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Yamaha RSE20
Ibanez AR520H
VS
Playability
80
Sound
66
Build
54
Value
77
Score
67
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Playability
73
Sound
64
Build
55
Value
69
Score
64
FIND IT ON:
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Yamaha RSE20 vs Ibanez AR520H

Reasons to Get
Yamaha RSE20 over Ibanez AR520H

Release Year
2022 vs 2021
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Medium
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Neck Profile
Revstar C vs AR
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickup Mods
High-Pass Filter vs Tri-Sound
Attenuates the bass for a less muddy tone
Body Type
Solid Body vs Semi-Hollow
Feedback free
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.827'' (21mm) vs 0.79'' (20.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.941'' (23.9mm) vs 0.87'' (22.1mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.65'' (41.9mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Value Score
77 vs 69
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Ibanez AR520H over Yamaha RSE20

Decorative Top
Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Type of Frets
Medium vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Neck Profile
AR vs Revstar C
Thin neck for playing fast
Pickup Mods
Tri-Sound vs High-Pass Filter
Grants 3 ways to modify the sound of the pickups
Body Type
Semi-Hollow vs Solid Body
Lighter and allows more gain than a hollowbody
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.79'' (20.1mm) vs 0.827'' (21mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.87'' (22.1mm) vs 0.941'' (23.9mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.65'' (41.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle

Other Key Differences
Yamaha RSE20 vs Ibanez AR520H

Bridge Pickup
VH3b vs Super 58
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
VH3n vs Super 58
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Mahogany vs Maple
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Maple
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Jatoba
Different Fretboard Wood

Shared Features
Yamaha RSE20 vs Ibanez AR520H

Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Plastic
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Joint
Set
Neck is glued to the body

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Nut
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Yamaha RSE20 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 67 compared to the Ibanez AR520H's 64 score, although not by a lot.

The Yamaha RSE20 wins when it comes to sound, playability, value for the money. On the other hand, the Ibanez AR520H has the upper hand when it comes to build quality.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Yamaha RSE20 is the better choice.

The Yamaha RSE20 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez AR520H meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha RSE20
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez AR520H
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Yamaha RSE20 Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2022 REVSTAR series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Chambered Mahogany body
  • 3-Piece Mahogany neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: VH3b (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: VH3n (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • Revstar C Set neck
  • 22 Jumbo frets
  • Die-Cast tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Ibanez AR520H Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2021 AR series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Maple top
  • Maple body
  • 3pc Maple neck
  • Bound Jatoba fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Super 58 (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Super 58 (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Gibraltar Performer bridge
  • AR Set neck
  • 22 Medium frets
  • Ibanez tuners
  • Weight between 6.65lbs (3kgs) and 6.8lbs (3.1kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in the Yamaha RSE20

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Ibanez AR520H

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Jatoba wood pattern used for guitar building
Jatoba

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Jatoba is a hard and dense wood that emphasizes the mid-lows, giving a fuller, more round sound than, for example, Mahogany. However, it also has a lot of clarity in the top end. Find out more about Jatoba.

Winner: Yamaha RSE20.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

None of these use a specialized pickup brand for their pickups. Some of the best guitars on the market come with pickups from brands like EMG, Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, etc. You might want to replace your pickups eventually if you want to get the best sound out of any of these instruments.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Yamaha RSE20 offers High-Pass Filter.

You can use a High-Pass Filter to attenuate the low frequencies and get a less less muddy tone with more clarity. This can be useful when playing in a band, as it helps separate your guitar from the rest of the instruments.

On the other hand, the Ibanez AR520H comes with the following: Tri-Sound.

Tri-Sound gives you the choice of using the pickup coils at the same time, splitting them or connect them im parallel for a brighter sound.

Yamaha RSE20 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Yamaha RSE20's switch options
Ibanez AR520H pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Ibanez AR520H's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Yamaha RSE20
Pickups 60
Sustain 80
Versatility 59
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 66
Ibanez AR520H
Pickups 60
Sustain 70
Versatility 59
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 64

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Yamaha RSE20 compares to the Ibanez AR520H.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

In this case, both have Plastic nuts. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Yamaha RSE20's are Die-Cast while the Ibanez AR520H's are Ibanez

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha RSE20
  • Expensive Wood
  • High-Pass Filter Pickups
  • Weight Relief
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez AR520H
  • Tri-Sound Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Yamaha RSE20
Quality of materials 46
Features 60
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 54
Ibanez AR520H
Quality of materials 45
Features 60
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 55

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Yamaha RSE20 Nut Width
Yamaha RSE20 Nut Width
Ibanez AR520H Nut Width
Ibanez AR520H Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez AR520H has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 1.1mm (0.043'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez AR520H, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Yamaha RSE20 and Ibanez AR520H's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 24.75".

This is the scale length that Gibson uses for most of its Les Paul guitars. It's a smaller scale than the typical Stratocaster's 25.5''. Short scale lengths like this make it easier to bend the strings, which is pretty important if you have a fixed bridge. They also have a shorter fret separation, which makes it easier to change position fast at the fretboard.

On the other hand, a shorter scale like this one will make fret buzz more likely, which can affect you if you want to use thicker string gauges.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Yamaha RSE20 Neck Profile
Yamaha RSE20's neck profile
Ibanez AR520H Neck Profile
Ibanez AR520H's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Yamaha RSE20 has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

The Ibanez AR520H, on the other hand, has a SA neck. Like most Ibanez necks, it's thinner than most modern C necks. It's very similar in thickness and shape to their unique Wizard profile.

Fretboard Radius

Yamaha RSE20 Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Yamaha RSE20 and the Ibanez AR520H have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Yamaha RSE20:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Ibanez AR520H:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha RSE20 Frets Size
Yamaha RSE20's Frets Size
Ibanez AR520H Frets Size
Ibanez AR520H's Frets Size

The Yamaha RSE20 has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Ibanez AR520H's Medium frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Yamaha RSE20
Bending & Vibrato Ease 95
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 80
Ibanez AR520H
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha RSE20 vs Ibanez AR520H
General Yamaha RSE20 Ibanez AR520H
Brand: Yamaha Ibanez
Year: 2022 2021
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China China
Series: REVSTAR AR
Colors: White, Black, Blue, Yellow Black
Left-Handed Version: Yes No
Body
Type: Solid Body Semi-Hollow
Body Material: Chambered Mahogany Maple
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic Gibraltar Performer
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Die-Cast Ibanez
Fretboard: Rosewood Bound Jatoba
Neck Material: 3-Piece Mahogany 3pc Maple
Decoration: Dots Acrylic & Abalone block
Scale Size: 24.75" 24.75"
Shape: Revstar C AR
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.941'' (23.9mm) 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.87'' (22.1mm)
Frets: 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Plastic Plastic
Nut Width: 41.9mm (1.65'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: VH3b (Humbucker / Passive) Super 58 (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: VH3n (Humbucker / Passive) Super 58 (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Speed
Pickup Mods: High-Pass Filter Tri-Sound
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1