ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ธ.ค. 2018
- Here I'm setting up and changing the pickups on 8 yr-old Zander's Yamaha Pacifica in time for Christmas :-) This is a great budget guitar but with the usual electric guitar problems: high action, buzzing frets, tuning instability and locked down tremolo and so-so pickup tone.
The video shows me setting up the guitar first followed by installing some new IronGear pickups (Rolling Mill for the bridge and Texas Loco single coils for the middle and neck). I spend some time explaining the reasons I'm doing certain things plus go looking for a replacement bridge to fit a spare tremolo arm that I've got. In the end, I tapped out the hole in the original bridge block to fit the arm I had spare. Result. I end up by setting the tremolo to a nice floating action - with solid tuning stability. This is a fairly rare guitar where the plastic nut just happened to be cut well enough to not need any further adjustment or replacement - and it worked perfectly well with the floating tremolo. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Anyway, here's hoping you enjoy the guitar Zander and if all the talk in this video bores you I won't be offended at all if you prefer to be playing the guitar rather than watching this :-) Happy Christmas!
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If you'd like to do the same precision fret-levelled set ups shown in these videos - using inexpensive everyday tools - consider buying my '5 Steps to Guitar Set Up Heaven' eBook.
Details how to get it direct from me are here:
relovedguita... - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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my favorite budget guitar...I just picked one up at a pawn shop 120 usd few days ago..perfect shape..plays perfectly.
Sam,
I have watched dozens of guitar set-up videos but this is absolutely the best I've ever watched. You've cleared up several myths and misunderstandings I've had about set-up. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Regards,
Bill MacDonald
Hi Bill - many thanks for the feedback, much appreciated and glad it helps demystify things a bit.
Its soooo relaxing seeing and hearing you while working on your guitar :D
Very interesting. Never seen the truss rod fret leveling gizmo before, ingenious!
Learned more in the first 10 mins of this video than in years of searching on the internet.
Great philosophy regarding dogmas..... so true in guitar world and also applicable on many other things. Keep up the good work!
Glad it was useful :-)
I'm currently fixing up a yamaha pacific that I got for free off a mate. Played for several years, but never fixed up any guitars before. This video is so incredibly helpful, thanks so much!! :)
Hey Joe... (cue the Hendrix guitar!) - glad you find it useful. Hope that you get some good results applying what you learned. If you're interested in my step-by-step eBook take a look here:
facebook.com/relovedguitars/photos/a.1434485003475282/1831237983799980/?type=3&theater
Great video and presentation Sam. I really enjoyed this one!
Appreciate it Jensen :-) I found myself thinking "what 8 yr old is going to listen to this technical monologue...?' but there IS always the stop button lol
Brilliant, Sam. Thanks and Happy Christmas!
And you Gus, all the best for 2019
I've got my late brothers old pacifica I think the same model as this, the frets are worn down quite alot but it is still intonating so well, no dead notes, action can be set quite low, the neck shape and thinness is amazing, so I'm afraid to replace it and get that "cheap guitar needs work neck". Was thinking bout changing the pickups which is how i came upon this video. Never bothered with the trem, missing the arm and I put 2 extra springs on it to sort of "block" it.
Hi Sam, I recently was asked to set up a Japanese Fender Strat which was, if I remember correctly, a 1962 re-issue. This meant that it had a 7.25 inch radius neck, but the lady that owned the guitar really likes to bend strings and also likes a really low action. So I said that if she wanted me to, I would change the radius of the neck so that it was flatter, to allow for the action she wanted. Not quite as simple as I thought it was going to be!
I hadn't told her that I had never done this before and I quickly realised that it wasn't just a case of going up and down the neck with a radiused sanding block. I did eventually, after a lot of worrying about how I would explain why she needed a new neck, manage to get the neck up to a 9.5 inch radius and left it at that!
It did make a huge difference to the way the action could be set quite low without the bends choking out, but I wouldn't be so quick to offer to do it again. She was over the moon with it and I am now re-fretting her 1992 USA Fender Strat. But I am leaving the neck radius alone!
I've got a Japanese 'CIJ' Fender Tele with a 7.25" Michael so I know the neck shape you mean. You're right - you pretty much can't have the lowest action AND bends on the high notes with 7.25", the geometry just works against you. It's a difficult job re-radiusing with blocks I think because manually there's just to much 'wander' and the radius is imprecise. It's also quite difficult to get the same pressure all along; the ends almost always miss out and you tend to remove more in the middle. Ideally you'd want a jig of sorts to do this..
I really like your presenting style and knowledge.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing. Very interesting video and, having grown up in warmer climate, I'd feel very cold working at 13C !!! :-) I love your shed and how well you've organised it and the way you work. I'd start unscrewing by hand to minimize damaged to a worn screwhead and continue with the power tool, but you're in control.
In the winter when I go in there it starts out around 2,3 degrees C and if I'm lucky it warms up to 13! Good point about the screw work btw...
What a nice manner you have about you, Sam. You're exactly the sort of chap I prefer to listen to. :-)
Thanks Angus. There are some who feel the exact opposite :-D
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Well, people are entitled to go to "Ted Nugent" for advice I suppose, but I prefer the quiet, calm, approach without an agenda or ego, and have found it to be far more reliable in practice. I'm actually having one such friend giving my neglected 70's Kimbara some much needed attention. Would you have any inexpensive classic Strat sounding pickup recommendations perchance? :-)
I have watched this a couple of times... great instructional video. I just picked up a Yamaha Pacifica to start learning to play on. I know the setup on mine is not great (its not bad but the action is a bit high), but the guitar is in very nice shape. I want to learn how to do the setup myself. I am going to give it a try and see how close I can get it based on your recommendations and techniques. Some of it is out of my wheelhouse (fret work) but the rest looks like with some effort and dedication, I could get it sorted.
Or I will make a mess of it and drop it off at my local shop.
Great video!
NIce video, very helpful for someone interested in guitar building.
Thank you.
Great video.
Really enjoyed it
A great video for beginners and more . The only thing I would take issue with is the old chestnut regarding string movement in the nut slots . This was being talked about in the 1960s when I started playing . We clamped a guitar down under a school microscope and started bending the d string . We carried on for quite a while and could not register any movement at all in the nut slot . We came to the conclusion that the bridge and nut are the 2 fixed points on the guitar and any stretching was happening between them .
but what about the tremolo
It rather sounds like the guitar they put under the microscope needed the slots widened, cleaned up or lubed. It's always good to test assumptions,, but it's equally important to check your own assumptions in your tests.
Well explained and very interesting.. Thanks for all the advice. Looking to take my Pacifica apart as there are loose parts and crackling issues. Might be the connection where the jack is that you mentioned..
thank you very much for this big lessons....salud from Brazil
You're welcome! Have a safe and happy Christmas
awesome information here
Forensic TV show. CSI. GREAT instructive video!
Really nice looking Yamaha. Amazing that the tremolo works fantastic, coz I’ve always thought that on budget guitars your not going to get the best out of it, or to a degree anyway. But very impressive.
The tremolo is always pretty good - Leo Fender got it right from the start - but the other aspects of the set up aren't great and it's always the tremolo that shows them up. Get them right on just about ANY budget guitar and your tremolo with float beautifully. I have Italian luthier and musician Galeazzo Frudua to thank for that insight - worth looking up his channel.
Incredibly interesting and helpful. New sub :)
I think you'd be great on a "Top Gear" type TV show for guitars/stringed instruments. Travelling the world, visiting guitar makers big and small. Giving tips and best guitar furniture e.g pickup ugrades; reviews and new releases.
Totally taught me.
Hi Sam...I would recommend to ALL guitar players to watch from 8:48 to 11:59 ( not that the rest of the video is not interesting, please watch all )... Great video! Happy Holidays!
Thanks Cesar, happy Christmas to you and yours
wow i like yamaha 112j❤❤
Nice video!
Which new pickups you swapped with the older one?
Are they Seymour duncans?
I am guessing you live near the SW coast - the wind in the background of a lot of your videos is strangely restful! Great video, I have the Sunburst version of this same guitar and found your advice really helpful setting it up.
I am new to guitar and the 112j is my first guitar, I have loved watching your vid, you are very wise and very zen! thank you Why did you not change the tuners?
My Pacifica has a nice action, but I am changing the pickups to SSS Alnico 5 configuration. These are the best budget guitars next to IYV's.
Have the exact same colour Pacifica and enjoyed your video. One thing: I upgraded my single coil PU's and the new ones were standard 'Strat' sized, which makes the 'E' string coil on the neck PU no longer line up directly under the string. Seems to not play as loud. Any ideas for rectifying? Maybe a custom pickguard moving the coil cutouts slightly north??, or just ramp up the PU at that end? Thanks for any comments.
Hi Howard.. not a lot of simple answers really... Researching different pickup options to try to find those that match the string spacing at the various positions is difficult. Not least because many of the manufacturers use slightly different spacings! Lifting that end of the pickup may boost the volume but it might not bring the dynamics back since the string is slightly off-centre of the magnetic field. You don't say whether the pole is now inside or outside of the string; but you might want to research different options, starting by measuring the neck p/up pole spacing on the pickup you removed.
Hi Sam. Thanks for the great video and fantastic setup. Zander loves it and Christmas came early. I don't mind if it keeps him playing without asking. Really happy with the work you did and love the way it sounds.
You're welcome Tom - very pleased to hear!
Hi Sam.
I have a question how do you do with a guitar that has been used very much.
Then there are pits in the bed that make it difficult to calibrate the tool.
Really good videos you put out fun when they can share.
Nicklas Ahlqvist Hi Nicolas - that’s a great question. In my experience (so far) any guitar that has come with significantly pitted / worn fingerboard has also been ready for a re-fret ie it doesn’t make good economic sense to try to level out such old & worn frets when for £100 more a customer can have a complete re-fret including a re-radius of the fingerboard which will level it out like new. To answer the question directly: if I DID have a fingerboard that was really pitted coupled with only slightly worn frets then I would probably revert to the regular ‘strings off, flat neck & levelling file / beam’ method.
Hello, Mr. Deeks. I want to put some locking tuners to my Yamaha Pacifica 012. which ones do you recommend? Thank you very much.
I've just subscribed. I envy your set up. A haven for your creativity and skill. And the sound of the rain on the roof to boot!
Where are you based Sam?
I’m in south west UK - Devon :) since this video I moved to a workshop a couple of miles from home (as shown in recent videos)
Funny how small the frets feel like on these when you have played other guitars with jumbos and go back to those pacificas, will probably get a refret for mine later on
I've got a Yamaha EG303 Single coil guitar with 3 single coils. Can U suggest a good pickup swap that will fit. I love that guitar on the bridge pickup but the rest are kinda dull.... What should I look for to put in it.. I am going to change all 3 single coils?
If you love the bridge pickup you might want to keep it and just look for two replacements. You can't go wrong with Seymour Duncan. Here in the UK I tend to choose IronGear single coils; I'm not sure of the options in other countries such as the US. Toneriders are another good option too.
A Master class thank you, my £25..Strat copy is now levelled, crowned, intonated and the trem is floating. With a low action that I could only have dreamed of., brilliant. one snag remains, the bottom two strings sound a bit dead, new strings didnt help, i would appreciate any advice you could offer.. thanks again..
HI David - thanks for the kind words. One thing I'd recommend is checking the slots in the nut. They need to be sloping downwards away from the nut in the direction of the tuners. If they're anywhere near level the strings will become somewhat dead. If the slots slope forwards towards the body the note will become clearer again but the intonation will be a few mm out because the 'launch point' of the string will have moved to the back of the nut rather than the front.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks for replying, I think you are right, i have ordered a new one.
its all part of the journey.
Hey, Sam talk us through the home made string winder drill attachment!
Aha... that was given to me by a RG friend :-) It's a hex key fitting with some thermoplastic shaped on the end of it... pretty simple by the look of it and a great application of that white thermoplastic stuff which you heat up in water, mold to shape and when it cools it's solid white plastic.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Ah, thought you made it yourself. I think you can buy tuner winders for drills but always more pleasing when you make it yourself, of course. No idea what you mean by the thermoplastic stuff!
@@MonsieurVersatile www.amazon.co.uk/Thermoworx-Polymorph-mouldable-eco-friendly-thermoplastic/dp/B06XY2HX2Y/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=thermoplastic+beads&qid=1555874372&s=gateway&sr=8-1
This was a great video. I surprised myself by watching the entire thing. One question. You don't use a radius gauge when setting the height of the middle 4 strings? I'm guessing you don't feel that is necessary?
Hi Andy - good question. The answer is dead simple... When setting my 'last fret action' I'm measuring up from the last fret. That means I automatically map the radius of the last fret (plus whatever additional gradient I want) onto the strings
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Hmm. So how do you judge what the height of the middle four should be? You are going from 1 to 1.5 but also matching the radius? I don't understand how you did that. Maybe I need to rewatch that section.
@@artdawggy For example: low E - 1.5mm, A - 1.4mm, D - 1.3mm, G - 1.2mm, B - 1.1mm, E - 1.0mm. Because those measurements are from fret top to string underside it means I'm following the fret's radius but with that 'extra' bit (I called it the 'gradient') factored in. In reality it's not usually 1.5mm down to 1, it's more like 1.5mm down to 1.2mm. The difference is spread bit by bit across all the strings. If we simplified it and said that I set a last fret action of 1.5mm on all strings, then it follows that the strings will mirror the fret radius when they're all set at 1.5mm. I.e. low E will be 1.5mm above that part of the fret; A will be 1.5mm above THAT part of the fret and so on. The strings will, therefore be in a radius curve when we're done.
Bob Ross of guitars.
"Mist is your friend... " :-D
Great video. I'm looking to change pickguard and covers on a 112v with 2 single coil and humbucker. Do you know what size single covers to get? Choice of 50mm or 52mm
The 50 and 52mm relate to the pole
spacing. Measure the pole spacing (from the centre of the low E pole to the centre of the high E pole) on your two single coils and that will tell you what spacing you need on the covers.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars excellent description sir! Many thanks
Do they have interchangeable pickguard for that guitar? And what model pac is it?
This was the 112J I believe. You can probably find replacement pickguards for them (I've not needed to look)
Sam, what are the new pups? I heard you mention Texas Loco so I guess you're using all Iron Gear? What humbucker is it? I'm asking cos I'm itching to do exactly the same with my Pacifica and have been looking at the Iron Gear stuff, but don't want to end up buying something which doesn't fit straight in. Thanks for the video, really interesting.
IronGear Rolling Mill bridge, IronGear Texas Loco middle and neck
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks, that's what I chose as well. Can I ask you another? My pickups have arrived and the single coils poles have a real stagger, whereas the standard ones are level. I guess yours were staggered too (can't really see from the vid) so did you just fit them as supplied? It looks all wrong to me but you seemed happy with the result!
@@paulzwo The stagger is a kind of 'stylistic' hangover I'm led to believe from the vintage neck radius days. On a 7.5" neck radius, the middle poles would be raised to follow the shape of the strings.... but most guitars today are 9.5" or more so it's less important. These days, some people push and pull the poles to where they want them (so long as they can move and don't get pulled right out) boosting or lowering string output to taste. If you find the 'vintage stagger' styled pickups give too much emphasis on the G and D for example (or whichever poles are raised) then carefully push them down while supporting the pickup base on a solid surface.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks. I watched a couple of vids which also said it is throwback to early strats with a more exaggerated radius but that's no longer the case, so it seems weird that a modern pickup is still made this way. It was also mentioned that the unwound B&e produce more signal so the greater gap is to compensate for that. I'm reluctant to take the mole grips to my nice new pups so I'll try them as supplied. Thanks again.
Do happen to know if a Tele neck would fit in the neck pocket of a pacifica?
Hi Kevin... the short answer is "I don't know" - sorry. It's only something you know if you've done it... trying to work it out from online information is hard work!
I am not an expert but I notice that with bolt on necks, the tighter the neck joint pocket the better the sustain.
Could be... any string vibration lost to shaking wood molecules is wasted sustain. That's why I'm always curious about people who think an acoustically-loud solid body electric guitar is great for sustain... I've found the opposite; that the quieter they are (the more dense and tightly fitted) the more energy goes into string movement...thus sustain.
Of course the only downside of very tight neck joints is that you can get splits in either finish or wood (or sometimes both). The guitars I make tend to have a very thinly-poly'd neck heel going into an oiled wood pocket. That way I can afford them to be pretty snug from the outset.
Hi I’m going to be getting the Yamaha Pacifica 012 very soon and wondered except for tuning what will I need to do to it straight out of the box. I’m have completely no experience so I’m not sure what to expect. Thanks!
Hi Georgia - I expect your Yamaha will be playable right out of the box. They're pretty good with the quality of their guitars. There's a difference between 'playable' and 'great to play'. Out of the box the guitar will have a reasonably high action, beneath which will probably lurk some uneven frets which are likely to prevent you lowering the action further. Out of the box the 1st fret action is likely to be relatively high and the nut slots not particularly well cut - resulting in difficulty staying in tune. Not unplayable...but enough to reduce how much you want to play it. What I aim to do is to improve on the 'out of the box' condition to make these into guitars with stable tuning and which are as easy to play as possible.
Sam Deeks that’s really helpful, Thankyou so much!
@@georgiahicks7432 You're welcome. If you take the guitar for a 'set up' most luthiers / techs will offer a limited service that involves getting the best possible out of the set up but without doing fret levelling. That limited set up tends to be anywhere from £30 - £60 but they won't be able to lower the action much (if at all). Any significant lowering of the action requires time-consuming fret levelling and close attention to the nut which will cost more again.
Sam Deeks thankyou, I’ll look into it when I get my guitar. Thanks!
how long did this take to upload daymmmmm thanks tho
A pretty long time. Can't do it from home for sure!
Hi I was wondering if you might know what pick up switch will inter change with a yamaha eterna 112 electric guitar?
Hi - any '5 way strat switch' will work. The following picture shows that it's an 'import' style switch
www.google.com/search?q=yamaha+pacifica+112+electrics&sxsrf=ACYBGNTcADPlAJknOk_3YIXlCptfWihwLw:1570907770511&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZmIu9t5flAhVvQxUIHaN4Ad4Q_AUIEygC&biw=1213&bih=748#imgrc=qWlt7mKywZ1mqM:
Which you can see on Amazon here:
www.amazon.co.uk/Guyker-Guitar-Pickup-Selector-Switch/dp/B07KVZSL74/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=5+way+selector+switch+import&qid=1570907835&sr=8-1
Anyone know the dimensions of the bridge (spacing)?
String spacing is 52.5mm so 10.5mm each string
Hello,
Do you think that a a 3 knobs control plate (strat like) would fit on this body with no modifications needed ? This one for instance www.dimarzio.com/pickups/pre-wired/high-power-strat-replacement-pickguard
Thank you in advance for the answer :)
No, I don't think so. They're subtly different shaped guitars and even the pickups are different distances apart. The biggest divergence in shape is in the configuration of the lower horn.
Thanks for the answer, I have another question as well. So I’m thinking of buying the Pacifica 112v and I would like to swap the pickups with the Andy Timmons pickups (DiMarzio at-1 and The Cruiser) but Andy Timmons signature guitar (Ibanez at10) has a 3 knobs controls and not one push-pull knob + volume and another knob for tone control. Do you think this would be a problem ? If the humbucker (at-1) could not be splitted into a single coil, can I just do the wiring normally and simply not use the push pull knob ?
Have you ever considered making your own pickups?
I have Eric.. but I find pickup tone so subjective and hard to assess that I don’t think I’d be able to know what worked and what didn’t! Have you done any pickup building yourself?
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars No. The equipment is too expensive, and I'd lose money, unless 'Eric's Guitar Pickups of Exceptional Quilty', PLC, ever happened. It won't.
What the set neck folk do not address is that if you have a badly set neck you have a bigger problem than simply removing the bolts!
Exactly (and well, it's done pretty well for Fender Musical Instruments Corp over the years too!)
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Indeed! I once heard the Stratocaster described as being the equivalent of a Kalashnikov. That sums it up rather well...
Silent Witness??
Do you sell any of your guitars?
I do - and make to order / custom commissions. I've got a few strat-style guitars on eBay (sam_deek) currently but a number of builds on-going for customers. Email me samdeeks@gmail.com if there's a spec you want to discuss :-)
Sam Deeks thank you! will check them out
Alder.
the yamaha pacifica's have/use american alder bodies not basswood...........
This is a guitar's movie.. my God 3:27:26 hours video...🤣🤣😂😂
Your videos are very good but you do need to upgrade your camera
Hi Nigel, thanks! I'd love to upgrade... trying to figure out the best (simplest) option. You either have a mid-length shot to get everything in which requires distance... or you have a wide-angle with curved edges which can be close up but bends things...
I think that I may use my Huawei more of the time... but even that is limited i.e. it can't do 25 fps meaning that it's always going to have flicker but good sound and clear picture. Downside is that it's hard to monitor and limited field of vision...
Finding a quieter drill would be great.