Yamaha Pacifica 112 Review

Good Points
Value for money, finish, hardware and electronics quality, sound, playability/action, appearance - everything about this guitar is as good as some similar styled guitars costing £1200 +. Honestly.

Bad Points
Because it's so cheap it's seen as a beginner's guitar. I've been playing guitar, recording and producing, song-writing and generally "in the business" for thirty years, I've owned just about every model of Gibson and Fender guitar, Burn's Red Special, Japanese replicas, copies etc. etc. and I can say that they must have all been beginner's guitars too. Except for the prices, of course.

General Comments
I returned a Mexican Strat to the shop where I'd paid £349, assuming the pickups were Alnicos, but they turned out to be ceramics. I got my refund, but as I was leaving the shop I spotted a classy looking Yamaha Pacifica with what I took to be a nice veneer, I could tell by the way the light was reflected off the ground ends of the magnets that the pickups were Alnicos. Solid Alder, decent humbucker, vintage trem and Alnico neck and middle pickups for £169? How could I resist? I wasn't too keen on the neck at first but now I love it. And the sound? It reminds me of my 1962 Fender Strat - the Alnicos quite low output, with sweet musical brightness and response, the humbucker is stronger but not too middly. If Yamaha raised the price of this guitar to, say, £349 it would no longer be a beginner's guitar but it would certainly be a better guitar than a Mexican Strat!