Yamaha Pacifica PAC311MS

$199 from Musicians Friend, it was an overstock because it's color is orange stain

everything, i hope someone can tell me what i'm missing. my wife i've been with for more than ten years said i shouldn't order it because i've never been happy with most guitars at 10 times the price, but i can't find anything wrong with this one. maybe my hearing is bad. someone please e-mail me with problems so i can justify this price in my mind. franksylvester@hotmail.com

the height adjustment on the bridge digs into my hand. if i didn't play it so much it wouldn't be a problem

amazing, i can't believe this thing was made in taiwan.

i must be missing something, i've never liked any guitar under $1000, maybe if i played it and a good guitar right at the same time i could tell the difference but right now i am very impressed.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

22 fret Tele style guitar. Actually Yamaha's take on Mike Stern's signatureTele he got from Roy Buchanon.
Humbucker in the neck, Hot Rails in the bridge. 6 saddle bridge instead of the more traditional 3 barrel ashtray style.One piece maple neck, ash body.

UTILIZATION

It's a player alright, especially after I set it up for my needs. Fret access is nice. It is well balanced.
Hardware and electronics is what you'd expect from a low end Taiwan build guitar. The pots needed replacing fairly quickly. As did the pick-up selector.

SOUNDS

I used this pre-dominantly as a "shredder" with high gain amps. Mesa Trem-oVerb, Fryette Amplification Deliverance D60, Soldano Avenger with DeYoung transformer...
For that purpose it's a lovely guitar, for clean the puck-ups are just too hot. And it certainly is not vintage sounding, even through say my old 60s Black Face Fender Bassman.

OVERALL OPINION

The stock pick-ups and bridge as well as the aesthethics will scare any self respecting Tele player off.
That said as a back-up this guitar certainly was worth the $250 I paid for it. The neck has a nice medium C shape and flat boat so it sure is a burner.
It hold the tuning well despite the low end hard ware. The one down side is that it came set-up poorly, which was easy to fix myself. The only thing were it had to go to the shop for was to re-cut the nut since the low e-string had a tendency to pop out of the nut when hit any harder than with a feather like attack.

As a back-up I certainly would buy another if this one was lost.And updating the pick-ups and hardware a $200-300 investment will make this actually a good instrument. I'm actually interested in trying the high end model and see how that compares.

Body: Alder with table frne
Neck: Maple vissbr /> Key: stocky, radius 350mm
Frets: 22
Scale: 648mm
Pickups: 1 double coil Alnico V (Hot Rails), 1 humbucker Alnico V
CONTRL: Slecteur 3 positions, CONTRL volume and tonalitbr /> Bridge: 6 fixed bridges

Beautiful finish for this price! I put 10 good but there are guitars that are real works of art ... then

UTILIZATION

Channel not too large (LP) or too late (ibanez rg ...). CHAC is super easy to acute. Form Tl (proven) trs grip fast.
The bridge pickup like Hot Rails (Alnico V) provides a powerful sound with rich harmonics and sustain. The humbucking pickup (Alnico V) placed the handle prs distills a warm really EXCELLENT! I learned a micro qu'tait serious!

Both microphones and slecteur 3 positions offer a wide range of sounds, styles particulirement adapted to blues or rock.

SOUNDS

I redcouvert my pramp (Tonelab)! I had a trs low-end and front ... I feel like putting one foot in the big leagues ... on the other hand, all are rglages a review!
It was like all those who bought. A friend has his redcouvert pramp ENGL! and rank (quasi DEFINITIONS) LAG's beautiful ... And that he wanted to buy a Wolfgang ...
In my case, for its clear ... I'm still back!! we feel the table vibrate ash, it was warm acoustics DGIG wish. But she knows to be get into it!
That's all I needed: fixed bridge, 2 doubles, key Saddle cot for crystal-clear ...
I know there are lots of scratching sound capable of the same features but I'm still waiting for 330euros ...

OVERALL OPINION

I waited a long time for the natural version in painted beautiful (it's simple, I thought they had me over the signature version!). 4 months of waiting (They had to plant the tree and wait until it grows!) But it was worth the time. It seems that there are problems that break strings (change jumpers ...), I am 46 and in 10 mont no worries! Report price before quality standard for a rare and mconnu ... over time, I think even 'm buying another ...

Not a beginners guitar low end. probably not. She and I, we went for a very long way together ...

But why not buy dipstick ds The beginning!

Style Telecaster, a humbucker in the neck and bridge in a single hotrail originally
table in ash, alder body (I think, fine guitar work)

UTILIZATION

Good access to high notes (well for my style)
The cutting back of the body is very comfortable
we get easily a good sound but the original pickups should be changed

SOUNDS

I play most of all blues on a Fender M80 amp using some pedals (a vox 810, a boss delay, a boss chorus and tremolo electroharmonix pulsar). I also use an amp modeler Johnson J station

I get any sound except possibly jazz sounds round and warm that you get with arch top guitars which are very jazzy.

I replaced the original pickups by Kent Armstrong :humbucker for the nick pickup, and a simple-coil at the bridge. The result has been sharp, the sounds obtained are of a different quality, really excellent. I advise to make this change.

OVERALL OPINION

This a very nice guitar despite its very low price, the finish is very good compared to instruments of much higher price. I highly recommend changing the pickups, then we discover a very good guitar at exceptional value for money (even taking into account the cost of microphones).