Yamaha 112

I bought this quite a while ago in 1996, when I was still a relatively novice player, and when Yamaha Pacificas were the best budget guitar that you could buy in England (arguably they still are). I was looking for a cheap guitar and specifically bought a Yamaha because a friend I was jamming with at the time had a Yamaha RBX (something or other - another budget Yamaha but more out there rock than a Pacifica, with no scratchplate and an ugly great humbucker in the middle position), and I admired the build quality of his guitar.

The range was smaller in the mid-1990s than it is now. My Pacifica is a 1995 Korean made 112(M) - the mainstream natural finish Pacifica, but unusual in the sense that the (M) signifies a maple fingerboard - most have rosewood. The neck feels faster and superior to any 112 with a rosewood fingerboard that I have ever played.

Essentially, 112 Pacificas are a Strat copy, with a humbucker in the bridge position as opposed to the usual single coil. (Usual single coils at the neck and in the middle position).

Solid Alder body - incredible really at this price.

Incredibly stable tuning. Efficient tuners. Good intonation straight out of the box.

The only thing you might want to put back in the box however, is the tremolo bar. The tremolo is the only thing which feels a bit "budget" on 112 Pacificas. I had a friend who worked in a guitar shop tighten the screws that hold the springs in the spring bridge in place - effecively making the guitar into a "hard tail". I feel sure that this was responsible for helping the great stability of the tuning. If you don't use a trem, then this is a sensible (and incredibly easy) modification to make to the guitar.

I began, like all novices playing through a little practice amp, and the guitar did not sound too bad. Then I lashed out on a Laney VC30 Valve amp and the sound really came into its own. I play blues, and the 112 can certainly sustain this style on the first two pickups, with both the volume and tone pots rolled off slightly. The sound is too spikey with all the controls turned up to full. I remember playing Peter Green's "Man of the World" on the neck pick up with maximum reverb on the amp, and the tone was really good for such a cheap guitar.

The neck pick up is undoubtedly the best. It has a very pleasant sound, with some Stat-like silvery tones. Good for rhythm or lead. The middle pick up is slightly subdued, but has soem good useable tones. The only let down is the humbucker at the bridge, which is pretty scratchy and underpowered. If you are the type of player who wants fat humbucker tones, you will probably end up changing this.

These guitars are not incredibly exciting, but they are very well made. Fine to play out of the box. Unlike most cheap far Eastern made guitars they have an element of craftmanship to them - compare this with a cheap Epiphone or Squier and you WILL see the difference. Everything is properly aligned. The action is well set. If you are a beginner and don't have the expertise yet to fiddle around with guitars then you will appreciate this. 112s are incredibly easy to play. This makes them excellent guitars to learn on, whilst they have a sound which is respectable enough to make them giggable guitars as well.

It's pretty solid. I used mine for a quite a while before buying another guitar (which turned out to be a mistake), so I carried on with the 112 and then finally upgraded to a USA made Fender Telecaster in 1999. Now, I'm not saying that this guitar compares with a Fender Tele - if it did, then I would have saved my money! But it is robust. During the time I used it constantly up to 1999, I did some pretty awful things to it in hindsight (for example, putting s set of 13s on it to get a heavy rhythm thwack sound, when I was playing rhythm guitar in a group we had going at the time). Latterly I fiddled around with it putting in a jazz pickup (don't ask me why). Finally, when I knew that I was going to store it for a while, I returned it to its original condition. I have started using it again recently, for slide only - in open E tuning. It's not bad at all for slide either.

You will have no worries about gigging a 112 Pacifica. It's fine - it won't fall apart on you.

Never had any reason to contact Yamaha. ever had any problems withthis guitar.

The guitar I bought after a few years of having this was the cheapest Korean made Epiphone Firebird (I paid 210 pounds for it). I have always liked Firebirds, but this was a mistake. Perhaps the mose horrible guitar ever made. The difference was really just in the build quality. Both the Pacifica and the Epiphone Firebird were built in Korea, but at least Yamaha can screw pickups in straight! - and use decent wood and materials. I once opened up the control panel on the Firebird - what was inside would have embarrassed the electronics of a throwaway electric torch from the dollar store. I actually managed to sell the Firebird a few months ago - they seem to be back in fashion again. Good luck to the guy who bought it.

Yeah, after playing a USA made Fender a 112 Pacifica is going to feel inferior, but the price difference between the two is about #500.

If you a beginner guitarist, forget Chinese made Squier Stats, cheap brand imitations, rock bottom price Epiphones and that sort of thing - they're all absolute crap. This is the best guitar you can buy for under #200. It's as simple as that.

Ther guitar was made in the late 1990's in some asian country, I am not sure which. It has 22 frets and I belive it is natural dark wood coloured. There is a 5 way togle for switching between the humbucker and 2 x single coils.
The pickups are standard as they seem to give the sound I want, which is pretty much anything. I am not sure of the boyd but the fingerboard is rosewood. The pacifica is a double cut away shape much akin to the strat, but it looks alot better. The finders look like they have been melted at the edges. The trem is of vintage style, which kicks ass out of both the wilkinson and the floydrose.

The guitar sounds great. For clean playing the neck pickup gives a really warm and cosy sound and for overdrive the humbucker gives imense distorion. I sounds great pretty much everywhere inbetween aswell.

The guitar hasn't been adjusted since it left the factory, it came set up perfectly for my playing. the action isn't to low and the pickups seem to be great. The finish is excelent, a gorgous dark brown natuaral colour. There was no faults with the guitar at all and never has been. I also have 3 other pacificas which all came set up exactly the same and none of them have been touched since, only strings have been changed.

All my guitars get the roughest treatment on stage and I am always knocking the headstock into walls, amps and drums. never had any problems and I can't see that I ever will. The finsh has startd wearing off at the top of the body where my right arm rubs on it, but it hasn't rubbed off much and gets gigged a heck of a lot. The guitar is totally reliable and the only reason I carry a backup is incase I break a string.

I have dealt with the company on other issues and they are pretty good. You seem to get transfered to the deparment you want straight away and actually get to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about.

I have been playing guitar for 16 years now and have owned all kinds of guitar. But now I have settled with Yamaha and wouldn't play anything else. I have tried the Gibsons and the Fenders and would never play them again. If the guitar was stolen I would buy another one with the insurance money, although I don't really need to as I have 3 other pacificas sitting around and 12 Yamaha guitars in total.

For such a low price the guitat is fantastic, and as far as I am concerned plays and sounds better the both my mates #1000 Les Paul and #1500 Fender Strat. People that knopw me know how much I like these guitars and don't expect to see me play anything else. This is the best thing that Yamaha have ever made, and that incudes the higher model Pacificas.

1999, made in korea/japan, i'm sure. SSH config, 1 vol, 1 tone, 5 way selector. standard run of the mill cheap strat copy stuff.

i bought this simply for practice/screwing around with. something to take around places so that the good axe doesn't get dinged/stolen/damaged. sounds are perfectly fine for what it's used for, although i did toss a duncan invader at the bridge which is super hot and shreds your ass off.

the action isn't very fast, bridge is cheap, but i'm very comfortable with the neck. 22 frets, fingerboard isn't rosewood - some "exotic" crap" that just looks like it - and is pretty crummy for bending. frets are higher than i like.

the pots seem like it's either at 0 or 11. but, again, it's a $100 guitar so you can't complain. i have, however, beaten the crap out of it to no ill effect.

nope

liek i said i bought this bad boy to decrease the margin of error for crap happening to my american dlx. strat. to be honest it's a hell of a guitar for 100 bucks. you get what you pay for - this is not a 1000 guitar. doesn't play like one, doesn't sound like one, doesn't hold up like one. BUT i would take this thing heads and tails over a squier or ibanez guitar of the same class any day. it's a super deal for someone looking for a first guitar or something to leave at mark's house because you know some drunk ass over there is going to want to play it so it's a lot better to let them mistreat this than it is to let them toss around your babylove guitar that you would choose over your girlfriend in a heartbeat. so if you want something to start with i'd recommend it a million times over. the best $100 axe on the market i'd say. if you're looking to play seriously then you'd be much happier saving up and plunking down a granny and getting a superior product.

in any case this guitar has as good or even a better price-to-product-worth ratio than anything else. you get a lot more for your hundo here than you will anywhere else.

You know the specs.... volume, tone, 5 way selector, SSH configuration, Alder body, Satin finish, strat body style except less rounded (better in my opinion), vintage style tremelo. Only somewhat dissappointed that there is only one tone selector. Humbucker has adjustable pole pieces! pickguard comes shielded behind volume and tone selector! Best guitar in my opinion for this price range.

Has a nice clean sound on single coils (although it could be better). I play surf/punk songs and it has a nice glassy sound between a strat and a telecaster with the tone at 10. Not very unique though (but what is in this price range?). With the humbucker gets a nice distorted sound. WIDE VARIETY. Also very resonant and nice sound when not plugged in :-D.

No flaws in the guitar, even though i bought it used. Great piece of work.

Very dependable. I'm keeping the one I have now as my backup and buying another one to customize. Mine's 5 years old and it still looks great except for a few dings in the finish (which is almost unavoidable). Wood somewhat soft, but hey, it's alder.

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I love this guitar. I own a Vox Valvetronic amp and I am going to buy another Pacifica to customize. If it were stolen or lost, I would cry. Later when I was done I would buy another. I love the versitality, and the cleanness of it. In its price range, it smacks fender squiers and low range ibanez's up.

The humbucker is wicked spanking gorgeous, even if the single coil isnt as good as it could have been. I used to have a Liberty Strat (very light) with 3 single coils and i will NEVER go back to single coils! Humbucker is for me now. The Strat design is kinda cool with modifications. i like the bigger sticky out bits (forgot name) that makes it stand out from your average strat. The neck has a magical power to make u play better! i mean it, i can play a lot better on this than my Liberty!
Want it to sound better? Try a Zoom GFX 707, sweet little Multi-effects pedal.

The humbucker REALLY picks up power chords great! Solos go nicely with it to. i havnt really used single coil much so i cant really judge it. The sound has a lot of bass and treble, good through a P.A. System. I cant see any improvements they can make!

The wood finish is so easy to disguise cuts and dents. All you need is the right varnish and you cant really see any problems. Hardware is fine, nothing wrong!

Tough guitar, takes a bit of hittin! I must get strap locks still! :) Perfect for concerts, looks great. I mean Gibson Les Pauls arnt used by many punk bands?! Light too, good with strap

I got this guitar as I got into a band. I used to have a Liberty Strat for #200, but now i upgraded to a nice Yamaha Pacifica, many a local guitarist has one round here! I used to envy the better guitars but now i got a good one. Jonny B the guy i got it off purchased a Les Paul Studio (we're both 15) which makes a VERY similar sound (played through a Zoom GFX-707 "POWER" patch). Im in a band called Feedback, u might hear from us!
My other mates got a Fender Telecaster and soundwise its not much different.

2000, Korean I think, standard 22 I think, solid wood blah blah... look at other reviews or www.yamaha.com for specs... All work fine wammy bar is a bit silly but then i don't use it.

then humbucker + single coils give lots of choice and beat the living crap out of the squier strats my mates have heh heh heh.. I play distorted stuff like nirvana and cleaner stuff like radiohead, muse, JJ72. Fulfils the task competantly. no hum except at high volumes but that's probably my tinitus after playing song 2...woohoo.

Came out of the box with almost perfect tuning, pickups were fine, asked a friend with posh tuner gadget and my intonation was good too

Never cut out of had bits fall in sh'allah. never played a gig except my mirror heh heh.

Never dealt with them

Great fun to play looks and sounds nice

I've used this guitar for three years starting as a beginner. It's 22 frets, five position pickup selector, tone and volume knobs have been sufficient for this level of play. I can get a wide variety of sounds. It has been very solid, holding in tune even with gig bag transportation to and from lessons. It needs a stand. The 5 o'clock position of the amp plug means that when you set it down on the flow the amp wire is stressed.

I play classic rock from America to Led Zeplin. This guitar can produce enough variety. I am very happy with the sound. This guitar does not sound as good as my instructor's guitars - a Les Paul and a Telecaster. I bought it as a package with a Fender Frontman amp.

I have seen no flaws and have had no technical problems. I cannot be sure how much of the set up was done at the factory or at the store but it all seemed to be well done and I've done nothing except replace strings over three years.

Three years of trouble free playing. 100% home use except for gig bag transportation to and from lessons.

No contact with the company.

I have been very satisfied and would replace it if lost. The guitar was very inexpensive, looks good with it's blond wood grain finish, it is tough, and seems relatively easy to play. I would recommend it to any beginner.

I got it in 1996,2 single coils,one hum in back,24 frets,white pickguard,basically a strat body,vintage tremolo,mine's in black,volume and tone knobs with 5 way selector

I play mostly metal these days and i love this guitar,this might sound strange but i love this guitar,i;m using a fender half stack with a crate head and zoom gfx-707,i added a pair of 52 strings onto becasue i love thick strings and the sound i beautiful.i'm looking for a new guitar but all the others just can't get me away form mine,i'm probalyl going to customize mine with a more radical look

It was perfect when i got it,no flaws really..i had to lower my bridge because of my thick strings but other than that it feels good

well i'm playing guitar live now and i noticed the strap buttoms were letting my strap come off a bit so i used a poor mans way of fixing it with ducktape.i would defintly use this guitar live without a backup

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i've been playing four years with this guitar and it;s lasted so long and it hasn't shown any major flaws except for a few scratches because of hitting doorways and stuff ,the best thing i like about this guitar is the sound it makes and the nice neck it's got,it fits right into my hand