, for starters, let's match Buck's model up with its standard Revstar Professional sibling.

The body's the same: maple top, carbon-reinforced chambered mahogany back. So is the neck: carbon-reinforced three-piece mahogany, rosewood fretboard, 12" radius, 22 jumbo stainless steel frets...

Move to the electronics, though, and things start to get more innaresting.

Buck's Revstar is loaded with a pair of custom-voiced P90s – that voicing features, Yamaha says, a “slightly lower output, allowing a clear, detailed response at lower volumes and a strong, open tone when driven.”

“There’s honestly nothing better than the sound of great P90-style pickups,” Buck says. “Dynamic, responsive, and the truest conduit between the acoustic resonance of the guitar and its electric voice.”

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Elsewhere, the RS02CB features a wraparound bridge imported straight from Buck's custom model.

And of course, what would a signature model be without some personal visual flair? That sweet Honey Gold finish, and those classy inlays and amber hat knobs (a master volume and a master tone, with a three-way switch below them), also carry over from Buck's own number 1 companion. The man's signature is also affixed to the back of the headstock.

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The Yamaha RS02CB comes with a deluxe gig bag, and rings up at $2,180.

For more info on the guitar, visit Yamaha.