Phil O'Keefe Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 I recently had the chance to spend some quality time with the limited edition Pacifica 611VFMX. This is the first time I've reviewed a Yamaha Pacifica, but I was pretty darned impressed with it... For all the details, please have a look at the full review. [ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tmain-48665d53.jpg Views:\t1 Size:\t96.3 KB ID:\t32201001","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32201001","data-size":"full","title":"main-48665d53.jpg"}[/ATTACH] http://www.harmonycentral.com/expert...cifica-611vfmx As always, if you have any questions or comments about the review, or want to discuss the guitar, please feel free to post your thoughts here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted April 9, 2018 Members Share Posted April 9, 2018 I own a Pacifica 30312 string and it sounds as good as any 12 string I've owned at about 1/5 the price. The pickups are good but I replaced the bridge with a Barden Strat PU no noise and more treble. I own a Gibson EDS 1275 and have owned a Rick 360 12 and a Firebird XII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 9, 2018 Members Share Posted April 9, 2018 I have one of their low end budget versions someone gave me. I pulled it apart to refinish it but never got around to starting the project.Its got a very cheap neck and the body is likely plywood so I haven't been very motivated to get to work on it. I likely have to make my own pickguard for it too. The one you posted does look like its a much better build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted April 9, 2018 Members Share Posted April 9, 2018 Why would you assume the body is plywood? I didn't think they made that kind of POS grade. Have you played a higher grade Yamaha like the one that this thread is about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted April 9, 2018 Members Share Posted April 9, 2018 That looks really nice Phil. It definitely has the right bits for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 9, 2018 Author Share Posted April 9, 2018 That looks really nice Phil. It definitely has the right bits for me. I was sad to see it go... it's a really nice guitar! If you get a chance, definitely try one out for yourself. Thanks for checking out the review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted April 9, 2018 Members Share Posted April 9, 2018 Nice review. Yamaha makes a nice product all across their various lines. Personally, I think the "root beer" color is cool. The 611VFMX wouldn't specifically appeal to me unless I blocked the trem and I think it would look better with all black hardware but those are minor issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted April 9, 2018 Members Share Posted April 9, 2018 Interesting that you prefer the trem flat instead of floating. I really don't like the of only down instead of warbling around a note above and below. It is more of a pain for tuning, you're right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted April 10, 2018 Members Share Posted April 10, 2018 I've never met a Yamaha guitar I didn't like. I haven't played that particular model yet but, based on your review, I would not hesitate to order one online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 Interesting that you prefer the trem flat instead of floating. I really don't like the of only down instead of warbling around a note above and below. It is more of a pain for tuning' date=' you're right.[/quote'] I hold notes against bent notes a lot, and I have perfect pitch, so with a floating bridge, as the one note is bending, I can hear the other note being pulled slightly out of tune, which is annoying for me - but it's probably something most people won't notice, or if they do, it probably won't bother them as much as it does me. I have the bridge on my Strat set flat against the top and cranked down pretty hard to avoid the problem, but the downside is that you can only use the bar to drop the strings - you can't do a true vibrato with it that goes up / down and slightly above and below the true pitch of the note with it when it's set up that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted April 10, 2018 Members Share Posted April 10, 2018 You can compensate for that with technique by bending both notes to their respective pitches. With your ear and some practice it should eventually become instinctive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted April 10, 2018 Members Share Posted April 10, 2018 Agreed - I keep my Anderson decked with the springs tight, so it doesn't do that. I don't put the bar on the guitar. I have the Strat set up to float in the unlikely event (eg: Lenny by SRV) that I need that. I can't play that song with a trem that only goes down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 I know some people who can do that, but again, I bend one string while holding notes on others quite a bit - sometimes with two or even three held notes against a single string bend - with my small hands, it's hard to control all of those at the same time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 One nice thing about Strats (and Teles, and the Pacificas too) is you can always do behind the nut bends to raise the pitch on a note if you need to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psychotronic Posted May 8, 2018 Members Share Posted May 8, 2018 I'm a fan of Yamaha electric guitars in general, but I was disappointed that they have regressed to a squared-off, blocky neck joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 I'm a fan of Yamaha electric guitars in general' date=' but I was disappointed that they have regressed to a squared-off, blocky neck joint. [/quote'] Were they using a rounded-off or otherwise modified bolt-on neck for some of the previous Pacificas? If so, I must have missed those... but FWIW, I never felt like the neck joint was a major issue in terms of blocking upper-fret access. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danocoustic Posted May 8, 2018 Members Share Posted May 8, 2018 I got all excited, I thought by the thread title Phil was suggesting that we... oh never mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members webwarmiller Posted May 9, 2018 Members Share Posted May 9, 2018 Were they using a rounded-off or otherwise modified bolt-on neck for some of the previous Pacificas? If so, I must have missed those... but FWIW, I never felt like the neck joint was a major issue in terms of blocking upper-fret access. YMMV. This is the heel or complete lack of on a PAC921. This neck joint was used on guitars down the 5XX level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 9, 2018 Author Share Posted May 9, 2018 This is the heel or complete lack of on a PAC921. This neck joint was used on guitars down the 5XX level. Thanks for the picture - that looks like it would offer even better upper-fret access, with less to get in your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted May 10, 2018 Members Share Posted May 10, 2018 Odd man out here.I have never owned a Yamaha stringed Instrument.I have owned a few of there fx stuff like the SPX90 and I do own a set of there digital drums. This set to be more exact. Digital drums are awesome for keeping a smaller house in harmony. I git real drums too, but there's less harmony in my house when I am beating on them. 30 more minutes can easily turn into 3 more hours. Especially for a guitar player. [ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","title":"s-l640.jpg","data-attachmentid":32226179}[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted May 10, 2018 Members Share Posted May 10, 2018 I can't join the Pacifica love cuz I've never owned or even played one. But over the years I've accumulated: [ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tfetch?id=31591020.jpg Views:\t1 Size:\t209.6 KB ID:\t32226364","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32226364","data-size":"full","title":"fetch?id=31591020.jpg"}[/ATTACH] [img2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/www.guitarthai.com\/picpost\/gtpicpost\/Q361870.jpg"}[/img2] [ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tg8u9puuortzmrldldbty.jpg Views:\t1 Size:\t74.4 KB ID:\t32226365","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32226365","data-size":"full","title":"g8u9puuortzmrldldbty.jpg"}[/ATTACH] And more recently a [ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tsk6d5x13icsmuedgdd6g.jpg Views:\t1 Size:\t184.2 KB ID:\t32226366","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32226366","data-size":"full","title":"sk6d5x13icsmuedgdd6g.jpg"}[/ATTACH] So one could say, I'm a bit of a fan, but actually, aside from the Revstar, it took me a little while to warm up to the other 3. The SBG700S was a poor mans SG2000, but I got happier with it after I swapped in some Gibson 496/500 p'ups. Those turned out to be a good compliment after my first attempt to upgrade with Duncan '59/PG failed to be good tonal matches. The RGX A2 probably took me the longest to "get into" but I discovered it to be quite comfy and a nice sounding guitar with moderate OD, just not a guitar one would grab for cleans, but with some OD, it comes alive. The Troy Van Van Leeuwen SA503 also comes alive with a little OD, and it kicks the ass of my Epi Riviera P93. I brought the TVL to my first ever paying gig because I decided I could cover more bases with that one guitar than anything else I could think of in my arsenal. The Revstar pleased me out of the box. I can't remember where the first two were made, but I have the say, the last 2 came from Indonesia and I learned there's some quality manufacturing coming out of that country. Same holds true with the Supro I bought last year. But I was glad that I was able to pick up the TVL for about 5 bills. But although this might be a bit OT, I thought I'd share my Yamaha stable mates. When I get home tonight, I'll be sure to paw my Revstar. P.S. the first pic is my guitar, the other 3 are images I had to grab from the web since the Armageddon of photobucket hosted images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 I can't join the Pacifica love cuz I've never owned or even played one. But over the years I've accumulated: Very nice! I've never owned a Yamaha guitar (although I have a fair amount of other Yamaha gear), but I've played a few (besides the Pacifica, which I really liked) that I thought were really nice instruments - several have tempted me over the years. I think the one I liked the most was a Weddington Custom. It played like butter and sounded great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted May 11, 2018 Members Share Posted May 11, 2018 A Yamaha guitar worked very well for Carlos Sanatana, back before he became a PRS guy. [ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tCarlos_Santana_1122b-26.jpg Views:\t1 Size:\t49.1 KB ID:\t32226949","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32226949","data-size":"full","title":"Carlos_Santana_1122b-26.jpg"}[/ATTACH] Is this Jeff Beck, playing a Yamaha? IDK.[ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\ts-l1600.jpg Views:\t1 Size:\t681.9 KB ID:\t32226950","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32226950","data-size":"full","title":"s-l1600.jpg"}[/ATTACH][video=youtube;7ZMtRXeFezA] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted May 13, 2018 Members Share Posted May 13, 2018 Yeah, they tend to strike me as instruments that would be less than an A rating, but fairly solid bargains in a B- to B rating, sorta like, their tone may not be top notch, but there's usually something unique in their sound that can provide the essentials along with good stability and durability. Kinda like love at second or third sight. ;^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psychotronic Posted May 14, 2018 Members Share Posted May 14, 2018 May I also add that their silent acoustic guitars are awesome. I tour with one, it takes up so little room, and sounds amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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