Yamaha Pacifica 112V Review

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Yamaha guitars – I’ve always been in love with them as they provide better value for their money than most other guitar makers. It’s Pacifica series has debuted in the 90s, designed by the ex-Ibanez designer Rich Lasner, and the best of that series was the 112 which took the market by the storm. It was the first affordable guitar to provide full wood body as most of the others had plywood-bodies. This guitar actually managed to rank at number 2 on our best electric guitars list.

The Yamaha Pacifica 112V is an upgraded model of the legacy 112, it has the same shape as it, but with enhanced parts to offer a unique beginner experience. It is a safe bet for beginners that do not want to spend a lot but want a great guitar that they can progress on, also it is worth stating that the Yamaha Pacifica 112V is a prominent guitar for more advanced users as well.

The Yamaha Pacifica 112V really resembles a Stratocaster, however, I think it has a different vibe to it that is pretty unique to the product. It has a double-cutaway shape with a little more bubble on the base and longer horns to complement it. It is built with alder as a tonewood, that is a sensible choice for its good sound and affordability.

It comes in different paint jobs such as Old Violin Sunburst, Vintage White, Black and my personal favorite the Red Raspberry, which is very attractive. It has a 25.5-inch scale length on its bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fretboard on top featuring 22 frets. In addition to that, it has a satin polish to make it smooth and extremely playable.

It is a good upgrade from the basic Pacifica models and it feels much better than them.

The electronics on this guitar are more or less built for the modern-day rocker, with two single-coils at the neck and the middle and a humbucker at the bridge.

Well, the addition of the humbucker always results in versatility, however, if you are a rock and roll fan this guitar will be perfect for you. The controls are pretty good actually, a master volume and tone knobs, and a pickup selector switch to top it off. The bridge may not be perfect however, it has six fully adjustable saddles on its synced tremolo design, on the other end you have mediocre diecast tuning machines, this layout will provide good stability while enjoying a little vibrato, but don’t expect them to stay in tune with constant abuse though.

Compared to its price the Yamaha Pacifica 112V sounds a lot better with plenty of punch, I enjoyed playing rock and metal tunes, however, it was capable of delivering warm and crisp sounds for blues, it was not the best guitar for funk, but it was still decent for its price. The overall tone resonates versatility and I am very impressed with this affordable Yamaha.

If you are just starting out, the Fender and Gibson are not your only choices, the Yamaha Pacifica 112V provides better performance.

Sound Sample:

Yamaha Pacifica V112

8.8

Quality

8.5/10

Value

9.5/10

Sound

8.5/10

Pros

  • Great For Starters
  • Easy To Mod/Upgrade
  • Great Value

Cons

  • None

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