All entry level price guitars are generally nothing spectacular. I have a mid-to-higher end Pacifica (611 VFMX), it blows many guitars out of the water. I also have a couple of the higher end Revstars, love both models, excellent build quality.
@@turntablesrockmyworld9315 not all of them are as solid as a Pacifica though in that price range, being a lefty I wish we had more options from Yamaha heard good things about their Revstars and higher end Pacificas but it’s slim pickings
@@mylogify of course not, by that time though you might have a better idea exactly what you like in a guitar and want something different (or have worn out the frets if you practiced enough).
@@MrPolevaulter that's why I bought one. The coil split gives great tonal palette that the squier affinity series guitars can't match. SSH strats for this price, that's the value. Biggest downsides on this guitar: 1. the whammy bar and the bridge trem system are basic entry level shit, you are too kind in your video to it. Most pacificas don't stay in tune well. 2. The pickups are cheap. I think a selective pickup upgrade whatever position, you spend most of your time playing at, could be enough to make this one something I would take to a gig if someday I was ever to do that.
@@WarrenPostma The trem is definitely cheap, a Squier Standard has better trem for sure. That being said it is possible to make the pacifica trem work. Darrell Braun certainly managed to do it with his pacifica.
Yamaha makes good stuff, they always have. My dad has an old cheap 80’s Yamaha FG-series acoustic and, while it’s fretboard is a little flat and the action is a little high, it’s a gorgeous- sounding guitar. Good review!
I have a violin sunburst 112 vm with a maple fretboard that sounds bright as the sun and smooth as butter. Found it hanging in the corner of the guitar store 4 years back and I've learned to tame it well now.
Yamaha makes outstanding instruments. I've owned Yamaha trumpets, keyboards, pianos, and numerous guitars. At the moment i have a Pacifica 611 VFM with a Wilkinson, Grover locking tuners, a Duncan Custom 5 and P90. It's one of the best guitars I've ever owned, and I've owned several shops worth of guitars in my almost forty years of playing. I also own a Revstar 320 which I love. I replaced the stock pickups, which were quite good, with a DiMarzio Super 3 and Super 2 and coil tapping. They make great instruments. Even their lower rung models are a better value than a Fender. Of course, I would upgrade the pickups to Duncan or DiMarzio.
From Leo: I got one of those in on trade. Pretty impressive guitar, very playable and dependable. They definitely give a Squier Affinty a run for the money.
@@andrewp2782 There were at least 3 tele-style versions but as far as I know they were only cosmetic and didn't try to replicate the Tele sound. I own one.
the 311 was beautiful. I remember when they were blowing them out for cheap at musicians friend. heck, I bought my pacifica just like this one (just older with the old logo) for $99 new from MF! then proceeded to gig with that guitar
The Yamaha Pacifica is under rated. I have a 212VFM and a 612IIFM. The beginner guitar category nonsense has to stop. Please give your detailed description of a beginner guitar.. I own Fender's and Gibson's and I would gig and have gigged with the Pacifica. I highly recommend you check out Jack Thammarat.
I have checked out Jack Thammarat. The beginner guitar thing for me means not much else apart from price. And in that regard the 112 is a beginner guitar. That's not to say it can't be good, or even great.
@@MrPolevaulter This is correct. A gigging musician most often won't pick a budget guitar though, not because their tone will suffer, but because their image will. You show up for a tryout gig and the first guy has a $5K fender custom shop and the second guy has a $150 squier affinity or $180 yamaha pacifica. Who is getting the gig? Not that there are any gigs anyways right now. So yeah.
Ive had the 102, 112, 912, and have a beautiful 312 sunburst. You need ro adjust it but I think the neck is too thin at the nut. I believe is 41 mm. If it was 43mm it would be perfect. The pickups need to be changed but the quality of the guitar is excellent.
Yamah-ha-ha Pacifica : the guitar every guitar teacher tries to get their students to buy because they actually work! I would know as at least 5 of my students have Pacificas.... ha!
It's a pretty easy sale at the small town guitar stores around here. Your options are limited, the small stores don't have a wall of different low and semi-low budget guitars. It's a good value for the money, and it moves off the shelves. Parents buying their kids a guitar want something that won't frustrate and anger their kids. I certainly don't have $1000 to plunk down on a guitar even for myself, let alone for my kids. My Pacifica is head and shoulders a better guitar than the early 2000s Squiers and Epiphones that were available in 2000 when I started to play electric after a decade of playing acoustic and classical.
So went to the shop and played both the Pacifica 112v and the Ibanez azes40. On the the same amp the Ibanez sounded ever so slightly “fuller”. The Yamaha needed some fine tuning in the amp to sound the same. Also, I liked the finishing on the Ibanez better. Having said that, they both sound the same, it really comes down to plugging them into a good amp. They are both good guitar for the price.
Led Boots - Jeff Beck. That's something not usually played in demos. Nice choice! The guitar sounds... ok, nothing bad but nothing exciting either. Good for starters but maybe a Squier (or an Epiphone for Les Paul fans) has more character to keep you playing.
The best bang for the buck guitar is the Pacifica 311H you can get them for as low as 269€ and they come with quality parts (Grover locking tuners, Graphtec nut, P90 etc...) in fact its such a good guitar that i sold my PRS SE and a Crapson SG (real Gibson).
@@MrPolevaulter "Yamaha ei pamaha" Loistavia soittimia järkihintaan, rummuista kitaroihin! Gibsonit sun muut merkkivehkeet sai väistyä ja kokelmaan jäi 2x pacificaa.
For around 250-300 euros you can do some reliable, quality upgrades to be possibly better than the 612 if you, like me, don't like the staggered SDs on that, which you won't necessarily get a good price for
*Elmo Karjalainen* Awesome and very cool music.. congratulations for this fantastic production and wish you all the best.. 🎬🎼👌🌎 i want see you on the top
Hello. I very like your honest reviews. I want to buy my first guitar. Pacifica seems like an obvious choice but personally I thought to skip 112 and buy a slightly more expensive Yamaha Pacifica 311H (it costs 325 € and has Grover locking tuners, TUSQ-XL nut, versatile H-P90 combination, hardtail bridge).
@@Xero6969 Yeah, initially I wanted H-H but 311 does not have this option. P90 could be interesting to check out. I gess you can swap pickups in future. Can you any alternate guitar with H-H with locking tuners at this price point thats worth to buy for beginner? Harley Benton?:)
@@ericlarsenhbeleatherworks4992 Yeah maybe for serious gigs change the pickups and the nut and upgrade the pots then you will have a high quality guitar.
@@mylogify I’ve got 3 now and I’ve gotta say they are pretty damn good guitars. Stainless frets? For 400$ shipped from Europe? Absolutely mind blowing and most are very nice. Look on reverb they have a US outlet now.
I know this is an old video, but here’s my question, I hope you're paying attention 😅 and will answer me. I recently bought a Squier Classic Vibe and I'm not very satisfied with it. Should I trade it for a Yamaha Pacifica 112V? I'm asking you because your reviews are very sincere and honest.
Never really appealed to me, and I have tried many examples. The best i can say is that they are consistent and reliably built so you know what you are getting for your money (which is what a learner needs ?). In this respect they can be better than many other budget guitars except in other ranges if you search around you will find the occasional guitar that is just brilliantly 'right' and plays well above it's pay grade. The consistency of the Yamaha precludes this. They do make some very nice more expensive guitars though - especially acoustic and electro-acoustic.
Your summary matches my own opinion, and perhaps more interestingly than that since my opinion hardly matters, I have spoken to music store staff around Canada and they almost universally recommend the Pacifica to someone who wants a well set up playable guitar. For the target market (a new player, a home based non-gigging guitarist or a 15 year old who wants to shred and whammy his/her way out of noobness) this is a good choice. Is it a gigging musicians main axe? No. Is it going to stand in anyone's way and be a limitation or make anyone quit guitar practice out of sheer badness? No. This was not always the case. When I started playing guitar most entry level priced guitars were unplayable trash. This guitar would also be a good choice for a modding platform. Want to take a good solid base guitar and add pickups more to your taste? Want to learn to "relic" a guitar or do some kind of steampunk aesthetic? Start with a playable guitar and refinish/mod away.
For someones who's owned dozens of budget Strat copies, the only Yamaha I've ever had was the engine in my old car! I think I need to broaden me horizons and get shopping for a Yamaha guitar! :-)
The guitar is very good... I just bought it in 2023... After going through all the Squiers and being disappointed... Well, not all... I can't be that radical... I haven't tried the Classic Vibe yet which I suppose must be very good for its price... But the Bullet, Affinity, Contemporary, etc... A real disappointment... And today I have the Yamaha 112J and 112V and really, very good... above all good furniture... I bought some Tonerider pickups when they gave it to me, because I believed, or thought that it had boring or flat pickups... But I haven't changed them yet, and although I think it would improve with the upgrade, I also think the Stock pickups aren't bad at all... I even like their sound. But my experience is that they are better than the common Squier (much better than the Affinity) I don't know if it will be the same as a Classic Vibe... and yes it is true, the 112J is clearly inferior to a Mexican Fender and even more, to an American Fender... (Which is kind of obvious)
That was my first electric guitar, I paid $275.00, back in 1995. The first thing I did was scalloping the neck, then I made my own pick guard to accommodate a Seymour Duncan Bridge Invader, and a Screaming Demon on the neck; I still have that guitar, and play it once in a while.
These Pacificas are terrific guitars for the price, but one word of advice: the tremolo system isn't the greatest (as you'll find with just about every tremolo system on guitars in this price range), so I'd recommend just forgoing the tremolo altogether by screwing the tremolo claw in as far as you can, decking the bridge. Plus, without having the whammy bar to lean on for vibrato & such, you have no choice but to learn how to do it with just your hands, and down the road you'll be happy you did it this way.
In my experience the tremolo wasn't bad, at least the few times I tried it at the store it didn't go out of tune at all, although it might be because it was set up by a tech at the store. I understand a lot of people avoid vintage tremolos because it does have more of a risk of going out of tune than a Floyd Rose if you use it. That was how I thought for many years until I finally tried lubricating the nut with graphite and the saddles with 3 in 1 oil and it stays in tune even with frequent dive bombs, at least that's the result of doing it on my squier strat that still has the stock bridge. The most frequent problem with tuning stability with a tremolo bridge is the nut, if it's not cut correctly or lubricated it keeps the string from sliding through easily and it causes it to go out of tune. Also the strings you use can make a difference with tuning stability apparently. Thank you for reading this if you find it, I hope this is helpful. I always make sure to comment this information in comments about tremolo tuning stability. I'm not a professional guitar tech, I just use what I discover along the way, and I don't know if it works with every single guitar but it at least works with my guitar that I've had since I first started years ago 😅. Tremolos might not be for everyone and you shouldn't use it as a crutch but it's something nice to have in case you want to incorporate the whammy into your playing style at any point without worrying about it going out of tune all the time
Hey! I'm posting here to talk about my electric guitar and amp that I am working on trading. It is for a social media project, and I'm working on trading it upwards to anything that gets me closer to my goal, which can be anything (including items outside of music)! What I have is a Yamaha Pac112VM and Fender Eighty-Five red knob amp. The guitar is in like-new condition, and I have extra strings, picks, and a travel case for it! The amp is in great condition but has noticeable wear.
If any musicians on here are interested, let me know!
Can anyone please explain to me why this guitar costs £50 more than the 112J version ? as apart from the maple fretboard they seem to be the exact same guitar alder body with Alnico Pickups.
@@MrPolevaulter 😍awww thanks for the kind reply and yeah im thinking of buying a Pacifica as im getting back into guitar again and for £200 this is a bargain , Ive owned many Squiers in the past and they have been hit and miss but the Yamaha guitars always seem to be consistent .
If there had been pacificas around and at a price that represents 299 today when i was a kid i would have been a happy one.. kid that is. What i tried to play along with Cooper, Sweet and Uriah Heep etc on back then was hideous in comparison. The higher end pacificas with duncan pickups are nice is my impression
Beware as a beginner that the PAC012 and the PAC112V are worlds apart. Get the 112V for the wood, tuning keys and pickups. Buy it used if you are on a budget.
hey Elmo I need your advice, I only played classic guitar and I want to start on electric, what should I get, the yamaha pacifica 112v (260 euro) or a better second hand guitar In the same price range (eventhough I'm a bit scared to order online)?? I'm clueless when it comes to electric guitars so I'd really value your advice I would also be happy if anyone else here has any advice for me :)
Take a look at this one for sure and the Squire (by Fender) Contemporary Tele & Strat Editions $400.00 or under and buying Online isnt a worry these days if your not into it send it back and try something else . I have the Squire Contemporary Strat and it's one of the best Guitars I have ever owned . I'm a Metal , 80's Glam and Shred player and they handle any Genre very well as do these Yamaha's . I been playing almost 40 years Gigged to many times to count and done Studio work with my Squire Contemporary . Your choices are endless first what style do you want to play ? If your Classically trained I'm not sure how either of these Guitars would be for you . If you wanna ROCK get either one of these ? I recommend the Squire series from my experiences . Good Luck
@@DeadShred9 Thanks for taking the time to answer, it was very helpful!, I still do not know what styles I want to focus on but I will probably buy my first guitar second hand and in the future when I know more I will invest in a serious one :)
I think I'd like a Pearly Gates in the bridge and a couple Strat pickups. If room could be made for another tone knob so there would be one for the humbucker and one for the single coils that would be good. I like Yamaha guitars.
The other day after watching your Bugera video I was sad because I thought I would have to wait at least a week for a new video. Then you dropped this and my life had meaning again. I've always thought the Pacifica's were underrated. They certainly look nice but I have a "fetish" for Maple Necks. You are right about there not being very many "really Amazing" guitars. However, I did once see very many REALLY AMAZING guitars gathered together in once place...but they were all laying on top of one another...and I remember crying out "YNGWIE PLEASE! DON'T LAY THE STRATS ON TOP OF EACH OTHER LIKE THAT! THEY'RE PRECIOUS!!!" Yngwie laughed. I cried...and here we are. 🤘😂🤘
You never mentioned the Split coil option and the alnico V pickups, it stays tuned even with those whammy uses. Which it really does stays in tune. I have one for just a month. The only 3 things this guitar needs are string retainers, 2 retainers actually. They have installed just one,. you'll have a pinch of sound from headstock when open note is played on G string. The push pull potentiometer is crappy (no resistance) should be 250K on tone pot. No shielding at all so lot of noise on high gain. One is just an upgrade which is wilkinson vintage trem. Hate the whammy all lose. Do all these changes and you have the great guitar not just OK.
Hey nice video. Thank you. Im thinking about buying it and I wonder about the tunning ... Can you explain to me pls why this model stays in tune after crazy whammy bar bends and other Yamaha 112 (from your other video "Yamaha Pacifica 112J RM (Pacificas Are Supposedly Great)") tuning is destroyed after whammy bar madness? That would really help me with decision. Greetz
I am new to your channel and I have watched around 12 or so of your videos.. I find you knowledgeable, and a talented guitar player… I also like your sense of humor… I have no doubt you could make even a Rogue Rocketeer sound good… Keep up the good work and keep on keeping on… Craig Also how do you think this Yamaha Pacifica compares to a Sterling Cutlass?
Hi Elmo, thanks for posting! I have seeen you making a review of Cort G 260 OPN if I am not mistaken on your channel. How do see it in comparison with Yamaha 112 V? Which one did you like better? Thanks!
thank u jesus, he is funny and i could just sit and watch him play I NOTICED THE TELECASTER (like) STEEL TONE AND VOL> KNOBS so rad/cool/yes WHERE DO I GET ONE IN ONTARIO
I gave up playing strats 15 years ago Rip off price. Only use pacifica Easy setup Faster neck Better QC hard wearing neck & frets. No mods req Straight in to a marshall 100w Od2.
Elmo, you sounded great as usual 👏 but I'm a bit disappointed as I thought you were going to break into the song Bali Hai from the musical South Pacific 🎼 which I think would have suited this guitar perfectly, Bruce
My first guitar was pacifica 212 (only a bit more expensive than 112, but it has better (?) pickups). The second one is PRS SE CE24, over 2x more expensive. Well, I can't see a difference in quality, in fact pacifica stays in tune muuuuuuch better than PRS. I think I can replace PRS with sth different, but to replace Pacifica I would have to pay muuuch more. So... maybe I'm a fenderlike-guy? :)
i was wondering,Yamaha pacifica 112V or Harley benton TE 62?I am a getting my first electric guitar(i already own an acoustic) and i am not so sure which one is better.
@@mel-r2s Thanks for the update! I initially excluded CST-24 from my list, as the model does not have any single coils pickups, but maybe I unnecsarily lay great store by pickups etc. and should buy something finally and start playing :D
This is a model I thought of buying and slowly upgrade it over time since I’m still a basic player. I would upgrade the tuners to locking and then the plastic nut to bone later. Then the pickups and electronics last when I’m better. I’m not sure if the bridge is easy to replace so I’ve been hesitant on buying this guitar for that because I don’t know if the bridge is solid metal or cheaper metal but I love the price and maple neck look.
I have this guitar and roland microcube gx i dont have much knowledge of pickups but when i turn volume knobe past 9 o clock i get alot of hum sounds. I researched and i got to know its causing because of single coils and it catches alot emi. So i cant play in loud i.e volume past 9 o clock. Not all pickups causes noise out of 5 mode. 2 and 5 causes no noise and i can play at max volume but 1,3,4 mode causes alot of noise. Some are suggesting noise gate i have a zoom g1xon pedal it has noise gate settings gotta try that and some also suggested sheilding will that work ??
Yeah, it's the single coils. What I do is I use stacked humbuckers. In terms of sound they're close to single coils, but they don't have the noise issues.
Check out more gear videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNFt5yZFJRiFtoHtPJm6bX-N.html
Can’t go wrong with a Pacifica as a beginner guitar they’re solid, reliable and consistent they’re nothing spectacular but who cares they just work.
I get that impression too.
All entry level price guitars are generally nothing spectacular. I have a mid-to-higher end Pacifica (611 VFMX), it blows many guitars out of the water. I also have a couple of the higher end Revstars, love both models, excellent build quality.
@@turntablesrockmyworld9315 not all of them are as solid as a Pacifica though in that price range, being a lefty I wish we had more options from Yamaha heard good things about their Revstars and higher end Pacificas but it’s slim pickings
Does it mean, it'll be unusable when you are up your level to intermediate? Or advanced?
@@mylogify of course not, by that time though you might have a better idea exactly what you like in a guitar and want something different (or have worn out the frets if you practiced enough).
That Pacifica can coil split in the bridge and has alnico pick-ups so i guess its much better than the affinity.
the 112v yes
Cool :)
@@MrPolevaulter that's why I bought one. The coil split gives great tonal palette that the squier affinity series guitars can't match. SSH strats for this price, that's the value.
Biggest downsides on this guitar:
1. the whammy bar and the bridge trem system are basic entry level shit, you are too kind in your video to it.
Most pacificas don't stay in tune well.
2. The pickups are cheap.
I think a selective pickup upgrade whatever position, you spend most of your time playing at, could be enough to make this one something I would take to a gig if someday I was ever to do that.
Then I’m glad I changed my mind and got this instead
@@WarrenPostma The trem is definitely cheap, a Squier Standard has better trem for sure. That being said it is possible to make the pacifica trem work. Darrell Braun certainly managed to do it with his pacifica.
Yamaha makes good stuff, they always have. My dad has an old cheap 80’s Yamaha FG-series acoustic and, while it’s fretboard is a little flat and the action is a little high, it’s a gorgeous- sounding guitar. Good review!
Very cool!
If you do a 'lil research, you can sort the action. For the price this axe kicks ass
My first guitar was a Pacifica..Still own it, it's awesome.
Cool bananas :)
Phil Frank Same here 😊.
which model do you use ?
One interesting fact about this PAC112v is that it has a body made of alder and a maple neck like some of the high end Fenders or Ibanez guitars.
Have you ever seen the 212v type of this guitar? They got flame maple top and quitled maple top finish for a really cheap price.
@@ochd1502 Yes nice looking. I had the orange one with the headstock and matching color. Same components as the 112v.
I have a violin sunburst 112 vm with a maple fretboard that sounds bright as the sun and smooth as butter. Found it hanging in the corner of the guitar store 4 years back and I've learned to tame it well now.
My very first electric guitar
Cool stuff :)
Yamaha makes outstanding instruments. I've owned Yamaha trumpets, keyboards, pianos, and numerous guitars. At the moment i have a Pacifica 611 VFM with a Wilkinson, Grover locking tuners, a Duncan Custom 5 and P90. It's one of the best guitars I've ever owned, and I've owned several shops worth of guitars in my almost forty years of playing. I also own a Revstar 320 which I love. I replaced the stock pickups, which were quite good, with a DiMarzio Super 3 and Super 2 and coil tapping. They make great instruments. Even their lower rung models are a better value than a Fender. Of course, I would upgrade the pickups to Duncan or DiMarzio.
That one certainly was quite good.
From Leo: I got one of those in on trade. Pretty impressive guitar, very playable and dependable. They definitely give a Squier Affinty a run for the money.
Yamaha should release a telecaster style Pacifica, it will demolish Squier's tele lineup.
There is one but I think it was discontinued
@@andrewp2782 There were at least 3 tele-style versions but as far as I know they were only cosmetic and didn't try to replicate the Tele sound. I own one.
there used to be one... surprised if its not still made.
the 311 was beautiful. I remember when they were blowing them out for cheap at musicians friend. heck, I bought my pacifica just like this one (just older with the old logo) for $99 new from MF! then proceeded to gig with that guitar
I used to have one and I loved it. Great value for the money. I wish Yamaha would go back to producing higher end models.
There are rumours they might bring back the 24 fret shredders from the early 90s, in a slightly updated form
That would be interesting.
The Yamaha Pacifica is under rated. I have a 212VFM and a 612IIFM. The beginner guitar category nonsense has to stop. Please give your detailed description of a beginner guitar.. I own Fender's and Gibson's and I would gig and have gigged with the Pacifica.
I highly recommend you check out Jack Thammarat.
I have checked out Jack Thammarat. The beginner guitar thing for me means not much else apart from price. And in that regard the 112 is a beginner guitar. That's not to say it can't be good, or even great.
@@MrPolevaulter This is correct. A gigging musician most often won't pick a budget guitar though, not because their tone will suffer, but because their image will. You show up for a tryout gig and the first guy has a $5K fender custom shop and the second guy has a $150 squier affinity or $180 yamaha pacifica. Who is getting the gig?
Not that there are any gigs anyways right now. So yeah.
The Pacifica 311H is the best option.
@@WarrenPostma It ain't the arrow...its the Indian.
I have 3 Gibson Les Paul's,but I always play my totally modded pacifica 112 and Japanese les Paul Jr.
Ive had the 102, 112, 912, and have a beautiful 312 sunburst. You need ro adjust it but I think the neck is too thin at the nut. I believe is 41 mm. If it was 43mm it would be perfect. The pickups need to be changed but the quality of the guitar is excellent.
Love the Jeff Beck excerpts thrown in here and there!!
Jeff Beck is the man :)
Yamah-ha-ha Pacifica : the guitar every guitar teacher tries to get their students to buy because they actually work!
I would know as at least 5 of my students have Pacificas.... ha!
:D
It's a pretty easy sale at the small town guitar stores around here. Your options are limited, the small stores don't have a wall of different low and semi-low budget guitars. It's a good value for the money, and it moves off the shelves. Parents buying their kids a guitar want something that won't frustrate and anger their kids. I certainly don't have $1000 to plunk down on a guitar even for myself, let alone for my kids. My Pacifica is head and shoulders a better guitar than the early 2000s Squiers and Epiphones that were available in 2000 when I started to play electric after a decade of playing acoustic and classical.
@@WarrenPostma I generally rate Yamaha well as a company for its build quality and integrity. I am glad to hear they are still doing it for you :)
Ive got a 2017 fender duosonic HS and an old old pacifica, the action feels perfect, so satisfying to play, in some ways better than my duosonic.
Yamaha has good quality control, the best beginner guitar order in my opinion is 1.yamaha pacifica112, 2.cort g250, 3.squier affinity
At the pawn shop I worked at I sold a few and thought they were ok. I set them up and people loved them for their kids starting lessons...
Yep. Good guitars, especially for beginners.
So went to the shop and played both the Pacifica 112v and the Ibanez azes40. On the the same amp the Ibanez sounded ever so slightly “fuller”. The Yamaha needed some fine tuning in the amp to sound the same. Also, I liked the finishing on the Ibanez better. Having said that, they both sound the same, it really comes down to plugging them into a good amp. They are both good guitar for the price.
Led Boots - Jeff Beck. That's something not usually played in demos. Nice choice! The guitar sounds... ok, nothing bad but nothing exciting either. Good for starters but maybe a Squier (or an Epiphone for Les Paul fans) has more character to keep you playing.
Maybe. A second hand Squier might do the trick.
The way you say “it’s not great” makes it seem worse that it actually is…even though what you’re saying is actually pretty spot on!
The best bang for the buck guitar is the Pacifica 311H you can get them for as low as 269€ and they come with quality parts (Grover locking tuners, Graphtec nut, P90 etc...) in fact its such a good guitar that i sold my PRS SE and a Crapson SG (real Gibson).
Cool!
@@MrPolevaulter "Yamaha ei pamaha" Loistavia soittimia järkihintaan, rummuista kitaroihin! Gibsonit sun muut merkkivehkeet sai väistyä ja kokelmaan jäi 2x pacificaa.
Looks fun for playing blues and metal
Definitely getting one
Cool!
For around 250-300 euros you can do some reliable, quality upgrades to be possibly better than the 612 if you, like me, don't like the staggered SDs on that, which you won't necessarily get a good price for
*Elmo Karjalainen* Awesome and very cool music.. congratulations for this fantastic production and wish you all the best.. 🎬🎼👌🌎 i want see you on the top
Many thanks!! :)
I’d just bought this guitar natural color, it’s my first one. Hope I can learn with it.
Whew. Huge credit to the amp!
Hello. I very like your honest reviews. I want to buy my first guitar. Pacifica seems like an obvious choice but personally I thought to skip 112 and buy a slightly more expensive Yamaha Pacifica 311H (it costs 325 € and has Grover locking tuners, TUSQ-XL nut, versatile H-P90 combination, hardtail bridge).
You could get the more expensive one so you dont need to upgrade but do u really like the H-P90 combination?
@@Xero6969 Yeah,
initially I wanted H-H but 311 does not have this option. P90 could be interesting to check out. I gess you can swap pickups in future. Can you any alternate guitar with H-H with locking tuners at this price point thats worth to buy for beginner? Harley Benton?:)
Tomasz Lathael You could swap it but u have to get a HH Pickguard but ill guess you’ll find a way.
Tomasz Lathael i guess you should try some guitars in your local shop and find one that you might like.
Tomasz Lathael if you like hh guitars why not a les paul or sg. I would also reccomend you the yamaha revstar rs420.
Nice bit of Jeff Beck's "Where Were You" in there ;) The guitar sounds good for that kind of style with the whammy bar.
Thanks!
Great guitars! I have Gibson and Fenders but this guitar is just as good if not better 🤘
Cool.
The trem, nut and tuners are the weak link but that’s what you get for the price. It’s a killer guitar given what it is.
Its giggable , I would always choose a Pacifica over a Squier anyday
@@Cayres9 agreed. For a base/entry level guitar. Its as good as they get for the price.
@@ericlarsenhbeleatherworks4992 Yeah maybe for serious gigs change the pickups and the nut and upgrade the pots then you will have a high quality guitar.
But how about Harley Bentons? Never had one, but do you think any Harley Benton would be better than this?
@@mylogify I’ve got 3 now and I’ve gotta say they are pretty damn good guitars. Stainless frets? For 400$ shipped from Europe? Absolutely mind blowing and most are very nice. Look on reverb they have a US outlet now.
I know this is an old video, but here’s my question, I hope you're paying attention 😅 and will answer me. I recently bought a Squier Classic Vibe and I'm not very satisfied with it. Should I trade it for a Yamaha Pacifica 112V? I'm asking you because your reviews are very sincere and honest.
I've had mixed luck with Pacificas.
The "Where were you?" by Jeff Beck at 10.45 was a nice surprise.
Never really appealed to me, and I have tried many examples. The best i can say is that they are consistent and reliably built so you know what you are getting for your money (which is what a learner needs ?). In this respect they can be better than many other budget guitars except in other ranges if you search around you will find the occasional guitar that is just brilliantly 'right' and plays well above it's pay grade. The consistency of the Yamaha precludes this. They do make some very nice more expensive guitars though - especially acoustic and electro-acoustic.
Yep I agree Yamaha make stuff with excellent consistent quality...
Haven't tried too many Yamahas, but that seems to be the general consensus.
Your summary matches my own opinion, and perhaps more interestingly than that since my opinion hardly matters, I have spoken to music store staff around Canada and they almost universally recommend the Pacifica to someone who wants a well set up playable guitar. For the target market (a new player, a home based non-gigging guitarist or a 15 year old who wants to shred and whammy his/her way out of noobness) this is a good choice. Is it a gigging musicians main axe? No. Is it going to stand in anyone's way and be a limitation or make anyone quit guitar practice out of sheer badness? No. This was not always the case. When I started playing guitar most entry level priced guitars were unplayable trash. This guitar would also be a good choice for a modding platform. Want to take a good solid base guitar and add pickups more to your taste? Want to learn to "relic" a guitar or do some kind of steampunk aesthetic? Start with a playable guitar and refinish/mod away.
Yep.
I’m a 15 year old and I want to shred and whammy my way out of noobness... So I guess this is a good guitar for me
they are most definitely giggable. Maybe change out the humbucker
For someones who's owned dozens of budget Strat copies, the only Yamaha I've ever had was the engine in my old car! I think I need to broaden me horizons and get shopping for a Yamaha guitar! :-)
They're not half bad. I need to check out some of their other models too.
Yamaha acoustic guitars, are very good too
The guitar is very good... I just bought it in 2023... After going through all the Squiers and being disappointed... Well, not all... I can't be that radical... I haven't tried the Classic Vibe yet which I suppose must be very good for its price... But the Bullet, Affinity, Contemporary, etc... A real disappointment... And today I have the Yamaha 112J and 112V and really, very good... above all good furniture... I bought some Tonerider pickups when they gave it to me, because I believed, or thought that it had boring or flat pickups... But I haven't changed them yet, and although I think it would improve with the upgrade, I also think the Stock pickups aren't bad at all... I even like their sound. But my experience is that they are better than the common Squier (much better than the Affinity) I don't know if it will be the same as a Classic Vibe... and yes it is true, the 112J is clearly inferior to a Mexican Fender and even more, to an American Fender... (Which is kind of obvious)
That was my first electric guitar, I paid $275.00, back in 1995. The first thing I did was scalloping the neck, then I made my own pick guard to accommodate a Seymour Duncan Bridge Invader, and a Screaming Demon on the neck; I still have that guitar, and play it once in a while.
Cool bananas :)
Sounds like a nice, high output setup for more of a George Lynch type feel!
Only downside of pacafica series is they dont make 24 fret guitars
These Pacificas are terrific guitars for the price, but one word of advice: the tremolo system isn't the greatest (as you'll find with just about every tremolo system on guitars in this price range), so I'd recommend just forgoing the tremolo altogether by screwing the tremolo claw in as far as you can, decking the bridge. Plus, without having the whammy bar to lean on for vibrato & such, you have no choice but to learn how to do it with just your hands, and down the road you'll be happy you did it this way.
In my experience the tremolo wasn't bad, at least the few times I tried it at the store it didn't go out of tune at all, although it might be because it was set up by a tech at the store.
I understand a lot of people avoid vintage tremolos because it does have more of a risk of going out of tune than a Floyd Rose if you use it. That was how I thought for many years until I finally tried lubricating the nut with graphite and the saddles with 3 in 1 oil and it stays in tune even with frequent dive bombs, at least that's the result of doing it on my squier strat that still has the stock bridge.
The most frequent problem with tuning stability with a tremolo bridge is the nut, if it's not cut correctly or lubricated it keeps the string from sliding through easily and it causes it to go out of tune.
Also the strings you use can make a difference with tuning stability apparently.
Thank you for reading this if you find it, I hope this is helpful. I always make sure to comment this information in comments about tremolo tuning stability. I'm not a professional guitar tech, I just use what I discover along the way, and I don't know if it works with every single guitar but it at least works with my guitar that I've had since I first started years ago 😅. Tremolos might not be for everyone and you shouldn't use it as a crutch but it's something nice to have in case you want to incorporate the whammy into your playing style at any point without worrying about it going out of tune all the time
Hey! I'm posting here to talk about my electric guitar and amp that I am working on trading. It is for a social media project, and I'm working on trading it upwards to anything that gets me closer to my goal, which can be anything (including items outside of music)!
What I have is a Yamaha Pac112VM and Fender Eighty-Five red knob amp.
The guitar is in like-new condition, and I have extra strings, picks, and a travel case for it!
The amp is in great condition but has noticeable wear.
If any musicians on here are interested, let me know!
Thank you for this video!
My next lefty guitar, first strat kinda one
Cool bananas :)
Nice playing! New subscriber here!
Thanks!
Can anyone please explain to me why this guitar costs £50 more than the 112J version ? as apart from the maple fretboard they seem to be the exact same guitar alder body with Alnico Pickups.
No idea.
@@MrPolevaulter 😍awww thanks for the kind reply and yeah im thinking of buying a Pacifica as im getting back into guitar again and for £200 this is a bargain , Ive owned many Squiers in the past and they have been hit and miss but the Yamaha guitars always seem to be consistent .
If there had been pacificas around and at a price that represents 299 today when i was a kid i would have been a happy one.. kid that is. What i tried to play along with Cooper, Sweet and Uriah Heep etc on back then was hideous in comparison. The higher end pacificas with duncan pickups are nice is my impression
ITS AN AMAZING GUITAR WITH LOW COST TO PLAY HEAVY METAL.IF I BUY THIS PACIFICA I ONLY CHANGE THE PICK UPS WITH SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICK UPS.🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Beware as a beginner that the PAC012 and the PAC112V are worlds apart. Get the 112V for the wood, tuning keys and pickups. Buy it used if you are on a budget.
hey Elmo I need your advice, I only played classic guitar and I want to start on electric, what should I get, the yamaha pacifica 112v (260 euro) or a better second hand guitar In the same price range (eventhough I'm a bit scared to order online)?? I'm clueless when it comes to electric guitars so I'd really value your advice I would also be happy if anyone else here has any advice for me :)
Yamaha make great guitars, I wouldn't go any cheaper for any brand and if you can go around 500 you'll get a pretty good guitar from most makers.
Take a look at this one for sure and the Squire (by Fender) Contemporary Tele & Strat Editions $400.00 or under and buying Online isnt a worry these days if your not into it send it back and try something else . I have the Squire Contemporary Strat and it's one of the best Guitars I have ever owned . I'm a Metal , 80's Glam and Shred player and they handle any Genre very well as do these Yamaha's . I been playing almost 40 years Gigged to many times to count and done Studio work with my Squire Contemporary . Your choices are endless first what style do you want to play ? If your Classically trained I'm not sure how either of these Guitars would be for you . If you wanna ROCK get either one of these ? I recommend the Squire series from my experiences . Good Luck
@@DeadShred9 Thanks for taking the time to answer, it was very helpful!, I still do not know what styles I want to focus on but I will probably buy my first guitar second hand and in the future when I know more I will invest in a serious one :)
New brand much better than 2nd hand cause u had warranty
7:07 well, the guitarist is definitely good, I mean the word "great" is thrown around so easily but... :D
:D
Your reviews are so matter of fact, with impartial opinions and no 'wow, oh my god' bullshit. Love it.
Arvostan työkaveriasi. Kiitos!
Kiitos 😊
wich is better to play hard rock and glam metal, this one or kramer vt 211s?
Haven't tried the Kramer, so dunno.
@@MrPolevaulter th-cam.com/video/WluYg-RhIDg/w-d-xo.html yeah man this one
The best reviews on youtube
Thank you very much :)
I think I'd like a Pearly Gates in the bridge and a couple Strat pickups. If room could be made for another tone knob so there would be one for the humbucker and one for the single coils that would be good. I like Yamaha guitars.
They got the shape and styling right
Come on man that's ace, what more do you want!!!!!!!!!!!
What colour is that guitar you playing? Sonic pink or grey?
Sonic Pink.
The other day after watching your Bugera video I was sad because I thought I would have to wait at least a week for a new video. Then you dropped this and my life had meaning again. I've always thought the Pacifica's were underrated. They certainly look nice but I have a "fetish" for Maple Necks. You are right about there not being very many "really Amazing" guitars. However, I did once see very many REALLY AMAZING guitars gathered together in once place...but they were all laying on top of one another...and I remember crying out "YNGWIE PLEASE! DON'T LAY THE STRATS ON TOP OF EACH OTHER LIKE THAT! THEY'RE PRECIOUS!!!" Yngwie laughed. I cried...and here we are. 🤘😂🤘
Haha :D
Pacifica 112VM Sonic Pink? Seems so white to me under that light.
Yep.
I hope fretboard comes with rosewood
You never mentioned the Split coil option and the alnico V pickups, it stays tuned even with those whammy uses. Which it really does stays in tune. I have one for just a month. The only 3 things this guitar needs are string retainers, 2 retainers actually. They have installed just one,. you'll have a pinch of sound from headstock when open note is played on G string. The push pull potentiometer is crappy (no resistance) should be 250K on tone pot. No shielding at all so lot of noise on high gain. One is just an upgrade which is wilkinson vintage trem. Hate the whammy all lose. Do all these changes and you have the great guitar not just OK.
It's a great guitar for the price. Nice review!
Thanks!
Hey nice video. Thank you. Im thinking about buying it and I wonder about the tunning ... Can you explain to me pls why this model stays in tune after crazy whammy bar bends and other Yamaha 112 (from your other video "Yamaha Pacifica 112J RM (Pacificas Are Supposedly Great)") tuning is destroyed after whammy bar madness? That would really help me with decision. Greetz
Thanks! Probably just a difference in the nuts. Better nut in this one, or better cut.
This guy feels like Thom Yorke’s evil brother or is it just me?
older Taiwan made 112s are the ones you want if you want the quality...
OK.
Hey bro...which guitar should I buy for metal? yamaha pacifica 112j Or yamaha rgx 121Z🙂...plz do a vlog about these guitar comparison 🙂
Not sure. Haven't tried the RGX. Sorry.
Man if I see another scott bass ad I am gonna throw my phone out the window
Haha :D
Great review !
How does it compare to the Squier Classic Vibe Strat you reviewed ?
Also embarrassment for Squier that Yamaha makes better Strat type guitars lol
Can you maybe review some harley benton guitars seems to be a big fuzz about them,, but are they as good as they say they are
Probably will. I did review the 89 euro Strat by them. That was pretty poor.
I am new to your channel and I have watched around 12 or so of your videos.. I find you knowledgeable, and a talented guitar player… I also like your sense of humor… I have no doubt you could make even a Rogue Rocketeer sound good… Keep up the good work and keep on keeping on…
Craig
Also how do you think this Yamaha Pacifica compares to a Sterling Cutlass?
Thanks! The Cutlass I tried was terrible, so Pacifica all the way for me.
Hi Elmo, thanks for posting! I have seeen you making a review of Cort G 260 OPN if I am not mistaken on your channel. How do see it in comparison with Yamaha 112 V? Which one did you like better? Thanks!
The Cort was better, but I can't really say for certain, as it's quite a long time since I tried the Yamaha.
@@MrPolevaulter Thanks!
How much should it cost? Where I live, the authenticated yamaha store sells it for about 300 usd
Dunno.
Hello sir, merry Christmas first.
Do you think you can metal with that guitar?
Thanks.
Thanks! Sure.
thank u jesus, he is funny and i could just sit and watch him play I NOTICED THE TELECASTER (like) STEEL TONE AND VOL> KNOBS so rad/cool/yes WHERE DO I GET ONE IN ONTARIO
Remember this is the lowest tier of this line as well and the higher end models are not a lot more money
Absolutely.
Nice Video as always! What do you think is the main difference to the older brother 311H, besides having 2 Humbuckers?
Don't know. Haven't tried both.
i used to own one and I just love the pick ups man, its got that sweet orgasmic sound especially when you squeal it. Now Imma buy one again :D
Should i for 112v or 212vqm ? Please help .. the price is just a slight difference
I gave up playing strats 15 years ago
Rip off price.
Only use pacifica
Easy setup
Faster neck
Better QC
hard wearing neck & frets.
No mods req
Straight in to a marshall 100w
Od2.
I want to start guitar, i am thinking of getting a yamaha Pacifica 212vfm. What are you r thoughts on that?
Do you think you can check out the Pacifica 612? I bought one a little while ago, and it's probably the best guitar in my collection!
Maybe at some point, but probably not in the near future.
We want to hear AC DC or Eric Clapton that's what sounds good to us or something to. The line of those. Right now price is over 300
Elmo, you sounded great as usual 👏 but I'm a bit disappointed as I thought you were going to break into the song Bali Hai from the musical South Pacific 🎼 which I think would have suited this guitar perfectly, Bruce
:D
Yamaha pacifica 112 or squier classic vibe 50? Which is better ?
Not sure.
i got yamaha ec112 and its really good but its sort of hard to tapp on it :).
How so?
@@MrPolevaulter well its kind of hard to bend on higher frets cuz i need a tons of volume and gain which makes guitar so goddamn loud
My first guitar was pacifica 212 (only a bit more expensive than 112, but it has better (?) pickups). The second one is PRS SE CE24, over 2x more expensive. Well, I can't see a difference in quality, in fact pacifica stays in tune muuuuuuch better than PRS. I think I can replace PRS with sth different, but to replace Pacifica I would have to pay muuuch more. So... maybe I'm a fenderlike-guy? :)
Maybe :D
i was wondering,Yamaha pacifica 112V or Harley benton TE 62?I am a getting my first electric guitar(i already own an acoustic) and i am not so sure which one is better.
Which model did you choose? I am looking for a first electric guitar in a similar budget.
@@WoKoPL I actually went for the harley benton cst-24 black cherry flame and its really good for a first guitar!!
@@mel-r2s Thanks for the update! I initially excluded CST-24 from my list, as the model does not have any single coils pickups, but maybe I unnecsarily lay great store by pickups etc. and should buy something finally and start playing :D
why this guitar neck is thicker than the other pacifica??
Don't know.
This is a model I thought of buying and slowly upgrade it over time since I’m still a basic player. I would upgrade the tuners to locking and then the plastic nut to bone later. Then the pickups and electronics last when I’m better. I’m not sure if the bridge is easy to replace so I’ve been hesitant on buying this guitar for that because I don’t know if the bridge is solid metal or cheaper metal but I love the price and maple neck look.
Wilkinson wvp 6 trem will fit it and the Wilkinson V6
is someone’s fret buzzing?
This is a great guitar.Why are you so full of "enthusiasm"? I'm a Telecaster guy. And this Yamaha model 112 has been my "Strat" for 22 years.
I have this guitar and roland microcube gx i dont have much knowledge of pickups but when i turn volume knobe past 9 o clock i get alot of hum sounds. I researched and i got to know its causing because of single coils and it catches alot emi. So i cant play in loud i.e volume past 9 o clock. Not all pickups causes noise out of 5 mode. 2 and 5 causes no noise and i can play at max volume but 1,3,4 mode causes alot of noise. Some are suggesting noise gate i have a zoom g1xon pedal it has noise gate settings gotta try that and some also suggested sheilding will that work ??
Yeah, it's the single coils. What I do is I use stacked humbuckers. In terms of sound they're close to single coils, but they don't have the noise issues.
@@MrPolevaulter oh thankyou that was very helpful! gonna try that!
Hello Elmo, whats your favorite strat type guitar under say 600 dollars? thanks
What should I pick between 112v vs 012? I am a beginner. Thanks!
Not sure, but maybe 112.
That guitar already become expensive when it come to your hand sir...
Thank you :)
@@MrPolevaulter welcome....sir
Hey there elmo, would you recommend this or Jackson Js11
Haven't tried the Jackson.
I've had my eyes on the mid to low tier Yamahas.
Cool!