Featured review by:
unregistered, on october 03, 2005 9 of 10 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: giggear.com
Features: This was my first guitar and it's definitly a good one for a beginner. It's in the style of a Fat Strat with a great humbucker which gives it a heavier edge than rival offerings such as Squiers and Encores. Mine's metallic blue with agathis body and rosewood fretboard. Volume and 1 tone knobs. It has a 5-way selector Switch. The humbucker is very good for the price although can be a bit noisy. I don't normally play through the single coil pickups. It came with a tremolo arm, and I bought it in a starter pack with a Marshall MG15 CDR amp, strap and case. A good range of features of good quality for the price paid. // 9
Sound: The guitar suits my style very well, I play mostly rock, Indie and punk and the Pacifica is suited perfectly for this. I still play through the 15 Watt Marshall and a Zoom GFX1 multi FX pedal. When used with this it sounds great and like a much better guitar, although this is probably down to the effects. The humbucker can give a really nice crunchy tone, although like I said, does have a tendency to be a bit noisy. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up very well and needed very few adjustments as far as I can remember. The only real problem with quality was the input jack and supplied accessories. After only a few months the input jack socket snapped and needed to be taped up. The free strap broke within a couple of weeks and the supplied lead stopped working not soon after. The finish has been fairly resiliant to minor knocks and the guitar still looks almost as good as new. I have had no major problems with it, although it does have a slightly cheap feel to it as if it wouldn't withstand much damage. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't use this guitar as my main guitar for playing live, but it would be fine as a backup. Extensive live use would probably cause it to fall apart. The strap buttons are reasonably firm but have needed tightening in the past. The finish is quite thin but this is to be expected as the Pacifica is only really intended as a beginner's guitar. I would not recommend using it live without a backup. // 7
Impression: I still play this guitar quite frequently as it's great for fast aggressive rhythm playing. I now play an Epiphone Les Paul but I'm glad I chose the Yamaha as my first, I would definitly recommend it above other beginner guitars that I've tried. It offers excellent value for money and some pretty decent features. If it was stolen I would not replace it, however I would have done with the same model again when I had no other guitar. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 28, 2004 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Giggear.com
Features: - 22 frets
- Solid body
- Vol+tone+5way controls
- With S/S/H pickups
- maple neck and a rosewood fretboard // 8
Sound: It's best for cleaner rock or jazz, but it's versatile enough to play anything. I play mainly punk and metal and the bridge humbucker gives it a lot more power giving it an advantage over other budget guitars like the Squier Strat. I use it with a Marshall MG15w amp and a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal. If you set it up correctly, it sounds amazing for the price. It can produce a wide variety of sounds, and the bridge humbucker puts this guitar well above others in its price range. I wouldn't use it for live performances because it's not got the build for it. If you slap the body u get quite a bit of noise which is the only bad point on the sound side of things for the price. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was perfect when I got it, everything was spot-on I really can't think of any down-points for the set-up of it. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar is built to last. Although I deffinately would recommend buying a decent cable as soon as possible, because the one that comes with it isn't that good and only lasts a few months. I bought some venom cables for mine. The finish chips if you're not careful, and you'll notice over time from leaning it against your amp or whatever, that small dents will appear on the back. I wouldn't use this guitar for a gig because it's a practice/beginners/budget guitar! it's just not made for it! // 6
Impression: I play metal and punk and in the budget range, it's between this and the Squier Strat. Personally, i think this wins because of the bridge humbucker. It just gives you that extra power that leaves the Squier behind. I now play an Ibanez RG370DX and I'll never regret buying a Yamaha as my first. I still use the Yamaha for cleaner songs.
Things to love about it, as I keep saying, that humbucker! Hate, well the cable was a shame but apart from that it's the best budget guitar out there! (unless your budget stretches to a 112). If you're a beginner and you want a budget guitar, buy this one! Ignore all that technical stuff, trust me, no matter what type of music you want to play, this is the best you'll find for the price! It's worth every penny, and you can pick one up for a mere £99 now! // 10
Reviewed by:
i love my ....., on october 24, 2006 2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 287.28
Purchased from: nakas
Features: I have absolutely no idea where this guitar was made, somewhere like indionesia. It has 22 frets jumbo I suppose and a very comfortable maple neck. It is solid agathis a litle bit heavier than I would like. I got it in a black whith a white pickguard, It is a Strat style guitar without the stat input. It has a Vintage tremolo bridge. Passive electronics (of course) with a H/S/S configuration, it has one volume and one tone controls. And I got it with a strap, cable and a case. // 9
Sound: It suits my music styles perfectly. I play: blues, rock, hard rock, metal, stoner/heavy metal, black/death metal and a litle bit of grunge and punk. I use a Zoom G2.1u through to a Line6 amp. It can get a litle bit noisy on very heavy distorted settigs. And I bellieve it has a full bright sound (kind of hard to get an Opeth sound from it). You can get different sounds from the guitar just by changing the pickups, and I believe it to have variety (not great variety) of sounds. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was perfect when I go it out the box I just started playing. The action was just where I wanted it to be. The pickups where normal, the same with everything else. It came with absolutely no flaws everything was where it was supposed to be. Everything fitted in perfectly, nothing loose or any other problems. // 10
Reliability & Durability: It can stand live playing even though it wasn't really made for it. The hardware is ok, and the strap buttons are as solid as hell. I have used it live wiout a backup and everything was fine. And the finish does no whear of (I had once dropped white spirit 98% vol on it and nothing happend). // 10
Impression: It is a perfect match for the music that I play. I have been playing classical guitar for 6 years and electric for 3. I now own a rgx350dx Fender Strat, Gibson les paul. IF it where stolen I would probably make him hurt so much he would wish he never existed. Before I bought it I also tried out a Squier Strat, and a Washburn, and I liked this one more. There is not much more I could have ased from a beginers guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 05, 2005 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 264.6
Purchased from: Tonika
Features: In the first place it lookes pretty good. You can read its features in the other previews! // 8
Sound: Actually the sound isn't bad at all, but you can't say its good either so lets make it an average. I find the sound very satisfying on an expensive amp. But it sucks on cheap one's. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar play's like its price, average. It doesn't play as smooth as an Ibanez or Fender but this is what you get for this price. // 6
Reliability & Durability: There is only one thing I can say about this guitars durability. It sucks. After only 7 gigs it started to fall appart. And if I turn the tune knob to low tune. It doesn't even play anymore. Never use this guitar without a backup. Perhaps nice to smash it on to the ground after a gig. // 2
Impression: Although all the other points were good. I bought this guitar for gigs and it didn't last. So if you only play for yourself and need a cheap guitar. Sure have this one but not for gigs. // 4
Reviewed by:
cyanide533, on january 27, 2009 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 170
Purchased from: Yamaha showroom
Features: This guitar was made in Indonesia. It is a Super Strat with H/S/S configuration (stock pickups are from Yahmaha). It has an Agathis body, Indian Rosewood finger board with 22 frets and a maple neck. It has three controls: a five way pickup selector, a tone and a volume. This guitar is available in gloss finish and comes with a cable and 2 wrenches to adjust truss rod and bridge. // 8
Sound: My genres include Classic Rock, Acoustic, Blues and Progressive Rock. Since above genres do not require massive gain level this guitar handles them all (except acoustic styles. When it comes to Classic Rock it does well with single coils. I can easily achieve tones suitable for playing Pink Floyd. The "woman's voice" tone popularized by Mr Eric Clapton can be easily recreated by rolling tone to zero and selecting the neck pickup. However I had trouble playing Led Zeppelin with this guitar without using substantial amount of gain due to poor sustain.
I use the humbuckers to play progressive rocks though the tone isnt great but decent. I can pull off pinch harmonice with some efforts. Unlike guitars like (for example Ibanez) You cannot execute pinch harmonics at any spot you want. you have to sit with your guitar and take some times to find some sweet spots where they work( I found 4 specific spots so far. This humbucker is extremely noisy when you use moderate amount of gain. I have seen the 6th string to vibrate even if I pluck/pick the 2nd string..it is quite odd and unique to this guitar which can be attributed to poor quality tremolo springs, which resonates with vibrations and pass it to other strings. Unless you have a very good technique your playing will suffer.
The pickup selector gives out different tones and adds to variety to sonic spectrum. The tone knob works well only after 5 and between 10 to 6 the difference is quite subtle. The volume knob is free from crackles, but it is quite rigid and thereby makes effects like "volume swell" and "tremolo" hard to achieve. I use this guitar with a Laney Lx 12. I use gain 8 to 10 there. The cleans are workable. However it's buzzy and too much bright which can be attributed to a maple neck and sonic characterless agathis. The tone is really thin which may be used for some blues. I had a honky tone when it came new but I removed the Tremolo cavity Plate situated at back of the guitar to get rid of the honky tone. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory setup was good. It was properly intonated and action is very low! I raised the action to the maximum limit yet it is not up to my Standard. The bridge screws are too short. The pickup setup is perfect though I lowered the middle pickup as my plectrum is gaetting stucked there. The neck is too thin, however it really doesnt't't't matter to me because I place my thumb against neck, not over the neck when playing fast runs. The scale is long 25'+ and frets are perfect, not too high not too low. The tremolo bar is amazing. I even used it to shift pitch upto 2 to 3 semitones with getting my strings detuned. However it's is quite loose and falls back to original position making noise when I release it. I solved this problem by wrapping some portion of the bar with tape. The paint job is not poor but it degrades rapidly due to use. The bridge became heavily rusted after use of 4 months. It gets a slight crack during winter in neck joint which fixes itself during summer. // 3
Reliability & Durability: Any sane person will understand that this guitar will not stand tours. The hardware is not good except the tremolo, neck, tuners, frets and volume knob. I look forward to see this guitar another 4 years without modification and repair (It has been a year I bought this). The strap buttons are solid and I use them without lockers. I used this guitar to play a gig attended by 2000+ people.Unfortunately 3rd string became detuned in the middle of a song. I transposed the notes to different strings. I have learnt the lesson not to ever play it during Live performance. // 2
Impression: As I mentioned before this guitar can handle my Genres. I have been playing acoustic guitars since 2002. Picked up an electric in 2006. I had BC Rich Mocking Bird classic, Zoom 505, Jim Dunlop wah, JCM 800 head. These are now sold. Right now I am using this guitar, guitar rig 3, Laney Lx 12, and Peveay Revalver MK2. I had given up playing in 2007 because of some reasons and needed a cheap gear to restore my skill which this guitar had already done. If it is lost or stolen I would definitely put up a notice to find it back (because I used my own money to buy it).However if I cannot find it back and don't have cash I will look for a second hand Ibanez or if I have cash I will go for a PRS double cut. // 6
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on october 13, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 190
Purchased from: Yamaha
Features: This nifty Strat style guitar is a great way to start off on electric guitar. 22 frets on a thin neck of maple; the basics of any guitar and all you need to get a half decent sound. The tuners work fine for a while, although they may eventually become a bit stiffer (particularly on the low E string) but this aspect can be fixed with purchasing replacements. I really like the hum-bucker pickup as it gives a great meaty sound for anything from punk to metal (to a limit). On top of the hum-bucker, there are 2 single coil pickups which provide a great sound for reggae and ska and a five way selector ensures that these sounds can be achieved, making this guitar an all-rounder in style which is brilliant for beginners. However, it is important to note that there are limitations in each style. There are only to other controls on the guitar itself: the master volume and master tone controls. // 8
Sound: Mostly, I play punk, ska, and heavy rock but I also have dabbled in metal. I've never been disappointed by it's sound in any area for the price but there are various limitations to these areas. For example, the sustain is really not that good. There can also be excess noise while not playing which can be annoying but I find that lowering the middle single coil pickup reduced the excess noise. This pickup is also the best for ska as it has a mellow sort of sound.
Usually, I just use an Overdrive pedal which gives me the distortion I need and does not detract from the guitar's quality. Again, for the price, the sound is very good but if you want a really good sound maybe it's best to explore other options. If you are beyond beginner level it's probably time to select a guitar that suits your most common style. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: No clear signs of bad construction. My main criticism would be that the neck on my guitar can be a bit loose but it's never been a problem and usually doesn't affect tuning or sound quality. As I said earlier, the pickups may need to be adjusted accordingly to get rid of unwanted background noise but this is easily fixable and is not a valid reason to not start with this guitar. Occasionally (this may only be my guitar) the high E string can catch on something like the 17th fret and if you're playing a solo this is really annoying. Flaws like this can be remedied with a small file but it would be better to be flawless wouldn't it?
Apart from these problems, I like the finish of this guitar. All frets are in equal height and the neck is very smooth and comfy to run along. The bridge is also fine and I have never had any problems what'soever with it. // 7
Reliability & Durability: Live playing? If you have a better guitar use that... Obviously. But in reality, this guitar is durable, I've had it for 4 years now and it's never come close to falling apart. The strap buttons are solid (even after years of thrusting it all over the place) and are showing no signs of erosion or loosening. Safe to say it would survive Live. the finish is quite good but excess playing may scratch the area just above the pick-guard but with the right technique (which I didn't have at the time) I'm sure that this can be avoided. Overall, I'd trust on this guitar with my life in a Live situation as its solid build puts me secure in the knowledge that it'll see many more gigs before it dies on me. // 10
Impression: I love it. It was my first electric guitar and I'm proud to admit it. It let's you explore any area of music until you find "your" area and can move on to a more specifically created guitar. It's a beginner guitar. Do not buy this if you are anything but a beginner or unsure about continuing guitar. As I said, I've played it for 4 years and it's never let me down despite several near catastrophes.
My favourite feature would probably be the windows it opens to let you explore any music from classic guitar to metal (with the right settings). I use a Marshall Amp so the sound is good anyway and I also use an overdrive pedal. I used to have a distortion pedal but it broke. While I did have it, my 012 gave me the metal sound I needed. There is nothing I really hate about this guitar that can't be fixed. What can I say... I highly respect this guitar and it comes with my highest recommendation!
Reviewed by:
NaivexLi, on january 09, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: A simple Strat like style guitar which is great for beginners. Two single coil pickups and fronted by a humbucker makes it a quite versitile guitar, so again it is great for beginners Who do not know what they are really looking for yet.
Also it stays simple with a 5 way Switch, 1 volume and 1 tone control. // 7
Sound: A pretty solid sound, a little noisy with too much distortion, especially with the single coils. However, after some experiece this guitar is easily modified and the pickups are as easy to replace as any guitar on the market, making this guitar a much better deal. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar is one of the most solid guitars I've ever played straight from the factory. They come very well set up with no buzz. The pickups were aligned perfectly. The dark metallic blue finish was a beautiful touch (if only other guitars came in this color, I think) // 9
Reliability & Durability: The biggest problem with this guitar is the pickup switch. Yamaha uses a cheap switch system which can go bad or bend (for me it happened after about a year) to the point where to get the signal through I had to jam a pick into the pckup switch. They are easily replaced and only cost about 10 USD a piece. Also it is very simple to replace the pickup switch with the Fender 5 way switches which are much more durable. Other than that, I've had no problems. // 5
Impression: I've been playing for about 8 years now and I am a music major in college, guitar being my primary instrument. I am proud to say that this was my first guitar, and now with some modifications done (pickup replacement, Fender 5 way Switch being the most important) I use it to play hard rock. This is one of my favorite styles of guitar I've played and I wish Yamaha would make more than just a few versions of the Pacifica series. If I were to lose this guitar I would most definately buy another. For the price they run for I don't see how you could one up! // 8
Reviewed by:
Frankgt2, on december 15, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: A local music store
Features: This guitar comes with a 5 mode Switch, including distortion and clean sound; and Vintage Tremolo. Comes with 22 frets and with the naple neck. It has 2 single coil pickups and one humbucking pickup. Has one master volume control and master tone control. Has a scale length of 25 1/2" = 648mm and a radius of 3 3/4" = 350mm. // 8
Sound: This was my first electric guitar, it has a good distortion sound but I don't like the clean sound, I must lower the volume on the guitar and higher the amp volume in order to get the acoustic sound, this is annoying when playing a song. This guitar suits differents rock genres like hard rock, metal, soft rock or punk rock, but not songs as Metallica or Slipknot that are my favorites, that's why I am saving on but another guitar to play heavy metal. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar doesn't have a year with me, now I'm having problems with the Switch, when I put the guitar on clean the guitar mutes out completly sometimes and when I Switch from clean to distortion it stays on clean. The tremolo system makes the strings go out of tune (for some reason not the factory strings). I like the strings thru body, it is easy to change strings. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I will soon get an ESP/LTD, on stage I have no choice but to bring this guitar as a backup one. The guitar seems to last long but not the Switch, is not "well made" (at least on my guitar). It never have broken a string. I have used this guitar only once in a gig, I had no problem with it nor setting it up. It does not gives problem in tuning, it stays in tune for about three days or two depending on the use, I use this guitar for practice all days for about one hour or more. // 7
Impression: I compare this guitar with the Squier by Fender. Has the same Strat shape and almost the same sound. I have been playing spanish guitar for 3 years and electric for almost one year, it really is a good beginner guitar but when you nail techniques you will want to change to another one that will suit your style. If it were stolen or lost I would replace it with another guitar with a higher budget and better sound. Is a good guitar to practice, very comfortable, soft and fast guitar. But I must say, for the price is a very good guitar. // 8
Reviewed by:
EagleC, on july 10, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 301.95
Purchased from: NevadaMusic.co.uk
Features: I bought this guitar a month ago, it was my first and was new out of the box direct from Yamaha. As previously mentioned its a 22 fret Strat style begginers guitar with beautifully smooth Alder nech bolted on to a solid Agathis body. I've since learned Agathis is a cheap form of pacific rim pine used often in furnature and musical instruments. The guitar has volume and tone dials, a 5-way selector and a wammy which allows you to bend the notes down, but not up. The price paid included 7W amp, lead, case, strap and tutorial DVD. The DVD is poor, but a nice "value add", the lead is rubbish, the strap is ok, the amp is 'cheap and cheerful' but a £40 Marshall would be much better and the case is a complete waste of space. Seriously its too small to fit the guitar without knocking it all out of tune. // 9
Sound: With the supplied amp and lead this guitar is perfect for playing alone or with headphones. From what I've seen so far the guitar can manage pretty much everything you throw at it but doesn't specialise in any one sound. With a better amp I think the guitar would sound much better. Keeping in mind its price point. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The supplied cable is garbage, the strings are a little heavy compared to other guitars I have since tried. There is a slight buzz if played loud from the frets at the nut end. The humbucker rocks about for some reason but it all works and holds together. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have no idea if it would withstand live playing. I dont think I'd want to try. It's a practice guitar, for learning. The whole thing seems very solid and I expect with reasonable care it will probably be good enough for my daughter to play in 3 or 4 years time. The lead, strap, case and amp are not going to last more than 18 months though (at the absolute most). // 9
Impression: I play noob music, in a style befitting someone Who doesn't quite know where all his fingers are. This guitar is a near perfect match. In hindsite I would say that I find getting something like an A chord very hard because of the closeness, weight and height of the strings, when compared to the Ibanez GRX170DX for example. I think I would have liked to have known about jumbo frets before I bought this but I'm pretty sure I still would have got the Yamaha in the end. I have a 3/4 size acoustic for my son and a classical I borrowed a few years ago this is my first electric and my first real attempt to learn. If the guitar got stolen, I have more of an idea of what I'll be doing with the guitar now so I might well put some more money together and get a better one. I like this guitars flexibility, durability and price. Not to mention the quality of the neck. I compared it to an Ibanez pack at £169 and a Peavey Strat Pack at £135. The Peavey had no humbucker but it pretty much came down to the flick of a coin. // 7
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on june 18, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Erie Music, Simcoe
Features: This guitar is awsome for a beginner. With 24 frets, solid body and smooth neck, you cant go wrong. Volume and tone knobs, with a five way Switch, really bring the two singles and 1 humbucker to metal status. Bright red finish make the end pproduct appealing to all. // 10
Sound: I play metal and rock a lot and this baby follows each rythm. Overdrive can be a little tediious but it still rocks with songs like St. Anger and Thunderstruck. With overdrive it can get a little distorted but it still sounds amazing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The finish is flawless but if leaned against amp alot, can get a fet chips. Can with no flaws from the factory. Over all great. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The guitar will last a long time even with a few gigs thrown in. The hardware will stay in place no matter what you do to it (other than C4). The strap buttons refuse to let go so it will stay on your shoulder for the ride. Extremely dependable! // 10
Impression: I play metal and rock, and this guitar will handle it all. With the Fender Cyber Deluxe amp this will blow the windows out with your ear drums and your heart. The fell is great anf the finished product is spot on. // 10
Reviewed by:
Martyrion, on december 21, 2004 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Features: 22 frets, one volume and one tone knob. A 5 way pickup selector and a tremolo bar. Strat body. Two single coils and a bridge humbucker. I bought this from a friend, so I didn't get any stuff with it. The neck is actually quite good for such a cheap guitar, but there is something missing. I never quite figured out what it was, but something just is just wrong. I can't get it quite right when playing this guitar. // 6
Sound: The sound is good, but the pickups have gotten pretty damaged so I can't say the sound is that amazing. The bridge humbucker actually sounds pretty cool, not like an EMG or anything, but with a little distortion and high treble you can actually do alot of the heavy stuff. The single coils should be used for the more acoustic-like songs, and they are not really that good. The tremolo is ok. I don't really use it much, since I almost expect the tremolo on such a guitar to ruin all the strings, but so far it is working. Doesen't ruin the tuning, the guitar manages that by itself. But don't get me wrong, the guitar is very good and it is perfect for beginners since it fits many music styles. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: It's pretty, no doubt about it. It's looks almost like an original Strat, exept from the top, which has the Yamaha logo written on it. I bought it used, and the input was kind of damaged, and so was the neck single coil, so I don't think this thing can take just anything. But it has survived hard meetings with the floor, and several bumps so I can trust it not to break with the slightest touch. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I would not use this thing live. Not in it's current condition, but if it was brand new then I would. The strap buttons will survive, but the pickups often stop making sound so I would use an other guitar live. // 4
Impression: I use this to play anything. I could play either Iron Maiden or Johnny Cash with this thing, it doesen't matter, it can handle it all, but only to a certain degree. I've played for a couple of years now, and I wouldn't recommend this to experienced people. But for beginners this thing is very good. I wouldn't buy it over again, but I would rather see it not being stolen. // 6
Reviewed by:
Dithindious, on october 31, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Unknown
Features: My first guitar and my first review. I've had it for a year but not played too much until June (summer holidays, played it all the time) ade in Indonesia acording to the back. 22 Frets on a maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Black laminated finish which seems unchipible if a reasonable level of care is taken. Dual single coil and single bridge humbucker pickup. One Tone knob and one Volume knob. 5-way selector Switch. There is also a one way tremelo arm for droping the tunning, the one bad feature. Included a cable. // 10
Sound: Varied sound, it is for begginers so they have to find what they like, it's coped with everything I've ever played Iron Maiden, Jimmy Hendrix, NOFX, Bad Religion and Nirvana. I'm running it through a Marshall M15CDR without effects pedals. It's only noisy when the pickup selctor is in the wrong position or if you put the gain too high, I find the humbucker to be pretty quiet when good amp settings are used (except at high volume). I'm still to find a style this guitar cant handle. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is good, fast neck. Well set up from factory standard strings are good (but not as good as my Fender stainless steel bullets). Pickups good seem to last, prefer the humbucker on its own to other pickups excepte for Hendrix Style playin as you need the singles. The singles are of good quality and seem solid haven't had any problems yet. The humbucker is slightly wobily but no problems with it its handy for cleanin just don't push too hard. No flaws at all, which is better than my friends £500 Ibanez which has two. Supplied cable should be replaced imediatly as mine was lose after 3 weeks of solid playin, looked after well so not a damage problem. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is not suitable for live play except as a back up as it is just a begginers guitar. The guitar is very solid and will not break, the only problem I have had is that somtimes after moving the selector Switch (which I've moved about 10 times since getting it) the signal is not conducted properly and the volume stays low. This can be fixed by rocking side to side slightly until signal picks up again. The strap buttons are solid, I would be more worried about my strap breaking than the buttons. I've had the guitar for almost a year but I treat it very well always putting it in my bag and away when finished although I still feel the finish is of good quality and will last. Just buy a new selector Switch £15 and a new cable £5-£25 it will still be cheaper and better than other similar models. // 8
Impression: If it was stolen I would not buy it again but this is due to the fact that I have advance enough to get a guitar a few models up, maybe an Ibanez RG370DX, if I could get the money. I love this guitar it is an amazing begginers guitar and I will keep for a long time yet. If I could have one extra feature it would be a two way tremelo arm. // 10
Reviewed by:
Reedler21, on april 15, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 274.5
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: First guitar I bought and was well worth it. Came with a starter 15watt Yamaha GA15 amp and a soft case. Has two single-coil pickups and a humbucker and a 5-way switch. Also has a volume and tone knob, neither of which do anything of note, the tone knob slightly mutes/unmutes the sound of the guitar. The single coils don't sound that great, but the humbucker is pretty good for the price to pay, and comes with a whammy bar, which is fun to mess around with. great value for price paid. // 9
Sound: Playing it through the starter amp, it sounds decent, no guitar would sound great through such an amp but when played through a Line 6 Spider III amp, sounds pretty good when using the humbucker, sounds much heavier than the starter Squier. The single coils are dull and quiet, the humbucker more than makes up for this. I play System Of A Down and Slipknot and even some Metallica, this guitar can just about do that but there is no real variety in the sound that the guitar makes, hard to get an accurate sound, but sounds close enough. The tone and volume knob is dissapointing, it seems it's only there for show, but you can't argue about this as for what you paid, you're getting a great deal. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I've had it for about 6 months, and there have been no problems with it. I have dropped it twice, but has come through unscathed. It has a glossy red and generally is well put up, there are no loose bits. The pickups were quite low, you may want to slightly raise them, but risk getting a lot of background noise. and the action is very good by default, the strings are very low, perfect for easy playing. however the strings are very close toghether, when you pick on string, you may pick the one under/above it. There was some buzzing on the first fret of the 6th string, but nothing else. Everything was put together very well. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The strap buttons are solid, dependable but you may want to get new ones just in case, and this guitar I would use as a backup without hesitation, it can be used to play any sort of music and will last, except playing on this guitar for hours at a time will ruin the tuning, make sure you get a tuner when you buy this guitar! I would not use this, however as my first choice guitar. // 8
Impression: I play lots of metal, and I feel that this guitar is adequate. This guitar is quite small, the frets aren't that big however there is just about enough to work with, and I feel that as a backup guitar, it's perfect. This is by and large the best starter guitar, to learn how to play, you must get this one. If this was stolen/lost, I probably not buy another one. I would just buy a Dean ML XM as backup. I hate the fact that the tone and volume knobs do little but I like the colour and shape and the action. The guitar requires very little fiddling around with, it's good to go straight from the box. // 8
skatersic666
: This was also my first electric guitar. A good guitar. I think better than a Squire Strat. The only problems ive had is the strap button has come out and ive had to glue it back in and the pick-up selector switch sometimes looses connection but a bit of WD40 or something along those lines will sort that. POSTED: 05/07/2006 - 10:46 am / quote|
i love my .....
: this was my first guitar i had no problems with it ever i have had it for 3 years of hard playing 24/7 ad nothing has happened to it exept some minor problems (scratches,bumps e.t.c) POSTED: 07/25/2006 - 06:52 pm / quote|
Lainey
: This guitar rocks serious bum man. I am far from a beginner...not bragging but I'm no fool still trying to do major chords. After sticking some elixer strings on this it sounds great through a marshall anyday. The tone range is brilliant even without adjusting the 5 way switch, and just the right distancing from the strings to the neck and the other strings make it incredibly fast for those mental Hendrix solo's.....and Matt Bellamy uses a pacifica sometimes so I just had to get it.
It may be intended for a beginner, but I'd use this anyday over a strat, or any other version. POSTED: 08/10/2006 - 08:43 pm / quote|
ordino
: matt bellamy uses it.....yay.
oh, and iv had this guitar for 7 months and its pretty good so far POSTED: 08/12/2006 - 09:23 am / quote|
EmoKiller361
: Ive had mine for about 3 months and i love it, excellent tone, only problem is it coulda used lubricated tuning knobs, but other than that it kicks ass POSTED: 08/20/2006 - 08:08 pm / quote|
TheDisenchanted
: I got one about christmas time (2005) and think it's great. I hope the people that put the prices in meant in dollars because i got mine for £135 which I thought wasn't bad. I agree about the input jack though mine broke and i had to get it fixed within two weeks it broke again and I havent had chance to get it fixed yet, my volume knob also came loose and I got it fixed but that seems to be fine now. It's a great guitar. POSTED: 10/25/2006 - 05:22 pm / quote|
Notoriousdoc
: I love my pacifica *hugs it*. I must have had for about 4 years now, I left in a corner for a year before I picked it up and starting teaching myself. It's great to play pretty much anything on. Brilliant value. The only problems I have with are the pick-up switch, it's stopped working =P and the jack keeps coming out. But nothing too technical. Love it! POSTED: 11/19/2006 - 12:57 pm / quote|
JFY
: Great Guitar, only problem, pickup wiring broke and the input jack fell off( but there was a problem and yamaha have sent replacements to most music shops that sold them for when they broke) POSTED: 01/01/2007 - 02:38 pm / quote|
DarkDallasNight
: Okay guitar, sounds like crap when compared to my cousin's Epi SG standard. However, it does sound good through a marshall half stack. If i went back in time, I would've gotten a squire tele or one of those epi sg or lp budget ones. The input jack is messed up on my guitar and the pickup selector got loose and now only works on humbuckers and I RARELY play with this. I think its a pos guitar but hey it was an okay starter. If I get some more money then Ill step it up to a tele standard or a epi g-300 POSTED: 06/24/2007 - 07:04 pm / quote|
Metalhead3333
: The best begginer guitar in existence! Great guitar! POSTED: 08/07/2007 - 02:24 am / quote|
Cactus Jumper
: my first guitar too, and im very glad i bought it, in my opinion for this price u dont get a better guitar. Mine is a little bit improved with a seymour duncan humbucker:P POSTED: 09/23/2007 - 06:57 pm / quote|
BonezShaker
: I was wandering bout the amp dat comes with the Gigmaker pack ? i am planing to get one as my first guitar too POSTED: 11/12/2007 - 01:02 pm / quote|
Rockwillnevrdie
: This guitar was my first guitar ever, and i've had it for about 4 years now, i play it at least 6 days out of the week for a good 3 - 4 hours a day. And it has never let me down, always has very nice tone, and sounds good no matter what you do, I highly recommend this as a first guitar because while it is very good, there is better out there for higher experienced players. POSTED: 01/09/2008 - 06:02 pm / quote|
I was wandering bout the amp dat comes with the Gigmaker pack ? i am planing to get one as my first guitar too
The Amp is probably the most attractive starter amp I have seen as all the others look like biscuit tins.
The clean mode on it is ok but if you turn overdrive on it just goes really really rusty - I don't mean overdrive rusty I mean wet chainsaw rusty, But some people like that. Anyway the clean mode is the best I have encountered from a 10W amp ( Apart from the Roland cube10x which are bought on their own ) POSTED: 04/24/2008 - 02:49 pm / quote|
Electric Hex
: That rusty thing can be taken back as I realise that starter amps aren't good quality. Again clean is ok but the overdrive causes unneccisary distortion. POSTED: 04/27/2008 - 04:04 pm / quote|
nemesis_911
: My 1st and only axe so far. And i have no complains. The tone is awesome, The action rocks and the pickups are really good. But could use a double lock trem instead of the vintage 1. And the finish is a lil fragile. Other than that, this guitar totally rocks and will last for a few years. I recommend this axe to all the beginners out there. POSTED: 06/03/2008 - 12:55 pm / quote|
ACDC2702
: This is my first and only guitar so far, and it is the best guitar you can buy for £150.
Iv been playing guitar for almost a year now, and i got my 012 last october 2nd hand off my mate(who now uses an epiphone les paul) and hed already had it for 2 years, so its now almsot 3 years old. The tone on it is execellent, and the pickups are good, its also very easy to play (which is the main reason I like it). The only minor problems iv had with it is the jack, as it keeps coming loose. But overall, a superb guitar POSTED: 08/20/2008 - 11:35 am / quote|
DanBourne
: I bought my guitar for myself convinced that it was a good guitar and i think i was convinced rightly!!
I have had my 012 for around 9 months now, i can play all sorts of music making it sound good, mainley heavy metal, classical (led zeplin: Stairway) and many other types.
My guitar is mettalic Red Gloss, Rosewood fretboard and around 22 fretts, it has two single coil pickups and 1 humbucker. The only problems that i have had are with the input jack on my guitar, the connection kept coming loose cutting in and out of sound but it is fixed now. I have found it a very good sound producer with a very good amp a VOX Pathfinder Classic.
overrall a good deal for my guitar and amp $450 all up
a very good starter pack and i advise anyone who wants to start learning this is the guitar for you.
Keep Rockin with the best beginner guitar EVER!!!!! POSTED: 09/13/2008 - 01:56 am / quote|
NecroMaster
: Only issues I have with this guitar is the strap button came off (easy fix!) and the single coils aren't so great, but perfectly useable. The neck is great, and all in all a great guitar to play. Feels much better than the other budget guitars I've played. POSTED: 09/24/2008 - 07:27 am / quote|
Oli_88
: Mines 6-7 years old now, I play it more than my Dot and Jackson put together... POSTED: 12/08/2008 - 08:08 pm / quote|
Jari
: Good one for a beginner. POSTED: 01/27/2009 - 04:06 am / quote|
barfrog
: Bought it 5 months ago as my 1st guitar. I can highly recommend it to any beginner - ive played a few different guitars in the same price range as this and none match up. Im not ashamed to admit that up until a few months back i was totally musically inept, this guitar made learning enjoyable and gives hope to us all... POSTED: 02/23/2009 - 09:05 pm / quote|
jammy229
: my first guitar and i love it! ive had it for 5 years now and not one thing has gone wrong with it. It sounds great and looks pretty cool too!! i highley recommend for any begginers looking for a great first guitar! POSTED: 04/27/2009 - 12:37 pm / quote|
Hirohamster
: This guitar is a really good first time guitar, its also good for the more advanced guitarists like myself, I use it regularly and always carry on playing for atleast an hour more than usual. Its whammy bar is very loose and can be used to great effect, definately an excellent guitar! POSTED: 05/13/2009 - 02:15 pm / quote|
HannibalX
: its pretty good,
but the best low end value for money guitars are still
1> femder squire series
2> greg bennet series POSTED: 07/02/2009 - 07:27 am / quote|
Ed Winter
: I've been playing guitar on and off for nearly 37 years and i must say that this guitar was worth every penny I paid for it. The tone would was quite bright so I replaced the humbucker with an EMG passive knockoff I had laying around and now the guitar absolutely sings with an almost dark and sinister tone, I love it. Best 26 dollars I ever spent. POSTED: 08/08/2009 - 08:51 pm / quote|
Kens-music
: Only a guitar snob would knock one of these guitars. I just set one of these up for a mate, I own 40+ guitars from vintage strats to some fairly high end modern toys, and to be honest, yeah the 012 is cheap, parts of it are not great, 5 way switch needed attention, and the machine heads are terrible, but other than that I was pleasantly surprised, and I'd personally have no issues at all using it live once those things were attended to. The action came down lower than many guitars costing well over $1000, and it feels smooth and fast, then the tonalities are quite usable. I'd definitely go one of these over a cheap modern squire or similar. Feels similar to my old Jackson Soloist (Which I regularly gig with) to play only the Yamaha is without the Floyd, and once I change his keys over to a decent set this guitar will probably hold it's tuning just as well as any standard trem style guitar.
I'll be looking around for one now, because i'd much rather drag this to gigs than risk losing some of my expensive toys, and the cost of modifying one of these to bring it up to standard is not to high. POSTED: 11/11/2009 - 05:09 am / quote|
/ my profile 
Was this review helpful to you? 