Pacifica 112M Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 I have bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112M that is in almost unplayed condition as a father-son project guitar. The only thing it does not have is a tremolo. Apparently the music shop cannibalized the trem from this guitar and stuck it back in the repair shop. The seller had bought out all the original shop's inventory and sold the Pac for cheap on ebay. The black finish is gorgeous and appears to be very thickly applied. Tthe maple fingerboard has nice grain and so does the neck. No glue-up lines in the headstock- this is all one piece. Other than the missing trem, the only issue appears to be that a couple of the fret ends need to be filed just a smidge, because you can feel an ever-so-slight protrusion at the neck. First decision we need to make is for the tremolo. I now know that I need a trem with 2-1/16" spacing. So many decisions. Cast saddles vs. stamped steel. Zinc vs brass vs steel blocks. Like everybody else, I want the most bang for my buck. FWIW, the woodworking end of things is not a problem. I have a fairly well equipped woodworking shop, so drilling, routing, etc. is not a problem. Once we get our trem issues figured out, here's what we plan to do: Pickups: GFS I01 Strat Vintage alnico stagger single coils for neck and middle GFS Dream 180 Black on Black for Bridge. We might vary and do a PAF of Cruncy PAF or even their Liverpool Vintage but the dual-purpose promise of chime and PAF sound from the Dream 180 sounds pretty good. We plan to do some of the creating wiring techniques, add switches for the whole series / parallel/ out of phase / coil tapping stuff. This is going to be for everything from Beatles to Jimi to later classic rock like Zepellin. Current amp is a Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. Why a Pacifia, you ask? When we shopped for a first guitar a few years ago, the Pacifica kept coming up as a good first guitar. We ended up with a 112J in Old Violin Sunburst and it has turned out to be just as described. A great guitar for the money and then some. I've come to prefer it's shape as it varies a bit from the Strat. The Pac 112 is just a bit sleeker. The neck is legendary - everyone seems to rave about it. This first Pac 112J has been played so much it's about due for a fret dressing. We want to mod a guitar, but I hate to start on the first guitar. So we decide to get this Pacifica, experiment on it. We feel like the quality of this guitar justifies it's use as a mid-grade modder. Interest in hearing advice on the trem issues as well as your thoughts on the pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 The GFS pickups are of no better quality than what's already in the guitar. I'd go with Duncan, Dimarzio, or EMG. They really don't cost much more and at least you'll get something better than what's in there. A Duncan set like the '59/Classic Stack/Classic Stack would be nice, or DiMarzio Virtual PAF/61/58, or EMG 85/SA/SA would sound very nice in that guitar and get you some of those nice vintage sounds. As far as the trem goes, anything by Wilkinson, Gotoh, or Hipshot are great bridges. If you want to keep the vintage look, the Wilk VSVG is a great piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacifica 112M Posted May 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 The GFS pickups are of no better quality than what's already in the guitar. I'd go with Duncan, Dimarzio, or EMG. They really don't cost much more and at least you'll get something better than what's in there. A Duncan set like the '59/Classic Stack/Classic Stack would be nice, or DiMarzio Virtual PAF/61/58, or EMG 85/SA/SA would sound very nice in that guitar and get you some of those nice vintage sounds. As far as the trem goes, anything by Wilkinson, Gotoh, or Hipshot are great bridges. If you want to keep the vintage look, the Wilk VSVG is a great piece. i know that the Pacifica sounds pretty good right outta the box, but I'm a little surprised that the GFS would not be an improvement. We thought abut the Duncan pickups but the GFS pups are getting such rave reviews that we thought we'd give them a try. For the trems, unless I want to plug, drill or otherwise modify, I'm stuck with a bridge that offers 2-1/16" spacing. I have wondered if I can use a 2 pt instead of the 6 pt. I have no fear of installing the studs as long as I realize a benefit and that the new bridge will cover the remaining 4 holes. I don't want to get into finishing issues. Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syxxstring Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 I have bought a significant amount of GFS pickups. I like them. The one's I've tried sound great. Not exactly like a Dimarzio, but a Duncan doesn't either. Neither do PRS pickups. My point they sound good, and without a label or high price a good pickup is a good pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 The thing is that most of the rave reviews are coming from the guy who sells them. They're decent pickups, but you get what you pay for. If it's a budget build, they're a good value. If you want a good player, you can do better. BTW, I think the necks on those Pacs were actually made by Warmoth, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacifica 112M Posted May 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 If you want to keep the vintage look, the Wilk VSVG is a great piece. Will the Wilkinson VSVG work with the 2-1/16" hole spacing? It is a good looking trem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 It will work, but it will spread the spacing 1/16" over the scale length. May or may not be noticeable. For a drop in replacement, you can use a Squier (cast saddles) or MIM Strat (stamped saddles) unit. The spacing may not be exactly 2 1/16", but it's closer than 2 1/8". If you want to upgrade, Callaham makes a block and saddles for the MIM base plate. I put a guitar together from 112 & various other parts for my nephew a few years ago before I really knew much about what I was doing. It turned out great, and he played the hell out of it. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremolo Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 I have bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112M that is in almost unplayed condition as a father-son project guitar. The only thing it does not have is a tremolo. Apparently the music shop cannibalized the trem from this guitar and stuck it back in the repair shop. The seller had bought out all the original shop's inventory and sold the Pac for cheap on ebay. The black finish is gorgeous and appears to be very thickly applied. Tthe maple fingerboard has nice grain and so does the neck. No glue-up lines in the headstock- this is all one piece. Other than the missing trem, the only issue appears to be that a couple of the fret ends need to be filed just a smidge, because you can feel an ever-so-slight protrusion at the neck. First decision we need to make is for the tremolo. I now know that I need a trem with 2-1/16" spacing. So many decisions. Cast saddles vs. stamped steel. Zinc vs brass vs steel blocks. Like everybody else, I want the most bang for my buck. FWIW, the woodworking end of things is not a problem. I have a fairly well equipped woodworking shop, so drilling, routing, etc. is not a problem. Once we get our trem issues figured out, here's what we plan to do: Pickups: GFS I01 Strat Vintage alnico stagger single coils for neck and middle GFS Dream 180 Black on Black for Bridge. We might vary and do a PAF of Cruncy PAF or even their Liverpool Vintage but the dual-purpose promise of chime and PAF sound from the Dream 180 sounds pretty good. We plan to do some of the creating wiring techniques, add switches for the whole series / parallel/ out of phase / coil tapping stuff. This is going to be for everything from Beatles to Jimi to later classic rock like Zepellin. Current amp is a Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. Why a Pacifia, you ask? When we shopped for a first guitar a few years ago, the Pacifica kept coming up as a good first guitar. We ended up with a 112J in Old Violin Sunburst and it has turned out to be just as described. A great guitar for the money and then some. I've come to prefer it's shape as it varies a bit from the Strat. The Pac 112 is just a bit sleeker. The neck is legendary - everyone seems to rave about it. This first Pac 112J has been played so much it's about due for a fret dressing. We want to mod a guitar, but I hate to start on the first guitar. So we decide to get this Pacifica, experiment on it. We feel like the quality of this guitar justifies it's use as a mid-grade modder. Interest in hearing advice on the trem issues as well as your thoughts on the pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremolo Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Take a look at this web site and see if this trem will work for you. www.tremking.com Designer Sheldon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremolo Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I have bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112M that is in almost unplayed condition as a father-son project guitar. The only thing it does not have is a tremolo. Apparently the music shop cannibalized the trem from this guitar and stuck it back in the repair shop. The seller had bought out all the original shop's inventory and sold the Pac for cheap on ebay. The black finish is gorgeous and appears to be very thickly applied. Tthe maple fingerboard has nice grain and so does the neck. No glue-up lines in the headstock- this is all one piece. Other than the missing trem, the only issue appears to be that a couple of the fret ends need to be filed just a smidge, because you can feel an ever-so-slight protrusion at the neck. First decision we need to make is for the tremolo. I now know that I need a trem with 2-1/16" spacing. So many decisions. Cast saddles vs. stamped steel. Zinc vs brass vs steel blocks. Like everybody else, I want the most bang for my buck. FWIW, the woodworking end of things is not a problem. I have a fairly well equipped woodworking shop, so drilling, routing, etc. is not a problem. Once we get our trem issues figured out, here's what we plan to do: Pickups: GFS I01 Strat Vintage alnico stagger single coils for neck and middle GFS Dream 180 Black on Black for Bridge. We might vary and do a PAF of Cruncy PAF or even their Liverpool Vintage but the dual-purpose promise of chime and PAF sound from the Dream 180 sounds pretty good. We plan to do some of the creating wiring techniques, add switches for the whole series / parallel/ out of phase / coil tapping stuff. This is going to be for everything from Beatles to Jimi to later classic rock like Zepellin. Current amp is a Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. Why a Pacifia, you ask? When we shopped for a first guitar a few years ago, the Pacifica kept coming up as a good first guitar. We ended up with a 112J in Old Violin Sunburst and it has turned out to be just as described. A great guitar for the money and then some. I've come to prefer it's shape as it varies a bit from the Strat. The Pac 112 is just a bit sleeker. The neck is legendary - everyone seems to rave about it. This first Pac 112J has been played so much it's about due for a fret dressing. We want to mod a guitar, but I hate to start on the first guitar. So we decide to get this Pacifica, experiment on it. We feel like the quality of this guitar justifies it's use as a mid-grade modder. Interest in hearing advice on the trem issues as well as your thoughts on the pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Pretty sure this project was already completed, using a Wilkinson trem if I remember correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar101 Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I put a set of Bill Lawrence single coil noiseless pickups in a Strat that I assembled and I couldn't be happier. Totally noiseless and great tone. They are a set of L280's. http://www.billlawrence.com/ Enter the old site and click on "Pickup Window". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.