... The Yamaha Pacifica 112 is the guitar I was given.
The Pacifica is a double-cut away electric, similar in style to the classic Stratocaster. It is solid-bodied and comes with three pick-ups, a five-way selector, volume and tone controls and a floating bridge, (Don't worry non-guitarists, ... Read review
Yamaha are set to redefine the affordable electric guitar once again with the launch of an ... more
all-new Pacifica 112. When the Pacifica 112 was launched in 1993 it turned the entry-level guitar market on its head. At the time most guitars in its price-range...
Postage & Packaging: £6.50 Availability: See merchant site
Yamaha are set to redefine the affordable electric guitar once again with the launch of an ... more
all-new Pacifica 112. When the Pacifica 112 was launched in 1993 it turned the entry-level guitar market on its head. At the time most guitars in its price-range...
Postage & Packaging: £6.50 Availability: See merchant site
Outstanding Tone Outstanding Value - Play Harder with the Yamaha Pacifica 112V. The ... more
class-leading Pacifica 112V combines player-focused stage-ready spec with no-compromise construction and set-up to create the best value player?s guitar on the market.
Postage & Packaging: £6.50 Availability: See merchant site
Reviews of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar »
1-5 of 16 reviews of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
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I'll Try And Be (S)Pacifica....
Advantages: An inexpensive, versatile guitar, apt for players of all levels Disadvantages: Minor critisms, mentioned in the review.
...didn't cost a bomb. The Yamaha Pacifica 112 is the guitar I was given.
The Pacifica is a double-cut away electric, similar in style to the classic Stratocaster. It is solid-bodied and comes with three pick-ups, a five-way selector, volume and tone controls and a floating bridge, (Don't worry non-guitarists, I'll go into these in more detail later in the review).
The Pacifica is a common enough guitar that could be found in any ... ...smaller shops are also likely to have some in stock. Failing all else, if you were to ask the assistants they could perhaps order one in specifically for you, or at least guide you in the right direction.
Despite being 'mass-produced', the build quality is excellent. The neck is fixed in place well and there are no gaps between the neck and the body, the finishing of the fretboard is of a high quality with no sharp edges to any of ... more
When I first showed an interest in learning to play guitar about nine years ago my parents were keen to get me my own guitar to learn on, (primarily so I'd stop pinching my dad's), without spending an absolute fortune for it. My guitar-playing brother was given instructions to find me a reasonable quality guitar that didn't cost a bomb. The Yamaha Pacifica 112 is the guitar I was given.
The Pacifica is a double-cut away electric, similar in style to the classic Stratocaster. It is solid-bodied and comes with three pick-ups, a five-way selector, volume and tone controls and a floating bridge, (Don't worry non-guitarists, I'll go into these in more detail later in the review). The Pacifica is a common enough guitar that could be found in any major music shop, (Dawson's is a good example), but most smaller shops are also likely to have some in stock. Failing all else, if you were to ask the assistants they could perhaps order one in specifically for you, or at least guide you in the right direction.
Despite being 'mass-produced', the build quality is excellent. The neck is fixed in place well and there are no gaps between the neck and the body, the finishing of the fretboard is of a high quality with no sharp edges to any of the frets or anything similar. I've not had any technical reconfiguration of my guitar, but I've never found the need to. I know of some Pacifica's that do need to be set-up by a professional, but this varies from guitar to guitar anyway, as well as personal preference. I've never had to adjust the truss-rod (a piece of metal that runs through the guitar The only modification I've ever had to make was to file down a sharp edge on the piece of plastic that holds the string in place at the headstock end. I'd had a problem with my bass E-string snapping, but I'd owned the guitar for a few years when this began happening, so I suspect it occurred because of rubbing from a previous set of strings. I doubt this was actually down to the build of the guitar and also doubt it is a problem across all Pacifica's.
The neck is very comfortable and because of the thickness of the neck beginner guitarists should find it relatively easy to play chords. The neck size is ideal for children of most ages; however for very young children it's perhaps a better idea to invest in a nylon strung acoustic guitar as the metal strings on electrics can be a little too painful to begin with. For more experienced guitarists, the neck size is quite small, but whether this is a good or a bad thing very much depends on your own personal preference. I've played several Pacifica's owned by friends over the years and have always found them easy to play and moving around the neck feels very natural and unforced.
The floating bridge allows you to perform 'dive-bombs' (a favourite of guitarists like Vai and Satriani), or add subtle vibrato to your playing (used often by Hank Marvin, Eric Johnson). I've been able to drop it as far as I possibly can without affecting tuning, though if you do go over-the-top with it you will eventually knock one or two strings out of tune.
The tuning stability is very good, despite the floating bridge. The main issue comes in sudden changes of temperature. If the guitar hasn't been left to acclimatise to where it will be played I have experienced some tuning difficulties. However, once the guitar is at 'room-temperature' and in tune I've rarely had to retune during or after a song.
Restringing the guitar can be a little hit and miss. On the whole it's not a difficult guitar to restring, but I have had a couple of problems when a string breaks and leaves the anchor-end of the string lodged in the bridge. Normally, poking it through with another string is sufficient, but I have occasionally had to remove the back to access the anchor. That aside I've never had any problems restringing my Pacifica and with practise most people would be able to restring and retune the guitar in a matter of minutes, not hours.
Because of the solid body the guitar can be quite weighty at first. Most people will find they eventually get used to this and in my experience, the Pacifica is lighter than, for example, most Gibson Les Paul's I've played. The weight is well distributed by the strap and I've never really found that my shoulder's become sore or tired whilst playing; however, young children, (I would say under tens) would probably struggle because of the weight - though this obviously depends on the size of the child.
The tone is produced by a combination of the solid body and the pick-up(s) used. There is a single-coil pick-up both at the neck and in the middle, with a humbucker at the bridge. When using the middle pick-up, the tone is quite warm, with a reasonable balance between bass and treble, whilst the neck pick-up provides a slightly brighter tone, higher in treble. The humbucker gives you a 'meatier' sound and I normally use the humbucker when playing with distortion. The five-way selector allows you to use either one or two pick-ups at a time, again providing you with different tones. I've found that certain combinations do give quite a lot of hum which is very noticeable when you're not playing; however this is not so much of an issue once you actually start playing a song.
This guitar is a bit of a "Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None". The overall versatility is very impressive and using this guitar I've been in a pop/rock cover band, (doing things such as The Beatles, The Eagles, Green Day, Nirvana) to a metal band to a country band. The Pacifica has a very broad range of tones and, whilst perhaps not perfect for every situation, is certainly able to perform credibly and rarely sounds completely out of place, regardless of the situation you throw at it.
This guitar is a definite workhorse and over the years has been used by me for many gigs. In its time it has be knocked, dropped, rained on, (though only lightly I have to admit) and various other detrimental things you shouldn't do to your guitar, but it's always soldiered on regardless. The only part I've ever had to replace is the plastic piece that holds the jack connection because my strap once failed during a gig and the guitar dropped directly onto the plug, pushing the jack through the plastic fixture. Despite this, my guitar actually still works and no really damage was caused.
I think this guitar has appeal to a wide range of guitarists of all experience. As a first guitar it is relatively inexpensive, being about £170 or so, but has very good longevity. For parents purchasing a guitar for their children, this won't cost them the Earth should their child's interest prove to be a passing phase after, fortunately, unlikely many other products, guitar's tend to hold their value quite well, so you would be able to recover the vast majority of your expenses should your child give up after a while; equally, if they do take up the guitar as a serious hobby it will make an excellent guitar to learn on and will see them through for many years after they've 'mastered' the art of playing. For more experienced guitarists, the Pacifica offers great versatility and as a gigging guitar is ideal for the vast majority of situations. If you have a dedicated style, then perhaps a more expensive guitar is worth investing in, but as something that can turn its hands to most styles, there are few guitars with such scope, especially in the price range.
I for one wouldn't trade my Pacifica for anything. Additional guitars have been and will continue to be added to my collection, but the Pacifica is always a firm favourite and one I always pick up from time to time just to enjoy playing. I'd personally highly recommend this guitar to guitarists of any and all levels.
BlueMidget 17.10.2006 (05.11.2006)
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Review of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
Advantages: Ideal for all levels of playing Disadvantages: Bridge could maybe have been better
I'v owned this guitar for a very long time now, and its been bumped, knocked over, used at gigs, taken to umpteen band practices and left lying around.
And it still sounds great!!!
This is an awesome guitar. Its ideal for beginners and intermedieate players, and there are a few professionals who own it as well. for the money, there is no alternative.
Granted, there are a few shortfalls but you really cant expect more for a guitar in its price ... ...not for less than £200.
Lets have a look at it then...
LOOKS
Not the best, but it does look good with the transparent paintwork. Mine is transparent green, with a white scratchplate which does yellow slightly with time and use. The paint is tough and durable and resists dents and scratches well. It still shines up nicely and I'v had it for about 6 years. The headstock is refined and not bulky like a lot of the other starter guitars. It looks professional. ...
Sturt 23.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
Advantages: Excellent value for money, good quality, great sound Disadvantages: Tremolo not perfect
...the guitar on an acoustic Yamaha F 310 (see my other review of this fantastic starter guitar) I bought The Pacifica 112 as my first electric. Electric guitars in general offer a range of benefits over acoustic guitars, notably a wider range of sounds and playing styles, which I will not go into, except to recommend purchasing an electric as your first guitar due to its relative ease of play.
This is brought about by the fact that the strings are ... ...a simple one; buy a Yamaha Pacifica 112. I know it doesn't have the word 'Fender' tattooed across its head, but the Pacifica dominates similarly priced Fenders, even more expensive models, in terms of durability, quality of craftsmanship and, of course, sound.
First off, the guitar looks great. The head is good, if nothing special, but the subtle curves of the body are excellently finished in alder wood, reducing the weight to increase playability. ...
Newcastlebloke 26.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
Advantages: The Yamaha brand name Disadvantages: Low on looks, high on practicality
Yamaha are well known for motorbikes and keyboards, but over the last 20 years they have built up a fantastic reputation for building guitars of the very highest quality, and at prices usually well below the more illustrious names in the business such as Gibson, Fender and PRS. They also have the advantage that they are readily available from most music shops, so you don't have to go searching for them.
I bought my Yamaha Pacifica 112 a couple of ... ...The Yamaha Pacifica 112 has won many awards, and has often been described as 'the finest guitar under £200' by trade journals. Guitarist magazine described it as 'so expertly put together that I'd challenge any similarly priced instrument to fare any better against it'. I really can't disagree with them! ...
matsu65 26.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
Advantages: cheap, amazing build quality Disadvantages: errrrr im not the best player!
...my self a nice new Yamaha Pacifica 112 (I got the wood effect one with the funky black plate).
First Impression are what matters, and this guitar impressed me, this is not you usual crappy sub 200 guitar, this is of extreamly high quality (for a £200 guitar). Its solid, looks good, and had a neck to die for, and as total guitar said, they havn'y painted over their wood, they are so confident with it's quality, and it's easy to see why!
Going into ... ...I will say that its equipted with 2 pick ups (neck and center) and one bridge humbucher (gahhh spelling). They are of good quality, and produce a pretty rich sound, but I recemend getting an effects peddle for the maximum effect :).
The construction of the guitar is, as I've said, fantastic, the body is flawless, smooth edges, no unkept corners. It's your classic S type design, double cut away and the strat shape.. The parts are off good quality, ...
code_kev 18.12.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
Advantages: balanced structure, quality sound for the price paid Disadvantages: heavier than other guitars aimed at beginners
...a present to find a Yamaha Pacifica staring me in the face. I had wanted a guitar for sometime and this was to be my first. At the time the only guitars I knew of were the Les Pauls, Stratocasters and any guitar made by Fender, so I was a bit disppointed to be greeted with a Yamaha make. On first looks it has nothing special and looks extremely basic and gives an almost "text book" design feel,maybe even childish.
However, knowing nothing of guitars ... ...mine for me for £120 including an amp. Had it been more expensive, i probably would not have been able to get such a versatile guitar.
Al though the Yamaha may be seen as a standard guitar by many, it is a perfect starting point for any new guitarist ...
ro7sh7an 27.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Yamaha Pacifica PAC112 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar
