Yamaha Pacifica 112v: A Complete Buyer's Guide

A friend of mine spent months trying out guitars in every shop in London before she finally settled on a Yamaha Pacifica 112V, and she still tells people it's the one purchase she never once regretted. That's the thing about this guitar — it doesn't win you over with flash, it wins you over with everything actually working the way it should. Here's what to think about before you buy one.

What You're Actually Buying

Strip away the marketing and you've got an alder body, a bolt-on maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and an H/S/S pickup arrangement — a bridge humbucker paired with neck and middle single-coils, all Alnico V. It's a familiar Strat-style shape with a genuinely useful twist: a push-pull tone knob that splits the bridge humbucker for a brighter alternative sound. Nothing about the spec sheet is trying to impress you on paper. It's trying to actually work when you plug in, which is a rather more honest ambition.

New or Second-Hand?

Because this guitar has been around for years and sold in real numbers, the used market is worth taking seriously. A well-looked-after second-hand example can be a genuinely good buy, provided you check the things that actually matter on any used electric: neck straightness, fret wear, electronics that still work cleanly through every switch position, and a tremolo that returns to pitch properly. Buying new means starting from a known baseline instead, which has its own appeal if you'd rather not gamble on someone else's guitar history. Either route can land you a genuinely good Pacifica 112V — it's really a question of how much homework you're willing to do versus how much you're willing to pay for certainty.

Finishes Aren't the Decision

You'll find it in black, natural, sunburst, white, blue and a few regional variations, and none of that changes a single thing about how it plays or sounds. Pick whichever finish you'll actually enjoy looking at for years — it's a genuinely low-stakes decision compared with everything else on this list.

Don't Confuse It With the Rest of the Pacifica Family

Not every guitar wearing a "Pacifica 112" badge is built the same way, and the wider Pacifica range spans several tiers above this one too. The 112V earns its place through the Alnico V pickups, the coil-split wiring and the upgraded bridge hardware — details worth double-checking against the exact listing you're looking at, since small specifics can shift a little by market. If you'd like the full breakdown of what's actually inside it, our explainer on the Pacifica 112V's features covers every part properly.

What to Check Before You Hand Over Money

• Play through all five switch positions and confirm each one sounds clean and distinct.
• Test the coil-split function — it should give a noticeably brighter, thinner tone at the bridge.
• Check the tremolo returns cleanly to pitch after gentle use.
• Look for fret wear or buzzing, particularly on a used example.
• Budget mentally for a proper setup if you're buying second-hand, since you don't know its history.

Where It Sits on Price

I won't quote you a figure here, because retail prices shift by country, retailer and promotion far too often to print reliably in an article like this — check current listings before you buy rather than trusting anything you read as gospel. What I can tell you honestly is that it's positioned as an affordable, mid-priced electric, sitting a step above the very cheapest beginner packs without pushing into premium territory. You're paying for genuinely useful features, not a brand name.

Is It the Right Guitar for You?

If you want one instrument that genuinely covers blues, indie, funk, pop and moderate rock without constantly feeling like a compromise, this earns its reputation honestly. If you're chasing one very specific vintage tone and nothing else will do, it's worth trying a dedicated single-coil guitar alongside it before deciding. It's also become a common recommendation as someone's first proper electric, which our beginner-focused guide talks through in more depth if that's where you're at.

The Bottom Line

My friend was right to hold out, and she was right about what she ended up with, too. It's not a flashy purchase, and it doesn't need to be — it's a well-built, genuinely versatile guitar that rewards you for choosing substance over hype, whether you buy it new or find a good one second-hand.

Frequently Asked Questions