YAMAHA PACIFICA guitars or other cheapies? What would you recommend?

ZarK

Hello All.

I recently decided to keep one of my more expensive guitars that was supposed to fund the acquisition of a few less expensive guitars for alternate tunings. Since then I have decided to try and find out which cheaper guitars I should consider that would still offer decent quality and playability. So far I have only one guitar that fits the bill pricewise, and that’s the Yamaha Pacifica. For under 2k they seem to be great value for money... What do you guys think? Are there other guitars that offer decent quality at such a low price that I should also consider? Obviously I’m looking at second hand guitars… At this stage I'm contemplating acquiring two or three Pacificas or similar for alternate tunings, iow, each guitar would probably be used for 1 song only instead of the schlep of detuning and retuning my main guitars. I may replace pups –if necessary…

Any input, suggestions and experiences shared will be much appreciated as always!

StephenG

check out some of the SX range of guitars.. even new you can get them for under R2k..
guy at my local music store, also reckons he is seriously impressed with the quality of these cheapies...

he managed to convinced me.. i just bought one as a throw-around, but I too am impressed with the build quality, especially the playability of the guitar.. its very quicjkly becoming my go-to guitar..

guitarboy2828

Hmm... Is it not worth buying one guitar for R6k and just retuning that one during a show? Seems a waste to have J-customs and pacifica's.. But maybe that is just me!

ZarK

@guitarboy2828: I'm using my j-customs for most of our songs and would like to free up my Jem which is tuned to open G at the moment. Why do you think it would be a waste to play a Pacifica for a song here and there? I was under the impression that they were not half bad? I really don't care about the guitar's price or "status", as long as it does the job. I am contemplating getting more expensive instruments, but then I'll probably end up spending 10k per instrument after I've gone through the whole value for money schpeel... The idea is to find the cheapest options that would do the trick. These guitars would not be used for extensive playing, just a song or two. I'd also rather buy better quality second-hand guitars instead of new guitars that are not of the same quality. Even finish is not that important to me as long as the instrument's solid and the neck and frets are in good shape...

The thing in my head is that I do not want to retune on stage, if possible. Nothing is cast in stone as I may change my mind if the Pacificas or other options don't cut it... I was just under the impression that Pacificas would be good enough for the application...

Thanks for the input so far!

Sean

I don't have experience with the Pacifica's myself, but there are a number of guys on the forum that rate them very highly, especially for upgrading... I think singemonkey mentioned it not too long ago

guitarboy2828

Hey, don't get me wrong, i think pacifica's are great value for money. Probably the best in that price range.. However, they're still "budget" guitars. They are no where near your j-customs and jem's.. Will they do the job for you, probably, I'm not sure.. I guess it depends on how picky you are about your sound.

It's probably like playing an aria les paul shape after playing on a gibson les paul.. Wouldn't be impossible, but hard.. ?

I haven't seen or played the j-customs, so i'm not entirely sure what I'm talking about! ?

aubs1

ZarK wrote:
The thing in my head is that I do not want to retune on stage, if possible.

I fully agree, it seems rather unprofessional............have you thought of looking at the cheaper Ibanez range?
(I would rather get 2x Ibanez for R3-R5000 each, instead of 3 completely different "cheapies" for R2K each)
I know nothing about the Pacifica guitars.........but I would definitely check out the Ibbys for obvious reasons........hope this makes sense........

ZarK

guitarboy2828 wrote: Hey, don't get me wrong, i think pacifica's are great value for money. Probably the best in that price range.. However, they're still "budget" guitars. They are no where near your j-customs and jem's.. Will they do the job for you, probably, I'm not sure.. I guess it depends on how picky you are about your sound.

It's probably like playing an aria les paul shape after playing on a gibson les paul.. Wouldn't be impossible, but hard.. ?

I haven't seen or played the j-customs, so i'm not entirely sure what I'm talking about! ?

Thanks for your input and I think I’m getting what you’re saying.

I'm trying to make up my mind which way I should go and really appreciate any and all input. I'm not even going to try and compare Pacificas with j-customs as I have not found any other guitar that does come close imo. I played at a private party recently and only took 3 guitars when I needed 6 different tunings... It went well, but on stage this would be a disaster and as Aubs mentioned, would be very unprofessional -which is my main concern to be honest. The extra cheaper guitars I am considering would probably be used for a single song each which doesn't warrant blowing too much cash on, me thinks. They have to be of decent quality and offer adequate playability though.

Anyone support my thoughts that Pacificas could do the trick? Any other guitars anyone would recommend I take a look & listen to?

ZarK

Aubs1 wrote:
ZarK wrote:
The thing in my head is that I do not want to retune on stage, if possible.
I fully agree, it seems rather unprofessional............have you thought of looking at the cheaper Ibanez range?
(I would rather get 2x Ibanez for R3-R5000 each, instead of 3 completely different "cheapies" for R2K each)
I know nothing about the Pacifica guitars.........but I would definitely check out the Ibbys for obvious reasons........hope this makes sense........

I haven’t considered the more entry level Ibbys... Reason is that I have not been very impressed by the entry-level models up to date to be honest. (Probably because I'm used to the Japanese models which are brilliant imo.) As much as I love Ibanez, for they truly are brilliant guitars (the Japanese ones at least...), I am open to any and all manufacturers. Maybe I should have another look at them regardless... R5000 per guitar pushes into PRS SE territory, however and for the money I was quite impressed with those…

Thanks for your input!

singemonkey

guitarboy2828 wrote: Hey, don't get me wrong, i think pacifica's are great value for money. Probably the best in that price range.. However, they're still "budget" guitars. They are no where near your j-customs and jem's.. Will they do the job for you, probably, I'm not sure.. I guess it depends on how picky you are about your sound.

It's probably like playing an aria les paul shape after playing on a gibson les paul.. Wouldn't be impossible, but hard.. ?

I haven't seen or played the j-customs, so i'm not entirely sure what I'm talking about! ?

Indeed. Pacificas are amazing guitars. I'm trying to break down the perception that Pacifica is a model of guitar. They're not. They're a range of guitars.

This is a Yamaha Pacifica:

With a solid, carved top. Here's one with a solid flame-top:

To get an entry level guitar like this, you need plenty of entry-level moola.

What you're talking about, I assume is the Pacifica 112. These have got some of the best reviews of all time for a beginner's electric, and are a favourite for hot-rodders - especially in the UK. I think it has a multi-piece alder body. One of the best bang for buck electrics ever made.

But here's the thing. You can buy Pacificas second hand and - because of the perception issues expressed above, they all tend to just be sold as "Pacificas."

Now you'd be very lucky to run into a top-end Pacifica (especially the very rare and sought after carved flame-top models like the PAC1421 above). But it's not that unusual to run into a 300, 600, or 700 series Pacifica for stupid money: less than 3K. If you can get yourself a PAC721 (HSH with Floyd Rose licensed bridge) second hand for that kind of cash, you've scored big-time. The guitars just get better and better as they go up the line. Better wood, better hardware, better electronics. You can see what Guitar Player said about my PAC904:

http://www.guitarforum.co.za/your-gear/yamaha-pacifica-904/

As I mention after the quote, they also heaped praise on the PAC604. So before I launch into a hymn devoted to the Yamaha Pacifica, let me just say:

1. PAC112 - great guitar for the money. Perfect for modifying. About the best you can get in a beginner's Strat-style electric.

2. Why get a PAC112 when you get a much higher spec Pacifica second hand for the same money?

An awesome line of guitars. It's a pity they're petering out just as people are starting to realise how good they were.

guitarboy2828

singemonkey wrote:
guitarboy2828 wrote: Hey, don't get me wrong, i think pacifica's are great value for money. Probably the best in that price range.. However, they're still "budget" guitars. They are no where near your j-customs and jem's.. Will they do the job for you, probably, I'm not sure.. I guess it depends on how picky you are about your sound.

It's probably like playing an aria les paul shape after playing on a gibson les paul.. Wouldn't be impossible, but hard.. ?

I haven't seen or played the j-customs, so i'm not entirely sure what I'm talking about! ?
Indeed. Pacificas are amazing guitars. I'm trying to break down the perception that Pacifica is a model of guitar. They're not. They're a range of guitars.

This is a Yamaha Pacifica:

With a solid, carved top. Here's one with a solid flame-top:

To get an entry level guitar like this, you need plenty of entry-level moola.

What you're talking about, I assume is the Pacifica 112. These have got some of the best reviews of all time for a beginner's electric, and are a favourite for hot-rodders - especially in the UK. I think it has a multi-piece alder body. One of the best bang for buck electrics ever made.

But here's the thing. You can buy Pacificas second hand and - because of the perception issues expressed above, they all tend to just be sold as "Pacificas."

Now you'd be very lucky to run into a top-end Pacifica (especially the very rare and sought after carved flame-top models like the PAC1421 above). But it's not that unusual to run into a 300, 600, or 700 series Pacifica for stupid money: less than 3K. If you can get yourself a PAC721 (HSH with Floyd Rose licensed bridge) second hand for that kind of cash, you've scored big-time. The guitars just get better and better as they go up the line. Better wood, better hardware, better electronics. You can see what Guitar Player said about my PAC904:

http://www.guitarforum.co.za/your-gear/yamaha-pacifica-904/

As I mention after the quote, they also heaped praise on the PAC604. So before I launch into a hymn devoted to the Yamaha Pacifica, let me just say:

1. PAC112 - great guitar for the money. Perfect for modifying. About the best you can get in a beginner's Strat-style electric.

2. Why get a PAC112 when you get a much higher spec Pacifica second hand for the same money?

An awesome line of guitars. It's a pity they're petering out just as people are starting to realise how good they were.

+1.. I was just assuming he was meaning the 112's as those are the most common. But yeah, everything you said was great advice!

Zark, is there no way you can play a second hand pacifica to just try them out? Maybe with a pickup swop it'll be the right guitar for you! ?

ZarK

I've been a fan of the Pacifica range for many years. I love Yamaha guitars in general. I have played them before albeit quite a number of years ago... The models above the 112 are not readily available, but I'm keeping a lookout for one or two. If I end up going for 112's, I'll treat them as fixed bridge guitars and at least swap out their bridge pups if necessary. I really like the fact that they have alder bodies and the natural finish on most examples I’ve seen.

@singemonkey: If you have experience with 112's, what are your impressions, taking into consideration that I am used to higher end guitars? I am honestly just looking for cheaper guitars that are good enough to do the job. They probably won't be my main guitars unless they prove to be better than expected and/or higher end Pacifica's.

ZarK

BTW, that Flamed top Pacifica is an absolute beaut. I'd love to own one of those!

singemonkey

ZarK wrote: BTW, that Flamed top Pacifica is an absolute beaut. I'd love to own one of those!

Very rare I'm afraid. They were from the very first run of Pacificas (they might have been made in the custom shop in California, I'm not sure). I doubt there are any in SA. Prices going up all the time. They were too expensive to make to sell at a price that their customers at the time could afford.

ZarK wrote: I've been a fan of the Pacifica range for many years. I love Yamaha guitars in general. I have played them before albeit quite a number of years ago... The models above the 112 are not readily available, but I'm keeping a lookout for one or two. If I end up going for 112's, I'll treat them as fixed bridge guitars and at least swap out their bridge pups if necessary. I really like the fact that they have alder bodies and the natural finish on most examples I’ve seen.

@singemonkey: If you have experience with 112's, what are your impressions, taking into consideration that I am used to higher end guitars? I am honestly just looking for cheaper guitars that are good enough to do the job. They probably won't be my main guitars unless they prove to be better than expected and/or higher end Pacifica's.

I've only played them in the stores. They definitely play like much more expensive guitars - a trend for Pacificas all down the line. They leave Squiers in the dust, that much is for sure. But yeah, you'd probably want to swap out the pickups. Obviously they're not going to compare with the likes of your top-end Ibanez. But great guitars for the money. If you PM me your email address, I'll send you some guitar mag scans that another GFSA'r sent me about modding Pacifica 112s. A bunch of magazine writers took a Pacifica each and modded hell out of them. They seemed very pleased with the results. Basically, the body, neck, and fretwork makes them well worth the effort. It's amazing how a "soulless" mega-corporation like Yamaha can deliver better quality in entry level instruments than dedicated guitar companies ???

PeteM

singemonkey wrote: It's amazing how a "soulless" mega-corporation like Yamaha can deliver better quality in entry level instruments than dedicated guitar companies ???

A culture of excellence throughout the Yamaha company coupled with economies of scale?

singemonkey

PeteM wrote:
singemonkey wrote: It's amazing how a "soulless" mega-corporation like Yamaha can deliver better quality in entry level instruments than dedicated guitar companies ???
A culture of excellence throughout the Yamaha company coupled with economies of scale?

I think so. What's amazing is how the scale is not associated with poor quality.
]

ZarK

singemonkey wrote: I've only played them in the stores. They definitely play like much more expensive guitars - a trend for Pacificas all down the line. They leave Squiers in the dust, that much is for sure. But yeah, you'd probably want to swap out the pickups. Obviously they're not going to compare with the likes of your top-end Ibanez. But great guitars for the money. If you PM me your email address, I'll send you some guitar mag scans that another GFSA'r sent me about modding Pacifica 112s. A bunch of magazine writers took a Pacifica each and modded hell out of them. They seemed very pleased with the results. Basically, the body, neck, and fretwork makes them well worth the effort. It's amazing how a "soulless" mega-corporation like Yamaha can deliver better quality in entry level instruments than dedicated guitar companies ???

I've only had good experiences with Yamaha motorbikes, acoustic guitars and pianos.... In fact anything Yamaha I've tried...

Pm'd