Yamaha Pacifica PAC611H BL Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Black

First things first! The hardware on this guitar is worth the purchase alone. The pickups, tuners and Graphtech accessories would cost around $300 combined. Rosewood fretboards are becoming increasingly rare and often replaced by other dark woods so this is a favorable feature, in my opinion. It's an alder body, which is a popular wood for this type of guitar and it also features a flamed maple top which pairs beautifully with what appears to be a tinted gloss finish. The neck is a thin vintage-feeling profile with an amber tint, with the fret ends capped and finished with gloss poly along the fretboard edge. The frets are medium and not too far from vintage-tall frets; which is a nice change from the more common medium jumbo frets. The radius of the neck is 13 3/4 which is relatively flat, but combines nicely with the slightly more narrow neck for playing with a Hendrix-ish "thumb over" technique. The configuration and style of this guitar is not too far off of Fender's Rarities Flame Maple Top Stratocaster, which costs $2,499.99. It's a serious alternative to consider if you don't mind Yamaha's hardtail and pickup configuration. The guitar, however, is not a Fender and while you can finesse classic tones from it, the thin neck profile and nearly-flat fretboard does not feel like a Fender. If anything, it reminds me more of a neck released by PRS, ESP and other "fast" style guitars. The fit and finish of the guitar is amazing--I couldn't find a single flaw. These guitars appear to be made with very tight quality control tolerances. Their configurations are not identical to Fender or Squier, so you are buying something unique instead of a carbon copy of a Strat. So, how does it sound? Amazing. The pickups are hotter than most of my guitars. It breaks up nicely on my Fender Twin and sounds like it runs hotter than my Les Paul. The overall tone of this guitar sounds more warm than bright, but not muddy or sloppy. Trebles are clear but not harsh. There's tons of headroom, too - with the volume pot set mid-way, the guitar is very dynamic. This is a very versatile instrument. If more people knew what they were about, I have a suspicion that they'd be bought up rather quickly.

I have played guitar for over three decades, over that time I have built and modded nearly every guitar I own, which includes Fenders, Gibson's, Yamaha's, Eastman's and others. This guitar is one of the best deals I have come across. Been playing it for over 6 months now and I reach for this more than any of my others. Classic hard tail strat configuration, three way p/u selector with a single tone & volume knob. Simple, straightforward. I love to mod but with this guitar it has everything you need out of the box, the Seymour Duncan P90 is a great p/u perfect for Jazz and Blues and everything in between, the Duncan Custom 5 Trembucker (TB-14) is a perfect pairing for the P90. Throw in a coil tap and you have an incredibly versatile guitar. The finish on this is great and the tuning stability is out of this world. Love the flamed maple top. You could spend twice as much and not get a guitar as good as this one. Update (01-SEP-20): Still playing this guitar put a few dings on it but still one of my favorite playing guitars, still cannot believe that this guitar is less than $600, if that is all you have in your pocket you will not get more guitar than this.

I loved the look and specs of this guitar, but was really disappointed right out of the box. The neck had really sharp fret ends on the high E side, the tone pot was wobbling from side to side, and the bridge pickup was dead. It seems to be just an intermittent switch, but not something I want to fix right out of the box. Processed the return within 10 min of unboxing.

These high-end Yamaha Pacificas may just be the best value guitars on the market. I cannot recommend them enough. I've been a Yamaha Pacifica fan ever since I bought a 312 (or was it a 311) back in the mid-90s. I held on to that guitar for years until I wore the frets down to nothing. I eventually parted ways with it, but it was tough. Kind of like taking your first car to the junkyard or burying a beloved pet. That Pacifica played like a dream, and if anything, Yamaha has only improved on their quality control and attention to detail. At this price point, you could get a Fender Special Edition Standard Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar Black (Made in Mexico) or a Yamaha Pacifica PAC611HFM. Let's do a little comparison, shall we? The Pacifica has Seymour Duncan pickups. The Fender has Fender designed pickups. The Pacifica has a push-pull tone knob to coil-split the bridge humbucker. The Fender does not. The Pacifica has Grover locking tuners. The Fender Strat does not. The Pacifica has a graphtec nut that self-lubricates to avoid string pinch. It's not clear, but I'm sure the Fender's nut is at least not plastic. It's probably a decent nut. The fret dressing on the Pacifica is top notch, something you'd expect on a custom axe. Watch a few youtube videos on it, and you'll get the idea of just how well built this guitar is. The sustain on the hard tail version is excellent. I have not played this particular Fender MIM Strat but my guess is the fret dressing and setup is pretty good; however, it's highly unlikely that is plays nearly perfect right out of the box like the Pacifica. One thing to keep in mind with this guitar is even though it looks like a Strat, the pickups are fairly hot and the humbucker has a strong midrange hump. If you are looking for a twangy Strat sound with this guitar, your only option is to coil split the bridge pickup. So in the end, I think you know where I stand on which guitar is the better deal: the Pacifica. I'm not even saying the Fender MIM Strat is a bad deal. I've been a big fan of what Fender has done lately with their Squire Classic Vibe and Modern Player series as well as their MIM Strats. They have really upped their game; however, I really think Yamaha is peerless in the sub-$750 Strat-style sandbox. The Pacifica line has a guitar for every budget, and I recommend all of them; however, this PAC611HFM is a sight to behold.

Excellent guitar for the price. Plays well and easily, versatile, locking Grover tuners, wide range of sound and tones thanks to the mating of the Seymore Duncan neck and split-coil Humbucker bridge pick-ups. Cannot believe the quality for $599.00. Could not have gotten this quality of a guitar for $599.00 20-30 years-ago.

Great quality and really nice finish and sounds and plays exceptionally! Just one suggestion for Yamaha/Amazon.....”Come on guys, UPS can be pretty harsh in delivering product and this is to nice to see destroyed or damaged in any way. Just suggesting better packaging to avoid returns. I happened to be home at time of delivery so package was gently placed down however, it’s a great product guys and deserves a little more TLC in regards to packaging......Appreciate you hearing me out!

The amazing tonal range, build quality, finish and playability are all stellar. I rate it at six stars out of five. If Fender offered a guitar like this, they would surely charge well over $2000. My 611H is a great price as well as being a great musical instrument -- adds to the satisfaction. I need no other guitar, though I won't let that stop me from acquiring more...

Just spent the last three hours playing this guitar and it is terrific. Great built quality, excellent hardware along with the Seymore Duncan pickups, make this a steal at six hundred dollars. Don't be fooled by the fact that it isn't a Fender or Gibson. I own both and this can stand toe to toe with either of them. You will not be disappointed.