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| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 24/01/2007 13:54:02
Posts: 2, Visits: 3 |
| Purchased from I-Muso last October at bargain price £189.99. As usual, speedy delivery in good condition.
I'm a great fan of Yamaha instruments anyway but this guitar has exceeded my expectations. Looks, plays and sounds the business and I can't put it down! Sounds great pristine to semi-clean through Peavey Classic 30 and Vox/Fender settings on Pod. Heavy distortion isn't my thing so can't comment on that but is great for country/blues etc.
Basic specs are H/S/S strat-style in "Old Violin (think tobacco) Sunburst" with rosewood neck. Prior to purchase tested against Fenders (Up to US Standard spec), Godins and top spec Yamahas costing three times as much. Don't waste your money. Unless you need the "name" the 412 is, on a basic level, as good or better than any of these models and you can spend the money you save putting better quality pick-ups in to improve the sound even more. To be honest the stock pick-ups sound just as good as Fender but I've got my heart set on some Seymour Duncans ('59 and SL1s).
As nothing is perfect I'm not too sure about the white pick-up covers and I have had to beef up the trem springs but there's nothing else I could fault about this guitar. Most people would want to change the stock strings to something a bit heavier, I use 10s and they're perfect but I'm sure it would cope with even heavier if that's your thing.
Don't think I'll be buying any more guitars now unless this gets broken or thieved. |
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 13/03/2008 22:53:38
Posts: 50, Visits: 144 |
| I trust your web site and I've tried to insert photos to illustrate this post using the mountain icon but I can't download images from my pictures folder. I Can't underline or italicise either, in fact most the tools don't work MIJ - why?. I know we're muscians not IT specialists but honestly... Woah, yehhhhhhh!!!!!!!
The Yamaha Pacifica 412.
As I play both a Yamaha Pacifica 412 and an American Fender Stratocaster, I feel qualified to compare the two instruments objectively. Obviously the American Strat is the superior instrument otherwise why would other companies bother making copies - yet the differences with the Yam 412 are mainly subtle. The very fact that I play both instruments should give forum members a very good clue as to how highly I rate the 412.
My 412 with the natural finish is the outstanding Strat copy in the £150-250.00 price range. It produces the typical glassy sparkle of the Fender and the double coil bridge pick-up has plenty of bite and satisfing beefy sustain. Importantly, up to the 12th fret the strings feel easy on the hand for a guitar of this price. I find the action a tad high for cross-picking and double stops past the 12th fret but this can probably be rectified by placing shims under the neck joint when I get around to it.
The rotary pot controls are simple and silent in operation: 1 volume and 1 tone control which requires less faffing about than adjusting the Fender's two tone controls. The 5 way pick-up selector switch operates in the same order as the Fender and the fully adjustable bridge is more or less the same too.
My Yam 412 played through a guitar modeller coupled to a 30 watt Marshall combo sounds Fender-like. I suppose that's why such gadgets are called "guitar modellers". Anyway, the 412 sounds just dandy played clean through the amp or cranked right up past reverb, delay, chorus and flanging.
This Yam's cleverly contored body is incredibly comfortable and light enough to be held and played for hours on end, either sitting, standing or prancing around in front of my full length bedroom mirror. Ahh - it's just me then, is it?
Objectively, the Yamaha Pacifica's single dissappointing feature is it's cheap push-in tremelo arm. It dangles and flops loose when not in use. If Yamaha could tap a screw thread onto the end of the arm it would hone the quality build of this guitar out of all proportion to the actual cost of doing so. NB Yamaha, please comment.
I sincerely recommend the competitively priced and credit card friendly Yamaha Pacifica 412 solid electric guitar to the novice, the returnee and players joing their first serious band - folk, country, rock and all styles inbetween. Acoustic or electric, I've never come across a duff Yamaha guitar yet.
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Uke Man - "Man Overboard!" |
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iMuso Guitar Guy
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 25/08/2008 11:41:27
Posts: 661, Visits: 1,480 |
| | I've just used the mountain icon to post this picture as a test (sorry, first picture I came across!). (naughty picture removed)
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The Man in the Jar |
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 13/03/2008 22:53:38
Posts: 50, Visits: 144 |
| How nice to see your mother looking so chipper after her nasty happy slapping experience. Fancy being hurled down Grimsdale's abandoned colliery shaft but I see she managed to catch two of the little blighters by the ear. Any sign of the other 5 little tykes and their leader Snow White?
I'll ask members to forgive me for using valuable forum space, but I'm still having trouble downloading pictures onto the forum. It keeps telling me I need activeX and a URL. Normally on Word etc it's a simple matter to insert a picture. So I've added an experimental attachment to this post to see what happens. If it suceeds, I'll send the Yam v Fender photos that way.
My 12 year-old grandaughter will be here on Monday, I'll see if she can show me how to download the conventional way. Cheers
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Uke Man - "Man Overboard!"
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 13/03/2008 22:53:38
Posts: 50, Visits: 144 |
| Well, the attachment thing worked. By the way, has anybody seen my tabby cat? I'll try to attach yam pics now.
I'sd like to be more pro-active on the forum but without being able to add pictures it is quite frustrating. Do other menbers have trouble downloading pictures to the forum?
Anyway I've posted a couple of yam pics underneath in the attachments
See yah MIJ
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Uke Man - "Man Overboard!"
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 13/03/2008 22:53:38
Posts: 50, Visits: 144 |
| I've posted some better pics on last mail attachments if anyone's interested
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Uke Man - "Man Overboard!" |
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