Yamaha Pacifica 112

I think this guitar is a '96... same wood and neck as every other one that was made but I got it used with Jackson pickups in it.

I play death metal and can't really afford an Ibanez RG but this little rig does the trick... maybe its just the jackson pickups giving it the extra balls it needs, but as far as it goes, it works great.

Everything was set up when I bought it 3 years ago.. the action is still amazing but I think it will need a fret job soon... there was only one little mark on the back at first but after bumping and dropping and slipping it around, the soft wood shows a bit of wear... but it doesn't hurt the sound any, and people say it adds character :)

this guitar is a workhorse... take care of it and it will take care of you

curb and gutter warrenty... when i drove off the curb after buying it, I gutter

Playing for 6 yrs, not planning on replacing this guitar anytime soon. Maybe some day i'll set fire to it and let it go out in style :) it's more than surpassed my expectations

Japanese soft wood body with a really nice neck and headstock, really nice tuning keys, 2 single coil pickups and one humbucker, all white that suits the scratchplate and volume and tone control. About the only guitar that looks good with a white scratchplate unlike strats (i don't like strats)... the natural satin finish on this first attracted me to this guitar, then soon discovered it plays well too. Neck is really smooth and easy to handle. Looking back this is perfect as a beginners guitar as it was my first electric but now i've been playing for 6 yrs and i still like it. The nicely shaped strat style body (but much nicer) is great to handle as is the neck... oh and did i mention the neck.

Single coils get a bad rap but i like em for clean sounding playing. These are paticularly clean sounding and i hate people putting them down. The humbucker is pretty good too with a clean cut heavy sound... we're not talking EMG81 here but bloody good pickups for the price.

Perfect set up straight from factory i guess... tremalo is fine, i can even rest my wrist on it and it's fine, pickups perfectly set, i prefer using high guage strings but i could get away with the thinist on this one, doesn't tend to go out of tune so much, tuning keys would make this just right, the only downfall is if u don't know how to treat a guitar and just throw it around then expect to pick up scratches as this is made out of japenese softwoods.

Not perfect, i pissed about the first time i got it so i caused a little damage, i made the volume control very loose but it still works! If u don't treat this thing right then u will damage it, that isn't to say the guitar is weak, it's just that it's made out of very nice japanese softwood that will scratch easily if u don't care for it.

I've been playing for 6 yrs now and this is a nice guitar... i'm gonna buy an ESP exlporer and maybe an epiphone firebird... even then i'll still play this guitar, it's easy to play, great value... i've got a nasty habit of judging a guitar's quality on it's price so if i saw this guitar for 50 extra i might still have wanted it. So over all a great guitar for a beginner or a player who can treat it right, great value for #200 and also... i like the neck.

Well, it's my first electric guitar, so I can't compare it with any other.I don't have the slightest idea where and when were it built because the saler gave it to me with no chase or box.
It has a 22 frets, two controls(volume and tone), 5 way-selectors to choose between thre pickups: two single-coil and a humbucker(S/S/H configuration).
The body is made of alder and neck with maple, but i'm not sure so look at other reviews for more concrete info.
Mine is finished with a beautiful "wood colour"...i'm in love with it.
It's a stratocaster model, with non-locking tuners and a marvellous neck: esay to play with.
I only get a cable with my guitar...no more accesories were given to me.

I play my guitar with a marshall G30RCD. It's very "versatil"(i mean it can suit many styles, from a mellow pop to really heavy metal). The hum sounds quite proof and the single are good enough to make pop and soft rock. It makes a little buzzing sound when my fingers are not touching the strings, but i heard it is something normal.
Overall, i like how this guitar sounds...but as i said before, it's the first elec guitar i own.

The guitar was perfectly set-up from factory and the sealer recommended me not to touch any settings to avoid problems with the sound and the components.
It has no flaw and it's very well finished. Quality can be apreciatted at first sight.It stays on tune for quite long time. Really excellent!

I'm not sure if this guitar could stand a concert because i've never used it for this job. I have it since a couple of weeks so i can't really say if it will be durable. At least it looks very durable. See other reviews for this "blank". Sorry

No idea. I haven't needed it in the couple of weeks i own the guitar.

It's my first guitar and i think i will never leave it...i love HER.(I have no girldfriend). Very good for elec guitar beginners(I played spanish guitar about two years). Beautiful. Good price. Good sound.
I've been told it's the best guitar for this price range(uncomparable with ant fender squier or ibanez).Yamaha pac 112 rules!

2001 made in japan, 22frets, 5-way pick up selector, 1tone, 1volume
humbuckers, maple, strat body style, locking tuners. everything included(gig bag , 30watt marshall amp, 20foot lead, etc)

good sound for anything
i like rock

cool action fit and finish

very reliable

amazing

Start style electric guitar made in either Japan or Korea, this guitar has 22 meduim frets with 1 volume and 1 tone control. A PVC pickguard and Yamaha factory tuners. 2 single-coil pickups with 1 humbucker. I have an Alder body but i know some may have maple bodies. Slim, fast neck made of bubinga wood.

This is a very good guitar for its price. The clean tones come out pretty clear on the single-coil pick-ups but is plagued by a sometimes annoying hum. It sounds best when played through the humbucker with fat distortion. Again, the pick-ups are pretty decent considering they're from the factory, but i definately plan to replace them with some seymour duncan's or emg's. The sustain of this guitar is far better than its competitors (Squier Strats mainly).
My main guitar is an Ibanez RG which is far superior in every aspect simply because it is more expensive. I use this as a practice/2nd guitar.

The factory setup is pretty good but i lowered the action and added more tension to the bridge. The pickups were setup fine. The biggest problems come from the wood( i have a natural alder finish which has many scratches just from heavy strumming, this guitar dents and scratches way too easily) and the weak bridge. Using a wammy bar on this guitar only results in frustration because the guitar goes out of tune after one dive-bomb with the tremolo, so it could definately use better tuners and a better bridge all together.

This guitar is incredibly light (about 10 to 12 pounds), which could be good or bad for some.I have literally dropped this guitar down a flight of stairs and much more and it is still perfectly in one-piece. It is very reliable and durable compared to its competition. This guitar is basically my workhorse and practice guitar.

never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for about 3 and a half years. I own 3 amps, an Ibanez RG and a Ibanez soundgear bass. If this guitar was stolen and i didn't have enough cash to upgrade, i would definately buy it again.
Like I said, it is an awesome guitar for under $200, and is about as good as u get for that money. My biggest problem is the guitar's crappy bridge, and easily scratched and nicked wood. I have owned a squier start before and it was absolutely horrible! The Pacifica destroys the Squier Strat in every way, even the bridge! DEFAINTELY THE BEST IN ITS PRICE RANGE.

My entire review is based on the fact that buying this guitar will be your first and its other competitors are guitars like the squire strat. Compare it to other more expensive guitar and it will compare poorly, if you do want to compare it knock about 4,5 points of each rating. It was my first guitar.

Good, the humbuker pound out the chords and has very clear solo capabilty. the singles are better with low distortin or they can get a bit unclear and fuzzy. Its good for all types of music if you play it through good pedals, fat pedal, fat sound. Its got very good feed back and the varitey of sounds is only limited by your imagination. The tone knob is a to bit sensitive as is the volume control.

it was giving a good setup but i lowerd the action and losend the bridge. the pickups were a good level but i lowerd those too. everything was fine.

This is a poor section, this guitar gets chiped so easy and it feels like it will break if your smack it around. I have smackedit around and it didnt break so i guess its ok but its nice to feel a sterdy guitar. I did some experimenting with it and the middle pick up broke, so dont put acid on them to see what it sounds like.

never have, but im sure there nice.

ive been playing for 4 years and i still use this guitar sometimes, ive got a fender Jaguar and a Jazz bass and some pedals. if you need a cheap guitar, maybe your first or a second this is good, it is so much better than the squire strat, but its not a guitar you would get if youve been playing awhile.

The stile is like a stratocaster. Volume, Tone controls. 22 vintage frets. 2 singlecoil pick ups and 1 humbucker.5 way pickup selector. Vintage trem bridge which sucks because it moves.The tuners suck you get out of tune if you use the whammy bar relly quick.

The sound is really horrible when you are using te single coils, it sounds like relly hummy, but when you jam with the humbucker is totally different. You get a bit of power in your solos or riffs or even those power chords.I am planing to buy a Fender American Standard and I know that that guitar will make me change my mind about this one.

The finish is pretty good but the wood is really cheap you get dents and dings everywhere.The action is ok, and the thrust rod too.The pickup selector is noisy. The tunning pegs were loose so I had to tight them with a screw driver. The bridge was like a toy it moved and got me out of tune whenever I used the bar. Then I decided to tight it up too and to put an extra spring for more support.

This guitar has been with me for the past year and some ten months. I have abused it. The hardware sucks when you firt get it I had to customize my guitars single coil pickups because they sounded noisy. I have used this guitar for live performances for the about a year and it is O.k.

N/A

I have been playing for about 6 years. I also own some other guitars and amps but I only play this Pacifica 112. If I could have asked anything I would have asked does the bridge works nice. I love the fact that it gives me support on my solos. I hate the noisy pickup selector and the wood of it because it is so heavy, about 10 pounds no kidding. When I first bought it I tried some other guitars like Squier strats and Standard strats But I choose this one just for the hum and the nice metallic finish. I wish that this guitar would have had a locking nut.

This guitar has basic features. 2 single coil pickups and a humbucker, made of Japanese woods I believe, 2 pots ( tone and volume - would have liked a second tone), tremolo bridge ( which sucks), and a 5 way switch. Mine has a black finish and a white PVC pickguard ( which also sucks). Strat-style double cutaway, bolt on neck, strat-style headstock.

For a guitar that was under $300, it sounds spectacular. When compared to a Gibson Les Paul ( which I am soon purchasing), it sounds like a child's toy. Single coils tend to hum ( what do you expect), but the humbucker has a pretty decent sound. I would recommend new pickups, but why spend ~$150 on a guitar that was $250?
I play lots of Led Zeppelin ( rock on Page!), AC/DC, Allman Brothers, Hendrix, and Black Sabbath: big classic rock fan. I also like Metallica, Pearl Jam, and Creed for the newer stuff. This guitar suits my needs, but like I said before, the Les Paul will definitely lower my opinion of this guitar once I get it.

The neck is best neck I've ever played on. The only ones that compare to it are the Gibson slim tapers. Frets are way too high, I had to file them down. Truss rod is pretty versatile - you can adjust it for high or low string action. The tremolo sucks and I don't use it. The bridge saddles aren't too good either, because you have to file them to smooth out the groove the strings make - if you don't, you'll go broke on buying new strings. The guitar has an ergonomic body and weighs in at ~10 lbs, which is pretty light. If you want a light guitar though, buy a Gibson SG - it weighs about half as much as this one. Again, the neck is awesome.

It has held up pretty good. I've been playing for a few years, with a band as well, and it holds up. I also like to fool around with its electronics, and it hasn't failed me yet. The strings tend to go out of tune when the tremolo is used frequently ( that's another reason why I don't use it) - a locking nut would probably solve this problem.
The only reason I didn't give a 10 in this category is because this guitar is susceptible to dings and dents. Maybe it's the Japenese wood.

I've never had to deal with them. I would like one thing though. It would be great if Yamaha offered replacement parts (ie., pickguards, control knobs) just so you can customize your instrument.

I've been a musician for 6 years, and I picked up the guitar 2 years ago. All I wanted was a cheap guitar that could produce decent sound. The Pacifica 112 gave that to me. When I was shopping for a guitar, I played Squire Strats, Fender Standard Strats, and an ESP guitar. The Pacifica totally destroys them. I'll be sad to hang it up once I get the Les Paul, but not too sad.

Believe it was made in Japan. Bought it in 96 for 225 or so.
22 Fret Rosewood Neck, 5 way pickup switch, 1 volume, 1 tone. Two singles and a humbucker at the bridge. Stat style body, with a twinge of Ibanez styling and feel. String through body with traditional tremelo. Non-locking tuners. Came with cable.

Sounds decent. As I was told and feel, "it won't outgrow you after you've learned to play." It allowed me to learn how to generate different sounds. It beats the crap out of Squier Strats by far. Used it with a Peavey practice amp... like 10 watts or something, and also a 50 watt Fender Princeton Chorus. Sounded better through the bigger amp of course.

Intonation never had to be adjusted on the guitar. Came with 9s and the action felt great. I still like it. Not noisy at all, except when on single coils, but that's not the guitar's fault.

I BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THIS GUITAR FOR 3 YEARS BEFORE I GOT A NEW ONE! Kept banging it on my chair accidentally while practicing in my room. Finish didn't wear off or chip despite the beating. I always played this guitar at open mics when I was first learning, and it had to back up my friend's piece of junk Aria Pro II or Squier Strat which would be out of tune after one chord or not sound at all.

There is a Lifetime Limited Warranty on all Yamaha products. I've never had to embrace it, so I don't know how they service at all, but I'd say having a warranty such as that is fairly confidence inspiring.

I will not get rid of this guitar, because I won't grow out of it. It's like my 22 year old car, it just goes no matter what I do to it. And it even sounds decent. I keep loaning it out to friends who want to pick up the guitar, and it starts them just as well as it did me. It's a great guitar to buy for a beginer to learn, and then keep going with.

DON"T MAKE THE YAMAHA PACIFICA 112 MISTAKE!!!


An update on the review I wrote. The hardware on this thing is so crappy, I can't even tell you. Don't get me wrong, if you change your strings once every ten years, this is your guitar. I don't think the screws should be stripped from the minor adjustments I have made. Consider this guitar, but don't if you just want a guitar to learn how to fix guitars...go to musicyo.com and check out the 70$ Kramer Focus. That guitar is lame-om, but if u want to practice fixing, changing pickups, and fixing your guitar...that is your best bet. If you actually want to let someone else worry about that...Check out the intro FENDERS/SQUIERS. I personally haven't played a squier, but I have played a couple of FENDERS. A little thin sounding. If price isn't an object consider the FENDER LONE STAR STRAT (AKA the TEX MEX). I played one the other day in guitar center and YOWZA! That is what a strat style should sound like. TONE! FEEL! SEE THROUGH FLAME FINISH!!!! Not that I need to be any cooler, but I was...until I remembered I work in education and would have to sell one of my students on the black market to afford a 900$ axe! Hell, if Price is not object...go w/ MCINTRUFF( reviews listed on HC) BEST GUITAR MAKER IN USA RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!! PRS like, but with more personality and better tone!

I am no expert, but am learning more and more daily! If you have questions about a guitar purchase, let me know...Let's use HC to help eachother out.

I REALLY AM AFRIAD ITS GONNA FALL APART. BAD SCREWS, BAD BRIDGE, WHAMMY IS DISCRIBED BY ANOTHER REVIEWER AS ..."like a childs toy". COULDN'T AGREE MORE!

Not a complete waste. I will learn to change pickups, strings, and hardware on this piece of crap. That will ultiimately make me a better guitarist becuase I won't have to rely on others to make myself sound better! Isn't that the point, after all?

2000 Model, Fat Strat style, S/S/H made in Tawain. 22 Fret Maple neck and Alder body. Satin Natural (unpainted) finish, with white PVC pickguard. 1 master volume & 1 master tone. 5 way selector. Vibrato bar. No other accessories. Only minor complaints are PVC pickguard scratches easily and Vibrato bar is basically a toy, will probably not even use.

Playing thru a 200 Watt Pioneer Amp and Sansui fronts with a BOSS DS-1 and Dunlop Crybaby, I can get literally ANY sound from this guitar I want. From a warm, almost acoustic sound, to the crunchiest distortion, especially thru the Humbuckers. Only reason for a 9, rather than 10 rating, is a buzz with volume wide open. Factory pick-ups suit my needs perfectly, with tone and volume, however, I do wish the tone had just a little wider adjustment on hi end to really get a killer tone ringing on the hi strings.

The contours on front and back just mold it to your body. Balance of the guitar is fantastic. The neck doesn't dive when you turn it loose, (like my Epiphone) Mine is a Natural Finish (unpainted). The Wood grain patterns are superior to some Gibsons I've seen. The frets are just a little sharp, (a tiny ignition file will take care of that) I am most impressed with the neck and action. Even from the factory, I simply checked it to a keyboard and tuned it a little by the 5th fret method, and began playing. Intonation is perfect and fret buzz is non-existent. The action is just unbelieveable. You can VERY lightly touch any string and it plays, rings and sustains perfectly with no buzz. The neck is much thinner than my Epiphone and just seems to fit the hand much better without the feeling your holding the big end of a baseball bat. Chord progression is silk. Only neck I can compare to this one is our lead guitarist's 1951 Fender Tele\No Caster, which is completely restored, and worth more than my house. :) & I have the same action for less than $200 with this Yamaha. Only minor complaint on finish is the maple is lighter than the the Alder. I may stain it all, only to get a good wood color match thru-out.

From 9 years of running sound for local rock\country bands, I would never gig with anything w/o a backup, simply due to broke strings, selector switch failure, etc. But I would have NO problem using this guitar as my 1st choice instrument anytime. Strap buttons seem tight, electronic hardware is great (except the toy-like Vibrato and a slight hum in volume when wide open, which may even be a cable.) Since my model is a natural finish, I would only transprot in a hard case, and just be careful not to bump into anything, simply to avoid dents.

Limited Lifetime warranty to original buyer. Have had no need to contact, and don't foresee a need to in the near future.

If this guitar were stolen, I would immdeiately replace it, (but would order the Lake Placid Blue, rather than Natural finish) As stated above, my only MINOR complaint is the PVC pick guard, and toy-like Vibrato. Other than that, this is the nearly perfect guitar in it's price range and class (and better than a lot of others above it) If you are considering a Epiphone Les Paul 100, or any Squire Strat, you owe it to yourself to look at this guitar. Which one to own is soley the buyer's decision, but in my opinion, this Yamaha blows them both away. (and I own both of the above too) They will both probably be sold soon. (I have also reviewed the Epiphone Les Paul 100, you can read it for a comparison, if you care to.)

I bought this back in 1996 at Tin Pan Alley in London. I was originally going to buy the Fender Squier but the guy in one store said that the PAC112 was a much better deal and he took me next door to Tin Pan Alley to look at the 112. Mine has the natural satin top which he recommended as you can see any faults in the wood as compared to the Squiers where a coat of paint can hide a multitude of sins. This guitar has 2 single coils and one humbucker with a 5 way switch. Volume and tone controls and a vintage trem. With Alder body and a Bubinga fingerboard. It's a very good looking guitar. Considering it's very similar to a Strat, it's tons prettier.

I mainly play this with the humbucker pickup. Nice full tone. The S/C pickups are quite "bright". My only complaint is the trem on this guitar. It's totally USELESS. You just tweak or twang it once then the whole guitar is out of tune. Take the whammy bar out and forget about it. It's not worth it to have your guitar going out of tune as soon as you touch it. Other wise it sounds and feels really nice.

Action and finish was perfect. Everything was just right, this guitar was/and still is beautiful. I've read of people having problems with the frets but mine was perfect. Mine was one of the early ones made with a serial number of LN1222 so maybe quality was better back then. Certainly, in reading comparative articles to the Fender Squier, the Pac 112 wins in all categories. The only thing the Squier has is the Fender logo. So if you're a guitar snob and you feel you have to have a Fender then you'll be missing out.

Everything seems sturdy and reliable here. If this were my only guitar, then I'd happily use it without a backup. I've never had any sound problems, or broken any strings with it.

Never had to use it.

This was my first electric, after playing acoustics for over 10 years. This is better than perfect as a beginners electric guitar. I now own a Paul Reed Smith CE22 and feel that the Pac112 served it's purpose. Even though I'll probably never play it much again, I don't think I can ever bring myself to sell it as it's such a great deal.
If you're not a guitar snob, and don't need the "common name" brand Fender then buy this guitar. You won't regret it.

I've just bought it, I think it may have been made in Taiwan.
Standard strat copy with 2 single coils and 1 humbucker, 5 was switch and tone and volume knobs. PVC scratchplate and vintage trem.

The sound is excellent, a lovley tone and it suits my needs better than normal strats with the 3 single coil picks. I play rock and the Yam gives it me.

What can I say, After shopping around for ages to find a good new guitar for around #200, when I saw this, I fell in love with it.
Lake placid blue with white pick guard, gorgeous! Nice finish too, no flaws

I'd gig with this I rekon, probably keep a backup just in case of strings breaking, but it would last well.

doubt I'll need em.

I love it, it's my fave guitar now.

Allready up on the board.Typical inexpensive guitar.But I paid $120 dollars for this new. Trust me out there kids I`ve been playing since the late sixties. The cheap guitars you buy now are so much better then the Harmonys,Teiscos,Kalamazos,and other crap we had back then.When you figure cost of inflation from then to now a yamaha 112 is cheaper than the $39 Teisco was in the late sixties.You cant even compare the two instuments.You cant even call most of them instruments.Sure old danos are cool if you have a couple of good guitars that can stay in tune but not if its all you have. That said you could attually play a gig with any of these Korean and Indonisian guitars out now.Thats why I`m giving the Yamaha a 10.

This guitar sounds pretty generic but it`s quite and versitile.I was going to buy new pick ups for it then I thought why bother. I may put a Tele pick up in the humbucking position.Like I`ve allready said for what it cost it sounds great. All you spoiled youngsters should have to play mid seventy strats for the rest of your lives.

Some one else complained about the frets being too high and I agree.I think this is true about all yamaha electics.A little fret dressing (learn how to do this your self) helped a lot but putting a set of 9`s to 42`s really helped this guitar. Ive allways used a set of 10`s but I`ve been learning that different guitars like different strings and setups.Ive got the action on this guitar unbeliveably low 1/32 at the sevententh fret with no relief and it doesnt buzz or fret out any where on the neck.

A grafite nut would help the wang bar alot but I`m not a dive bomber anyways.Any sealled tuner is better then the old klusons gibson used to use and fenders wer`nt much better. This guitar is quite and plays in tune what more could you ask?

I`ve been playing for a long time. I`ve owned Les pauls,Stats,Teles,335sand lots of other guitars. Now I have lots of cheap but well made and playable Hearfeilds,Peaveys Electras,Ibanez,and other jap stuff.I came across a American Standard Strat in a pawn shop not to long ago.I bought it for $260 cash (told him thats all I had) kept it for 2 weeks and sold it for $500. Didnt need it liked my junk too much.If the guitars stays in tune and is electicly sound then any real player can make great music on it.

Nice slim neck, ok-ish trem and decent machineheads. stays in tune well. good pickup range.

considering the price, the tone is fantastic. the front pickup has a sparkly warm sound with a great wooden tone. the back is a bit abrasive and 'metal', but the front sounds so good i only use that one.

i have tried a Mexican Fender tele and my pacifica sounded WAY better, tonewise.

'nice' finish but nothing spectacular. no visible flaws or gaps. does look very nice and not like a toy (like most guitars do in this price range).

action too high after 9th fret. makes fast playing hard but still it's not dreadful. needs setting up, really.

absolutely solid construction. i have dropped mine on the floor twice (by accident) and nothing happened. well made and robust.

This is one of the best beginners guitar around, in my opinion- hence my rating of 10. the 10 is in the context of beginners guitars.

It is solidly made, has a nice sound, and doesn't go out of tune - much more than than other guitars in the price range. It absolutely blows Squier strats out of the water. It is even better than many guitars I have tried which cost 50% more.

You know the features. This is an update on a previous review so I'll avoid giving ratings in non-related catagories.

Here we go.. I made a minor (1/8th turn) adjustment to the truss rod, and it snapped under the tension. Normally an 1/8th of a turn is well within a guitar's tolerance, even a 1/4 turn is. My impression of this guitar thusfar has been that they give you two good solid peices of wood (with a poor, thin finish) and a lot of very cheap hardware. I was okay with this until now, when I realize that the truss rod is also cheap. If anything hardware-wise should be quality, it should be the truss rod!

Now I have gone and bought a Fender MIM Standard Strat. I now notice how much higher quality the hardware is. Tuners are much better. The pickups are staggered and more even sounding. The pickguard is 3-ply. The neck is wider. The finish is much more durable. The nut is a much better quality material. Overall the MIM standard may not be top notch, but in retrospect it is worth the extra $100. Get one.

I guess I can say that the yamaha did make it one year before dying. It isn't bad, I just feel the fenders are making it worth the extra $100.

This is where I am most angry. I call and get very nice customer support people who are there I suppose to offer you a manual if you lost yours, but cannot help with a guitar problem. The guitar tech will not return my calls at all. No support. None. Nile. They lose. Also from reviewing my manual, I seem to have no warranty. No surprise, but read on..

I haven't called Fender yet, but even their $300 Made in Mexico Standard Strat comes with a lifetime warranty against defects! Even if the guitar hardware weren't much better (which it is) isn't a lifetime warranty compared to no warranty worth the $100? Maybe.. maybe not.. But I know my next stratocaster will be a fender, probably an American Standard. Now one word of warning.. the lifetime warranty applies to the original purchaser.

Overall I'll say that the Yamaha Pacifica was a good guitar. Don't think it wasn't. I just struck out on the truss rod. But, since shopping around this time, I've decided that the fender MIM strats are worth the extra $100. Maybe it isn't worth it to you, but I wanted to share my reasons and experience with Yamaha for future buyers. I rely heavily on these reviews (taken with a grain of salt, especially when reading an idiot's post) and want to provide feedback for people who do as well.

Overall, I like the pacifica moderately well, though I think its value is not as good as I had previously believed, and their customer support is non-existant, unless you own their motorcycle, I suppose.

Solid basswood body with a natural satin finish, through-body strings, S-S-H Yamaha pickup configuration, tone and volume control and white pick guard.

Also has a maple bolt-on neck with maple fingerboard and chrome tuners.

Nice crisp clean channel performance, with warm rich resonance when utilizing a drive channel or distortion. Particularly responsive high-end performance, a given with most Strat-clone guitars.

Not too light to wear, has enough girth to let you know it's there, but light enough to be nimble. Smooth and fast neck, though the high E string is awfully close to the edge of the neck. A bi-product of such a slim neck. It's a trade-off. Speedy neck for a manuevering room.

The finish is flawless and actually pretty classy to the eye. The overall quality of construction, from a visual inspection, stands up in my opinion to any guitar of similar style for substanciallt higher price.

The pick-ups, while not what you would call "premium", are adequate to the task - nothing more, nothing less.

So far, so good. I have actually dropped it once (strap slipped off of the end strap peg) and the ax is none the worse for the wear.

Never had to use it.

Overall, a very nimble, fun to play little ax. Low on frills, but speedy, crisp and stays in tune!

cool good wood and the pickups for a beginer are top of the range

for rock it isnt easly beaten at that price sounds great with a marshal 100w head

Electronics are h/s/s and sound pretty good. I am going to make some changes on this puppy. THIS IS WHERE I NEED HELP. IF YOU KNOW HOW TO CHANGE PICK UPS AND HARDWARE...PL. WRITE ME. PATKEATING@HOTMAIL.COM!!!

Satin finish looks good. Strat style with a great neck! No case included, but I got it for 130$ (70 off!!!) @ guitar center the weekend after thanksgiving. BIG SALES THERE THAT WEEKEND AND I WOULD CONSIDER PUTTING OFF YOUR NEXT BIG GUITAR PURCHASE UNTIL THEN.

HHMM...Sound ok. I am running through a tech 21-10 amp. Great amp and it makes this guitar sound far better than my PEAVEY RAGE did!

Stings buzz a little and that either has to do w/ hardware or pickups. I am definitely changing pickups (prob. seymor duncan screamin' demon in neck, but not sure about the rest!) If that doesn't solve the buzz I will change hardware too. Still makes this guitar a bargain.

Otherwize good variety

Set up a little high. Overall pretty good set up. I was playing it right out of the box and having alot of fun. I am not sure about how the pickups should be "adjusted", but they sounded good for 130 bucks!

Knobs and hardware seem like the weak links here. I don't like the bridge on this guitar. Looks like I could bend the metal with my pinky.

Even so, I look forward to beating the crap out of it and to be a better player.

Only had it 2 weeks.

Great for beginner to find their sound with. You can drop it and you won't be out a grand either! I may not have mentioned that this guitar looks good. Spend a little more and you get a better yamaha with better looks. Does it come with better pickups and hardware? I don't know, but I have seen some of them and they all look great!

This guitar has 2 single coil pickups in the neck and middle positions, and a bridge humbucker. Solid alder body and maple neck with bubinga fretboard. Bubinga is basically cheap wood that is used to make people think your fretboard is rosewood. Nothing too special here- 5-way pickup selector, tone & volume controls. Also has a cheap-o tremolo. For what you pay, actually some decent features, but nothing extraordinary. Pickups have distinct "crappy" sound to them. None of them is TERRIBLE, persay, but none are very excellent either. Could come with better pickups. 22 frets. My guitar is about 6 or 7 years old.

I play a lot of blues and a lot of rock. B.B. King, Albert King, Albert Collins,SRV, Metallica, G & R, and everything in between. This guitar really does not sound all that special. As I mentioned before, better pickups would definitely be a good idea. It was my first guitar, and for several years I played it only through a Peavey Blazer 158 (small, solid-state practice amp). I used various effects including distortion pedals, and later a Digitech RP-7. The humbucker works for heavier distortion sounds, and using the 2 singles I was able to get some SRV-ish tones out of the guitar. It is nothing special of course, but when you consider the initial price of the guitar, it is a bargain. I would take it over just about any Squier as a start-up guitar. The humbucker gives you a better variety of sounds, and the guitar itself is lighter, faster, and in my opinion built better than any other cheap-ass guitar on the market. The neck single coil is rather noisy when used alone, as is the middle pickup, but when you use the 2 singles together it isnt too bad. Not a bad guitar for about $150 (brand spankin' new). My guitar has developed a sort of "personality" over the years, as I have beaten the hell out of it. It came with .009 guage strings initially (i think). I now have it set up with .011's, and that seems to help give it more edge/better tone. Also makes my fingers stronger. I later played the Pacifica thru the digitech RP-7 and an early 70's Fender Bassman 10 4x10 50W all tube combo amp. This of course made the guitar sound better, simply becuase this amp has absolutely BEAUTIFUL clean tones...some of the best I've heard. The Bassman 10 also brought out some of the "crappy guitar noise" in the guitar. Overall, a good starter guitar but not one I would ever gig with.

When I first got it, it was probably set up pretty well....I was too new to guitar to know. I got it as a christmas gift. There were no major problems with it (more on that in a minute). I took excellent care of it for the first 2 years or so, because I really did love the guitar....then, as I began to realize how much it sucked, I quit caring about it. The finish still is completely on the guitar, and I would be willing to bet that this guitar will last forever, or at least until the wood begins to decay. It came from the factory with .009's on it....now I have .011's on it for better tone and feel. Still sounds crappy, but now its got at least a little personality with the heavier strings.

This is, surprisingly, the strongest point of this guitar. I got it 6 or 7 years ago, and for the last 5 I have beaten the living hell out of it. I have dropped from heights of 3-6 feet, I have swung it around, I have gotten so intense playing that I slam it in to things, I have kicked it, punched it, sweat on it, bled on it, cried on it, stood on it, tripped over it, traveled with it, stabbed it (no joke!), scraped it, thrown it, shoved it, hit people with it, and done just about everything horrible you can imagine outside of straight up setting the bitch on fire. I have no idea why, but this cheapo guitar  just keeps on going. It simply will not quit. I am now in college, and I have brought it with me because I did not want my G&L S-500 (the most beatiful guitar in the world) to suffer through life in the dorms. I can just leave the pacifica leaning up against my desk, or the wall, or whatever, and I don't even have to care about it. I have been completely amazed at how reliable this guitar really is. It has fallen over hundreds of times, and it still works. Sometimes I have even dropped heavy shit on to the guitar, and it will not break. It is nice to have a guitar like this, because I never need to worry about it breaking. I am stunned that the thing is still in one piece. I have never had a professional set-up done on it, and it has a helluva lotta fretwear now, but it still plays just fine and works great. I haven't polished it or even wiped it down in about 2 years, and there is not one spot where the finish is coming off.....it will soon enough, though, especially after that whole "stabbing" incident.

I have no idea. I have not heard one damn thing about customer support at Yamaha, and I have never needed to call them. (see above for reliability details.

I have been playing guitar for almost 7 years now. I own the pacifica, a G&L S-500, a early 70's Fender Bassman 4x10, various effects pedals, a Peavey Blazer 158, and a Digitech RP-7 effects processor. Overall, I think this guitar is a piece of crap, as is just about anything you buy in the sub-200 dollar price range. I do have to admit that this thing can take a beating however, and it does deserve credit for that. I recommend purchasing new pickups for it, however, as the original ones are pretty crappy. I don't know of any other guitar I would reccommend as a first guitar....this one is just so versatile and reliable that it totally destroys any squier and actually some (emphasis on SOME) mexican fender stuff. For the money, it simply can not be beat. Dont let anyone tell you it is better than a USA Strat, or better than a G&L, or anything STUPID like that. The Pacifica 112 is not even in the same ballpark as the USA strats/teles are. Like I keep saying though, it is still goin, and for the money is a helluva buy. I would upgrade my pickups, but the pickups I want cost more than the guitar is actually worth now. Also, I am fairly poor, and I am looking into purchasing another amplifier....Probably a Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber. Hearing this guitar through that amp should prove to be rather interesting.

This guitar features two single coils and a humbucker when you first buy it. Non-locking tuners, but for under $200, what do you expect. Mine is rosewood fingerboard, some are completely maple I think. All in all, as far as features, you just can't argue for the price. I heard that squiers are making "fat" strats now, but I would go with this baby over it still. I noticed that the tuners were slow, unlike my friends squier.

The fact that their is a good set-up, (2 single, one humbucker), you have a lot of options for sound. But the pickups are cheap. I played it through a fender bassman, and a peavey rage, and used a marshall blues-breaker. I compared it to a fender deluxe special, with a seymor stacked humbucker, and I would have to admit it had better distortion. Altogether when it comes to this though, I still say very good guitar for the price. The fender cost me 1200, and the yamaha I am reviewing is $200. So, I can't help but give a good rating for it.

The action isn't a little too high, but nothing horrible. My finish is a pure wood look. The look is growing on me. I really don't mind this guitar at all. It just kicks a squiers ass.

Hmm, the only thing that would worry me is the fact that is goes out of tune. If you leave it in the gig bag for a day or two, you will notice it is out of tune. That is the only thing I would worry about. It does go out of tune, but nothing really bad or hard to retune for me so far.

This is not available because I have only had it 2 months, and haven't dealt with that yet.

Overall I would have to give this an 8. If you are looking for an extra guitar for any reason, or a beginning guitar, their is just no way your getting a bad deal, because this guitar is great for the price. Way better than any squier I have played yet. It has a nice ring, noticeably louder than most electrics when not plugged in for whatever reason but I don't mind, I have already given it a beating and it still works. Goes slightly out of tune, but the tuners turn slowly. Really no finish on mine. A whole lot of sustain beyond my belief. I like the normal bridge because it has a wammy.

1999 model. Same specs as the others below. I tweeked it out with a tapped DiMarzio humbucker, Sperzel tuners, chrome jack plate, ect.

The sound is great. I replaced the humbucker with a FRED and it has made a world of difference. I play mostly punk and power pop through a Marshall half and the tone fits great. I like to reserve my Les Paul for the fast heavy stuff anf the 112 for the clean and mellow. Don't get me wrong, this can give you the best of both worlds-full crunch to that twangy fender tone. The posabilites are endless.

The set up from the factory was average. I tightened the tremolo and now the action is nice and low. That combined with the feel of the neck, my fingers fly on this axe. I've never been a fan of trem systems, I'm thinking about locking it all together. I'll have to agree with the finish. You can chip it if you look at it the wrong way. I hate the position of the volume knob. I'm so used to playing Gibsons that I would always hit it on accident. I plan to get a custom pick guard made and move the damn thing down and out of the way.

I've tortured this thing for a year now and It's begging for more. This guitar is built like a rock. I got this guitar to take the every day beating and let my Les Paul rest up for gigs. The stock hardware was a bit cheap, but what do you expect for $200? I don't plan on dropping it anytime soon, but I'm sure it will hold up just fine.

I emailed Yamaha with a few questions back in late 99. I'm still waiting for a reply.

I went to Guitar Center planning on picking up a Fender Strat to give me the option of another guitar. After playing the Pac 112 I was hooked. The price difference helped out too. In my opinion it smokes the Lone Star, hands down. It has the same specs, just crappy hardware. Even after replacing the hardware it cost half the price!

Words can't describe the feel of the neck. It feels better than anything Fender has on the market today. Before you unload and buy a Fender Strat, check this guitar out. A great choice for a first guitar or as a loyal backup.

This is a follow up. I changed the pickup configuration now it is Hum/single/hum. At first I tried a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon and that sucked. That pickup is way too bright for this guitar. I pulled that one out and sent it back to trade for a duncan distortion neck. This is a very nice pickup. Sounds sort of Hendrixy in the neck position. A retro vintage kind of thing. I wired it standard for full power. In the bridge I put a Dimarzio Evolution in at full power. OH yeah... that is a pretty hot pickup... They both are. The Evo is pretty nasty and will drive an amp pretty hard. In recording situations I have been told that there is something about the EVO that is unfavorable. I must agree. It does rock hard though. I played a Steve Vai Jem w/ EVO before buying. THe Pac 112 sounds similar to the Jem but brighter. I also tried EMG 80s and 81s. I thought the EVO was similar. Not as clean but much cheaper. I kept the stock pickup in the middle. I just took the cover off to make it black. I like the middle pu ok. It is ceramic and I prefer ceramic. If you listen to enough pickups you will be able to tell the difference in magnets.

My next step is to do a paint job. I am also considering a Wilkinson bridge.

I cannot tell you how it sounds. My modification is Phatter and nastier than most of what is available. I can go from shred to funk to voodoo to achtop. Check out this page to hear how nasty this thing is. On the song "Over Me" I am using my PRS EG. On "Guilty" and "Falling Down" I am using my Pac 112. For those who remember my last post I took off the song with the 112 stock.

http:www.mp3.com/TennisStudd

The action was fine when I got this guitar but I wanted an 80's shred machine so I dropped the strings. It is a little brighter. Also I have taken the neck off a bunch of times. I am betting dead spots. I hope to work this out.

I took the strap buttons off on day one and put on Dimarzio locks. The input jack came loose on day one but hasn't happened again. This guitar is dependable. I bought it so that I wouldn't have to put my PRS through the abuse of playing out. I hot rodded it cause I wanted it to be as nasty.

I have been playing for 10 yrs. I have trailer loads of equipment. Mainly a VS 840 that I record on. Live I use a Hughes and Kettner half stack. Drop me a line if you want to talk about the Pac 112 or recording. I am very opinionated about every piece of gear.

http://www.mp3.com/TennisStudd

Nothing particularly special. S/S/H Config. Alder body. Rosewood fretboard. Standard vintage trem. Everything neat and tidy (ie tremolo/pickup cavities). Single volume and tone controls.

I play a wide variety of music and the 112 holds up nicely. The humbucker has plenty of output and punch (great for distorted powerchords) without squeeling feedback at high volumes. The single coils sound nice and full clean (too muddy distorted) and aren't to shrill (like a strat). Plenty of mids which is a nice change from the squiers that I've played. Overdrive tones are fine with the middle and bridge pickups (the bridge one is a tad too muddy) and the humbucker sounds fantastic with the gain piled on. My only complaint about the sound would be that perhaps the middle and bridge setting was a bit useless. It was okay clean, but as soon as things start to break up a bit...yuk. This is a minor complaint though, especially considering the price. Best sounding guitar I've played for the price.

Hmmmmm...I'm not sure if it was just this particular guitar or not, but there were a lot of problems with the factory set up. The first was the fact that it'd been set up for extremely low string tension (like for detuning metal bands) and so when I began to raise the pitch of the strings, the bridge tilted all the way foward. It was almost vertical when I finally noticed. I also had problems with the pickups. One of the springs stopping the pickup from moving foward if the guitar is tilted (these springs are under the pickgaurd and on the screws that hold the pickup in) was missing and so whenever I leaned foward the pickup would tap the strings. Not a major problem, but fiddlesom to fix. Also, the action was far to low, even though most people say the pacificas have nice low actions, there was heaps of fretbuzz. At least the truss rod adjustment was okay. I don't expect perfect factory set-ups, but something remotely playable would've been nice.

Dents really easily. Like balsa. You have to be delicate. Invest in a hard case. The frets and neck have help up well (had a few years of playing with it) and I've had no problems with the electrics. The tuners have also help up well.

Haven't dealt with them.

A fantastic guitar for the money. Good as guitars twice the prce. Great for a beginner and fantastic as a backup guitar. Plays well, sounds great, reliable. Besides a few niggles it's fantastic. I'm giving it an eight, but keep in mind that people are far to generous here.