Squier Stratocaster vs Yamaha Pacifica: The Battle!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2024
- Today, I compare the Yamaha Pacifica against the Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster. Both of these guitars come in at a similar price (in Australia at least) and are the go-to instruments for beginners or someone looking for a great and affordable second instrument.
Squier Affinity Stratocaster:
►Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/SquierStrat
►Thomann - bit.ly/2C1PKUD
►Amazon UK - amzn.to/31HaRqb
►Amazon Canada - amzn.to/2ZD8Ecr
►Sky Music Australia - bit.ly/3SuJD0k
Yamaha Pacifica:
►Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/yamaha-strat
►Thomann - bit.ly/3avk8mA
►Amazon UK - amzn.to/2CZ4YtZ
►Amazon Canada - amzn.to/31J1ndS
►Sky Music Australia - bit.ly/3SuJD0k
Time Codes:
0:00 - Jam Track
1:39 - About this video
2:28 - Clean Tones
4:01 - Lead Tones
5:32 - Dry Blues Tones
6:30 - Squier or Yamaha?
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►Patreon: / intheblues
►My Socials - linktr.ee/intheblues
►My Sweetwater Gear Page - imp.i114863.net/intheblues
►intheblues Merch - bit.ly/2KLR5CV
(Links to Sweetwater, Thomann, Amazon, B&H, Artist Guitars, and Walmart are affiliate links.
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#yamahapacifica #squierstratocaster #guitars
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The Pacifica "ticks all the boxes for me", as it has more clean power, and has a HSS configuration to boot.
Honestly pick up a Pacifica, Katana, looper pedal and a headstock tuner and call it a day, you’ll keep all of them for the rest of your playing life, won’t cost a fortune, great starter rig and make a cracking backup for when you get bitten by the gear bug.
Listen to this guy
Can the bridge be fixed and played without the tremelo ?
Exactly what I did. 👍
This is scary.....I was thinking the exact same and am about to do it.... What?? Scary
which Katana?
"The branding and all that crap"....Nailed it!!! It doesn't matter what the name is...it matters how it feels and plays...end of!!
You definitely do the best comparisons on guitars. Very helpful in trying to chose my next instrument. Well done.
I've had BOTH. I personally like the Yamaha Pacifica better. I love the neck, like the versatility of the bridge humbucker, also like just one volume and one tone control.
The Pacifica will be here from Sweetwater in a couple days and I'm glad I chose it above the others in the same price bracket. Thanks for the accurate review.
Very Cool Demo Review. Thankyou. Scored a 2nd hand immaculate Yamaha Pacifica with a Vox Valvetronix Amp for bargain price. Really was only interested in the Amp but found The Pacifica has become one of my favorite guitars. Such an awesome Comfortable and Fun Guitar to play.
My left handed Squire affinity is 26-year-old double of yours, 26 years ago there wasn’t a lot of left-handed affordable decent guitars and I like it
I've been watching many review videos and I really enjoy watching your videos. Trying to decide on what to buy as a lefty and watching your videos are very informative and helpful. So a big thank you Shane!
So what did you buy???
I've bought the Pacifica 112j as the first electric guitar and it rocks!
Which one would you choose?
Time Codes:
Squier Affinity Stratocaster:
►Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/SquierStrat
►Thomann - bit.ly/2C1PKUD
►Amazon UK - amzn.to/31HaRqb
►Amazon Canada - amzn.to/2ZD8Ecr
►Sky Music Australia - alnk.to/c022T3w
Yamaha Pacifica:
►Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/yamaha-strat
►Thomann - bit.ly/3avk8mA
►Amazon UK - amzn.to/2CZ4YtZ
►Amazon Canada - amzn.to/31J1ndS
►Sky Music Australia - alnk.to/8tITgLb
Time Codes:
0:00 - Jam Track
1:39 - About this video
2:28 - Clean Tones
4:01 - Lead Tones
5:32 - Dry Blues Tones
6:30 - Squier or Yamaha?
May I suggest you take a look at the Yamaha Revstar RS320. I have one and it is great for rock and hard rock the pickups are very hot and bright but not perfect, The build quality is very good and it is sturdy well suited for modifications. Re-stringing with some D'Addario EXL110s and try an E flat tuning.
Can't go wrong with Yamaha usually
The Yamaha every time, the model you have reviewed is the old model, there is a newer model the 112V with Alnico pickups and improved trem, i have one in Blue
a great guitar, better than the Squire in my opinion.
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Agree. For a first decent guitar having HSS is a big plus, also quality seems better overall. Yamaha would be my recommendation here too.
I have a Yamaha 611hfm I got a smoking deal on and LOVE it. Plays as well as my American fenders and lots of tones with neck SD P90 and SD coil split humbucker in bridge.
Thank you Sky Music ! Shane, as always, awesome video. Blues On....💙 Tone wise Squire.
Great vid! My first guitar was exactly that Yamaha, I will never regret to select it as my first guitar, it's awesome!!!
My experience with the cheap Fender pickups is that they squeal once you push the gain and the volume. I thought the Pacifica sounded great and, importantly for me, had that 22nd fret. I have several Fenders with 21 fret necks and although I play them regularly I often find myself reaching for that extra fret so I can easily bend to a high E.
Great vid. I was wondering if you have played an 812 pacifica? I picked one up off gumtree recently and its incredible to me. I dont know how it compares to the 612 model.
I've got the pacifica and my mate has got the squire. The pacifica is a very good and well rounded guitar, very nice to play with the 14" fretboard
Great review and many thanks for sharing however you missed an arguably minor point!; which Guitar is going to look the best sitting on your stand !!!!!
Both guitars are a great value, it is just a matter of what you need. If it’s a more traditional Strat sounds, the Squier has it beat both clean and dirty tones. The Pacifica has that humbucker that adds a stronger tone profile especially from the bridge position. I’ve never owned a Yamaha guitar before so I’d try the Pacifica straight out of curiosity 😆😆! Cheers!!!🎸🎸🎸
They’re surprisingly good especially for the money, got both my girls a Pacifica each you can play pretty much anything on them, the neck was the biggest surprise felt pretty nice in the hand.
I've had a Yamaha Pacifica but the Yamaha RGZ or RGX is much better. But both
good guitars for the money.
You won’t regret it.
Squier is my weapon of choice between these two .😎🎸 Nice demo and review mate ! Have a great weekend !
I play pretty clean so the pacifica for me, and also I had a HSS Ibanez and when you went to position 2 it would split the coil in the humbucker and just wondering if that happened with the Yamaha too
I have a pacifica 112v, i love it but do wonder what better quality pickups could do for it? The 612v and 812v versions look really great, but are a lot more expensive.
I have a Pacifica I've had it a few years now and it still play's brilliant it used to be my gigging guitar
I would like to know which guitar you exchanged the pacifica for? If there is an error in the text it is because it was translated by Google, I am Brazilian and do not speak English.
The Pacifica 112 has been the best bang for buck starter guitar for what must be about 30 years now.
Yamaha’s got someone high up in the company who really cares about good stuff..I have some stereo equipment from them that is untouchable at the price (Natural Sound Receiver R-S700). Bought their entry level bass guitar (TRBX 174EW) and it is awesome with a translucent black mango wood top. There is a reason all the church guys use their gear, awesome value! Believe it or not my dad used to shoot bows (archery) made by them as well.
Hey Shane, do you set up your own guitars or do you take them to get worked on? Was sorry I missed the live stream this morning, sleep in Saturday over here in the US east coast!
You are spot on. I would (and did) save about half on the Squier by getting the "Bullet Hardtail", if you can buy (try) local, as the quality is much less consistent on the Squier.
As a sit on the bed player, I really love the Strat Jack, and the rounder neck seems easier for me to do bar chords.
My PAC 112J is by far higher quality, good to go out of the box.
I'm still a beginner but I use clean tones 90% of the time, so thank you for this video. I was originally set on the Squier since I already had their Mini strat, but that Pacifica dropped my jaw with it's tone. Definitely getting the Pacifica now!
Upgrade slightly to the 112v it's a lot better for not much more money.
@@Mustaine1ify Did just that. I learned about the V shortly after this comment lol
They both sound good. The Squier has a sweetness to the top end with gain added.
In the late 80's I was playing a USA Standard Strat. Had a few reissues as well. Grabbed a 1990 model Yamaha Pacifica 512 at a used gear shop and played it. That's all it took.
Sold all my expensive Strats and never looked back.
FYI, the new Pacifica's are very good but, they don't compare to the early 90's Yamaha's.
Great review and demo Shane!
I've had several Yamaha RGZ's and RGX's both great guitars and I love the thin necks they have.
Great video comparison... I am just wondering how come no one is noticing the lovely Dire Straits tunes he was playing so flawlessly.... ❤ (so far away) - what a classic song!
Great content as usual Shane👍
I bought a Yamaha EG-112 (Pre-Pacifica) for my son about 13 years ago. He never played it and gave it back a few weeks ago. I cleaned it up and sold it on, but I played it and the cheap ceramic pickups had aged and sounded great, it had a real vintage Fender tone.
Aw sorry to hear that your son didn't play it
If you get a yamaha 112v, you can split the humbuckers ( my favorite feature) I absolutely love my maroon yamaha 112v!
6:30, so I'm confused, are you saying the strings are too high on the squier affinity?
I"m thinking of buying a Yamaha Pacifica 112V but was wondering what AMP would you recommend to buy, preferable a budge.
I have an older Yamaha ,black with a maple neck and maple fret board. replaced the humbucker so I could split it to single coil ! great guitar!
Hope you had a good New year's shane..👍👍
I prefer the squier pickups a lot more, because I like the brighter, lower output spankin pickups in a strat
Easy choice, owned a Squier in the past and didnt like the neck at all, ditched it and got the Pacifica. Loved the Pacifica fromn the moment I picked up the guitar and felt the neck, and it just gives you more tone options with the HSS configuration.
I want to buy Squier CV or SX vintage and not sure which should i choose.
Hey man where do you find all those left handed guitars? Nice video!
Yes, but if you buy the Pacifica 112V you can split the bridge hummie, so even more versatile.
And its big brothers like the 311 and 611 are the same - splittable bridge hummie and a P90 in the neck - awesome combination, and way better than 3 single coils IMHO.
very sharp playing form shane
Hey would you say the Pacifica or an Aria STG-004?
is it possibble if you make a video about yamaha pacifica vs bacchus universe series?
I wonder what value pots they put in an HSS guitar?
squier has that more classic sound
Good work Shane. These days there is no where near the 'risk' in sub $A450 range guitar. in the last few years,you don't have the excuses/barriers to find a reasonable giutar to play now. Artist Guitars have some good options as well - for the Oz contingent. "Stay Calm - play gutar" . It's not rocket science to get some help with a set up if you need it - even with lockdowns & distant socialling! It just seems like all the Covidiots that bought a guitar & lost the plot - all think they they can sell a year old guitar at a $10 discount off RRP. "Tell 'em he's dreamin' ..." I say.
Wait, is that a 012 vs an Affinity? Because they are not in the same weight division.
Hello sir. I'm looking for a good beginner guitar and I'm confused between ibanez grx40 and squier bullet strat hss. I'm interested in rock, funk, metal and blues. Please help me out here. Your reply would make my day!!!
Can you do comparison on the pacifica 112v and the Squier classic vibe 60?
Great test. I like the sound test and your honest and fair comment. They are both great guitars the difference not really significant. I tend to agree with you that Yamaha is more fine in their finish. Cheers from Indonesia.
Did you get your Tele back from the shop yet? You gotta run it thru that El Combo pedal. I'm stuck out here in the mountains of No. New Mexico. The nearest music store is 2 mountain ranges away. Please send help to poor, poor pitiful me . LOL Thanks
My experienced with Yamaha Pacifica I always get bad solder on the electronics (volume, tone, and switch) specifically for Yamaha Pacifica 112, 012, and 212 my suggestion if you want to buy just get the 311 and up models (no need to upgrade). You're lucky if got tidy solders or nice cable arrangement.
Hey Shane, was nice to meet you at Skymusic last week. Were these two part of the batch you got from skymusic when i met you?
I bought a lefty Yamaha with a Floyd 26 years ago. Not a single problem with it, knock wood. Great company.
The Yamaha tones took the cake across that board for me, though the crunch tones were certainly the closest.
excellent review, thank you
Both! They sound different enough that at that price I'd do both! That's just me. From Kansas
Obviously the Yamaha has a little more kick with the humbucker, but it just comes down to what you are playing. I've never really heard anyone say anything negative on the Yamahas and overall it would be my pick.
I am looking at the 112v. Wonder how much of a difference the Alnico V vs. Ceramic pickups are in tone. I also like the idea of the coil tap for the humbucker...
It’s been 3 years I know but just read this and wondering what you got and what you think now. I like them both but I like the Alnicos a bit more.
Sorry if this has already been covered, but are the 2020 Affinty's full size bodies now? That's the rumor on the street.
From Leo; They both have a good sound. The Yamaha pickups are a little more rock. I do like the feel of the necks on the Pacifica series. Yamaha makes a model that ends in "V", which designates Alnico 5 magnets. They are far mellower sounding than the hard rock sound of he ceramics in the lower end models.
Great comparison! I totally agree I own the Yamaha Pacifica 112v, which is the model up from the 112j and it’s awesome. Definitely at this price point Yamaha take the lead and feels a little more premium with the alder body.
is it still good to play now?
112v is not a "model up" from 112j. They are exactly the same, except for the pickups. Alnico vs Ceramic is a matter of preference. Neither is better than the other. I absoultely love ceramic pickups in my 112j.
Awesome Shane, Yamaha we’re making quality beginners guitars way before some other manufacturers caught up, they were definitely a maker that helped change the beginner market for the better. I feel beginners are spoiled these days, either would be a great choice and are great deals.
I like the Yamaha more. I had one of their semi hollow body guitars years ago, and it was very good. They make good guitars, all of them mostly. I have an old 69 FG 110 acoustic that's almost as good as anything much higher priced.
I would have loved to hear the comparison of the Pacifica with a Squire Classic Vibe (not the Affinity Series). The Classic Vibe series plays better, and is a great alternative to the more expensive line The Classic Vibe was chosed by Ron Thorn master builder of Fender as an excellent guitar
Classic vibe is more expensive than the Pacifica though and Yamaha don’t make any others for us lefties sadly
Classic Vibe is awesome. Best value for money imho.
But plays better? Not really. They play like any good Strat but Pacificas play so much easier. Like butter.
I would have liked a compare between pacifica and bullet hss
Is that Yamaha PAC 112J ? It is not 012 or 112V ... so assuming J.
I picked up a used Pacifica 112 for a crazy low price and I love this guitar. My MIJ strat is on the wall. I play my Pacifica every day. I do plan on upgrading the trem and the pickups, but the neck and frets are sweet, and I love the styling / alder body. I could get by with the stock pickups, but I want to customize it. Weak link for me is the trem and the small block. The 112 has better tuners than the 012 series. If I was buying new, I'd look at the 212 or 612 series. Yamaha makes good stuff.
Agreed I love the RGZ's and RGX's.
I also have a Japan strat that sounds great but unfortunately is very heavy, the Pacifica 112v is all stock and sounds almost good. I feel more comfortable with the Pacifica neck than the fender one. And with a humbucker in the bridge the Pacifica is more versatile. I want to buy the 612 anyway
Music teacher here. I went to a shop recently looking for a SSS pickup config in something that wasn't a Fender and didn't look exactly like a Strat, because I am a filthy hipster contrarian who likes to go against the grain even in situations where it doesn't make sense. The guy in the shop told me that for the first several years he was running the shop, he tried to stock less common stuff, like not Fender or Gibson but stuff that he felt matched or exceeded the quality for the same or less money. He told me that people would come in, test play rigs by the likes of ESP/LTD, Schecter, Carvin, Ibanez, and Yamaha, and say things like "Oh, man, this plays so well, and it feels great in the hands, and it looks so cool, and it sounds really good... but I think I'm gonna go to Guitar Center and get a Fender." Paraphrasing: this is vaguely remembered conversation from two weeks ago.
Eventually, he said to me, he just gave up on trying to give people what actually met their needs and resigned himself to just selling them what they wanted, which was less than they needed for more than they needed to spend, and cut way down on his options for the types of rigs he wanted to be moving.
And now, he said, here you are, looking for exactly the stuff I just got rid of. Ain't that just the greatest luck for both of us?
Anyway, long story short, I found a used Pacifica 112J and am having that same guy do a bunch of upgrades on it. Good times all around.
Well music teacher, how are you liking the guitar? I’m thinking of getting it.
Most of my guitars are HH so I thought a HSS would be awesome for versatility.. I think it’s this or the Ibanez Gio GRX70QA… which is a HSH 😅 maybe defeats the purpose a bit…
@@SingPsalms It’s awesome! I swapped it to SSS pups that a friend gave me, and it plays like absolute class. Recorded it on a couple of tracks so far, haven’t released them yet but it sounds mint and the videos look absolute class on the editing table 🎸
I definitely preferred the Squier cleans. The Squier had more of a vintage, low output sound with a bit of a mid scoop. The Pacifica had a lot of midrange and more overall output. It sounded almost P90-ish.
is this the pacifica PAC012?
I was able to try both.. i'll go Pacifica all day.. 👍😉 but dont get me wrong, the squier is an amazing guitar as well
Both are cool! I think the Squier did a better job capturing the authentic Strat sounds!
Pacifica felt heavier than my Les Paul though! Whats up with that?
I've been deliberating for ages but after watching this I'm defo going for the yamaha, thanks!
You e taken me back to1996 when I was saving for my first electric!
There is a reason why people buy squier because they want the tone of a fender guitar in an affordable price where as Yamaha definitely gives you a better built quality but when it comes to tone ....Squier Hands down ..... We actually associate ourselves with the great guitar players and their tone.i remember I wanted a les Paul and a Marshall just because I loved Slash
Love that Dire Straits bit :) two lovely guitars
The photo on the preview shows the more expensive Pacifica. I was hoping to see what he thought of it - not the cheaper one. There are lots of videos on the lesser Yamaha models.
That was pretty Dire Strait-y at @3:30 .. i like the bridge saddles on the Squire !
I picked up a lefty Pacifica a few years back for $50. Traded it for a pedal and instantly regretted it lol.
But I should add that I hated Strat style guitars at the time. Now all I own are strats and teles.
Strat all the way here for me..each note is more dynamic and flavourful than the Pacifica.. Settles it for me..grrrreat vid!
Hi Shane,
Hope you can shed some light for me.
I'm wanting to get into electric guitars and been looking at the following:
1. Fender Squire Stratocaster Pack $359
2. Fender Squire Affinity Stratocaster Pack $530
3. Yamaha Gigmaker10 Pack $430 (this has the Pacifica 012)
Though these are ALL sold out and delayed till early December due to Covid.
or
Yamaha Pacifica 112J but not too sure which extra gear I need (amp? Cord?).
If the guitar comes with a cable it will be not very good. I would suggest getting any cable with a decent Neutrik connector on it and an amplifier that suits your needs. It's hard to know what to get if you haven't purchased one before but depending on your budget a Boss Katana, Vox Pathfinder, or Bugera V5 would be a good few to look into. :)
I was looking for Pacifica 112j and ended up with used Pacifica 112v with free gig bag, cable, and usb guitar link. The only problem is, I have no idea how to setup a guitar, it came from a cold place to my hot place,
Daves World of Fun Stuff. Find that channel and watch. Basically, lower each string till it "buzzes" then a 1/4 turn up.
Look down the neck, too strait, loosen the truss rod nut, 1/8 turn, then wait a day to recheck. Humidity not temp will shift the wood. 1/4 turn up/down on the pickups screws, plug in and "ear test". Always wait a day on "a-just-melts", cool off, sleep on it, you can always turn that thing 1/4 turn the opposite way.
If it plays OK for you, LEAVE IT ALONE. If you do adjust, small changes, one at a time.
Save $130 and get a Fender Mustang Amp, spare "9" string set.
TRUTH: My brother played "pro" ... '63 strat," gold top 58, bal, bla, bla, usually the people were so drunk/high that they would not know if he was playing a $130 or $2300 rig. Good players make whatever sound good, people just think that "is the sound he wanted" whatever it is.
My first was a PAC 112J and they are great.
For those of us who can only listen to the video, it would be great if you could use the name of the guitar rather that saying “this” and “this”. Keep up the great work 👍
I prefer the tone of the Yamaha and also the SSH setup. I would go for the Yamaha if shopping for something like this in this price range.
I like the Pacifica but you should have compared to the hss bullet strat!
Great video Shane, "brand recognition and all that kind of crap" haha, i have to admit that ever since i saw Mike Stern with his Yamaha, i always liked the look of the headstock, so i guess it craps both ways. I always enjoy watching your playing and comments, thanks for sharing your talent and videos. Greetings from Belgium.
If you want hendrix ,srv etc go for squier but more modern rock stuff go for yamaha considering low action and without fret buzz for both.
Which Pacifica is it ?
There's a whole range of 'em.
They both sound good for the price, but I'd prefer a traditional strat if I was getting one. I give it to the Squier
You should try pacifica 612 and compare it with mexican strat.
212 v mim. 612 is a different beast in custom shop class. I love mine.
I agree. Every Pacifica comparison video I've seen compares the cheapest model in the range. I'd like to see the 611 and/or 612 compared to a Fender or Squire in the same price range
Yep, Yamaha always feel more top end. Recently bought the Revstar 502T and love it. Sits nicely along side my 510v. 👍🇦🇺
@Ben Carpenter I am looking forward to buying one this or next year!
Yes
Cmon Shane "Squire" in the beginning graphic?
I have a bullet start and interestingly, it sounds like the pacifica in the video
It's the THUG the bullet stuff is good stuff. I have a butterscotch fsr bullet tele and I love it.
Pacifica................I got both and it is always the Pacifica when it counts.................. Thanks Shane !
Nice Vid Shane, I prefer the sound of the Yamaha. More of an all round Good sound from it!
This is cool. Interesting the price points are close,,,the Yamaha seemed like it would be a better guitar than an Affinity.
Both are good values, though. Yamaha sounded better, though. Squier nice for the classic thing.
man, I grew up in a city named Pacifica (peaceful sea). Wish I still lived there.
Read about these guitars in Guitar Shop magazine in the early '00s. They dug them "Taiwan on for size :)" Played one then. Seemed to be a good guitar.