Why is there not tons of love for the Pacifica?

spacecadet

Maybe I'm wrong but don't see them get mentioned that often. Back in the day it was THE starters guitar. Maybe still is but I played a Pacifica 311 today. Didn't look at the price tag and although like many production guitars, would have been better with 10's on it, I couldn't fault the quality at all. Had all the toanz you would want, neck was perfect, action was great, trem stayed in tune. Then I found out the price! Almost an impulse purchase. It was brilliant and that isn't even the top model. I'm quite shocked after today they appear to get ignored way more than they should. 

ICBM

I think the problem is that although they're very well made and great value for money, they're almost completely characterless.

spacecadet

I know what you mean but that in itself is character. Bit of a blank canvas so to speak. I got the impression that with heaver strings it would really come to life. I find the same with standard strats/ teles. Just a decent set of strings can make it a completely different beast. I do find Suhrs can be a bit like that. The ones I've played didn't really have a "vibe" but it was clearly outstanding quality. 

Jeremiah

Also, when they first came out they were noticeably better in quality than other guitars at a similar price, but now everyone else has caught up.

underdog

ICBM;634293" said:

I think the problem is that although they're very well made and great value for money, they're almost completely characterless.

Exactly, and of course the last decade has seen plenty of cheap and good beginner guitars but with character too.

Chalky

Yes, they are now just one among many good cheap guitars - and still have zero character.

Gru

I have had 2 Pacificas and 3 Affinitys, personally i prefer the feel of the Squiers. But technically the Pacifica probably had better electronics as standard.

guitargeek62

Nut width is too narrow, and the profile's are often a bit too "generic slim C" for my tastes.

siraxeman

I've always liked the Pacificas - the 112 is still an as good as it gets starter electric guitar. The upper end of the Pacifica range are just simply great Strat alike geetars. Great value for money at any end of their range.

John_P

Every pacifica I've played has felt comfortable and sounded ok but I hate the headstock.   Almost as ugly as the epiphone head.

HAL9000

@spacecadet - my 311H is for sale in the classifieds if you're interested and for a lot less than the new price.

spacecadet

John_P said:

Every pacifica I've played has felt comfortable and sounded ok but I hate the headstock.   Almost as ugly as the epiphone head.

It's actually a headstock I quite like. I think it's very difficult to get an original headstock design to look good. 

dindude

My 311 was built, played and sounded like a starter guitar. Others have caught up in the last twenty years whilst Yamaha have stood still.

Adam_MD

The other problem with a Pacifica is good luck selling one. Even if you buy one cheap and try to move it on it'll usually take a while to shift. G&L have this problem as well.

spacecadet

HAL9000 said:

@spacecadet - my 311H is for sale in the classifieds if you're interested and for a lot less than the new price.

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af135/roscoe2911/G_3d_plug_l_zpscfo7lbqx.png

jd0272

I'd love a higher end P, but the necks are just too small for me.

Pisses me right off frankly.

Flink_Poyd

My first guitar was a Pacifica 112. Looks OK, sounds OK, nut too narrow so sold it after 3 months. They're just OK without any wow factor or character at all.

thomasross20

My first electric, was great. Playing one now compared to what I've played since, I couldn't go back. But they have some great specs for a good price. 

Basher

I think that Yamaha have a similar problem, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, with all their models. They seem to get this "worthy but characterless" tag or "well made but lacking mojo" for the more expensive guitars.

I've been a big fan of their stuff over the years - I had an SF1000 back in the 80s, the Troy Van Leeuwen sig about 10 years ago and I'm currently really liking my SA2200 355-alike and I've owned an L25A acoustic for over 30 years. 

I think they are as good as anything in their respective price bracket but it's become clear that Yamaha seem to be less and less interested in electric guitars. They have put significant resources into developing those small amps so maybe there's a chance that they will come up with something new guitar-wise.

As far as Pacificas go, despite not being a fan of any kind of superstrat variants, I actually rather like the look of these:

thomasross20

Yeah those have great specs, right?

Now that is an excellent backup guitar. 

ThorpyFX

Basher said:

I think that Yamaha have a similar problem, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, with all their models. They seem to get this "worthy but characterless" tag or "well made but lacking mojo" for the more expensive guitars.

I've been a big fan of their stuff over the years - I had an SF1000 back in the 80s, the Troy Van Leeuwen sig about 10 years ago and I'm currently really liking my SA2200 355-alike and I've owned an L25A acoustic for over 30 years. 

I think they are as good as anything in their respective price bracket but it's become clear that Yamaha seem to be less and less interested in electric guitars. They have put significant resources into developing those small amps so maybe there's a chance that they will come up with something new guitar-wise.

As far as Pacificas go, despite not being a fan of any kind of superstrat variants, I actually rather like the look of these:

I have the flame orange version of that, it's a lovely guitar and certainly not characterless.