Yamaha Pacifica 112

let's see... i got an alder body guitar with the black finish on it. it's got the S/S/H configuration on it. got myself a rosewood fretboard. what else is there? i'm not big into how the headstock looks.

it's works okay with my music. people are right. it's a good rhythm guitar, but for soloing it's not much. i'm using a crate gx 15 amp and a washburn bx20, i think. i'm using a dod icebox stereo chorus pedal to go out to the two amps. i like using the bass amp just because the tones are so much smoother than the crate. also, on one of the channels out of the stereo pedal, i have a dod supra distortion pedal hooked up. on the crate, the sound sucks, but the washburn can put out some pretty sweet tones. i'd like it better if the guitar came with a set of better pickups. i get a lot of hum when i'm not playing anything.

i think that the finish is pretty decent. the settings on the bridge were all fucked up... and i kept getting a lot of... i forgot what it's called. oh... i kept getting a lot of rattle on the low E string. i had to set the action higher up... and i moved up to using 10s... i like the height of the frets, but the neck sometimes seems too thin... hard to bust out with chords sometimes. i hate the damn bridge though. it's not made to take too much tension from the strings. for a while, the bridge was at a 20 degree angle...

eh... this is where it kind of lacks. i've had to take off the pickguard too many times, just because one of the pickups would begin vibrating. if you don't don't what i mean, you could the pickup physically rattle. the strap buttons are pretty solid. what really gets me mad is the plug is constantly getting extremely loose.

i dunno

i've been playing for 3 years now... i don't really own much other stuff. if it were stolen or lost, i wouldn't buy another one. i'm looking more towards ibanez, who puts out some pretty good crap.

Ive been thinking about getting a new guitar lately, but I just cant get away from the 112. I like it a lot, for 200 dollars i think its a great guitar. at least for beginners.it has one volume and tone button which is all you need and a five way switch.1 humbucker 2 seperate pickps that create nice clean sound and good smooth gritty sounds.

It makes good clean and dirty sounds.I use a crate gx15 and i have 4 huge speakers hooked up in back with sweet sound.I especially like the way it sounds with a dod dis. pedal playing blink 182 and last resort by papa roach.

this guitar was put together well. it could have a few more details on it though.

This guitar does the job for school talent shows and showing off to all your girlfriends and jamming with your best friend and small gigs.
nothing comes off or comes apart though.I would use this for small gigs if its not to hard of rock w/o backup.

havent needed it.

I have been playing for about 1 year and a half and have been very successful.I play rythym guitar for a band called METHOD.Were pretty good.My guitar sounds better every day because i practice about 3-4 hours each day.I like almost everything about it although they could have put a little more money into it.I would recommend buying one to beginners to 2 years of playing but then get a guitar with awesome pickups and start getting a little more serious.

You've already read specs. After nearly a year with a purchased-new Pacifica 112, I will give my assessment.

A, "generic," sounding guitar. The strat tones are not really strat tones. The humbucker lacks class; it is just loud. Does not have the sounds a good strat has. It is not a first line instrument for me. If it was all I had, I would make do. But I have better, so it is lacking. I've thought about dropping some better pickups in it, but declined, because the guitar just lacks a bit in the character department overall.

The neck is nice and thin. But the frets are too damn high. Not nice and low, like a smooth Fender neck. This fact offsets the value of that nice thin neck it has. Shame. The fret/neck work necessary, from a tech, to take it to where it would shine, would be too costly a proposition with regard to the price of the guitar. The finish on the body is thin, and definitely not close to that of a standard strat.

It is a durable guitar. Good sealed tuners. Well made.

Yamaha answers emails.

I think the current run of Squiers has come up to and surpassed the benchmark that the Pacifica 112 once set. The Fenders have some personality and pizazz. The Pacifica is boring.
I could suggest what Yamaha could do:
Lower smoother frets. Would be a Big help.
Better humbucker, or no humbucker. Straight single coil setup, or the third as a p90 or filtertron-type... Give it some personality. That lousy humbucker has got to go... Allright for ratty rock (for those that love headaches or jelly brain), but little else.
Get some custom pickguard action going to bump it up a notch.
Better paint job/finish thickness.
All these suggestions, I've looked into doing myself. Nope. Too much trouble/money.
Tried a double fat standard squier that just blew this Pacifica 112 away. Couldn't say that about Squiers a year ago. Can today. Fender, with its acquisition of DeArmond, can put together some great sounding pickups, and by doing it overseas, do it cheaply. Combine that with a thin neck and lower, nicer frets, and the Yamaha Pacifica 112 has become obsolete.
Now it is Yamaha that has some work to do in the catch-up department.
Presently, my Yamaha Pacifica 112 stays in a case. I will probably be getting rid of it soon, as it has no function in my current constellation.
With the great Squiers and Dearmonds coming out of China and Indonesia, there is no longer an excuse for getting a Pacifica 112. And I don't work for Fender.

well, i bought this guitar in April 2000,(first guitar!!) and its cool!!its got two single coil pickups and one humbucker, which is what I mainly use.if you put the distorsion on on your amp, its a pretty gritty sound which is cool!! its got a maple neck, with a 21 fret rosewood fingerboard.its got a 'traditional' tremolo,and 1 volume and 1 tone control.chrome hard ware.my friend who is excellent on the guitar agrees that it is really cool, and she likes the action.

i mainly (try to) play rock, and use the h'bucker which gives a good gritty sound.i tried it in a friends effects pedal and it sounded even better!i've got a 15 watt RMS amp, with a distorstion button.the single coils (when i use them) have a nice tone to them, and are good for rhythm playing.the humbucker sounds cool esp. on 'smells like teen spirit'.

the guitar was set up just fine factory wise.every thing was made well and i guess its cool that way.the only bad thing on my guitar is that the jack socket is damaged cos the strap slipped while the lead was in it and it kinda caved in slightly, but it still works fine!!!

the guitar withstands live, as it stays in tune, and there are no problems.the only thing is when ya really hit it the top string tends to pop out, but you just put it back and its in tune!! which is good.
the finish is nice and durable and it is a light blue colour.the strap buttons are solid, but i would advise everyone to buy straplocks, cos every guitars strap slips!!i ve had it for 5 months and its still in the same condition(apart from the jack plug)

never needed to call!!

this guitar has been voted best guitar under #200 for several years in a row, and i can see why!!!they are WAY better than Squires for the money!its a really really good guitar, and (i ve tested!!) just as good as a strat!!!i am going to buy a distorsion box for it to get a bit more fuzz.

Purchased in 1999. This is basically a stratocaster copy with two single coil (neck, middle) and one humbucker(bridge). Comes with a whammy, which I don't use so I can't comment on. Has only two knobs: Volume and Tone (really all you need IMHO). 22 fret neck which has always seemed extremely easy to play.
The low-down is that this is my first guitar, and I think I picked a good starter. Easily comparible to my friends' fender strats, and have gotten many compliments on the neck. The pickups, especially humbucker, seem a little weak, but not to the point of crippling me, or hurting ears.

Very versatile guitar for the price paid! The S/S/H configuration provides a lot of leeway. I don't feel the loss of the second tone knob really hurts the sound. The pickups are a bit weak, but still sound good. I think this has been a wonderful guitar to start with, and I'll probably upgrade things like the pickups before I even consider buying a "dream guitar". Plus, with this guitar I actually wouldn't be scared to try upgrades myself, as I wouldn't be risking $1000 or more to my clumsiness.
All in all, a solid guitar to start with, though it could use a bit of work before you could put out SRV tones.

Guitar seemed setup well to my untrained eyes, and a few more experienced people gave it a thumbs up as well (one was especially doubtful of anything that wasn't a specially selected Fender American Strat, and was amazed). The only thing I didn't like were the strings on it, some 9 guage strings, which I changed for some 10's and adjusted the truss rod. The only other adjustments made were minor and only to suit personal taste. The fingerboard was excellent, not the least bit cheap feeling/looking as in some other brands. I might mention that I have yet to find a guitar in this price range that was of equal quality. They all had some pretty severe faults.
Keep up the good quality Yamaha!

Well, I'm definitely a bedroom hobbyist at best, but it seems good and solid. Much better than anything within $100 or more of it (I'm hoping the Fender MIM strats are close). The neck and body seem very sturdy and reliable. The tuners tune and seem to hold okay, especially if tightened a bit (those who have trouble holding tune on this guitar should tighten the tuners, or buy better strings). Pickguard is okay, wiring underneath seems clean and simple. OUtput jack seems good by me. The only real problem is with the brown satin finish there is very little protecting it from being scratched, but then, it is satin, and I kind of like the old beat-up look on a strat.

Don't know. I've never had the need.

I've been playing guitar now for 8 months, using this guitar through a little SS Crate 15W amp(Hey, it cost less than my car, thank you very much). I think this is a wonderful guitar for anyone that doesn't want to invest a grand in an instrument. I love playing it, and if this were stolen, I would without a doubt run out and buy one just like it. I hope yamaha keeps this up, and expands their electric guitar line a bit more with equally good guitars. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who can do without bragging about equipment name brands. Especially beginners who may decide they like a different style guitar later.
I certainly don't regret buying this guitar rather than the Fender MIM strat. Is the name on the guitar worth $100 more? Not to me.

Mine is a 98 Taiwanese model with a s/s/h pick-up config,5-way selector and one tone and volume poy respectively.The neck (maple,bubinga) comes in with a widdle friendly 22 frets and easy high end access.The body (Alder) itself is a less rounded strat style but still comfortably contoured.My model is actually a 112X meaning that it has a black scratch plate and pick-ups (it looks better than the cheap looking white)ontop of a transparent finish.It also comes in black, white and red I believe.The bridge is vintage-style and the tuners are sealed gotoh.The one thing that bugged me was the side mounted jack socket

The base sound i got from my 112 was darker and fatter than my previous budget axes. The humbucker in the bridge is perfect for my musical tastes of alt rock and numetal where as the two single coils cope excellently with both clean and semi-dirty settings whilst possessing a cool low mid range bark.I've tried it through a number of amps and it doesnt lose its power and warmth even through the some of the poorer amps that ive tried.This being all well and good the 112 is basically a rock guitar and it is difficult to coax more ethereal,subtle bluesy type tones from it.

I really could not find a thing wrong it was spot on straight out of the box!I even had to open it up a one point and it was flawless inside as it was out!No mess or marks.

I've had my 112 a year now and its still good.I had a problem with the strap buttons not actuallt keeping the strap on so i sorted that with some tape ,nothing major.I have also found that the intonation has started to wane slightly along with holding a tuning (i find it holds de tuned styles better than concert pitch).I think theses problems may have arisen due to my lax storage but nothing a decent set up wouldnt fix.All the switches and pots are still in good condition with no noise or scratching.

not had to enquire comes with a lovely little booklet though!

I love this guitar I know there is better out there but not for this price.If it was nicked i would definetly buy another one may be not as my main axe but as a practice,back up or writing guitar because of its capabilities in my chosen genre!

H/s/s , crap machine heads ( goes out of tune all the time) tremolo which cant bend more than 1 step and lame strap buttons.Has a nice sparkle finish (silver with black scracth-plate).Only 1 volume and tone knobs ( albeit cheaply made ones)

Only sounds good on humbucker with full volume and tone as a result very limited ! Allright for scales and grunge stuff where you use a lame guitar that can be out of tune.Its lame otherwise with out loads of distortion chords just arnt thick enough.And lead sound is terrible ( hardly any Sustain)!

Came with rubbish strings , buzzed for ever and tremolo swings downwards all the time , Pickups way too high and completly out of tune.The peg for string 5 is way to lose.

It is very solid and tough , but the strings have broken twice in 1 month !!!! Ive dropped it twice and nothing happened! I guess it could have been better if it was assembled REALLY well.Humbucker is very loose!I have played 3 of theses things and they all suck just as much.

1 year warranty.Never dealt with them

Its targeted at begginers and unless you wanna play crap save up and get a mid-range jackson or ESP.As it was my first guitar i knew nothing and couldnt try it out.Ive played 3 of these and they all suck just as much.

The Yamaha Pacifica 112 is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured in Taiwan with 22 frets, a alder or basswood body, S/S/H pickups, a master volume control and master tone control, 5-way selector switch, and vintage tremelo system. The guitar I purchased was white with an alder body.

I use Ibanez 10-watt amp and play many different styles (classical to hard rock). Sound diversity was one of the main reasons I purchased this guitar. The neck singlecoil has a jazz sound when clean and a thick hard rock sound distorted. The bridge pickup, when distorted and at a tone setting of 10, has a good soloing sound. I use these settings the most, but there many other possibilities.

The guitar was perfectly playable and sounded good straight from the factory. I have had no need to alter anything, which, for beginners, is great.

I have owned it for almost a year and haven't had any problem. I don't know how well it would hold up to being used professionally, but I don't think it designed to be used professional.

Haven't contacted them and am unsure about the warranty.

I have been playing for around a year. The Pacifica is a good beginner's guitar bacause it allows the beginner to try out a variety of sounds on a easy to play instrument. It is much better than the Harmony acoustic I started learning to play on. I hope to run it through a better amp eventually to get a richer sound than my current amp can produce. I don't think it is a great guitar, but I do think it a good guitar for 200 dollars.

Strat clone (a little thinner and "swoopier" maybe) alder body, maple neck, bubinga fretboard, S/S/H. Single tone and volume control, five-way switch. Got mine with the satin finish. A good, solid, quality guitar. I looked around a lot before I picked the 112. What sold me? The neck! I have small hands, and the Fender's neck felt like a ball bat. The neck on this Yamaha, though, is the sweetest, smoothest thing. I play other guitars, and I always smile when I get back to this one. For the price, I haven't seen anything else that can touch it.

I play mostly blues, with a scattering of other genres thrown in for variety. This guitar suits my particular style very well. I play it through a Vox Pathfinder amp (another rare value), and I can get most any sound I want from it. The pickups aren't bad, but they're not first line, either (I didn't expect they would be, though). The sustain isn't all you could hope for, but the tone is warm, and with the right strings and pickups, this guitar has great potential.

Nicely finished! The adjustment needed only minor tweaks right out of the box. The quality of this guitar kicks the butt of anything else in it's price range, and a lot of more expensive manufacturers that I looked at could do well to follow the example set by Yamaha. I like nice wood and woodworking, and Yamaha did just that!

Would I gig with it without a backup? Well, my current tour takes me to all the best basements, garages, utility rooms, and backyards of southeast Portland, and I NEVER take a backup ('cause I don't own a backup). Hey, it works for me - I don't abuse it, I treat it well, and it always works. The strap buttons are a little small, but well affixed, the hardware is not exotic but is solid, the finish was well applied. It should last a good long time, properly cared for.

Didn't get the manual when I purchased it, so I slid on over to Yamaha's web site, and there it was!

Just returned to playing after a 24 year break. If someone stole this guitar, I would hunt them down and commit numerous felonious acts! Then I'd get really honked-off! Would I buy it again? Sure would! I really like this guitar!

Same as other reviews. Three peice satin finish. Don't like the tremolo or the vintage whammy bar. Stays in tune well. Love the neck. Small frets and scale length. That is all you need. www.mp3.com/TennisStudd

I have a 94 PRS. I like it cause it is fat and screams without bite. The Pacifica is similar. It does't have the overly bright sound and glassy high end of the typical japaneese guitars. Ibanez has a nasty top end and muddy bass. This Pacifica has enough high end to scream but sounds sweet like my PRS. The Low end is aboundand, tight and chunky. The upper mids are tight as well. Sounds Excellent. To me it takes an bassy high mid sound to get a real juicy sound. I only use humbuckers. The single coils are weak and quak. I run this guitar through a Hughes and Kettner 100 half stack (the best amp made). For recording I use a Roland cosm multi effects unit. No noise... not anywhere. On my recordings I can't tell the difference between this guitar and my PRS. I could tell the difference between this and other jap guitars. As far as crunch. Oh yeah. playing the low E is fat and crunchy. Not like most cheasy strats or copies. Strats (even fat strats) sound weak and cheasey.

Excellent set up. Never touched the pickups. Am considering a Screamin demon or a PRS HFS. Maybe not. I took it apart just to check things out. the output jack came apart on day on. That was easy to fix. As far as the plastic jack plate, it seams to work fine. Top is matched well. Bridge is set up fine. I just want a real floating trem. I have any trem resembling fender. I'd like to find one similar to my PRS. That is a trem. The bridge is starting to rust after about a month. Still this guitar plays like a dream. I've owned wizard necks and such. You don't need a certain neck to play certain solos. All you need is a guitar that plays good and sounds good. I have also owned a Fender Stat plus. I would rather have this Pac.

I don't play live. I guess this guitar would take a beating. The satin finish scratches easily but I will probably paint a custom graphic on it. I pulled the strap butons off as soon as I got it home. I don't like strap buttons. I put on Dimarzio strap locks.

Never dealt with them

Been playing 10 yrs. Own a 94 PRS (before they started sucking). If this guitar were stolen or fell apart I would buy anouther one. I love the neck, the sound, and the playability. It may be cheap and some may consider it a beginner's guitar but I don't. I think it all depends on whose hands it is in. You fingers are affect your tone as much as anything else. The industry makes up different reasons for us to buy a new guitar every year. Don't believe them. The quality is great and the selection of wood is nice. Fender Mexi strats sound like crap and the Americans do too. Look at a Fender that is unpainted. They us 4 peices of wood on some of them. they look like peices of scrap. Check out the rosewood Fender uses. Mustard color. The Pac uses either babinga or a decent rosewood.
I would be happy to answer questions. Within the week I bought it, I recorded a demo solo with it. to listen go to mp3.com.. Band name- Tennis Studd. Song- Pac 112

Bought new, May, 2000. Alder body. Maple neck. Solid body. 25.5" scale neck. Two single coils and a humbucker. 5 way switch. White finish (which looks to my eyes to have a tinge of green to it). Tremelo. Sealed tuners. 22 frets. Basic. Decent.

Sounds. This thing excells. This is my second unit. This one has great sustain; much better than the first 112 I had. The tones: from strat to tele to beyond. The tone control really does a lot here... as opposed to tone controls on so many guitars. If you move slow and keep an ear out as you fiddle, you'll find a lot of variety. I have a Fender strat which is my main guitar. I bought this Pacifica 112 as a backup. It has more tonal variety. I can go from cool ice blues lead to twang country gymnastics very easily... and convincingly... on this little gem. Can really do just about anything.

If you have never had one of these, here's the skinny, literally: a great slim neck. Radius is different from that of a strat. One string was cut a little high on the nut. A tech's file and 15 seconds and it was just right. I had no problem adjusting each string at the bridge to where I liked it best. I adjusted the two single coil pickups closer to the strings. Finish was fine for a guitar in this price range. The high rating reflects the sweet neck (IF you like them slim) on these guitars.

The Pacifica 112 appears to be built well. It is a backup guitar. That does not mean I would bring it to a gig as a backup. It means, if my strat was unavailable for a gig, the 112 would swing in. To be honest, I will probably rotate these guitars a bit. I don't see a need for a backup to the 112. It is well made.

Any emails to Yamaha have been answered. Never needed any fixing on my Pacificas.

Been playing for a very long time. Have had the vintage names and guitars. I HAVE to have a slim neck and low action. This guitar, out of ALL the guitars I have looked at, low budget to high end, has been the best low action, off the floor, with no major tech work, of them all. I must applaud the factory in Taiwan, as well as the designer(s).
That they managed to put so much tonal variety in the electronics is really something. And for the price... well, I have looked around and tried plenty. Let me tell you, I really appreciate this little guitar. There is one thing you have to watch for on the Pacifica 112.... The way the wood pieces of the body are glued together. The first one I had, used four pieces. They were glued in such a way, as for the two middle pieces to cancel each other out in terms of sustain. It was nice, but a "plinker." This new one is done much nicer... a single piece down most of the middle has made for a dramatic increase in the sustain department. This 'un is reeall nice. To be honest, it is hard to justify going out and buying a bunch of other guitars when you get a real good Pacifica 112. Thanks, Yamaha.

Post Script: I was prepared to shell out a lot more money for a guitar, up to 600 bucks. There were plenty of nice guitars at reduced prices at the sale. Couldn't pass up this one. It was just what I was looking for in terms of tones, sustain, and playability.

OH BABY IT"S SOMETHING

DAmn satin finish is getting scaded up

Hey Harmony-Central, the name is Alex and this is an update
on my left-handed PAC112, i have now found the perfect sound (for me)
if anyone of you are left-handed and own this beaty, well look out for Seymour Duncan because i bought and installed two in this guitar and the match is AMAZING. My new setup is a custom PAC112 with a Duncan Distortion in the bridge, the stock in the middle and a customized Alnico 2 Pro Staggered left-handed from the nice guys a t Seymour Duncan, now some people told me this is a weird match, but let me tell you for me it's HEAVEN! So here's my beef, lot of people are just bying what bands are using, well the hell with it, be creative and be yourself, this is Alex : Frontman of 2nd Protocol
saying to you guys "Not Being Yourself is Becoming Someone Else"
check out the site and leave me a message if you have any questions

http://burning2k.tripod.com or go to www.canadianmusic.com (just click on the first band in the alternative section)

PEACE OUT

I bought my Yamaha Pacifica 112 brand new in the UK five years ago. It has 22 frets, the finish is a lightly glossed, light shade of wood. There is a 3 way selector, Humbucker-Single-Single combo of pickups, (very good indeed for the price). The body style is like a strat but the features such as the headstock and parts of the body are shaper and more trendy. This makes it suit the style of a heavy metal/ rock guitar player more than a fender strat would. It has a white scratch-plate which suits the guitar very well, and it has 1 volume and 1 tone knob. The bridge is a basic whammy, a sort of modest version of floyd roses and ibanez lo-pro edge for example. There is a standard headstock (not reversed) but as I mentioned, it is nice and pokey, not all fat and round like most strats. My model came with a free soft gig bag which is quite nicely padded.

I am into bands such as Metallica and Megadeth, (mostly Metallica at the time), and although this guitar is not really equipped for all of the lead work, it surpasses expectations with playability and sound. When this was my main guitar, I had about as basic a setup as you can get, just a 10watt pretty much bottom of the range amp, costing around #50 ($60 ish). Even with this setup, it worked as well as I needed it to, for the chords and basic riffs I was learning. It plays as good as the amp you play it through, but you can certainly tell that the quality of this guitar surpasses that of cheper guitars or even ones in the same price range.
Surprisingly, this guitar is good for metal, (although meets it's limit in the lead departement), and for clear stuff such as Nothing Else Matters(Metallica) style.
I need to say no more, as the sound is very good in every departement, and would challenge any very specifically classified guitar from any style under the sun within the same price range. Very good indeed!

As far as I can remember, the setup was fine, fresh from the factory. Excellent!!

This guitar is so reliable that I wouldn't have any quarms about playing this live. The trem is very reliable and it is a solid and well engineered build all round. Because of the untreated finish, (prehaps lightly glossed), the body is a little more liably to get chipped, but this only applies to the body as the neck and headstock are very heavily glossed like in any guitar. These chips will not show up as much as in a heavily glossed guitar, and if you make sure you are quite carefull with it, there wont be any problem. The strap buttons could be a little bigger in my opinion, but that is just my personal preference, and they are no smaller than the average guitar. The strap buttons are solid however, and put in very well designed areas on the guitar so that the balancing of the guitar is very good.
This is a very dependable guitar, and the only reason I damaged it was because I dropped so that the headstock smashed on to the corner of my amp, and the headstock bust. Because of the bolt-on construction, this is no fatal move.
Very relibale, great quality.

The warranty is at least a year by my recollection, but this can probably be extended. A good service as far as I know.

I have been playing for five years, and this was more than sufficient for the first two, but as I progressed to more technical lead solos and techniques, I found the need for a higher specification guitar mainly just concerning the bridge, so I stumbled upon a second hand BCRich Bich. A Floyd Rose is a good upgrade for a lead guitarist,(for heavy metal styles such as Metallica and Megadeth), but this guitar will fit the needs of any beginner or any Indy, Rock, etc, style of player.
It would be laughably unreasonale to expect anything more from this great guitar for the price you pay for it. I love everything about this superb value guitar, and it really got me to a great start with my guitar playing. If your budget only stretches this far then get this guitar because to get any better you would have to pay about twice as much at least.
Superb value for money, superb guitar, if you are a beginner or have a strict budget, get it.

Just about as basic as you can get, but thats what i needed. this was my first guitar (and last...i really play bass). two single coils and a humbucker, tone and volume know, and five way pickup switch. Im sure the electronics are as crappy as they can be, but they actually sounds pretty good. I never use the tremelo, but it has one.

Suprisingly a very nice sounding guitar. I've gotten great sounds clean and distorted. When its distorted though, the two single coils tend to buzz quite a bit, but i usually use the bridge pickup, so its not too much of a problem. For a Yamaha, this thing sounds pretty good.

This guitar sat in a closet for 4 years before I stumbled upon it. I have no idea how the factory set up was, because the original owner screwed it all tho hell, plus everything was starting to rust up. I have to keep the action kinda high so it wont buzz...not too fond of that, but i make due. The nut isnt shaped quite right, but that is to be expected from a lower quality guitar.

This is a diffcult section. My roommate has droped the thing at least 3 times, and it hasnt even gone out of tune, or gotted and dings or scratches. but since ive had it (about 1 year), ive had to replace the input jack twice, re-soder some wiring, and the magnet for the neck pickup randomly fell off. But even though it has no magnet, it still finds a way to work fine. nevertheless, im very happy with the guitar.

Never had to call...dealt with everything myself, even though ive probably just made things worse.

This is the only guitar I own. All of my other gear is bass related. But I got the guitar and a peavey 110 amp for free, and taught myself how to play. I still play it almost every day. Im very happy with it. I like it more than my friends fender strat and tele. And so does he.

Made Japan. S/S/H pickup config. Generic yamaha bo-bo pickups. Beautiful ALder body and Bubinga fret board. Nice thin strong neck. I hate the fat necks on my friend's fender. Nice tremelo. You can use the wammy bar without it coming out of tune. Wonderful, cheap, alternative to an expensive Fender.

I do my damndest to reproduce a Smashing Pumpkins sound. I didn't think I could do it with such a cheap guitar. Billy and james use american made strats or les pauls. Surprise, for the lwo price of around 200 bucks, they can be transported to your living room through this inexpensive treasure. Great beatlesque sound with a good clean amp (I use a fender deluxe 90). The only limit on this guitar is the cheasy humbucker, the plastic input cover which I promptly smashed in when i dropped it, and the talent of the player.

The guitar was perfect right out of guitar center (towson MD). No sharp areas above the frets like a lot of the cheaper strats. (i cut my finger on a strat squier). Pickups work fine. The wood finsih I have is beautiful, even though it's now scratched and dented from heavy use. The plastic coating on the pick guard was a pian in the ass to remove.

100% reliable. If you a professional, you'd probably use this as a back-up just so you could show off your new Fender or Gibson. But if the guitar fails you half-way through the show, you could use this, and 99% of the people couldn't tell the difference. The wood fifnish isn't coated with polyurethane, so it dents super easy. Just take care fo it and you'll be fine. This guitar has withstood hours of continous playing, and it hasn't failed me yet.

Never used it.

I've benn playing for 4 years. I own a cheap acoustic (santa rosa?), and a fender deluxe 90 amp. Howard hennig, the sales manager at guitar center was instrumentla in the sale of this guitar. He was right. It knocks the sock off of EVERY foreign guitar I played at the store, including the mexi and japani strats. It's not quite an american standard, but you save around 900 bucks. I wish it had three tone control knobs instead of jst two, and I'd also wish they'd replace that damn humbucker with something better. I'd buy it again in a second. Cheers to Yamaha on this wonderful creation.

Japanese-made SSH electric, 22-fret BUBINGA fingerboard on a maple neck. Strat-style body (though lighter and more comfortable than a Strat), chrome hardware, standard tremolo. Passive stock pickups are fairly bad, but a quick switch for an EMG SAV-SAV-89 set really makes a difference. I also installed an EMG-SPC mid-boost control, which really fattens up the tone of the single-coils. The body is finished natural satin, and is very pretty. Very playable neck and fingerboard - the neck is thin and fast, with jumbo frets, and the fingerboard is very flat and thin. The tuners are non-locking, and have since been replaced by Sperzels. I'd give the guitar a 7 without the upgrades, a 10 with.

With my upgrades, the guitar is fabulous. I use it for everything, from funk and blues to progressive metal. My amps are a Line 6 AX2-212 and a Danelectro Dirty Thirty. On the AX2, I use the Dual Rectifier, Roland JC-120, and Dumble Overdrive Special amp models, all with very suprising results. I get FANTASTIC tone (especially with the pickup change), and those artificial harmonics are SO easy to attain. I'd recommend that anyone with a Pacifica guitar should get EMG pickups - your tone will improve ten-fold!

The guitar was set-up poorly at the factory - lots of fret-buzz, decently high action, and what not. The nut is cut improperly - that's the next thing that will be fixed. The pickups were at the correct height, but of course I yanked them anyway. The body's woodgrain is beautiful, especially against the white pickguard and black hardware. There are no finish flaws or electronics problems...

This guitar is incredibly durable. I've owned several, and I just keep coming back to them. It is a simple, no-frills guitar, and I love it. I have a very aggressive right hand picking technique, and I bend up minor and major thirds on a regular basis with my left hand. This is the first guitar I've played that can withstand my abuse in both rehearsal and live settings.

The guitar has a lifetime warranty. I don't think I'll ever need it. The only reason I'm giving Customer Support such a low rating is the fact that Yamaha's parts technician is IMPOSSIBLE to get ahold of. I wanted a pearloid pickguard for my guitar (standard Strat pickguards from Warmoth and such are shaped differently), and of course, Yamaha only sells the pearloid pickguard with electronics built-in, for a grand total of EIGHTY dollars. Whatever...

I've been playing guitar for about 5 years, playing in bands both in rehearsal and live. I play mostly Dream Theater-style progressive metal, with some Jazz, Blues, and Funk thrown in for good measure. I've owned way too many guitars over those 5 years, including ESPs, Corts (check out the CL1500 - also a FABULOUS guitar), Fenders, Ovations, and other Yamahas. I keep coming back to the Yamaha because of the playability, the simplicity, and the versatility. The stock guitar is great, but the guitar with just a couple modifications is simply amazing!

Alder body, two single coil and one humbucker pickups, tuners that stay in tune, tremelo that works with strings coming back in tune. The features that are there work well.

Makes more sounds than my Fender standard strat. Also, has much more life. This thing really rings. I can cover some jazz territory, plenty of country and rockabilly, blues from ice to raggady. I run it, and all my guitars, through effects... some distortion, compression, and delay. This guitar can cover a lot of territory. Until I run into one that does more, better, I will have to give this a high rating in this category.

Excellent neck! Give it a ten for that, for sure. Finish is fine, especially considering the price. Fit is perfect for me, as far as contouring. This is a "low budget" guitar. That being said, it is a bargain. I would give it a ten for the neck.

I bought this to play it in clubs. It is fine. I wouldn't take a backup to SOME of the small club all night gigs, because I just want to get in and out quickly.

I have found the Yamaha necks to be excellent. I am looking at other guitars in the company's line. Every email has been answered.

I have been playing since 1965. I looked through five 112s to find this one. Got the proper combination of features: 1. Fret edges not sharp. Have to watch this on lower priced guitars. 2. Decent fret height. Can lower action without having to file down a fret here and there. 3. Strong neck. Again, with cheaper guitars, have to get the best possible to avoid neck give and subsequent in-and-out-of tuning while playing. 4. Tuners that stay in tune. 5. Whammy bar that comes back with strings in tune.
When I got to this one, I knew it was what I was looking for: an inexpensive, good playing, good sounding guitar that could hold up to nightly small club work.
This is a GREAT guitar. I am considering getting a second one. The neck is just what I was looking for. I would like to always have one of these around. A bargain.
If Yamaha keeps doing this, I'll probably never buy another Fender. I HATE the Strat's fat, chunky neck. The only thing I have run across comparable would be the Jaguar's neck. This 112 is lighter and sounds TONS better, and I like its neck even better than my old "vintage" jag's.... In fact, I am putting my three months new strat up for quick sale. No comparison, comfort and sound wise. Want a good guitar? Get a Yamaha Pacifica 112. The only other thing I need is a semi-hollow/hollow body. This thing covers all the slab ground I need.

Made in Taiwan,Strat-model,Alder body,Rosewood fin board,22 frets,H/S/S pickups.

Sounded amazing at first but when i changed style to metal it was not powerful enough, so i changed the brige humbucker to a Duncan Distortion, and put the old one in the neck-position (the old hum. in neckposition and with distortion don't sound so nice, but what i lacks in tone it gains in volume). I've got a scratch-plate made of metal, so i've done some isolating stuff,and i don't know how this have affected the sound.

Din't remember, i think it was kinda good.

It goes out of tune very easy,so it's a menace to play with it live,which is a shame 'cus the sound is so great. Strap buttons are a bit small. I've played this guitar for some years and it has never let me down.

Never dealth with them.

The basic guitar is kinda boring, but perfect for beginners. With some money and work the guitar can be much funnier to play,but not reliable enough to play at gigs though.

This is an update of a posting that I made on an early date (7-28-98 to be specific). I have replaced/changed a few other things sence my last posting. These things include: a second EMG select single coil (in the center position), Sperzel locking tuners, new string trees (I have installed two extra trees, so that all strings have a better angle accros the nut), and I have also replaced Yamaha's **ONLY** Major flaw, the use of a PLASTIC plate to hold the output jack, I replaced it with Metal plate, which Yamaha should have used to begin with!!!

With all of my improvements this guitar is AMAZING!! But before all of my improments this guitar was AMAZING!!, it just sounds better now.

In My Humble Opinion Yamaha is an amazing guitar maker! For the price these guitars are phenomenol. With a little tweaking these guitars can be an absolute workhorse.

In fits of anger I have been known to throw this guitar around, and it has kept going without even looking back.

I have still haven't needed to contact Yamaha.

WOW

Made in Taiwan,Rosewood finger board,22 frets,4-piece Alder body in natural satin finish,S/S/H pickups,vintage trem.

Sounds a bit bland with the original pickups,but still pretty solid and useable.The sustain is shorter than on most Strats,possibly because the body is so light,but it's still nice and pingy.Good strat sounds,but loads better with replacement pickups.

Beatifully finished-a basic guitar but very solidly made,the neck fits perfectly into the body,everything was set up well.The action was a bit high for me,but the neck is straight so I could get it down as far as I wanted.The neck on this thing is just gorgeous,you could play it all day!Frets are nice,high but not too wide. The natural finish won't last 5 minutes though-It actually rubs off if you sit down to play it frequently!And the wood dings very easily- it supposed to be alder but it's more like balsa.Maybe the coloured finishes are more durable.

It'll survive a lot,being well built,but may not look too great after a few knocks(see above)

Haven't called them.

I've put a Kent Armstrong Humbucker in the bridge,moved the original bridge humbucker to the neck, coil-tapped them both,and rewired the whole thing so I can get loads of sounds from it.It sounds pretty good,loads of variety,but I still feel the basic guitar is a bit bland,and no amount of changing pickups will improve it beyond a certain level.Maybe the one I've got isn't one of the best,so try a few out before buying.The big thing in its favour is that neck-really one of the nicest I've ever played.Now maybe if I were to replace the body...............!!!

Made in Taiwan, 22 frets, standard stuff that appears in submissions below...s/s/h pickup configuration, with maple neck (that's very, very nice...) and bubinga fretboard. covered tuners, standard trem, the usual...just a very nice looking strat copy (which works better than a strat)
Tuners keep a nice tune, but my low E seems to go out of tune more than the others. However, as long as there isn't any string-breaking pressure bending, it keeps its tune just fine. it'd get a 10 for the price, but i still drool over parkers...

I play mostly christian music through a vox pathfinder amp. Since it's my first electric, I really wouldn't be able to tell if it's perfect, but yes, it sounds great. Neck single coil on tone setting 1 sounds nice and mellow, humbucker on bridge on 10 gives a great "twangy" sound that works great for fast stuff. Guitar Center didn't give me a trem bar with it, but it goes slightly upwards for rising fun...(I just plant my palm on the bottom of the bridge). I don't exactly play with much distortion, so packed with my ibanez super chorus it just gives out a heavenly lush tone when I need something slow, and a neat fast rhythm when I need to jam.
I love this thing.

The action was nice and low, compared to my f-310 acoustic. Frets are set up perfectly, nice and low, so that you can slide really easily. The neck is nice and smooth, and as long as your hand isn't totally wet from sweat, you can go from 1st to 22nd without even blinking. Humbucker is sort of loose, but it's probably set that way. And like everybody else says--this thing's built like a tank. First I took it home in a car without any protection (I was too cheap to buy a gigbag from Guitar Center, and decided to use the Musiciansfriend one I'd bought two days ago), and left it in a car trunk for two hours in 100 degree heat (luckily it was a covered parking lot). And I took it on the plane with me in nothing but an acoustic (read--DREADNOUGHT!) gigbag stuffed with packing peanuts, and it came out of 20 hours on a 747 without any harm at all (except for the fact that it was a little out of tune, probably knocked around by the peanuts)
Strap buttons are nice and strong, won't fall off anytime soon. (Try 50 years!)

Like I said--Built like a tank!
I haven't actually performed in front of a live crowd yet, but I doubt this thing would conk on me.
Mine is a darkish natural wood finish (I chose it because I figured it'd last longer than black, and it wouldn't chip easily). I was mostly right. It hasn't gotten a scratch anywhere on it since I got it 2 weeks ago (well...the film on my pickguard is shot, but it still doesn't have a single hole in it)

Guitar Center was o.k., Yamaha's a nice company, but since my guitar's perfect, I doubt I'll have to deal with them.

I've been playing for a total of six months, and this is my second guitar, but man, this thing's good! My F-310 sort of disappointed me in terms of Yamaha quality (Indonesian acoustics must not be too good, but what can you expect for $90?), but this thing's just the best! I was thinking of getting myself an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe, but with a shortage of cash, and the revelation that I needed to learn electric, I picked it up...and I'm still smiling. This guitar is probably the only strat I'll ever need. It plays smooth, sounds great, and is just a whole bunch of fun (and stringing won't be a problem thanks to the slots on the back). If it were stolen, hey, I wouldn't buy one...mainly because by then, I'll have honed my stuff, and probably be performing. I'd buy two, if I had the cash. Weight wise, it isn't exactly feather-light, but hey...it's a strat, not a parker. And for a strat, it's light. Let's see what happens in 20 years. It'll probably be just as nice, and out there sounding just as good as it did the first time I played it in the store.

See next review

Just an update... I dumped a Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro in the neck position, and a Fender Tex-Mex in the middle, and the guitar seems to be reborn. Whereas the stock pickups had no character to them, and had a hollow ringing sound, these two single coils have personality and TONE. Nomore shall I put my guitar down in frustration because I can't achieve the tone I want.

Another update... I've found that the volume pot tapers way too fast. Putting it on 9 is a whole lot different than putting it on 10. You can barely hear the single coils on 9. If anyone has suggestions for curing this problem, please e-mail me. I suspect I need a higher/lower (not sure which) value pot. Also, I fitted an 82pf capacitor to the volume pot to act as a treble cut (couldn't get my hands on a .01uf, which is what I'm supposed to use) but I haven't noticed that big a difference. Maybe if I used the right capacitor value.....

See next review

See next review

Seymour Duncan pickups rule!!

This is a Yamaha Pacifica 112, made in Japan, that features a rosewood fretboard, maple neck, alder (?) body, one volume, one tone, s/s/h, and a tremolo bridge. Mine is an attractive clear finish. It has a 22 fret neck that feels amazing (more on that later). For the most part, the parts on the guitar are average: decent tuners, average bridge, passable pickups, etc. I got mine without a single accessory, except the tremolo arm...

It only gets better from here. Straight out of the box, one can easily believe this to be a budget electric. HOWEVER, with a set-up and a little patience, this thing begins to sound better and better. I started out playing this guitar exactly as I got it through a Crate solid state 15 watt piece of crap. Since I was into Nirvana and Green Day at the time, I always used the humbucker, never the single coils. This soon changed, though. I gradually got into Led Zep, and from there springboarded into the blues. I realized I needed to use my single coils more, and once I did, my guitar sounded better. After a while I upgraded to an Ampeg Reverborocket 50w tube amp, and the guitar sounded absolutely beautiful through it. By this time I had done various things to the guitar, such as filing down the frets, adjusting the pickup height (the single coils sounded much better after that), setting the intonation (although it was decent to begin with), and changing to a heavier gauge string. All these factors contributed to improving the guitar, and it now sings and screams when I want it to. It now has a nice, rich sound in the neck position, a good quack in the combination position, and good crunch in the humbucker. With pickup changes, I expect this guitar to improve even more.

Like I said before, the guitar wasn't that spectacular out of the box. I've actually owned two of these guitars: I had one with a warped neck for a day or two, but exchanged it for a better one. The nut height on it is good, I haven't changed it since I got the guitar (although the nut should be made out of something other than plastic). The height of the single coils was far too low when I got the guitar, but raising them easily fixed that. I've had no trouble with the tuners. The bridge floated far too much for my taste (about 1/4 inch) when I got it, but another spring fixed that problem. The action on the guitar was good when I got it, and I don't recall having changed it. At any rate, it's good now. With regards to fit, this thing is great. The neck feels *SO* good. It's not exactly a thick neck, but it feels nice and full in my hand. It's comfortable and easy to play. When I play other people's guitars, such as at friend's houses or guitar shops, I always marvel at how great my own neck feels once I pick up my guitar again. The body is comfortable, and the guitar just plays well.

This thing has been totally reliable. Back in my grunge days, I would play it real hard, but you couldn't even tell that now by looking at the guitar. The only flaws in the body are belt scratches (more like small indentations) and 1/2 dent in the guitar near the pickup selector switch from when my friend pushed a symbol stand at me, and I blocked it with my guitar. I haven't abused my guitar, but I'm sure it could stand abuse. It's great for playing anytime, live or at home, and I would definately gig with it without a backup.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for about 5 years now, and this is the only electric I've owned. The only other guitar I've owned is a Hondo acoustic, but I got rid of that to pay for my amp. I LOVE THIS GUITAR. If it were lost or stolen, I'd pick another up in an instant, provided I have the money to. I love the feel of this guitar, the playability, and the overall tone. My only gripe is the pickups, but I plan to replace those with Seymour Duncans soon. One of my favorite features of the guitar is the ease with which it can be modified. I view it as an empty palette that's just waiting for me be creative on it. I never compared this guitar with any other guitar, I mainly bought it because I liked the natural finish. As I've progressed, though, I've come to realize what a great guitar this is, and how lucky I was that I got it. My only wish is that it came with two tone controls instead of one master tone conrol, but hey, it's no big deal. If you see one of these guitars for cheap, I highly recommend that you buy it. You won't be disappointed.

This is just an update on a previous submission. All I have to say is that this guitar is the s**t when it comes to reliability. I can't count how many times I have smashed it of the ground, and it still plays like new. Way to go Yamaha!

I think this one was one of the first 112's that came to sales. Japanese guitar built in Taiwan I think, 22 frets, SSH with 5-way selector. You can't expect more features for that price. (It's one of the cheapest in Finland)

The sound is pretty good, althoug the parts are shit. My guitar suonds the best when playing hard rock etc. style of music. Still the humming of the probably cheapest mics ever made is a pain in the ass. It hums with every working microphone, no matter of amp or cord. But if it wouldn't I'd put a good word for it.

When I bought it I didn't understand much about guitars. I played a couple of years with the factory set-ups and then I adjusted the mics again. It also loses tune quite easilly, but otherwise very well finished.

Well, I had to change the middle mic, wen it went totally broken. I wouldn't depend too much on it, cause it sometimes loses the sound and tune.

No experiences.

I'm just about to buy a new one, probably an Ernie Ball Music Man (Axis, Silhouette or Luke). I've been testing them quite much lately andwhen I compare them to this Yamaha, it's like heaven and hell (Music Man is of course heaven). But, always have to remember the price, and I think this has served me much better than I expected. The neck is very good, although a bit lousy with .009 sized strings, so use the .010's. Better mics and locked tuners, and it would be 9.