Pacifica Series PAC012DLX Electric Guitar; Old Violin

I am simply amazed at the quality on this instrument. I have taken delivery today and writing this review after playing for a few hours. First fretwork is amazing beautifully polished, tops and ends, The fretboard edge is even beveled slightly, a nice upgrade touch. The neck is straight and true so far no ftet buzzing even after lowering the action. The wood grain finish on the body is subtle but looks great, the neck pocket has no spacings at all. The tuners are smooth we will see if they hold tune but the seem above average for a budget guitar. The rosewood neck shows beautiful grain. The body is full size but not overly heavy, the neck is slim and has a relatively flat 13" radius, accordingly it plays easly and smooth like an Ibanez. The tone and sound are great it sounds "like a stat" i would say with a warmer tone, I really like the bridge humbucker instead of the more twangy single coil. The squatted off Bottom lets the guitar res comfortable on the leg for playing sitting down. I would say this is on part with the EART Strat mode, but without the SS Frets. The nut seems to be cut properly , the volume and tone pots have a nice resistance found on more expensive guitars, CONS the bridge is the "early Type" fender stamped bridge its functional but cheap looking. The guitar has stayed in tune with moderate Trem use.

First let me say I am no stranger to guitars. I own over 20 different ones. I have $150-$2500 versions from all the best brands. I have yet to own a Yamaha Pacifica. I have the "other" brand which includes a Tele, Strat, and a Jazzmaster. The package was packed really, really, well. No damage of any kind from the delivery process. Right out of the box I could see this is a quality product. Fit and finish is a big "WOW." It was almost perfectly in tune. I only needed to tweek each string about a half pitch to be right on. I got the "old violin" finish and it is a real looker. Tone is as good or better than most of my other guitars. Playability and sound is just what I like. I would put this in my top five favorite guitars. I could play this guitar with any other brand and they would like mine a lot. I am going to leave the OEM strings on as they are not bad. In a month or so I will change them out for some upgrades. The rest, I will leave everything OEM. Don't miss out on this one. It is a STEAL for the money.

Great guitar. I really love the aggressive look and feel of the Yamaha. There is also a nice sound quality there. I love the feel, although it was a little heavier than I expected. Overall, I'm pleased with this guitar. It doesn't feel cheap or seem like its made from cheap material. Another great Yamaha instrument. It does, however, have a more mature voice, compared to some other guitars. Each electric guitar has a special sound. This guitar is more mature and balanced, while other guitars, like Fenders or Gibson's, have a louder more playful sound. It really depends on your preference. I got this guitar because I'm really into 80's rock and metal. This is a great buy for 180. However, a quick warning, you're gonna need an amplifier, a guitar chord, a strap, and some picks. I had some speakers and an audio adapter already, but I had to buy a stand, picks, and adapter, a guitar cord, and a strap. Just a warning. I would not recommend getting the package with an amplifier and cord, as they are usually very cheap. A good place to get guitar lessons for free is justinguitar.com. Also, there is a package with a manual in it. Look very carefully, because there is a major component for the guitar in it. It makes the sound go up and down. Simply screw it on, there is a hole on the guitar body, and while playing, rest it on the inside of your elbow, pushing up and releasing to make a WHEE-WOWHH-WHEE sort of sound. Also, if you want it to sound like a stage guitar with rough sounds, buy a distortion pedal. It should plug into a stereo receiver/amplifier.

I bought this guitar because I thought that learning the guitar would be a good activity to keep busy during our coronavirus quarantine. I did a lot of research to determine the best way to spend a small amount of money to see if this was something that I would enjoy. I ordered the "old violin sunburst" and received it a few weeks ago. The guitar is beautiful. It looks REALLY nice in person and those that have seen it always comment on how attractive it is. Once tuned, the guitar has remained in tune without much, if any adjustment. The fit and finish appear to be flawless. Everything works the way it should. All the switches and knobs are responsive and feel like they are of high quality. The guitar sounds great, all the frets appear to be cut well and the strings ring properly at every position. I have an old amp that I use and all the pickups work and sound great to my ear. I have no complaints at all. Without scouring garage sales for a rare mint condition used guitar at a killer price, I cannot imagine getting more for your money than this. It does not feel like something marketed to beginners or children or casual players at all. My considerable research led me to conclude that Yamaha guitars at this price-point are considerably better than those put out by the bigger "guitar brands" for similar prices. Having purchased and used this guitar, I see no reason to argue with that conclusion. I am very pleased with my purchase.

It's basically a copy of a Super Strat, with the 3 pickups (humbuckers at the bridge) and the 5-position switch. Note: If you don't know what that is, like I didn't, you might have to look up what those 5 positions are. What they are, going from the top (1) to bottom (5): 1 - neck pickup only 2 - neck and middle pickup, phase inverted so there is some hum/noise cancellation 3 - middle pickup only 4 - middle and bridge pickup 5 - bridge pickup only You can find videos on YouTube or elsewhere to hear how good this thing sounds. It feels very solid, and is in-tune out of the box, but definitely go to a guitar shop/luthier to have the guitar set up for you, *or* the manual gives you easy-to-follow instructions. All in all, it's insane that a guitar can be this high quality at this price.