Yamaha Pacifica 112

Basically a pointier strat copy, with 2 single coils and a bucker in the bridge. Comes with a vintage (i think) tremolo, gig bag, strap. Don't know the wood, but the neck is surely maple. Big 70s looking strat headstock. One tone, one volume.

This thing sounds great for the cash. Sure beats my friend's Mexi Strat (and even his faded SG!). I don't like it clean that much, after playing more and more guitars, but with some Peavey Classic 30 overdrive it smokes. I particularly enjoy the straight humbucker sound, and after that would choose the 4th pickup selector position (probably the neck p/u and middle p/u). That selection has this creamy, jazzy tone that my Les Paul owning friend can't get enough of.

Seems well setup and finished. Stays in tune incredibly well. The action is unreal...I do not enjoy playing most other guitars, this has spoiled me. The neck, although fast, smooth, and comfortable, seems to be a little loose. Every once in a while I can hear and feel it sort of snap down a little bit. I could probably just screw it in a little tighter, but I'm lazy/scared.

Don't know about live playing...not many people with one $179 guitar gig. However, I am still satisfied with this guitar after years of use. It is really beat up, but I feel that it ages like a strat...Perfectly! No dead frets, p/u's working fine.

n/a

This is a great guitar to start off with. Get it over a standard Mexican strat anyday. It will treat you well and is great to learn on...very easy to play. If you're stuck up on getting a classy brand-name, don't worry, many an experienced guitarist has said "nice blackie" when seeing Jones.

this is a pretty good guitar for its class. it sure beats a fender mexican strat. this is just your basic strat copy with a SSH config. The tuners keep tune pretty well.

right now the humbucker and middle single coil pickups have failed so, im left with only one. the single coil is good for cleans. the tone is suprizing very good.

i had to adjust the action when i got it from the factory. i like low action.everything else was fine.

the pickups are messed up so theres that. one of the tuning heads broke off. i was pretty damn rough with the guitar tho so, thats what happens. everything else has lasted 2+ years.

never dealt with them

this is a great guitar for the beginner that wants to go the strat route. just take care of it and it shouldnt mess up.

Everybody else has told you this already - it's a strat copy (mine is in "yellow natural satin" with a white pick-guard). It has a humbucker in the bridge and 2 single coils in the middle and neck positions, a standard strat style trem that i locked back to effectively make it a hard-tail (i hate trems!), did i mention it has strings... yadayadayada... read somebody elses for the rest fo the tech spec - i'm only interested in telling you what i think after playing it for a couple of years....

Just for the record, my 112 does everything I need it to, so the features must be fairly good!

You can make almost any sound with this and the right amp (i favour the bright sound of my solid state Peavey Bandit 112 for cutting through on stage, but it sounds great through my Marshall AVT20 for living-room prac) so of course i'd say it suits my musical style! The sound of this guitar all really depends on how good you are at dialling in a sound - if this guitar sounds bad, it's YOUR fault!

I've had a bit of noise with it when it's next to my CRT computer monitor for recording, but that's to be expected, and apart from that it resists most buzzing etc. quite nicely.

I just got a Line6 POD now the price is down a bit, and this guitar really does well through it - i think it's because you get a nice clean signal - so i'd guess it'd do just as well with any effects or amp moddeling gear you might have.

I saw this guitar come out of celophane and then a load of packing when i collected it from the shop. For this reason i can safely say that yamaha know how to set up a guitar - it was perfect straight out of the box. I aint just telling you that to save words either - if it was a piss poor guitar i'd let you know!

The finish was great until i lost concentration and left my belt buckle to scratch the hell out of the back of it (but even then i didn't manage to do a lot of damage to it) and if you don't count the damage i did to it, the finish has remained perfect despite me playing for several hours a day and taking it out to pracs / gigs.

The hardware feels good and solid - it's not let me down in any way, shape or form as yet.

I've played live with this guitar on a few occasions and it's been the only one i've needed for the entire gig. The tuning is perfectly stable even under warm stage lighting etc. possibly due to the hardware and possibly due to the locked back bridge (a floting trem never stays in tune). The strap buttons are good enough to depend on - but if you're paranoid you can get strap locks anyway.

You can depend on this guitar completely, provided you've got it set up well before you gig. I'd never go without a backup though! You may want to / have no other choice due to finance, and i'd say you'd probably be safe, but if you have the trem floating and you break a string you're screwed so consider a backup if you can!

Because it came in the original box, i got all the warranty - though i can't for the life of me recall what it was because i've never had to even think about it!

Yamaha tech support and I have never crossed paths, so i can't comment further.

For the price, this is as good a guitar as you're going to get - and in many ways it's much better. I've played many guitars over the last few years and i've not found many to rival this in terms of sound (and let's face it, that's what you want a guitar for primarily). The looks aren't exactly metal, but they also don't suggest you have anything to prove or an over-inflated ego (and they won't get it stolen for you!)

If my pacifica /was/ stolen i'd get another one straight away and start setting it up and playing it in (mine has the 'old-shoe' thing going on after 2 years of constant use so a new one would feel worse than mine for a while!) I still don't think i'd get the hard-tail tele style pacifica because the pickups weren't that hot when i tried it.

There's nothing to hate here! I wish it had a tune-o-matic bridge and the boost switch of the RGX420-S, but that's me being petty and i'm not going to mark it down for either of those!

As a last word, I've already sent a couple of friends to guitar shops for 112s and they're just as happy as I am, so whilst i know that this IS a very nice example, it's not a total fluke! Go buy one!

Indonesian made
22 frets
1 tone, 1 volume control
S/S/H
Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
strat style body
you know the features already....what I'd say is that while it may not be in the same league as the upper end guitars, the elctronics on this baby provide you with a good number of options, ideal for a beginner-intermediate guitarist.

Now here's where this baby scores like hell. I play mostly metal/rock/alternative and some blues and it handles eveything real easy n smooth...no hassles...no problemo. However on some distortions, the noise gets a bit annoying but maybe thats my Zoom 505 II, dunno really. Otherwise the sound kicks major ass. And the tone is brilliant.

No problemo here too. Brought my piece right off the rack of the store after trying it out a few days. Perfect action, good intonation and overall a very good finish too. No flaws I could make out.

Here I wouldnt know what to say yet coz I have had my guitar for only 2 weeks now but it looks like a solid piece of wood. I'm not the sort to go around banging my precious little pacifica anyway, so thats it. I expect my guitar to last for a long long time.

Not used it yet

I have been playing for 3 years now and have played a variety of guitar incl. Gibsons. I honestly think that this is one of the all-time great budget guitars. It's got everything you need to start off if you are a beginner and if you are past that stage, it has more you even still. In short, go and buy it now.

Sounds great for what it is. Has a strat sound.Play it through an older Yamaha 50 112 also have a Korg effects board which to me makes any guitar sound like anything you want.

I disassembled the guitar which it didn't really need and put it together to my taste. While the neck was off I masked the frets and neck and urethaned the finger board in high gloss(sprayed) ....so far it has three coats and feels great...also filed the fret edges down and have a superb neck...still not complete... it's all assembled and playable but want to give it a few more coats. I love a low action neck with frets you can hardly feel.
tightening nut is always loosening up at cable connector

Will this guitar withstand live playing? why not?!
Would you use it on a gig without a backup? Who plays with just one guitar?

started playing almost 3 yrs ago after having not plaing consistantly for 25+ yrs. Also have a 38 yr old Richenbacker 12 that I have since almost new as well as a 1980 Yamaha SBG2000..Bought a Yamaha 112m at the same time as this guitar...biege still in the box made sure I recieved the full accompanyment of factory acc.....cable, allen key ,vib bar and catalog....dealors seem to have them 'MIA'
Have many accoustic electrics which is more my style these days. I have a Yamaha FXG412ce12 on order which I should have this week..I had thi 413 last week but brought it back when I discovered the 2002 models were solid tops and a bit more refined.

This is my second 112, sold my first one to help pay for a Gibson SG, writing another review because im bored, and know more about guitars now. 2001 made in Taiwan, 22 frets, solid alder body, 1 vol. 1 tone, 5-way selector, no coil split, but hum-cancelling when humbucker is selected(obviously) and when neck+middle pickups are selected. Humbucker in the bridge(i replaced the stock one with a black seymour duncan JB), 2 singlecoils (all passive).Neck is maple with a rosewood 'board.Mine is finished in 'lake blue' which is really nice, i love this colour!It's a more angular strat shape, so its a little different from 'the norm', which is cool.Dont like the headstock as much as a strat headstock though, but its not ugly.'Vintage style' whammy bar, hold tuning really well, but i dont use the bar much, i press down/pull up the bridge with my hand.Non locking tuners that keep it in tune well, only needs little tuning adjustments every second time you pick it up.No accesories included, unfortunately-i paid #199, which is a lil too much, but it was a small store the guys were really helpfull, and i was in the town where i was born.

The stock bucker in the bridge was decent enough, but i wanted to change it to a JB for a few reasons, and because i had money to burn.The sound i can get from this thing rules, its great for punk, rock, whatever, depending on amp settings and what pickup you want to use.Its not noisy, the single coils dont hum too bad, just when near sources of interference (eg. PC monitor, lightbulb dimmer switches etc) Really pleased with the sound.

It was set up well when i got it, but i changed to 10's and chucked an extra spring in to the tremelo cavity to pull the bridge down more(it was way up when the 10s are on).Pickups were adjusted well, the Guy that put in the JB set it pretty high, so my cleans are slighty distorted, which is cool.No flaws in fit or finish, although there are numerous small dents in the finish thanks to me...

The gutar would definately withstand live playing, its solid as a rock and i wouldnt be as protective over it as i would over my SG.
The hardware is gonna last, i cant wait til it ages, I've taken chips out the paint with a knife to 'age' it more, so it looks beat up.I'll probably regret this, but oh well...I put Dunlop 'Lok-straps' on both my guitars, keeps the strap on without modifying the guitar , unlike strap locks which require drilling.I would use it at a gig without a backup, as i wouldnt want my SG sitting about, as i live in a really shitty/dodgy area (Glasgow in Scotland).

N/A

I've been playing for over 2 years, i own-the Pacifica, a Gibson SG Standard, a Marshal MG30RCD, an Ibanez TS7 tubescreamer, a U.S Electro Harmonix Small Stone, and a Danelectro Dan-O-Wah.If it was stolen the id get one again, but id be gutted about losing this guitar, it kicks ass.I usually choose to play this over my SG, its that good! It gives me everything it should and i wouldnt really want any more in the guitar.Awesome guitar! If anyone is a fan of SG's, i have a discussion board at: http://pub41.ezboard.com/bhouseofhornssgforum

Great starter guitar, but its not just for beginners-but one!

I have a "Yamaha Pacifica 112 X Special edition"
(limited - 200 - instrument in UK)

Features: 22 frets, SOLID Adler body (sounds cool!) , volume, tone pots, 5 way pickup selector

Pickup configuration is S/S/H (Humbucker is great)
Maple neck, with buminga (what?? :) - quite exotic) fingerboard.
Double cutaway!

Color: Metal Gold/Black! (special edition)

The body is strat like, but with a little modern feel.
Vintage tremolo (standard - good)

Tuners is a oil-based ones, good.

My stile is "metal like", + some fine (not distorted) parts.
I using LEEM 1020R amp, and sound very good, even i dont have
any distortion pedal, just the amp bulit in distortion.

No noise!

Very Rich/Full sound! I just amazed how!!!
Whan i walked to the intrument shop, i planned a lots of guitars
in my mind...

Fender Squire Statocaster, Fender Squier Stagemaster, Ibanez GRX 40,
etc, etc...

In the shop i try a lots of guitars with the same amp!

Stagemaster is good but no personal sound, Ibanez GRX is produce only
a "pickup sound", not soo deep wood sound... not soo correct
in solos.

With the Squier strato i realize a "extremely not fat" feel.
Like a child toy, but the guy from a shop told me: ok it is not fat, but not bad.

I dont know, but is not good.

After this i try the Yamaha!

I just AMAZED!!!!

In the first postition of the pickup i realized a cool Fender Strato like sound, and the humbucker is just really vivid!

In the shop the other guy told us: this is really cool!!!!!

Very rich, very fresh, deep distortion sound!!!

I just amased.

I also try the Maple fingerboard version too.
This is good for alternative music, sounds very unique!

But distortion is sound better with the buminga fingerboard version.

Solo parts sound extremely cool! Far better than some very high priozed guitars (2-3x!!!) Very strong, and ritch solo sound...

I try to change a humbucker to a DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion
(iron maiden like :) but the original humbuckers is very good ones.

Especially in solos!!

I just amazed!!!

Also the axe is one of the best axes i ever see.

The guitar is very flexible to every style.

I'm a producer.

I bought this guitar for studio use, (when i change the humbucker do
Dimarzio DP100) but whitout the pickup change, it is good for studio use too.

The squier looks like a toy compared to this.

Very heavy built guitar.
I dont have any problem.

Live playing is great.
3 kg only!!!
metal gold/black, very individual design for live play!!!
When i put the Dimarzios to this, godd for everything.
(up to 2 million people :)

I have no experience with Yamaha customer support.

I had this baby since 2 months. I have other 2 personal guitars.
But i am a producer so i working with others too :)
If stolen i probably buy again...
I love the quality of the wood, the build quality, the sound, the
special paint!

Better that squier Stagemaster, (except the tremolo)
Far better than Squier strato, Ibanez GRX, etc...

My friend have this guitar too.

Extremely cool solo-sound :)

I shall not go into too much detail except that my guitar is stock apart from custom scratch plate and knobs.I have owned the guitar since new .....bought in 1997.

Well wat can i say!....When i first got the guitar i was a bit dissappointed as i was expecting something with a fender like twang!How wrong i was....but damn it...this guitar had a great warm sound and dare i say that it educated me to play differently.Great for distortion on all pickups...the bucker has a great creamy warm sound without sounding mushy.Through my fender twin amp this is prob my best sounding guitar for a live situation

The only bugbear i have is that the natural satin finish scratches really easily....you can even sratch it with a fingernail.Treat the body with respect and it shuold last...The set up on the guitar when new was ok but i adjusted to my own taste.Faultless finish new....and oh yes the trem is excellent

Body scratches far too easily.....Have gigged without backup...
Now that i have played the axe for a few years it has a great played in feel ,something that a setup or reprofile can never do..I feel very at home with this guitar...like a pair of old shoes.Ultra reliable ....well built...i feel i can play this guitar with vigour and satisfaction..

Yamaha /kemble uk good.....A damn sight better than fender/arbiter uk

Ive playing 20 years now and have numerous fenders and other quality guitars.For the money this beats them all but the only big niggle that i have about this instrument is that it has no street cred...as people say that this is a beginers guitar...but just remember one thing, the general public dont know anything about guitars anyway,esp when there half pissed and watching you gig...This is is my best guitar...but not my favourite if you see what i mean....Have fun!

This Guitar is brillient for the money and way exceeds any other guitar within its leage. It has a solid Alder body, electric blue, 22 frets,vintage whammy (tremolo), SSH pickup (2 single coils and 1 humbucker in the bridge) and is a sound look-alike strat copy basically. Very good guitar for beginners! Has a great feel, loverly neck. I can not fualt this guitar in any way really. You get 1 volume 1 tone pots, only one tone but who really misses that second one anyway?? i never do!
The only thing i noticed was that the guitar has a very factory feel about it but for #170 what do you want??

I play various music styles from jazz to rock and blues and this guitar manages them all without fall. You get a very straty tone from the neck posistion then switch to the bridge to get a bit more bite from that humbucker pickup. The only thing i found was that the humbucking bridge pickup was slightly microphonic and fead back quite alot but otherwise fine. I know play a Fender 70's strat and too be honist the difference isn't that great!

The guitar was set up by my guitar shop altho was playable before had.
The neck is C shaped and is very comfatable and fast. Frets are average and tuners keep it in tune well. The guitar is a very comfatable guitar not too heavey by far and feels very natural. Finish was up with any midium priced Fender at around #500. Whammy is maybe a bit on the jurkey side but still remains accurate.

I have not found any problems with the guitar and would easly withstand giging treatment!
Everything on the seems built to last and u can easly depend on it. A great guitar!!

No dealings cant say

I own five other electrics being:
Fender 70's strat
Epiphone les paul
Gibson 335
De armond m75t
Ibanez Artist solid body
And the yammaha lives up to these within its price range so basically for its price a very astonishing guitar and i would defently replace it if anything where to happen.

Bought new in Mail for $130.00. Solid Alder body, satin semi-transparent brown with Rosewood board. S-S-HB. Neck has nice feel. Set up at local shop. Surprised by quality of woods. Hardware is cheap, but very funtional. 9 due to good value.

A lot better than I expected. Use cheap Dano 50 practice amp, cheap Tube MP, and direct with tubescreamer. I changed strings to Dano 10's right away - I'm just used to 10's. I actually like it fine the way it is. Good spread of sounds for me, and I like like the bridge humbucker with some tone modeling. Not noisy for me on 1 & 3, real clean on 2 & 4. Nice. I'm currently looking for a five watt class A amp now, it could only sound better with tubes.

Fit and finish were excellent. Needed set-up, but played out of the box. Had tremolo set to body. Useful for dives, and stays in tune that way. 9 due to value. Incredible for a guitar of this price.

Don't know yet, but seems like it will last fine. I'm easy on gear.

Yamaha isn't warm and friendly like some others. Neck is stated as lifetime warrantee to origional owner. Keep receipts, be happy.

I bought this Guitar as a project piece. I would be happy with a solid Alder body, and decent neck for $130.00. I was very happy with the woods. Semi transparent finishes will often get you better wood, and the neck is fine - not too thick. Rosewood is excellent quality.

I was going to change this, swap that, ..., but everything is really just fine the way it is. Pick-ups sound fine, stays in tune, looks fine, so, I'm happy. Refinishing, refit of pick-ups, better tuners, can all come much later. What a deal. Recommend it to any new player, or someone who like to tinker. It's hard to find a good neck by itself for this money. Nothing gets a 10 from me.

Mine is an instrument I regretfully "had" but traded. Bought for $235.00, traded for $175.00. Probably made around 1992. I think made in Japan?? basswood body, maple neck, rosewood finger board. H/S/H strat style body. Sealed tuners, good quality. Non-locking trem....I notice everyone rates it as crap....I ask you, is there a nonlocking trem system that works??? Some complain the frets are tall, I liked this! The neck was fast, the feel good. My model when used in position 2 and 4 of the 5 way system yeilded the middle single coil with a single coil from the bridge or neck humbucker. This mimicked a strat to perfection.

I play what used to be heavy metal and now is relegated to classic rock. I was a teen in the 70's. At the time I had it I had a Peavey Bravo, 212 stero chorus, Marshall JCM 900 head and 50 watt combo. O.K. kids, single coils alone are noisy. Out of phase in parallel they are not. (pos 2 & 4 on a standard strat) My guitar was noisy in position 3 only! Do you detect a lecturing tone in this review? If they don't hum they're not singles but stacked humbuckers pretending to be singles. The guitar sounded good. I liked it.

I don't know about factory set up as I bought it at a music store. A small one, not out of a box, set up by the stores staff. There were no flaws, it was a nice instrument. Metal flake candy apple red with white pick guard....Oh yeah, as for the pick guard scratching...isn't that what they're for????

It served me well while I had it. I did not gig with it but should have giving in to my bands pier pressure to use my Les Paul and Ibanez Radius. You should always A L W A Y S have a back up axe!!But it was reliable.

Didn't need any....but I bought it at Northern Music and Video in Potsdam New York and Alix would back anything he sells regardless of make.

I've been playing for 25 years. I've owned in the neighborhood of 25 - 30 guitars. I've had 2 Les Pauls, a Strat, an Ibanez Raduis and so on. I confess I do like cheap guitars. They are not as good as their USA made high end counterparts but for 1/4 the price you get 2/3 the guitar. I just ordered a new Pacifica 112. I'll miss the second humbucker but will correct my past mistake for a poultry $129.95 thanks to a sale at Musicians Friend. I may replace the pick ups but if the neck is like my old one I'll have a killer axe for way under $300.00. You will noticew the kinder reviews here are from the more experienced players. Don't listen to your friends, don't go on a brand name or model. Use your hands and ears. Sound comes from within, not from a brand name. The most critical component of your rig is your fingers and soul!!!

i love this guitar you can do anthing to it and it still makes great sounds

its got such a great sound considering its got the stock pups in it and its not a fender or gibson, i sorta realize that when i put the toggle switch on certain settins i get a louder hum than i do on other, the only settings i use now are on the bridge or one the neck/mid, i'm

um the first time i took off the pickguard i noticed that the magnet on the neck pickup was broken under the 5 and 6 strings, that sorta makes me mad cause i like the sound of the stock pups, but i was gonna change sometime anyway

its held together for me, the baody is alder and seams very strong i abuse it mildly and its fine

i haven't dealt with the company i took it in to the store i got it from a few times just to sorta check up on it, they didn' do too much

its my first real guitar, its my only guitar at the moment, i can't say anything bad about it, i love it, wonderful for the price

Best guitar for its price. Outstanding fretboard. Solid wood cut body.

Replacing the 2 single coils is the only thing I would do, but i think they are way better then there reputation is.

Playing it just out of the box with a sound so rich was amazing. When my friends played it they couldn't beleive how good it was just out of the box.

Haven't had any problems with any hardware. Solid!

Haven't had to deal with it.

This is a great guitar for any level of player but makes a great first guitar at an outstandingly cheap price.

Updating once again... see my reviews from July of '99. Quite a bit has been done to this guitar since the last review. Along with the SD Alnico II and the Fender Tex-Mex, I replaced the bridge humbucker with some unidentified HB. It looks pretty cheap, but it's got some hefty output, and a bit more character than the stock humbucker. I'm strongly considering putting a P90 of some variety in that position though. Also, the tuners have been replaced with locking Sperzels, which was pretty easy to do. However, I needed to add another string tree to the headstock to get enough tension over the nut on the G and D strings. Let's see... I replaced both potentiometers with larger, heavier-duty pots. This was more of a reliability issue, but the sound seemed somewhat fuller after I did this. The jack and jack plate have also been replaced with better quality parts. With all of these modifications, the guitar is only getting more and more reliable and more and more toneful. As I said in a previous review, this guitar is an excellent base for modifications.

It only gets better with time. With the above mods, it has a very pleasing bell-like tone from the neck, sparkling quack from the neck/mid, a bit of dirt and edge in the mid, and a raging punk sound in the bridge. Very very versatile. However, there is the nagging 60-cycle hum to deal with, and the guitar isn't shielded for crap. This is probably next on my to-do list...

I can't stress the adaptability of this axe enough. As I grow and improve as a player, so does the guitar through my modifications. It's a real player's guitar, one that I refuse to ever part with. Even as my guitar collections expands, the Yamaha always finds its way into my hands on a regular basis. It has sounded excellent through just about every amp I've put it through. However, I've still got a few mods I'd like to perform. The neck, while being an excellent player, is just too thin for my rather large hands (I'm 6'4"). The frets have also squared off, and $300 for a refret just doesn't seem worth it. Thus, I've been looking at purchasing a Warmoth neck with jumbo frets and a thick-ass profile. I'll post if and when I complete this project. Shielding is also a necessity. Finally, the bridge pickup will probably be swapped out in the near future. I'm considering a custom pickguard cut for two single coils and a P90. Should be an interesting project. Email me if you have questions.

Several gigs on I broke a string...one of the originals...and replaced the lot with the set of dddddddddddario XL 10s that the shop gave me with the guitar. After a bit of messing around adjusting the bridge as a result of the heavier gauge, the difference was truly amazing. Now I'll give it a 9. Do yourselves a favour...don't stuff around with the originals.

Made 2001 I assume...in Taiwan. 22 frets. Solid top. Volume and tone and pickups S/S/H. 5-way selector. Alder body, maple neck and bubinga (African rosewood) fretboard. Hard case, strap, stand, couple of Allen keys, 2 leads, truckload of picks. Mine's black...looks good.

Only had it a couple of days but used it at a gig. The sound wasn't as good as I expected. Couldn't get a clean sound. I took it back and the man said the nut wasn't slotted correctly. He gave me another guitar. I made the mistake of not buying the guitar I originally played at the shop (which was a little beauty) but took home one straight from the box...durrrr! The second new one is a bit bright if I have the volume up full but much cleaner. Must say I'm not used the the Fender-style sound having had a Yamaha SA2000s for 20 years.

The first one was none too well set up. It had very high action which I lowered. This made the already unclean sound less clean. I also raised the pick-ups to the recommended distance from the strings. The fit and finish on both guitars was superb though the scratch plate is a bit average-looking up close. Cheap guitar...cheap scratch plate...I can live with it. The newer one has a great action straight from the box. As other reviewers have said...great neck. The guy said he got a shipment of Squiers which had all had the same nut problem. My rating here is for the newer one.

The unclean sounding first guitar went well at the gig...other than the sound...which I had trouble hearing anyway...we have a very loud lead guitarist. Stayed pretty much in tune all night. Didn't fall off the strap buttons. Much lighter than my SA2000s but not as mellow. I'll use that guitar for the 'dinner bracket'. I reckon I could use the Pacifica without a backup but I won't.

Haven't dealt with Yamaha but Better Music was excellent.

Been playing too long to remember. Also own SA2000S, Martin D28, Yamaha acoustic (dunno what model...360 something or other), Ibanez F5-style mandolin, d'apres Stradivarius violin, Honda VTR1000F and a big box of blues harps. Would replace it...but would play it first and take home the one I played. Nice neck and action. Must play a Strat and see how it sounds through my Bandit.

satin reddish-brown finish .chrome hardware.maple fretboard.pretty good pickups and neck for a guitar under 200 dollars.the stock tuners suck and the tremelo bar saddles are horrible (but those are easily and cheaply replaced.)the fretboard is incredible and rivals my friend's 61 strat.a great first guitar or cheap backup.Also a solid piece of wood at this price--AMAZING!!

the stock guitar is descent but I changed several things to improve it.I put Dimarzios in it(Air zone-bridge;hs 2-middle;hs 3-neck).Put a wilkenson bridge with graphite saddles.Sperzel locking tuners.Now this guitar is my main instrument and anyone who plays it ia blown away.I basically bought it becouse it was a solid piece of wood,the fretboard played beautifully,and it was dirt cheap.

the action was set up perfect from the factory when I got it.the satin finish on the guitar actually made it seem way more expensive than it was.the single coils were a bit noisy but well balanced with the o.k. humbucker.my only complaint was the pretty bad saddles,if it weren't for those the tremelo might actually stay in tune.

this axe is really well built.the wiring is pretty clean.but don't use the stock tremelo or you will go out of tune.

n/a

If you want a guitar to "Frankenstein" this rivals a standard strat any day of the week.this guitar is very underpriced.if this guitar was stolen I'd replace it as soon as I could afford to(at this price I could easily do so.)I play 2 telecasters and my Pacifica is my workhorse.The fretboard alone is worth the 200 bucks.stock it's o.k but it's a great fixer upper.

i bought it few years ago, 1999 i think.
these are the specifications before i modulated it (changed pickups, tremolo system, nut, neck and body clued together and rewired)

Body: Alder
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: bugina
Pickups: 2 single coils, 1 humbucker
Hardware: Chrome
Controls: 5 position pickup selector, master volume, master tone
Frets: 22
Bridge: Vintage tremolo
Scale: 25 1/2"
Finishes: Natural Satin, black pickguard

no included accessories.
basically like a guitar should be.

i play blues.
it has a quite like stratocaster sound, i think i got a pretty good one. if you got two guitar, they are supposed to sound the same, but they do not. the wood cannot be the same on both guitars and some tiny details. anyway, the sound was, as right from the factory pretty good, it has good wood and thats why i bought it. factory made pickups sound bad, on the expensive guitars have good pickups right from the factory. but it sounded anyway suprisingly good for the money, i'm putting the rating for that 7.
(but it cannot be compared to my guitar now)

as said, it has pretty like strat sound, great playability, great distorted sound.


but what i've done with my guitar:
first of all, changed all the pickups, local guitar-technician made them for me, they are as good as fender pickups.
that changed my sound already significally, more power and thickness.

and with that i let it to rewire, under the volume and tone knobs are push-pull knobs. one is for switching in the neck single coil pickup. it gives 2 extra pickup settings (i want it to be sometimes the bridge pickup and neck pickup, sort of a tele sound).
and under the other push-pull is phase switch for the neck pickup. adds some cruch or something.

i changed the tremolo and not too.
tremolo now: Fender Deluxe Locking Tremolo Assembly
(the only thing what looks&sounds as i want)
i let the nut to be bone. the nut and new tremolo affected my sound greatly (for good ofcorse) , more opened.


i play with Marshall and Trace Elliot Trident (4x12 cab).
i like the sound i get. it's getting to something i wnat it to be. i play heavy gauge strings (12-54), so clean sound is what i'm after, i remember,i could have an great distortion sound too, but with these fat-ass strings, the highgain gets muddy and to fat. (thats not the fault of guitar ofcourse). it's great for rock, harder rock, if you want it to be. i play blues, to mee it's blues guitar. like-a-strat guitars ar the guitars to play almost anything.

it is made very nicely, plrofessionally designed and stuff like that, i don't know how were everything adjusted right from the factory, pretty weel i think. in the shop i bought it, there they adjust every guitar.
i haven't noticed any flaws on it. everything is great.
btw, i painter the neck top black, and one pickup is white, pickguard plack, hardware chrome, i love it like that !

i can't see a reason, why i should have a backup on a gig.
it's a strong guitar. my guitar had some falls and things like that, nothing happend, it's quite a strong guitar.

-

i have been playing for 4 years, all i want for playing is, a great guitar, bluesy overdrive, wah-wah, little delay/reverb.
my most important thing is the en-voice compressor/preamp/equalized. it's studio stuff, but that what i want for my playings.

the only thing i would want, it that i could try more than one guitar like this. i ordered it, i got it and that was all. i trusted the yamaha quality. but as i said, two even the same named guitars do not sound the same.
if it were stolen, i would find out who stole it, then i would kick his ass, hit hard, and get my guitar back. that's what i would do.

when my guitar was in repair, for a 1 and a half week, i got depressed.
but then, when i got it back, i had the same feeling for few seconds as i had when i tried my teacher's guitar at the very beginning, wow, that was something i cannot decribe.
most of the sound comes from the fingers, my friend tried to play my guitar and other great guitars, but i didn't like it, i didn't like the sound, well, i don't like his playing too.

it's the best guitar you can get for the money.

Purchased this guitar mainly for travel and practice, fine instrument for its price. Made in Yamaha's Taiwanese factory, don't know the exact model year though. Pretty basic features, could have used the 2 knob Fender style tone controls. Alder body, and maple neck (22 frets). Strat clone, vintage tremolo, volume and Tone controls, s/s/h, and 5 way selector switch.

I play blues, punk, and folky sounding pieces. I play this on my travel/practice amp, a Fender Frontman 25r. Fantastic sound for a cheaper guitar. Undeniably one of the best choices for a beginner, or someone looking for a practice/travel guitar.

Now an important note is that I also play a nice Gibson Classic SG as a primary guitar, and it basically makes the Pacifica sound like garbage. So don't expect any miracles! But get every guitar in the store that is under 200 dollars and play them all, you will know just how underpriced this guitar is. Yes, even the famous all American, best selling, Squire Strat gets slapped around by this gem.

One minor gripe is that the single coils can be a little bit "scratchy" when the strings are attacked too aggresively...but with a sub $200 guitar this can be expected, and I have an insanely aggresive attack. And if you use the whammy bar, expect things to get whcaked out of tune in a hurry...but I really don't use it at all, so it does not apply to my sound rating.

The guitar had comfortable action, although it could've been faster according to my tastes. It wasn't too hard to modify though, so no major biggie.

The bridge was not set as I would have liked it to be. The tremolo bridge was floating way too high when I had taken it home. I am sure it would have been awesome to use with some backwards dive bomb sequnces, but it made tuning a nightmare. That problem was easily solved though, it only took a few screw turns to fix. I suspect that some employee at the store had fooled around with the guitar though, my friend(under my advice) also purchased a Yamaha Pacifica and it had flawless setup.

The finish on the guitar is beautiful, I did have a scratch under the pickgaurd that seemed to appear out of nowhere...but you don't notice it unless you get real close and tilt it against the light.

The knobs are a tiny bit loose. They can easily be bumped around during palm muting sequences, but you get used to moving your pinky out of the way really quick.

Other than those minor problems, the guitar is definately made with more care than a budget guitar deserves. That is not a suprise though, as Yamaha acoustics have been know to carry a reputation as a fine instrument for the money...don't see why an Electric can't be the same way.

You pick this thing up, and it feels awfully light, but make no mistake this thing is absolutely indestructable! It has been knocked around so many times, I don't even bother counting, and it never fails me. It always puts out the same great sound, and it probably will hold up good enough for my future kids to play with.

Asked on question about extra tremolo claw springs(which I really didn't need anyway), they answered right away by email on the same day.

Look, if you are looking for a guitar to learn on get this one. If you need a guitar you can take outside and abuse, but don't wanna spend too much money, get this one. Like I had said earlier, play all the 200 dollar guitars in the shop, and most likely you will take this one home with you. If it wern't for the adjustments I had to give it right off the rack, I'd give it a 10, but those are only minor problems that when solved, will give a lifetime of reward.

Well,so many times its features were here explained.
Do I really need to comment it any further ?
I guess not.

The sound is OK.It is not a guitar wich sounds like a highpriced one.
But for a guitar of that price,it is really a superb instrument.
To trace it only a student or practice guitar would be wrong.
It has a good sound with nice variations.
As I play also other-more expensive- guitars,I know where are its
borders.
Anyway,this guitar is fine and sounds really good,for a beginner
instrument.That's why I use it also live and for recording.
Mostly I use it for my VG88 and GR30.
But also alone.

The guitar came fine tuned,with new strings.Were adjusted correctly.
A big plus to Yamaha.
The manual and the needed tools were all shipped together.
The manual is fine and explains a lot,especially for beginners.
A good experience,I wish other companies would handle it also like
that,but mostly not.
The guitar for itself shows,that the quality managment at Yamaha is
very strict.It came in perfect condition.I tried to find an error,but
was not successful.
The finish is perfect.Adjustments are done well.The neck is wonderful
to play and the body shaped well.

Quality control at Yamaha must be perfect,because this instrument is
perfect from craftsmenship.

I own the 112 now for 6 years and it works still perfect.
If you maintain a guitar correct,there is no reason why a guitar
should give up life after a few years.

Never needed.

I once bought the the 112 only as guitar for my VG8(now VG88) and
GR30 system.I never wanted it as pure guitar,only as a controler for
my VG and GR Setup.Because of its cheap price.
But after all these years I used it more and more as stand alone guit.
Not only as controller anymore.Nevertheless it is still its main job.

The Pacifica is recommended to all,who start with E-guitar.
A good sounding,handy instrument at a low price.
But it is more a s a beginners guitar.

Already been described adaquately, so i won't add to it.

I like to play blues, alternative, and bluesy alternative! Think collective soul, live, our lady peace, buckcherry, black crowes, etc. Anyway, this guitar can handle them all. I find myself mainly using the bridge humbucker, so i'm trying to get into more of the single coil sounds.

For a $200 guitar, this thing is badass. Its my first electric (been playing 2 and half years) and i'll probably hold onto it forever. I can't see a MIM Fender strat being better than this, let alone a squire!

The electronics are decent, but being a lower end guitar, they are about as good as you'll get in the price range. I plan on upgrading the pickups too, and will also install new pots and a new switch and jack just to go the extra mile, although i probably don't have to. I have actually reversed the humbucker so that the screw shaped pole pieces are closer to the neck. The sound change is subtle, but i like it that way.

I've been playing through a marshall vs230, which is a decent amp. I'm going to get a peavey classic 30 soon, and i'm sure this guy will work out just fine on there. The marshall isn't getting me quite where i want to be, but thats another story.

Good setup. The neck is awesome. I'm very impressed by the neck on this guitar, and everyone who picks it up immediately says "this neck is great!" My only gripe is the fretwork could be better. They stick out of the edge of the fretboard just a bit, but not so much that its really noticeable when playing. I have blocked off the tremolo, so i get better tuning stability and a bit more sustain. I've also replaced the tuners with sperzel locking style. The existing tuners were acceptable, but i have a tendency to pound on my low E, so i got the sperzels. I've also but in schaller strap locks.

In my opinion, after replacing the pickups, i'll have a guitar that is better than an american fat strat for about half the total cost.

A few dings in the finish and into the wood that seemed to come out of nowhere, but nothing that affects the sound. I kind of like the "worked in" look anyway. Havent played with it live a whole lot, but i have confidence in it in that situation.

I've scratched the finish up a bit too, but again nothing horrible.

Haven't dealt with them.

For the price, you cannot beat this guitar. As some have said, it is not truly a beginners instrument. A pro could use it with no problem. And after i finish my mods, its going to be a total machine!

To be honest, you've already read all of this before

Considering the Pacifica cost me all of #130 s/h, and is still sub #200 new, the sounds that are available from this guitar are most gratifying. The neck s/c is very sweet and it is possible to push a nice Gilmore tone from it, the middle pickup is slightly weaker in comparison and in a live situation just does not have the oomph req'd to cut through. The humbucker is again good for the price, not too shrill but can sound a little like sonic sandpaper if pushed too hard. Pickup noise is to be expected though it's not too distracting. The guitar sounds good unplugged - warm and pecussive - I always test them unamplified and if it doesn't feel right then it won't feel any better plugged in.

The finish is very good and this is in spite (or perhaps because of) buying it secondhand. I have no grievances with its quality, I think it can hold it's head up high ith guitars three times this price.

I have gigged this guitar a lot. It's great for two reasons - it's inexpensive so I'm not too precious about it and secondly I am confident that whilst I have a back up I am not likely to require it. Actually the back up is there for drop-d tuning but it's still reassuring.

Have never reqiured this

I have been playing the guitar for 15 years. It does annoy me slightly when I read of kids who have been playing for two years and they have more expensive equipment than they can shake a stick at. Sounds come from within and the instrument is the penultimate link in this chain. A good player can make perfectly passable sounds from a shit guitar. So rather than getting hung up on equipment, chose a guitar that feels like it wants you to play it. When your instrument can no longer produce the sounds that are in your head, rather than your technique can't produce the sounds in your head, then it's time to change. There's nothing more depressing than seeing someone only playing three bad chords on a grand's worth of guitar!

This baby was made in Taiwan. Made pretty damn well, too! :)
Strat-type body shape. The body is alder (one-piece), The neck is maple and the fretboard is bubinga.
Stock-pick-ups are neck and middle position single coils and a bridge humbucker. But I've since sunk a Washburn humbucker into the neck position. So now the pickup configuration is H/S/H with a coil tap for the neck humbucker in position 2.

My style is basically jazz --- modern, swinging straightahead 21st century bebop. None of that mindless happy jazz fluff, mind you. Just solid straightahead jazz.
I also sometimes venture into bluesier territory. Robben Ford and Larry Carlton country, if you will.
And I've also been known to dabble in some hard-hitting fusion.
This guitar handles it all!!!
I've also been playing in Top 40 pop bands for years and this baby has the pop thing DOWN! :)
From clean-toned pop skanking to crunchy power pop to full-tilt rock to chorused arpeggios, this guitar is all I've ever needed to get the job done.
This guitar's neck and fretboard are simply killer!!!
Super comfy and friendly. Playing fast on this baby's neck (and believe me, on some of my jazz gigs I have to play FAST!!!) is a breeze. And Albert King perfect fourth bends are clean, true and buzz free.
I've been playing her for seven years now, and this guitar has NEVER given me any problems. And we're talking HARD use, man!!! Marathon practise sessions (12-18 hours of full-tilt playing), outdoor gigs (a couple of times in the rain) and five to six nights of weekly smoke-filled bar gigs all over the world. This guitar is my baby. Me and her ain't never gonna part.

Over the years, I've had the neck set-up for the lowest possible action without fret buzz. A very straight neck set-up with virtually no relief. And as presently set-up, this baby's neck handles anything I can throw at it --- from thorny Bill Evans piano chord voicings to Steve vai shred to Albert King blues to hardcore bebop (and even a dash or two of chicken pickin' country).
I've yet to play a neck as comfy as this one's.
And after 7 years of HARD everyday use, she has NEVER given me any problems. Real quiet onstage and in the studio. Clean, buzz-free tones all over the neck. And stunning intonation in all registers.
This one's a keeper.

Like I said, I've been playing my baby for 7 years now and we've been to hell and back with nary a problem between us. (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!)
I've never had as much rock-solid faith in any other guitar. I gig with her with no back-up guitar 'coz I've never needed one. :)

I've never had to deal with Yamaha. And I don't think I'll ever have to.

I've been playing for 16 years --- the past 7 of which have been spent with this guitar as my main axe. And these past 7 years between us have been a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned. I bought her with the salary advance of a gig I had in Hard Rock Jakarta seven years ago and as soon as I picked up enough of an Indonesian vocabulary, I named this guitar Sayangku --- which means "My darling" or "My sweetheart" in Indonesian. And that she is. Sweetheart guitar.
If she were ever to leave my life for any reason, I'd never be able to replace her. She's a one-of-a-kind, my Sayangku.
;)

This is a follow-up review to the one that I made this last July. After a year with this guitar, it is still my favorite, still as enjoyable as the day I got it.

That said, I've made some changes that took the guitar from a solid, but basic instrument to a much better instrument.

The stock single coils have been replaced with a pair of Fender Custom Shop Fat 50's, and the bridge humbucker has been replaced with a DiMarzio PAF Pro. A heavier selector switch, and a Switchcraft jack round out the changes to the electronics.

Couple these fairly easy mods with the Pacifica's superlative neck, and this is an outstanding guitar.

I use this guitar for a variety of styles, from blues and shuffles, to power pop (and anything else that fits my mood/attitude). Depending on the music, I go anywhere from plugged straight into the amp (an Electar 30 or Vox Pathfinder), or through an assortment of basic pedals.

The modifications listed above (along with heavier strings - Dean Markley Signature Mediums, with a wound third) bring this guitar up to it's potential, with a fat, but still sweet sound. Those oft used terms "chime" and "quack" now have meaning. The guitar now makes the classic "strat" sounds, and the humbucker adds versatility.

The finish is showing spots of wear (and I baby this guitar, wiping it down EVERY time I'm done playing it, etc.), but I do play it a lot, so a little bit of wear is to be expected.

Otherwise, this has proven to be a durable, solid instrument.

I've had no reason to contact Yamaha, so I can't really say. I do miss their dedicated guitar web site, though.

Overall, this is a nice guitar, and, with a little effort, it can become a very nice guitar.

see other reviews for this. Everyones covered everything.
Basically the Yamaha's answer to a strat. A strat ripoff, but a good strat ripoff also got it with a 10watt epi amp

the thing handles everything pretty good. There is an annoying hum when not touching the strings when your using single pickups. But the humbucker is where this machine really shines. The sound is rich and the tone is sweet. It can handle lots of different settings and can keep up with whatever amp you plug into.

Bought used from a small dealer and was stringed horribly (the bottom e was almost tied on!) But everything was zen otherwise.

This things pretty reliable, but Ive heard horror stories where its being held together by tape and a prayer. For me so far, everythings all good. Karmas a bitch, so if you treat it like shit it becomes shit.

never needed it

love it

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.