Yamaha RGX420 Drop 6 Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsThis guitar was purchased through my local Yamaha dealer (Axe Music) for around £245. I was initially tempted to go the 7-string route, but the Drop6 idea intrigued me, and I ended up going for that instead. Good job I did too!
Well, what's not to like! Let's see: it sports a double cutaway solid Alder body, so those upper frets are easily accessible. It has 24 frets, which is great news for those who like to shred! The black hardware is a classy touch, and includes a double locking Floyd Rose licensed tremolo system, and sealed spring loaded tuners, which basically means this baby is rock solid - once you put it in tune, it stays that way pretty much forever. It's also got a nifty feature affectionately named the 'blower' switch (no I don't know why). But it bypasses the tone circuitry and gives you raw bridge-humbucking-power. I love it - I can go from mellow jazz to screaming lead at the flick of a switch. Tech-specs asides, it's pretty darn sexy looking too. I ordered mine in Satin Grey - very cool! It reflects all different shades of dark metallic greens and greys in the light. I'm looking at it with mushy eyes right now.
*thinks* I can't say there's anything I don't like! I suppose if I had to play devils advocate, I'd say that the extra heavy string set used (11-64) does to some extent 'change' your playing. Sure there are times when I feel a little hampered by the width of the strings - it's sort of like playing chords on a bass! But once you get past that, the rewards far outweigh the drawbacks. Aside from that, there really is nothing wrong with this guitar.
Tank-like would best sum it up. This has to be one of the most well built, durable guitars I've played. In the time long long ago, before I had my locking strap, well..there was an incident involving my guitar, and a solid concrete walkway. From 7 feet up. After the intial shock, I picked it up, plugged it in, played it..and the sucker was still in tune. No word of a lie!!!
That asides, the general build quality is fantastic and for those of you who **don't** drop their guitar on the floor, it will prove sturdy and reliable for all your gigging needs. There were no construction flaws, no sloppy drilling or routing, and the factory setup was just right.
This guitar is one mean piece of kit. While I do use it for a number of different styles, there is no denying it's built to rock. And it will no doubt get heads turning as the crowd wonders where those rich booming chords are sounding from! For the money the features are fantastic, and the stock Yamaha pickups are of unusually high quality.
This guitar is far from a 'gimmick' but, I would advise that where possible, you keep a normal guitar hanging around. Sometimes I just don't feel like playing in A standard, and it's nice to give your ears (and your guts) a break from the raw, powerful tones this thing produces. But that asides, if you want a sound that's different and that will open up your playing style, **without** having to learn the 7 string guitar, then the RGX420 Drop6 is the guitar for you!
P.A.O rated this unit
on
2003-01-12.
