Gearank

Gearank High Notes

• 2022.08: Equal Highest Rated HSS Equipped Solidbody Electric Guitar from $200 to $500
  Tied With:
  Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V
  

• 2019.04: Highest Rated Mixed Pickup Solidbody Electric Guitar Under $200

Gearank Recommended

Yamaha is a multi-faceted brand that covers everything from pianos to bass guitars. The PAC112J is from Yamaha's Pacifica line of electric guitars that are obviously inspired by the Stratocaster.

This one uses alder wood for the body, much like classic strats. It features a double cutaway body, and sports a c-shaped strat style neck made from maple with a rosewood fingerboard.

And while it looks similar to Strats, it's not a straight copy, it has minor differences in terms of body shape, and it has a playing feel that's quite comfortable. These seemingly minor differences add up to a substantially more student-friendly instrument.

What truly sets this versatile guitar apart from regular Strats is its HSS pickup configuration. It expands your tone options and gives it a bit more oomph in the bridge position.

The single coil pickup in the neck position is also surprisingly responsive, for a guitar in this price range.

Build quality is quite good compared to other budget guitars, the look and overall feel of the instrument is not cheap at all. And it does so while retaining an affordable price tag.

Having been made by Yamaha, this is the best beginner guitar in this list. Note that the tuners are not as stable as more expensive guitars, but they get the job done much like other guitars in this price range.

Still, the Pacifica PAC112J upholds Yamaha's reputation for student friendly quality, hard to go wrong with this one particularly as your first electric guitar.

Features

• Body: Alder
• Finish: Black (pictured), also comes in Lake Blue, Natural, Old Violin Sunburst
• Bridge: Vintage Tremolo
• Pickups: 2 x Yamaha Ceramic Single Coil, Yamaha Ceramic Humbucker
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 25 1/2" (648 mm)
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 13.75" (350 mm)
• Number of Frets: 22
• Nut Width: 1.614"
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
• Pickup Selector: 5-Position

Here is a good review and demonstration of the Yamaha Pacifica PAC112J: