The gravity of becoming a Yamaha signature artist is still sinking in for guitarist Chris Buck, who reveals the painstaking design process behind his new Revstar RS02CB and the custom features that make it uniquely his. From custom-voiced pickups to a wraparound tailpiece and personal inlays, this is a guitar built from years of collaboration and an unwavering pursuit of tone.
What does it take to design a signature guitar from the ground up? Chris Buck sits down with Sean Martin at NAMM 2026 to talk about the journey of creating the Yamaha Revstar RS02CB, his first production signature model. Buck describes the experience as surreal, noting that the weight of joining Yamaha's legacy of signature artists continues to hit him in waves. The lengthy design process, he says, was about making sure every detail lived up to what the guitar could be.
How did Chris Buck and Yamaha land on the right pickups for the RS02CB? Buck explains that the pickups were the centerpiece of the collaboration, with the team working through countless iterations of magnet types, wire specifications, and voicing options. The result is a set of custom P90-style pickups that deliver the dynamic, responsive tone he has built his sound around. The wraparound tailpiece, a feature less common on modern instruments, adds sustain and directness to the signal path, contributing to the guitar's massive volume and resonance.
What makes the RS02CB stand apart from other Revstar models? Buck highlights a three-way pickup selector switch instead of the five-way found on the current generation of Revstars, along with custom inlays and his own signature squiggle on the back of the headstock. He caps the conversation by playing a lick that shows exactly what the guitar can do, leaving no doubt about the instrument's character and capability.
This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is a ~5 minute introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight
GUEST
Chris Buck, Yamaha Signature Artist | On Instagram: @chrisbuckguitar | Website: https://www.chrisbuckguitar.shop/
RESOURCES
Yamaha: https://usa.yamaha.com/
Yamaha RS02CB Chris Buck Signature Revstar: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/el_guitars/rs02cb/index.html
Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026. 🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california
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KEYWORDS
Chris Buck, Yamaha, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand highlight, Yamaha Revstar, RS02CB, signature guitar, P90 pickups, NAMM 2026, Cardinal Black, wraparound tailpiece, electric guitar, guitar design, custom pickups, signature artist
[00:00:00] Sean Martin: Chris Buck.
[00:00:01] Chris Buck: Yeah. Unfortunately.
[00:00:02] Sean Martin: Good to meet you, my friend.
[00:00:03] Chris Buck: Good to meet you, man.
[00:00:03] Sean Martin: Saw you on stage.
[00:00:04] Chris Buck: Yeah.
[00:00:05] Sean Martin: Good stuff, man. Beautiful guitar.
[00:00:08] Chris Buck: Yeah.
[00:00:08] Sean Martin: What's it like to have a guitar in your name, with your touch on it?
[00:00:13] Chris Buck: It's surreal, to be honest. It's just wild. The gravity of being a Yamaha signature artist is kind of dawning on me in waves, I guess. But I'm incredibly proud of it. It's been a long time coming. It's been a fairly lengthy process of designing it, tweaking it, and making sure it's kind of everything it could be. And I'm incredibly proud of it.
[00:00:32] Sean Martin: Any special features you want to point out?
[00:00:35] Chris Buck: Yeah, I mean, the pickups, I guess, are the obvious one. You know, we spent an eternity. I would say Yamaha probably felt like it too, tweaking those. Various specs, myriads of different magnet types, wire changes, et cetera, et cetera. Really a lot of effort went into those, and like I said, I'm very pleased with the way they turned out. The wraparound tailpiece, I guess, is fairly unusual in this day and age.
[00:00:55] Sean Martin: Not everybody wraps like that, right?
[00:00:56] Chris Buck: Yeah, exactly. Three-way switch as opposed to five, which is what's typical for the new generation of Revstars. Got my custom inlays as well, which is quite cool. And then quite literally my squiggle on the back of the headstock.
[00:01:09] Sean Martin: Look at that.
[00:01:09] Chris Buck: In case you were in any doubt whatsoever as to whether it was my guitar. So, there you go. Very pleased with it.
[00:01:14] Sean Martin: Put a lick on it for us.
[00:01:15] Chris Buck: Yeah.
[00:01:15] [Chris Buck plays a guitar lick]
[00:01:28] Sean Martin: Love it. Love it. Appreciate it, brother. Huge fan. Thank you. Thanks everybody.
[00:01:34] Chris Buck: Cool.